Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 288

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288. (v. 9) And when the animals gave glory and honour and thanks. That this signifies Divine truth, Divine good and glorification, is evident from the signification of glory and honour, when said of the Lord, as being Divine truth and Divine good; glory denotes Divine truth, and honour Divine good, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of thanks, as being glorification. What is here meant by glorification shall be first explained. Glorification, when from the Lord, is the perpetual influx of Divine good united to Divine truth with angels and with men; and with both the former and the latter, glorification of the Lord is reception and acknowledgment in heart that all good and truth are from the Lord, and consequently all intelligence, wisdom and happiness; this is signified, in the spiritual sense, by giving thanks. All glorification also of the Lord which comes from the angels of heaven and the members of the church, is not from themselves, but flows into them from the Lord. The glorification which is from men and not from the Lord is not from the heart, but only from the activity of the memory, and so from the mouth; and what proceeds only from the memory and the mouth, and not by means of them from the heart, is not heard in heaven, consequently is not received by the Lord, but passes into the world like any other sonorous words. This glorification is not acknowledgment in heart that all good and all truth are from the Lord. It is said acknowledgment in heart, by which is meant from the life of the love; for the heart, in the Word signifies love, and love is a life according to the Lord's precepts. When man is in this life, then there is glorification of the Lord, which is the acknowledgment from the heart that all good and all truth are from the Lord.

This is also meant by being glorified in these words in John:

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and that ye shall be my disciples" (xv. 7, 8).

[2] The reason why the four animals, which were cherubim, gave glory and honour and thanks, is that Divine truth and Divine good and glorification, which are signified by glory, honour and thanks, proceed and flow-in from the Lord; for those cherubim signify the Lord as to providence and guardianship (see above, n. 277). They were in the midst of the throne and about the throne (as is clear from the 6th verse of this chapter) and upon the throne was the Lord (verse 2). It is therefore evident that those things were from the Lord. But reception and acknowledgment in heart are meant by the words of the verse following, where it is said, that after these things were heard, "The four-and-twenty elders fell down before him that sat upon the throne, and worshipped him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, and cast their crowns before the throne."

[3] In the Word mention is frequently made of glory and honour, and glory everywhere signifies truth, and honour good. The reason why they are mentioned together is because in each particular of the Word there is the heavenly marriage, which is the conjunction of truth and good. And the reason why such marriage is in each particular of the Word is that the Divine which proceeds from the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good; and because these together constitute heaven, and also the church, therefore they are together in every particular of the Word, and similarly, the Divine from the Lord, and the Lord Himself. This is why the Word is most holy. (That there is such a marriage in all things of the Word, may be seen above, n. 238, and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314). That glory signifies Divine truth from the Lord, may be seen above (n. 33). [4] That honour signifies Divine good, follows from what has been said concerning the heavenly marriage in every part of the Word; as is also evident from the following passages. In David:

"Jehovah made the heavens, glory and honour are before him, strength and beauty are in his sanctuary" (Ps. xcvi. 5, 6).

By the heavens is meant the Divine which proceeds from the Lord, because the heavens are from that; and because the Divine which proceeds, and which constitutes the heavens, is Divine, truth and Divine good, it is therefore said, "glory and honour are before him"; by sanctuary is meant the church; the Divine good and the Divine truth therein are meant by strength and beauty. (That the Divine of the Lord constitutes the heavens, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, and that the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth and Divine good, n. 7, 13, 133, 137, 139, 140). [5] Again:

"O Jehovah, God very great; thou art clothed with glory and honour" (Ps. civ. 1).

By being clothed with glory and honour, when said of Jehovah, is signified His girding Himself with Divine truth and Divine good, for these proceed from Him, and thence gird Him, and thus constitute the heavens; therefore in the Word they are called His garments and covering (as may be seen above, n. 65 and 271).

[6] Again:

"The works of Jehovah are great. Glory and honour are his work" (Ps. cxi. 2, 3).

By the works of Jehovah are meant all things that proceed from, and are effected by Him; and because they have reference to Divine truth and good, it is therefore said, Glory and honour are his work." [7] Again:

"Generation to generation shall praise thy works, and shall declare thy virtues. I will speak of the honour of the magnificence of thy glory, and will meditate on the words of thy wonders, and I will make known to the sons of men his virtues, and the glory of the honour of his kingdom" (Ps. cxlv. 4, 5, 12).

The honour of the magnificence of Thy glory, denotes the, Divine good united to the Divine truth, and the glory of the honour, denotes the Divine truth united to the Divine good. The reason of this form of expression is that the union is reciprocal. For from the Lord proceeds the Divine good united to the Divine truth; but by the angels in heaven, and by men in the church, Divine truth is received, and is united to Divine good; hence it is said, the glory of the honour of his kingdom; for by His kingdom are meant heaven and the church.

[8] Again:

"Glory and honour thou wilt lay upon him. For thou makest him a blessing for ever" (Ps. xxi. 5, 6).

These things are spoken concerning the Lord, and by glory and honour upon Him are meant all Divine truth and Divine good. [9] Again:

"Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O powerful one, in thy glory and thine honour; in thine honour mount, ride upon the word of truth" (Ps. xlv. 3, 4).

This passage treats also of the Lord; and to gird the sword upon the thigh signifies Divine truth fighting from Divine good (that this is signified by a sword upon the thigh, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia, n. 10,488). And because from Divine truth He subjugated the hells, and brought the heavens into order, therefore it is said, O powerful one in glory and honour, and also, in honour mount and ride upon the word of truth. In honour mount and ride upon the word of truth signifies to act from Divine good by means of Divine truth. [10] Again:

"Thou hast made him to lack a little of the angels, but thou hast crowned him with glory and honour" (Ps. viii. 5).

This also is spoken of the Lord. His state of humiliation is described by causing Him to lack a little of the angels, His state of glorification by His being crowned with glory and honour. By glorifying is meant the uniting of the Lord's Divine itself with His Human, and the making this latter also Divine. [11] In Isaiah:

"Be glad ye wilderness and dry place, and let the plain of the wilderness exult and flourish as a rose, in flourishing let it flourish and exult; the glory of Lebanon is given to it, the honour of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Jehovah and the honour of our God" (xxxv. 1, 2).

Here the enlightenment of the nations is treated of; their ignorance of truth and good is signified by the wilderness and the dry place; their joy in consequence of instruction in truths and enlightenment therefrom is signified by being glad, exulting and flourishing; the glory of Lebanon which shall be given to them signifies Divine truth; and the honour of Carmel and Sharon signifies the Divine good which they receive. It is therefore said that they shall see the glory of Jehovah and the honour of our God. [12] Again, in the Apocalypse:

"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it" (xxi. 24, 26).

This is said of the New Jerusalem, by which is signified the New Church in the heavens and on earth. By the nations therefore are signified all those who are in good; and by the kings of the earth are signified all those who are in truths from good; concerning both of these it is said that "they shall bring their glory and honour into it," by which is meant worship from the good of love to the Lord, and from the truths of faith which are from the good of charity towards the neighbour.


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