840. THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER
1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the deep, and a great chain in (super) his hand. 2. And he arrested the dragon, the serpent of old who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3. And he cast him into the deep, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, lest he should lead the nations astray any more until the thousand years were finished, and after that he must be let loose for a short time. 4. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and the souls of those beheaded with the axe for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who did not adore the beast or his image, and did not accept the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for the thousand years. 5. And the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with Him for the thousand years. 7. And when the thousand years are finished Satan shall be let loose out of his prison. 8. And he shall go forth to lead astray the nations that are at the four corners of the land, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for war, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9. And they went up upon the breadth of the land and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire from God came down from heaven and consumed them. 10. And the devil leading them astray was cast into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they shall be tormented days and nights for ages of ages. 11. And I saw a great white throne, and One sitting upon it, from Whose face the land and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them. 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is of life; and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. 13. And the sea gave up those who were dead in it, and death and hell gave up those dead in them, and they were judged, each one, according to their works. 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death. 15. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
THE SPIRITUAL SENSE
THE CONTENT OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER
Concerning the removal of those who are understood by the dragon' (vers. 1-3),
and then concerning the ascent out of the lower land of those who have worshipped the Lord and fled from evils as sins (vers. 4-6).
The judgment upon those who had nothing of religion in worship (vers. 7-9).
The damnation of 'the dragon' (verse 10).
The general judgment upon the rest (vers. 11-15).
THE CONTENTS OF EACH OF THE VERSES
1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the deep, and a great chain in (super) his hand signifies the Lord's Divine operation into lower things by virtue of the Divine authority of shutting and opening, also of binding and letting loose. 2. And he arrested the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan signifies that those were held back who are understood by 'the dragon', who, because they think sensually and not spiritually about matters of faith are termed 'the serpent of old', and because they are in evils as to life are termed 'the Devil', and because they are in untruths as to doctrine are termed 'Satan'. And bound him for a thousand years signifies that those who are here understood by 'the dragon' were withdrawn and torn away from the rest in the world of spirits, so that for a while or for a considerable time there should not be communication with them. 3. And cast him into the deep, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him lest he should lead the nations astray any more signifies that the Lord entirely removed those who were in faith alone and took away all communication between them and the rest, lest they should inspire anything of their heresy into those who were being taken up into heaven. Until the thousand years were finished, and after that he must be let loose for a short time signifies these things for a while or for a considerable time, until those who were in truths derived from good were taken up by the Lord into heaven; after which those who are understood by 'the dragon' are to be let loose for a short time and communication between them and the rest opened. 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them signifies that the truths of the Word in accordance with which all are judged were opened, and that then those who had been hidden by the Lord were taken up out of the lower land lest they should be led astray by 'the dragon' and his 'beasts'. And the souls of those beheaded with the axe for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God signifies [that they were] rejected by those who are in untruths derived from self-intelligence, because they worshipped the Lord and lived in accordance with the truths of His Word. And who did not adore the beast or his image, and did not accept the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand signifies who did not acknowledge and receive the doctrine concerning faith alone. And they lived and reigned with Christ for the thousand years signifies who had already been in conjunction with the Lord and in His kingdom for some time. 5. And the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished signifies that besides those mentioned no others were taken up into heaven until after 'the dragon' was let loose, and those were then tested and examined [to discover] what they were like. This is the first resurrection signifies that salvation and eternal life is first of all to worship the Lord and to live in accordance with His precepts in the Word, because by their means there is conjunction with the Lord and association with the angels of heaven. 6. Blessed and holy is he having part in the first resurrection signifies that those who come into heaven have the happiness of eternal life and enlightenment through conjunction with the Lord. Over these the second death has no authority signifies that they do not suffer damnation. But they shall be priests of God and Christ signifies because they are kept by the Lord in the good of love and consequently in the truths of wisdom. And they shall reign with Him for the thousand years signifies that they were already in heaven when the rest who did not live again, that is, accept heavenly life, were in the world of spirits. 7. And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be let loose out of his prison signifies that, after those who had till then been hidden and guarded in the lower land were taken up by the Lord into heaven and by means of them the Christian New Heaven was increased, all those who confirmed untruths of faith with themselves should be let out. 8. And shall go forth to lead astray the nations that are at the four corners of the land, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for war signifies that those who are here understood by 'the dragon' would draw to their side all who were of the territories in the entire world of spirits and lived there in a worship only external natural and in no internal spiritual worship, and would rouse them up against those who worshipped the Lord and lived in accordance with His precepts in the Word. The number of whom is as the sand of the sea signifies the multitude of such. 9. And they went up upon the breadth of the land and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city signifies that being roused up by the dragonists they would despise every truth of the Church and endeavour to destroy all the things of the New Church, and the doctrine itself concerning the Lord and concerning Life. And fire from God came down out of heaven and consumed them signifies that they perished from the lusts of infernal love. 10. And the devil leading them astray was cast into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they shall be tormented days and nights for ages of ages signifies those cast into hell, who were in evils as to life and in untruths as to doctrine. 11. And I saw a great white throne, and One sitting upon it, from Whose face the heaven and the land* fled away [,and no place was found for them] signifies the universal judgment executed by the Lord upon all the former heavens that were occupied by (super quibus fuerunt) those who were in civil and moral good but in no spiritual good, thus who in external things were pretending to be Christians but in internal things were devils; which heavens with their territory were entirely done away with so that nothing of them would appear any more. 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God signifies all those of whatever condition and quality from on earth who, having died, were now among those who were in the world of spirits, gathered together by the Lord for judgment. And the books were opened, and another book was opened which is of life signifies that the interior things of the mind of all of them were laid open, and by means of the influx of light and heat out of heaven it was seen and perceived what they were like as to the affections that are of love or of the will, and consequently as to the thoughts that are of faith or of the understanding, the evil as well as the good. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works signifies that they were all judged in accordance with their internal life in external things. 13. And the sea gave up those who were dead in it signifies the external and natural men of the Church called to judgment. And death and hell gave up those who were dead in them signifies the wicked-hearted men of the Church, who in themselves were devils and satans, called together to judgment. And they were judged, each one, according to their works signifies here as before. 14. And deaths and hell were cast into the lake of fire signifies that the wicked-hearted who in themselves were devils and satans, and yet in external things like men of the Church, were cast down into hell among those who were in the love of evil and consequently in the love of untruths agreeing with evil. This is the second death signifies that these suffer damnation itself 15. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire signifies that those who did not live in accordance with the Lord's precepts in His Word, and did not believe us the Lord, were condemned. * Here and in the 'Contents of each of the Verses' the words 'land' and heaven' are transposed. Cf. the text of the chapter and the exposition in subsection 2 of this paragraph.
THE EXPOSITION
[verse 1] 'And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the deep, and a great chain in (super) his hand' signifies the Lord's operation into lower things by virtue of the Divine authority of shutting and opening, also of binding and letting loose. By 'an angel coming down from heaven' is understood the Lord, as may be seen (n. 5, 170, 344, 465, 657, 718), also the Lord's operation (n. 415, 631, 633, 649), here into lower things because it is said coming down'. By 'to have the key of the deep' is signified the Divine authority of opening and shutting hell, as may be seen (n. 62, 174); and by 'to have a great chain in the hand' is signified the endeavour and from it the act of binding and letting loose. It follows from this that there was not any key or chain in the Lord's hand, but that its having been so seen by John was a representative of the Lord's Divine Authority. In this chapter it treats a second and a third time of the opening of hell and the closing thereof.