Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ

 

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

² Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

³ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. -Revelation 1:1-3 Bible, King James Version

Apocalypse Explained

by Emanuel Swedenborg

[1757-9]

tr. by John Whitehead

[1911]

4 EXPOSITION Verses 1-3. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show unto His servants the things which must quickly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John, who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein; for the time is near. 1. "The revelation of Jesus Christ," signifies predictions from the Lord respecting the last times of the church (n. 5)..."the things which must quickly come to pass," signifies which will certainly be (n. 7)... 3. "Blessed," signifies those in whom is heaven (n. 12)... "for the time is near," signifies such an interior state (n. 16).

5 Verse 1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, signifies predictions from the Lord respecting the last times of the church...

7 Things which must quickly come to pass, signifies which will certainly be... Those who look at all things in the Word according to the sense of the letter do not know otherwise than that "quickly" signifies quickly; thus here, that the things predicted in Revelation were to occur quickly; from which they are led to wonder that nevertheless so long a time has elapsed before the Last Judgment took place. But those who know the internal sense of the Word, do not understand "quickly," but certainly... 

12 Verse 3. Blessed, signifies those in whom is heaven... It is said, "in whom is heaven," because heaven is in man; the heaven that is outside of man flows into the heaven that is within him, and is received so far as there is correspondence. (That heaven is in man, and that the internal of a man who is in heavenly love is heaven in the least form, corresponding to the greatest, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51-58; and that he who has heaven in himself comes into heaven may be seen in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 232-236.)...

16 For the time is near, signifies such an interior state. This is evident from the signification of "time," as meaning state... and from the signification of "near," as being the internal; thus here, because it refers to state, the interior state such as is described above is meant. By state is meant a state of affection and of thought therefrom. He who reads this, and knows nothing of the internal sense, supposes that by "the time being near" is meant that the time was near when the things contained in Revelation would be fulfilled. But that this is not meant can be seen from the fact that seventeen centuries elapsed before they were fulfilled... "Near" signifies interior, because distances in heaven are entirely in accord with the differences of the good of love; for which reason those who are in kindred good are also near one another... In heaven this is so because the good of love conjoins, and the more interior the good, the nearer is the conjunction. From this it is, that heaven is nearer to man, the more interiorly he is in the good of love; and the origin of this is that the Lord is nearer to an angel, to a spirit, and to man, the more interiorly they love Him... This nearness is thus described in John: Jesus said, He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23)...