947. [verse 10] 'And he says unto me, Do not seal the words of this prophecy, for the time is near' signifies that the Apocalypse is not to be closed up, but must be opened, and that this is necessary at the end of the Church in order that any may be saved. By 'do not seal the words of this prophecy' is signified that the Apocalypse is not to be closed up but must be opened, concerning which [something] follows. By 'for the time is near' is signified that this is necessary in order that any may be saved. By 'time' is signified state (n. 476, 562), here that the state of the Church is such that it is necessary. By near' is signified necessary, because by 'near' is not understood near or nearness of time, but nearness of state, and nearness of state is necessity. That nearness of time is not understood is plain, because the Apocalypse was written in the beginning of the first century, and the Lord's coming-when there is the last judgment and the New Church, these being understood here by the time is near' and also by 'the things that must be done quickly' (verse 6) and by 'I am coming quickly' (vers. 7, 20)- has appeared and taken place now after seventeen centuries. The same things are said in the first chapter, that those things 'must shortly come to pass' (verse ), and that 'the time is near' (verse 3), concerning which the things above (n. 4 and 9) may be seen. [2] By them similar things are understood. That not 'near' or nearness of time but nearness of state is understood, shall be illustrated. The Word in the purely spiritual sense does not derive anything out of the idea of time nor from the idea of space, because the times and spaces in heaven indeed appear like the times and spaces in the world, but still there they are not like them. And therefore the angels cannot measure the times and spaces that are the appearances there otherwise than by means of states, as these proceed and are changed. From which facts it can be established that in the purely spiritual sense by 'quickly' and 'near' are not understood quickly and near of time but quickly and near of state. This can indeed seem as if it were not so. This is because with men in every idea of their lower thought, which is merely natural, there is something derived from time and space. It is otherwise in the idea of the higher thought in which men are when they are meditating about things natural, civil, moral and spiritual in an interior rational light. For then the spiritual light that is withdrawn from time and space inflows and enlightens. You can experience this and thus be confirmed if you will, if only you pay attention to your thoughts. And then you will also confirm that thought is higher and lower, since a simple thought cannot behold itself except from something higher; and if a man did not have a higher and a lower thought, he would not be a man but a brute. [3] The reason why by 'do not seal the words of this prophecy' is signified that the Apocalypse is not to be closed up but must be opened is because by' to seal 'is signified to close up, and therefore by 'not to seal' is signified to open; and by 'the time is near is signified that it is necessary. For the Apocalypse is a book sealed or closed up, so long as it has not been expounded; and, as was shown above (n. 944), by 'the words of this prophecy' are understood the truths and precepts of the doctrine of this book opened by the Lord. That this is necessary at the end of the Church in order that any may be saved may be seen above (n. 9). From these considerations it can be established that by 'do not seal the words of this prophecy, for the time is near' is signified that the Apocalypse must not be closed up but opened, and that this is necessary at the end of the Church in order that any maybe saved.