Revelation 17:1-18 The judgment of the great whore

17 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

² With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

⁷ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

¹⁰ And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

¹² And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

¹³ These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

¹⁴ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

¹⁵ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

¹⁶ And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

¹⁷ For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. -Revelation 17 Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com

1029. EXPLANATION. As this chapter and the following treat of Babylon, before these chapters are explained, what is meant by Babylon in general and in particular shall be told; also what it is in the beginning, and what it becomes afterwards by degrees. "Babylon" (or Babel) means the church consisting of those who by means of the holy things of the church strive to gain dominion over the whole world, and this by dominion over the souls of men, claiming to themselves authority to save whomsoever they will; and these finally seek dominion over heaven and hell and make it their own. And to this end they draw and transfer to themselves all the Lord's authority, as if it had been given them by Him. The church consisting of such is very different in the beginning from what it becomes in process of time. In the beginning they are as it were in zeal for the Lord, for the Word, for love and faith, and especially for the salvation of men. But in that zeal the fire of domineering lies hidden; and in process of time as dominion increases this breaks forth; and so far as it comes into act the holy things of the church become the means, and dominion itself the end; and when dominion becomes the end the holy things of the church are applied to that end, and thus to themselves; and then they not only ascribe the salvation of souls to their own authority, but they also appropriate to themselves all the Lord's Divine power. And when they do this they pervert every good and every truth of the church, and thus profane the holy things of the church. These things are "Babylon." [2] That this is so has been shown me... In the spiritual world there were those who strove to gain such dominion; and as they knew that the Lord alone has all power, they put on a seeming zeal for Him and for heaven and for the church, and they labored with all their might to worship the Lord alone, and to observe in a holy way all things of the Word; and they arranged to have sanctity and integrity prevail in all. But it was granted to know that in such zeal an ardent desire of domineering over all others lay hidden, believing that the things they arranged would be acceptable to the Lord. For just as soon as they began to gain dominion, their end was gradually disclosed, which was that they and not the Lord should rule, and thus that the Lord should serve them and not they the Lord; and they were indignant if they were not permitted, like gods, to dispose everything at their will; and it was perceived also that they thought lightly of the Lord, and even rejected Him if He did not grant them authority to do all things as they pleased, and unless He assented to every decision of theirs. It was also perceived that if they dared, they would, under some pretext, transfer His Divine authority to themselves; but they were afraid of being for this reason cast down into hell. By this it was shown how Babylon begins and how it ends. The conclusion to be drawn from this was that when dominion becomes the end, and the holy things of the church become the means, the worship of God is turned, under various pretexts, into the worship of men; so that they themselves are actually gods, and the Lord is not actually God, but is so called for the sake of form. [3] Now because dominion by means of the holy things of the church over the souls of men, over heaven, and over the Lord Himself, is inwardly profane, it follows that it is infernal; for the devils who are in hell desire nothing so much as to have dominion over heaven, and over the Lord Himself; and this they attempt to do under various pretexts, but as soon as they attempt it they are swallowed up by hell. And since those who in the world cast the Lord down from the seat of His kingdom and place themselves upon it, are in heart like devils, it is evident that a church made up of such must in process of time be devastated as to all its good and all its truth; and this is its end. That such are devils is evident from the same in the spiritual world. Those who have exercised the Lord's Divine authority in the world talk about the Lord after death in a most holy manner, and worship Him with all external devotion. But when their interiors are looked into (for in the spiritual world these can be uncovered and looked into) they are seen to be profane, because they are godless and full of diabolical craft; and from this it becomes clear that their holy externals had served them as means to an end, which was dominion... [4] That such is Babylon at this day is clearly evident from the fact that under the pretext of the keys having been given to Peter, they have transferred to themselves all the Divine authority of the Lord, that they have shut up Divine truth from the people by taking away the Word, and that they have ascribed to the decrees of the Pope a holiness equal and even superior to the holiness of the Word; also that they teach little, if at all, the fear and worship of God, but only a fear and worship of themselves, and also a worship of the saints for the sake of themselves. All this makes clear that Babylon in its end is a church empty and void of all the good of love to God, and of all the good of love towards the neighbor, and consequently of all truth... These things have been said about Babylon in its beginning and at its end, to make known why in the Word Babylon is sometimes extolled even to heaven, and sometimes cast down even to hell...

1030. Verses 1-2. And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me, saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom; and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom. 1. "And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials and spoke with me" signifies a manifestation of the state of the church with the Papists [or Roman Catholics] (n. 1031); "saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot," signifies the religious persuasion of those in whom all the good and truth of the church has been adulterated and profaned (n. 1032); "that sitteth upon many waters," signifies that has dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church (n. 1033). 2. "With whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom," signifies that it has falsified all the truths of the church (n. 1034); "and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom," signifies that from falsifications those who are of the church have become insane (n. 1035).

1032. Saying unto me, Come, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot, signifies the religious persuasion of those in whom all the good and truth of the church has been adulterated and profaned... [2] Babylon is called "the great harlot" and "the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth," because a love of having dominion over all things of the world, and still further, over all things of heaven and the church, and finally over the Lord Himself, cannot do otherwise than wholly change Divine truths into falsities and Divine goods into evils, thus the church into a religious persuasion in which all its good and truth is adulterated and profaned. For by that love a man wholly turns himself away from the Lord, and turns only towards self; and thus he can no longer be led by the Lord, but is led by what is his own; and to be led by what is his own is to be led by hell. Man is either led from heaven or he is led from hell; he cannot be led by both at the same time; and he is led from heaven when he is led by the Lord, and from hell when he is led by self. For man was so created as to be capable of being raised above what is his own and of thinking in that elevated state. He is raised above what is his own and thinks in that elevated state when he is raised up by the Lord; and this is effected when he acknowledges the Lord and His Divine power over heaven and earth; and by that confession and faith of the heart he has conjunction with the Lord; and when conjunction is effected, the interiors, which belong to his mind, that is, to his understanding and will, are held by the Lord under his view. This is effected by an elevation above what is his own; and when man thinks in that elevated state he thinks truth from the Lord and does good from Him. [3] The opposite comes to pass when a man strives to gain dominion over the world, over heaven, and over the Lord; for he then immerses the interiors of his mind which belong to his thought and will in what is his own; and when a man is immersed in what is his own he thinks and wills from hell; consequently he thinks and wills falsities and evils; and for the reason that what is man's own is nothing but evil for it is his inherited evil... Such then are the Babylonians; and therefore they have adulterated and profaned all the goods and truths of the church; and this is why Babylon is called a "harlot," and "the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth."

1033. That sitteth upon many waters, signifies that has dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church. This is evident from the signification of "to sit," as being to subject to her judgment and to bring under her jurisdiction, and thus to have dominion over... Also from the signification of "waters," as being truths (see n. 71, 483, 518, 854), but here all things of the Word, because it is said "many waters,"... "Many waters" signify also the holy things of the church... "Many waters" here signify also the holy things of the church, as will be evident from the explanation of the fifteenth verse, where it is said, "The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, nations and tongues," and "peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues," there mean all things of the church; because the "earth" in the Word signifies the church, and thus those on the earth signify all things of the church. But on this more will be said in the explanation of that verse. That the Babylonians have subjected the truths of the Word and the holy things of the church to their judgment, jurisdiction, and dominion, can be seen from this, that they persuade the people that the Word is understood by them alone and not by any who have not been inaugurated into the ministry; and by this means they subject all things of the Word and thus all things of the church to their dominion. [3] Moreover, the Word is such in the sense of its letter that it may be drawn aside to confirm any heresy whatever; for the sense of the letter consists of appearances of truth, which hold enclosed in them the genuine truths of heaven, which are called spiritual truths; and unless these truths are revealed and laid bare, that is, unless they are taught in the doctrines of the church, the appearances they present may be drawn over and perverted to favor any falsity whatever, and even to favor evil. For the genuine truths of the Word are like a man, and the appearances of truth, of which the sense of the letter consists, are like his garments, from which alone no judgment can be formed respecting who the man is or what he is. If a man were judged from his garments alone, a king might be called a servant, and a servant a king, and a good man might be called an evil man, and an evil man a good man; and so on. So those who arrogate to themselves dominion over all things of the church and heaven can apply the sense in its letter a thousand ways to favor their dominion. And this is an easy task, because all things of the church, which are called holy, they place above the human understanding, and when this is assented to and no genuine truth is taught, infernal falsities may be called truths, and devilish evils may be called goods; and the simple may even be persuaded that the edicts of the Pope are just as holy as the commandments of the Word, and even more holy; and yet these are from heaven, while those edicts are for the most part from hell. For every edict respecting government, faith, and worship in the church, that has for an end dominion in the world, however it may appear in the external form, and may sound as if from the Word, is from hell; while every commandment from the Word, because it has for its end the salvation of souls by the Lord, is from heaven. From all this it can be seen that "sitting upon many waters," when predicated of Babylon as a harlot, signifies having dominion over all things of the Word, and thus over the holy things of the church.

1035. And they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom, signifies that from falsifications those who are of that church have become insane. This is evident from the signification of "made drunk," as being to be insane in spiritual things (see n. 376); also from the signification of "wine," as being spiritual truth (see also n. 376); also from the signification of "whoredom," as being the falsification of truth (see just above); also from the signification of "they that dwell on the earth," as being those who are of the church... [2] In regard to the insanity that is signified in the Word by "intoxication" and "drunkenness," it is... from truths falsified, for the reason that truth from heaven acts into the understanding, and at the same time falsity from hell; ...and to an insanity like that of a drunkard in the world. But only those are subject to this insanity who are in evil, and who have confirmed falsities of evil by means of the Word; for all things of the Word are truths and communicate with heaven, while falsities of evil are from hell...

1036. Verses 3-5. And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the uncleanness of her whoredom. And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth. 3. "And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness," signifies into a place appearing in vision that corresponded to the state of that religious persuasion (n. 1037); "and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast," signifies the dominion of that religious persuasion over the holy things of the Word (n. 1038); "full of names of blasphemy," signifies which are adulterated and falsified (n. 1039); "having seven heads," signifies and profaned (n. 1040); "and ten horns" signifies the power of the Word from truths (n. 1041). 4. "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet," signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity (n. 1042); "and inwrought with gold and precious stone," signifies the appearance of that religion in externals, as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity (n. 1043); "and pearls," signifies its appearing in externals to be in the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1044); "having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the uncleanness of her whoredom," signifies having doctrine from profaned goods and truths (n. 1045). 5. "And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great," signifies having in heart the love of dominion over the world and heaven, which the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are made to serve as means (n. 1046); "the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth" signifies a religious persuasion which is the source of adulterations of good and truth, and profanations of the holy things of the church (n. 1047).

1037. Verse 3. And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, signifies into a place appearing in vision that corresponded to the state of that religious persuasion... Also from the signification of "in the spirit," as being in vision, for what John saw in the spirit he saw in vision. To see in vision is to see such things as exist with angels in heaven, which are representative and thus significative of things spiritual. When these appear to man they do not appear before the sight of his body, but before the sight of his spirit. For the spirit of man has eyes as well as his body; but the eyes of his spirit see the things that are in the spiritual world, because all things that appear there are from a spiritual origin, and the spiritual man sees spiritual things with the understanding, and with the eyes he sees the same in a form like the natural... So when the eyes of the spirit were opened with the prophets they saw such things as represented and thus signified the celestial Divine and spiritual Divine things of the church, and sometimes such things as represented and thus signified things that were to come to pass in the churches in the future; and such were the things that John saw. He now saw a wilderness, because a "wilderness" signifies a state of the church devastated of all good and truth; and this state corresponds to the church that had become Babylon...

 

1042. Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet [or a brilliant red], signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals, as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of the "woman," as being the religious persuasion of the Papists [or Roman Catholics;]... Also from the signification of "purple," as being good from a celestial origin, and also the evil opposite thereto, which is called devilish evil...

1043. And inwrought with gold and precious stone, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of "gold," as being spiritual good and the evil opposite thereto, which is called infernal evil... [2] Something has been said about good and truth from a celestial origin, and good and truth from a spiritual origin; and something shall now be said about the evil and falsity that are opposite to these. As the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, so are the hells divided into two dominions opposite to those kingdoms. The dominion opposite to the celestial kingdom is called devilish, and the dominion opposite to the spiritual kingdom is called infernal. These dominions are distinguished in the Word by the names Devil and Satan. There are two dominions in the hells, because the heavens and the hells are opposite to each other...

1044. And pearls, signifies their appearance in externals to be in the cognitions of good and truth, and yet in internals they are in the knowledge of evil and falsity... That the Babylonian nation is such, namely, that they wish to appear to be in sanctity, and thus in every good and truth and in the knowledges of these, and to appear in consequence to be intelligent above all others in the world, although in fact they are in no good or truth nor in any knowledges of these, and thus not in any intelligence or wisdom in spiritual things. That they are not in these, but are instead insane in respect to them, is clearly seen in the spiritual world, where the interiors of every man are laid bare and thus clearly appear. In the case of the monks, and especially the Jesuits [members of a Roman Catholic order of priests founded in 1534 to do missionary work,] who from their cleverness were considered to be more intelligent than all others in the world, their interiors were found to be so empty and void that they did not know a single truth that leads to heaven... [2] They appear in externals to be in goods, truths, knowledges, intelligence, and wisdom, because they have made subject to their dominion all the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and therefore from dominion they speak with the common people, persuading them that they hold the mysteries of heaven, and that their Pope utters his edicts from inspiration, like that of the prophets and apostles; and this they can declare in a haughty manner, because they speak from the authority of dominion over souls, and over heaven and hell; and from a persuasion of their holiness it can be accepted by the common people with no repugnance of heart, since the common people are kept for this very purpose in dense thick darkness respecting spiritual things. And in that thick darkness they inspire spurious goods and foolish truths, which they call Divine and heavenly; and in such thick darkness in which the common people are kept, they are even able to inspire devilish and infernal evils and falsities, and to induce a faith in them as if they were celestial and spiritual goods and truths; for thus and not otherwise can they be adored as deities, and subject countries and possessions to their command and disposal. Such are the things that lie hidden inwardly in them, while outwardly they appear as if "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones, and pearls."

1046. Verse 5. And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, signifies having in heart a love of dominion over the world and heaven, which the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are made to serve as means...

1047. The mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth, signifies a religious persuasion which is the source of adulterations of good and truth, and profanations of the holy things of the church... (Continuation respecting Profanation) [2] Profanations are of many kinds. The most grievous kind is when one acknowledges and lives according to the truths and goods of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and afterwards denies them and lives contrary to them, or even lives contrary to them and does not deny them. Such profanation effects a conjunction and coherence of good with falsity, and of truth with evil... and the man becomes like a brute animal, continually delirious, and carried hither and thither by fantasy like a dragon in the air... [3] As such have no longer any human life they are not called spirits, but something profane, nor are they called he or she, but it; and when they are seen in the light of heaven they appear like dried skeletons. But this kind of profanation is rare, since the Lord provides against a man's entering into a belief in truth and a life of good unless he can be kept in them continually even to the end of his life...

1048. Verse 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus; and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder. 6. "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints," signifies a religious persuasion that is insane from the falsities of evil, from which violence is done to Divine truths (n. 1049); "and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus," signifies violence done to those truths of the Word that teach that the Lord alone is to be adored (n. 1050); "and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder," signifies an astonishing vision in which were arcana [or secrets] of heaven, that were unknown to him (n. 1051).

1050. And with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, signifies violence done to those truths of the Word that teach that the Lord alone is to be adored... That the Babylonians do violence to the truths of the Word that teach about the Lord can be clearly seen from this, that they have transferred the Lord's Divine authority to the Pope as His vicar, and worship and adoration along with it; also with this end in view they have separated the Lord's Divine from His Human, that they might say that they have not assumed His Divine but His Human authority; not being willing to know that the Divine authority consists chiefly in the power to save the human race; although the Babylonians appropriate even this power to themselves...

1052. Verses 7-8. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore, dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition; and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast that was and is not, and yet is. 7. "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns," signifies manifestation of all things (n. 1053). 8. "The beast that thou sawest was and is not," signifies the Word which in the beginning was received in the church and read, and afterwards was taken away from the people and not read (n. 1054); "and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition," signifies that it is acknowledged as Divine and yet is rejected (n. 1055); "and they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder," signifies those of that religion who reject the Word (n. 1056); "whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world," signifies that there are those who do not acknowledge the Lord's Divine authority over heaven and earth, but regard it as transferred to a certain vicar, and from him to his vicars (n. 1057); "seeing the beast that was and is not," signifies knowing that the Word has been received, and yet is rejected (n. 1058); "and yet is" signifies that it still is because it is Divine and has not been rejected except by profaners (n. 1059).

1054. Verse 8. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, signifies that the Word in the beginning was received in the church and read, and afterwards was taken away from the people and not read... That this is the meaning of these words is evident from the fact that the Word was so treated, namely, that in the beginning they acknowledged it as Divine, taught from it, and read it before the people; but that afterwards, as they extended their dominion over the church and over heaven, while they acknowledged it to be Divine they no longer taught from it as before. For they interdicted [or in other words the Roman Catholic Church banned] the people from reading it, and instead of doctrine from it they put forth their doctrine from the Papal throne as Divine, they instituted Divine worship in masses not understood by the common people, and they preached the adoration of the Pope and of dead men whom they call saints, instead of the Lord whom they previously adored... All this makes clear that... Babylon in the beginning was a church that worshiped the Lord, and preached the Divine truth from the Word, but afterwards, while it retained an adoration of the Lord it was an external, that is, a formal adoration, and the internal which is the essential adoration they transferred to the Pope as the Lord's vicar, and consequently to the ministering body as vicars under him; this may be seen above (n. 1029)...

1057. Whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, signifies that there are those who do not acknowledge the Divine authority of the Lord over heaven and earth, but regard it as transferred to a certain vicar, and from him to his vicars. This is evident... Also from the signification of "from the foundation of the world," as being from the establishment of the church. In the sense of the letter or the natural sense "the foundation of the world" means the creation of the world; but in the internal spiritual sense it means the establishment of the church... For this reason the creation of the heaven and the earth in the first chapter of Genesis describes in the spiritual sense the new creation or establishment of the first and Most Ancient Church on this earth. (That this is described by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where the contents of that chapter are explained.)...(Continuation respecting the Second Kind of Profanation) [6] Profaners of this kind are stupid and foolish in spiritual things, but are crafty and keen in worldly things, because they make one with the devils in hell... In a word, the love of having dominion by means of the holy things of the church corresponds to filth, and its delight to a stench indescribable by words, and at which angels shudder. Such is the exhalation from their hells when they are opened...

1059. And yet is, signifies that it still is, because it is Divine, and has not been rejected except by profaners... (Continuation respecting the Third Kind of Profanation) [2] Those who are in this kind of profanation, which is hypocritical, differ in this respect, that there are those who have less ability and those who have more ability to conceal the interiors of their mind, that they may not be disclosed, and to shape the exteriors, which pertain to the face and mouth, into an expression of sanctity. When such after death become spirits they appear encompassed with a cloud, in the midst of which is something black, like an Egyptian mummy. But as they are raised up as it were into the light of heaven, that bright cloud changes to a diabolical duskiness, not from any shining through it, but from a breathing through it, and the consequent darkening. In hell, therefore, these are black devils. The differences in this kind of profanation are known from the blackness, as being more or less foul and horrid.

1060. Verses 9-11. This is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them. And they are seven kings; the five have fallen, and the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he is come, he must remain a short time. And the beast which was and is not is himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition. 9. "This is the mind that hath wisdom," signifies the understanding of these things in the natural sense from the spiritual (n. 1061). "The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them," signifies the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned by those who are in dominion from that religious persuasion (n. 1062). 10. "And they are seven kings," signifies the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by such (n. 1063); "the five have fallen," signifies that nothing is here said about the rest of the truths profaned, but only about the two that are the heads of religion (n. 1064); "and the one is," signifies the adulterated truth that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, has been transferred to their head, and from him to the others who are under him (n. 1065); "the other is not yet come; and when he is come he must remain a short time," signifies the profaned truth that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth, assumed by them, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine (n. 1066). 11. "And the beast which was and is not is himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition," signifies that the truth that the Word is Divine has also been profaned, and yet it has been rejected (n. 1067).

1061. Verse 9. This is the mind that hath wisdom, signifies the understanding of these things in the natural sense from the spiritual. This is evident..., "having wisdom" means the explanation from the spiritual sense of the thing represented in the natural sense, thus the explanation of what is meant by "the seven mountains" and "the seven kings," which are signified by "the seven heads." For the explanation given by the angel, that the "seven heads" are "seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth," and that they are "seven kings, five of whom have fallen, and the one is, and the other is not yet come," with what follows, is not an explanation from the spiritual sense..., but is an explanation in a sense merely natural, in which the spiritual sense lies concealed, and this sense must be unfolded... From the spiritual... "mountains" signify the goods of the Word, and "seven mountains" these profaned; and... "kings" signify the truths of the Word, and "seven kings" these profaned...

1062. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sitteth upon them, signifies the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned by those who are in dominion from that religious persuasion. This is evident from the signification of "the seven heads of the beast," as being the holy things of the Word profaned (see n. 1040); also from the signification of "seven mountains," as being the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned... Also from the signification of "where the woman sitteth upon them," as being where there is dominion from that religious persuasion... Dominion from that religious persuasion is meant because those who are in dominion over the holy things of the church, and exercise that dominion, are the ones meant by this "woman," who is called a "harlot," and "the mother of the whoredoms and the abominations of the earth," and not those who are in worship according to that religious persuasion and are not in dominion. When such live according to the statutes of the Pope, and acknowledge him to be the Lord's vicar, and observe the holy things of worship as they have been instituted, they are not dissimilar to upright pagans, who know not otherwise than that they are truths, goods and holy things which their ministers and monks teach; and this the more because they do not read the Word, some because it has been taken away from them, and some because under persuasion they depend upon the mouth of their monks, and believe that these alone and no others understand the Word. [2] But those of their people who look to the Lord, and to the Pope only as to the head of the church, and who are in some affection for truth, are indeed in Babylon, but are not of it; for after death these can be drawn away from the vanities of that religious persuasion and from idolatries, and can be led to worship and adore the Lord; and they also receive truths from the Lord through the Word or through those who teach it. For this reason, after the Last Judgment many societies, which are so many churches, were instituted from these by the Lord (of which in what follows). In regard to "the seven mountains" upon which the woman was seen to sit, it is believed that they are the seven mountains of Rome, where the Papal throne is. But admitting that Rome is meant, still "the seven mountains" signify the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned; for the Word is spiritual in every part, and this is the spiritual of it. That "the seven mountains" signify the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned is evident also from what immediately follows, where it is said that "the seven heads of the beast" mean also "seven kings;" and "seven kings" signify in the spiritual sense the truths of the Word falsified and profaned...

1063. Verse 10. And they are seven kings, signifies the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by such... (Continuation respecting the Fourth Kind of Profanation) [3] In this kind of profanation are those especially who read the Word and know about the Lord; because from the Lord through the Word are all things holy that can be profaned... Those who belong to this kind of profanation appear after death at first with a face of human color, around which float many wandering stars; and those of them that had been leaders sometimes appear shining about the mouth. But as they are brought into the light of heaven, the stars and the shining of the mouth vanish, and the color of the face is changed to black, and likewise their garments. But the blackness of these profaners draws something from blue, as the blackness of the other kind of draws something from red, for the reason that the latter profane the goods of the Word and of the church, while the others profane the truths of the Word and of the church. For red derives from the sun its signification of good, while blue derives
from the sky its signification of truth.

1064. The five have fallen, signifies that nothing is here said about the rest of the truths profaned, but only about the two that are the heads [of the rest.]... This is evident from the signification of "the five have fallen," as being that of the rest nothing is here said. For when five in the Word follows after ten it signifies some persons or things, or the remaining persons or things, or few persons or things; but when it does not follow after ten it signifies many persons or things. (On the signification of this number see n. 584.) That "the five have fallen" signifies that nothing is said of the rest is evident also from what follows, "The one is, and the other is not yet come, and when he is come he must continue a little while," which signifies that the two profaned truths that are the heads of the rest must here be spoken of; and of the other it is further said in the following verse, "And the beast that was and is not is himself an eighth king, and is of the seven;" from which it is evident that all this signifies that these profaned truths alone, and not the others, are here to be spoken of. [2] Consequently the "five" that have fallen signify the remaining things of that religion that have been profaned, for five kings of the seven are meant, and the "seven kings" signify all the truths of the Word falsified and profaned by them (see just above, n. 1063). Therefore the two profaned truths here treated of, that are the heads of the rest, are that they have transferred to themselves the Lord's Divine authority, and that they have rejected the Word. The transferring of the Lord's Divine authority to themselves is signified by the "one king who is," and by "the other who is to come;" and their rejection of the Word by the "beast" that is the eighth king, and yet among the seven. (Continuation respecting the Fifth Kind of Profanation) [3] This kind is not like the others that have been treated of, for it consists in jesting from the Word and about the Word. For those who make jokes from the Word do not regard it as holy, and those who joke about it hold it in no esteem. And yet the Word is the very Divine truth of the Lord with men, and the Lord is present in the Word, and heaven also; for every particular of the Word communicates with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord; therefore to jest from the Word and about the Word is to bespatter the holy things of heaven with the dust of the earth.

1065. And the one is, signifies the adulterated and profaned truth that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, is transferred to their head, and from him to the others who are under him... [2] In respect to the matter itself, namely, that they have transferred the Lord's authority over heaven and earth, thus over men to save them, to their head and from him to the others who are under him, this is well known; and it is evident from this that with all the heart and mind they aspire to be gods over the earth, consequently to be adored with Divine worship. That their head is adored as a god in place of the Lord is evident from their venerating him upon the knees, from the holy kissing of his shoes, also of his footsteps. This veneration or rather adoration follows from this, that he is able to open heaven by the keys of Peter, and thus to give heaven to whomsoever he pleases; also by the same means to close heaven, thus to cast into hell whomsoever he pleases... For they know that he who possesses the souls of men and also their wealth, possesses men as God does, and can transfer to himself a kind of Divine worship. From this it is clear that those who belong to the Babylon of the present day aspire with the whole heart and mind to be gods, and to be adored with Divine worship. But although they aspire to this they deny that they have transferred anything Divine to themselves...

1066. The other is not yet come, and when he is come he must remain a short time, signifies the profaned truth that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth, assumed by them, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine... The Lord's authority over heaven and earth, which they have transferred to themselves, is said not to be Divine, and yet it is Divine... [2] In respect to the thing itself it is well known that they claim that the authority over heaven, and over the souls of men to save them, is not Divine, since it was the authority of the Lord's Human transferred to Him from God the Father, and from the Lord to Peter. But this is said from a fear that the common people may withdraw from them. Nevertheless, that authority is Divine... Man is not saved in a single moment, since he is reformed and regenerated by the Lord by successive steps... That man is thus reformed and regenerated by the Lord they do not know, because they do not wish to know it; consequently they persuade themselves that salvation is instantaneous, and is simply an admission into heaven, which is a huge falsity...(Continuation respecting the Word) [3] In a summary: The Word is Divine truth itself, which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men. As Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and as what proceeds is Himself out of Himself, the same as light and heat proceed from the sun and are the sun, that is, are of the sun out of it, and as the Word is the Divine truth, it is also the Lord, as it is called in John (1:1-3, 14). Inasmuch as the Divine truth, which is the Word, in its descent into the world from the Lord, has passed through the three heavens, it has become accommodated to each heaven, and lastly to men also in the world. This is why there are in the Word four senses, one outside of the other from the highest heaven down to the world, or one within the other from the world up to the highest heaven. These four senses are called the celestial, the spiritual, the natural from the celestial and the spiritual, and the merely natural. This last is for the world, the next for the lowest heaven, the spiritual for the second heaven, and the celestial for the third. These four senses differ so greatly from one another that when one is exhibited beside the other no connection can be recognized; and yet they make one when one follows the other; for one follows from the other as an effect from a cause...; and thus it is that all four senses make one through correspondences. [4] From all this these truths follow. The [natural] sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, and the fourth in order, contains in itself the three interior senses, which are for the three heavens when a man on the earth is reverently reading the Word...

1067. Verse 11. And the beast which was and is not is himself the eighth, and is of the seven, and he goeth into perdition, signifies that the truth that the Word is Divine has also been profaned; and yet it has been rejected... From all this it can be seen that these words signify this profaned truth of good that the Word is Divine, and still it has been rejected. It has been received and acknowledged as Divine chiefly because their religion is founded on the keys given to Peter, as described in the Word. Nevertheless, that it has been rejected is well known, for it is taken away from the common people, it is not read in the temples, and the same holiness and inspiration are attributed to the decrees of the Pope as to the Word; but as these are not in harmony with the Word, the Word in general is invalidated, and even blasphemed, by the claim that it is allowable to change it according to the state of the church. From this it is clear that the truth that the Word is Divine has been profaned by them... These would have been mysteries forever, deeply hidden from mankind, if it had not been revealed that the things recorded in this chapter describe what Babylon is as to the Word. (Continuation respecting the Word) [3] That the Word is the Divine truth itself, which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men, can be apperceived or seen only by a man enlightened. For to a worldly man, whose mind has not been raised above the sensual sphere, the Word in the sense of the letter appears so simple that scarcely anything could be more simple; and yet the Divine truth, such as it is in the heavens, and from which angels have their wisdom, lies concealed in it as in its sanctuary. For the Word in the letter is like the adytum in the midst of a temple covered with a veil, within which lie deposited arcana [or secrets] of heavenly wisdom such as no ear hath heard. For in the Word and in every particular of it there is a spiritual sense, and in that a Divine celestial sense, which regarded in itself is the Divine truth itself, which is in the heavens and which gives wisdom to angels and enlightens men. The Divine truth in the heavens is light proceeding from the Lord as a Sun, which is the Divine love. And as the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is the light of heaven, so it is the Divine wisdom. This illuminates both the minds and the eyes of angels, and also enlightens the minds of men, but not their eyes, and enables them to understand truth and also to perceive good when man reads the Word from the Lord and not from self; for he is then in consort with angels, and interiorly has a perception like the spiritual perception of angels; and that spiritual perception which the man-angel has flows into his natural perception, which is his own while in the world, and enlightens it. Consequently the man who reads the Word from the affection of truth has enlightenment through heaven from the Lord.

1068. Verses 12-14. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority unto the beast. These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is the Lord of lords, and King of kings; also those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful. 12. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings" signifies the truths of the Word as to power (n. 1069); "who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast," signifies with those who have not thus acknowledged that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth has been transferred to man, but have ascribed Divine holiness to the Word, and not to the decrees of the Pope (n. 1070). 13. "These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority unto the beast," signifies the unanimity of such that the Word is the Divine truth, on which the church must depend as to its doctrine (n. 1071). 14. "These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them," signifies that these must contend with those meant by the "harlot" concerning the holiness of the Word and the Lord's authority to save men, and that the Lord has delivered those who have been willing to be led by Him by means of the Word, and not by the woman the harlot (n. 1072); "for He is the Lord of lords and King of kings," signifies for the Lord is good itself and truth itself, and thus omnipotent (n. 1073); "also those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful," signifies that those who are in love to the Lord, in love towards the neighbor, and in the faith of charity, have the truth respecting the Lord's Divine power and Divine holiness of the Word (n. 1074).

1069. Verse 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, signifies the truths of the Word as to power... In these three verses, and in verses 16 and 17, the signification of "the ten horns of the beast" is explained, namely, that they are those Divine truths that the Babylonish nation has profaned, which are especially, that the Lord has authority over heaven and earth, and that the Word alone is holy and Divine; for these two truths make the church itself of the Lord on earth, for the church is a church from this that the Lord is adored and that the Word is read. For the Lord reforms man, and the Word teaches how man must live that he may be reformed by the Lord; therefore if these two truths are not acknowledged and received the church itself perishes, for upon these two truths the church is founded. It was for this reason that it came to pass through the Divine Providence of the Lord that certain churches separated themselves from the Babylonish, and these acknowledge the Lord's Divine power over heaven and earth to be equal to the power of God the Father, and also attribute Divine holiness to the Word alone. This was provided by the Lord in order that the Christian Church in the European world might not be utterly overthrown...

1070. And have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings one hour with the beast, signifies with those who have not thus acknowledged that the Lord's authority over heaven and earth has been transferred to man, but have ascribed Divine holiness to the Word and not to the decrees of the Pope... Therefore from all this there comes this meaning, that these two primary truths of the church (namely, that the Lord's authority over heaven and the church, and thus over the souls of men to save them, has been transferred to a certain man, and that the voice of the mouth of the Pope has equal power and holiness with the Word), have not been acknowledged and thus have not been profaned. That this sense is contained in these words can be seen especially from what follows, namely, that "they shall give over their authority to the beast," which signifies that Divine holiness must be attributed to the Word; also that "the Lamb shall fight with them," and "the Lamb shall overcome them," which signifies that they will acknowledge that the Lord has power to save, thus that He, and not the Pope, has dominion over heaven, the church, and the souls of men. [2] It has been said above that there are two things that constitute the church, namely, the acknowledgment and belief that the Lord has the power to save, and that the Word is Divine... But that the church in the European world might not wholly perish, it has been provided by the Lord that not only within the kingdom of Babylon, but also outside of it, there should be societies that should not make one with the Babylonians in these two primary truths, which are the pillars and the foundations of the church itself. Within Babylon there are those in the kingdom of France, and many in Holland, England, Scotland, and Ireland, who have not taken away from the Lord the power to save men, nor from the Word Divine holiness, and ascribed these to some vicar; as may appear from the contest between the Gallican Church [the Catholic Church in France] and the Roman, which has so long continued and still continues. These are the things especially treated of in verses 12-14 of this chapter. Since outside of the kingdoms of Babylon there are churches that ascribe all power to save to the Lord, and none to the Pope, and acknowledge the Word alone to be Divine, and have wholly withdrawn from the papal dominion, and are consequently called Protestants and Reformed, so these also are treated of in this chapter. For it is of these that it is said, that "they shall hate the harlot and shall make her desolate and naked, and also shall eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire," and "shall give the kingdom to the beast" (verses 16, 17)...

1071. Verse 13. These have one mind, and shall give over their power and authority to the beast, signifies the unanimity of such that the Word is the Divine truth, on which the church as to its doctrine must depend... It has been said above that the Gallican Church [the Catholic Church in France] acknowledges the Word to be the Divine truth, and ascribes a Divine inspiration to all the particulars of the Word, and not an equal Divine inspiration to the decrees of the Pope as to those things which are means of salvation; and the same is true of others in the European world; and this has come to pass from the Divine Providence of the Lord, that the Christian Church might not be wholly destroyed, because by means of the Word man has communication and conjunction with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord; and communication and conjunction with heaven and with the Lord cannot possibly be given through the declarations and decrees of the Pope, since these have not for their end the salvation of souls, but dominion; and all edicts and statutes that have dominion as their end, especially over the things of heaven and the church, have communication with hell, and effect conjunction with hell... (Continuation respecting the Word.)... [3] ...The Lord as Man... He went to the Father, that is, became one with the Father... The Divine truth proceeding from Him is the Spirit of truth, which goes forth and proceeds from Him, and at the same time from the Father in Him.

1072. Verse 14. They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, signifies that these must contend with those meant by "the harlot" respecting the holiness of the Word, and the Lord's power of saving men, and that the Lord has delivered those who have been willing to be led by Him by means of the Word, and not by the woman the harlot... These are all such, in the kingdoms subject to the papal dominion, who call the Pope merely the head of the church, and not a vicar in any such sense as would put him in the place of the Lord in the world, as to the power of opening and shutting heaven at will, since that power is the Divine power that cannot be transferred to any man; and they also hold that it is not allowable for the Pope to change the holy things of the Word, and to issue new decrees that are not in harmony with it. These are the ones here meant...

1073. For He is Lord of lords, and King of kings, signifies because the Lord is good itself and truth itself, and thus omnipotent, as is evident from the fact that the Lord is called "Lord" from the Divine good, and "King" from the Divine truth. There are two things that proceed from the Lord, namely, the Divine good and the Divine truth. These two proceed from the Lord united, but in heaven they are received by the angels not so united. In the highest or third heaven more Divine good than Divine truth is received; in the middle or second heaven more Divine truth than Divine good is received. Therefore the third heaven is called the Lord's dominion, and the second heaven is called the Lord's kingdom; and thence also the angels who are in the third heaven are called sons of the Lord, and also lords, and the angels in the second heaven are called sons of the kingdom and sons of the King, and also kings. These two classes of angels are meant by "lords" and by "kings," when the Lord is called "Lord of lords and King of kings." So, too, when He is called "God of gods," the Lord is meant by "God," and the angels by "gods." But in general "lords" in the spiritual sense mean all who are in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and "kings" those who are in the doctrine of truth from that love, whether in the heavens or on the earth... (Continuation respecting the Word) [2] The Word is such because in its origin it is the Divine itself that proceeds from the Lord, and is called the Divine truth; and when this descended to men in the world it passed through the heavens in their order according to their degrees, which are three; and in each heaven it was written there in accommodation to the wisdom and intelligence of the angels. Finally it was brought down from the Lord through the heavens to men, and there it was written and promulgated in adaptation to man's understanding and apprehension. This, therefore, is the sense of its letter, and in this the Divine truth such as it is in the three heavens, lies stored up in distinct order. From this it is clear that all the wisdom of the angels in the three heavens has been imparted by the Lord to our Word, and in its inmost there is the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven, which is incomprehensible and ineffable [or indescribable] to man, because full of arcana [or hidden secrets] and treasures of Divine verities [or Divine truth.] These lie stored up in each particular and in all the particulars of our Word. And as the Divine truth is the Lord in the heavens, so the Lord Himself is present, and may be said to dwell in all the particulars and each particular of His Word, as He does in His heavens...

1074. Also those who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful, signifies that those that are in love to the Lord, in love towards the neighbor, and in the faith of charity, have the truth respecting the Lord's Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word... The angels of the third heaven, who are in love to the Lord, are called the "called," the angels of the second heaven, who are in love towards the neighbor, are called the "chosen," and the angels of the first heaven, who are in the faith of charity, are called the "faithful." And since in the Lord's church on earth there are those who belong to the third, the second, and the first heaven, and who therefore become after death angels of those heavens, so "the called, the chosen, and the faithful," mean all those in the kingdoms under the dominion of the Pope who ascribe to the Lord the power of saving men, and ascribe to the Word alone Divine holiness and inspiration, and in these two doctrines recede from the vicarship of the Pope...

1075. Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 15. "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues," signifies the doctrinals from the Papal Consistory in general, that is, all the other doctrinals, that they are falsities and evils interior and exterior (n. 1076, 1077).

1076. Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, signifies the doctrinals from the Papal Consistory in general, that is, all the other doctrinals... For the series of things from verses 12 to 17 is as follows: verses 12-14 treat of the profanation of the two truths which are the primary truths of the church, namely, the Lord's Divine authority over heaven and the church, and the Divine holiness of the Word; that is, that there are many within the kingdom of Babylon who have not profaned these, because they have not accepted them. Verse 15 treats of profaned goods and truths in general, thus of all other truths. Verses 16 and 17 treat of those who are outside of Babylon, who have acknowledged the Lord's Divine authority over the holy things of the church, and also the Divine holiness of the Word, who are those called the Reformed. This is the series of things in the internal sense from verses 12 to 17. (Continuation respecting the Word) [2] It has been said that the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and that the Word is from that, and that through the Word angels and men have wisdom. But so long as it is unknown how the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, this may be said but it cannot be understood. The Divine truth, which is the same as the Divine wisdom, proceeds from the Lord as light and heat do from the sun. The Lord is the Divine love itself, and love appears in the heavens from correspondence as fire, and the Lord's Divine love as a sun, glowing and resplendent like the sun of the world. From that sun, which is high above the heavens where the angels are, and which is the Divine love, heat and light proceed; the heat therefrom is the Divine good, and the light therefrom is the Divine truth. The heat is the Divine good, because all the heat of life proceeding from love is felt as good, for it is spiritual heat; and the light is the Divine truth, because all the light proceeding from love is felt as truth, for it is spiritual light; consequently it is from that light that the understanding sees truths, and it is from that heat that the will is sensible of goods; and this is why in the Word love is meant by heavenly fire and wisdom by heavenly light. It is the same with a man and with an angel. Every angel and man is his own love, and a sphere flowing out from his love encompasses every man and angel. That sphere consists of the good of his love and of the truth of his love, for love produces both, as fire produces both heat and light; from the will of a man or angel it produces good, and from his understanding it produces truth. This sphere, when the man or angel is good, has an extension into the heavens in every direction according to the quality and the amount of the love, and into the hells in every direction when the man or angel is evil. But the sphere of the love of a man or an angel has a finite extension into a few societies only of heaven or hell, while the sphere of the Lord's love, because it is Divine, has an infinite extension, and creates the heavens themselves.

1078. Verses 16-18. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her up with fire. For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to do one mind, 1078-1 until the words of God shall be consummated. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath dominion over the kings of the earth. 16. "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast," signifies the truths of the church from the Word with the Reformed, [Churches] especially respecting the Lord's Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word (n. 1079); "these shall hate the harlot," signifies an entire rejection of the dogmas by which the Papal [or Roman Catholic] Consistory [the council of cardinals] has falsified the truths and adulterated the goods of the Word, and has thus profaned the holy things of the church (n. 1080); "and shall make her desolate and naked," signifies rejection of its falsities, which are falsified truths, and then manifestation that they were without any truth (n. 1081); "and shall eat her flesh" signifies rejection of its evils, which are adulterated goods, and then the manifestation that they were without any good (n. 1082); "and shall burn her up with fire," signifies rejection of the whole of that religion, which has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven (n. 1083). 17. "For God gave into their hearts to do His mind," signifies things from the Lord, causing them to recede altogether (n. 1084); "and to do one mind" signifies unanimously (n. 1085); "and to give their kingdom unto the beast," signifies acknowledgment that the Word is Divine, and the founding of the church upon it (n. 1086); "until the words of God shall be consummated," signifies even to the last state of the church, when there is a judgment, and after that what is new (n. 1087). 18. "And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city," signifies the heinous doctrine of the church (n. 1088); "which hath dominion over the kings of the earth," signifies its dominion over the truths of the church (n. 1089).

1079. Verse 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, signifies the truths of the church from the Word with the Reformed, especially respecting the Lord's Divine authority and the Divine holiness of the Word... That "the ten horns of the beast" signify here the truths of the Word as to power with the Reformed, is evident from what is said in these two verses, namely, that "they shall hate the harlot, shall make her desolate and naked, shall eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire," which signifies they have altogether rejected all the statutes and decrees of the Pope, thus his falsifications and profanations, especially the two treated of above, namely, respecting his authority over the holy things of the church and over the souls of men to save them, which is called the authority to open and shut heaven, also respecting the authority to interpret the Word, and to change things in it to favor his own dominion; these being the two [doctrinal] heads of their religion which the Reformed have wholly rejected and burned with fire... (Continuation respecting the Word) [2] The Word in the sense of the letter appears very simple, and yet there is stored up in it the wisdom of the three heavens, for each least particular of it contains interior and more interior senses; an interior sense such as exists in the first heaven, a still more interior sense such as exists in the second heaven, and an inmost sense such as exists in the third heaven. These senses are in the sense of the letter, one within the other, and are evolved therefrom one after the other, each from its own heaven, when a man who is led by the Lord reads the Word. These interior senses differ in the degree of light and wisdom according to the heavens, and yet they make one by influx, and thus by correspondences... All this makes clear how the Word was inspired by the Divine, and that it was written from such an inspiration to which nothing else in the world can in anywise be compared. The arcana [or secrets] of wisdom of the three heavens contained in it are the mystical things of which many have spoken.

1080. These shall hate the harlot, signifies the entire rejection of the dogmas by which the Papal Consistory has falsified the truths and adulterated the goods of the Word, and has thus profaned the holy things of the church... "Those who hate the harlot" mean the Reformed, who have altogether rejected the dogmas that have proceeded from the Papal Consistory, which, because they had for their end the enlargement of dominion, and not the salvation of man, could not but be against the truths and goods of the Word, and thus could not but falsify and adulterate them. (Continuation respecting the Word) [2] It has been said that there is a Word in each heaven and that these Words are in our Word in their order, and that they thus make one by influx and consequent correspondences... There is such a correspondence of natural things and spiritual not only in each and every thing of man, but also in each and every thing of the world; and the correspondences are produced by an influx of the spiritual world and all things of it into the natural world and all things of it. From all this it can be seen in some measure how our Word, as to the sense of the letter, which is natural, makes one by influx and correspondences with the Words in the heavens, the senses of which are spiritual.

1082. And shall eat her flesh, signifies rejection of its evils, which are adulterated goods, and then the manifestation that they were without any good... This is said of the Reformed, who have rejected the works or goods of Babylon, which consist especially in gifts to the idols of their saints, to their sepulchers, also to monasteries, and to the monks themselves, given as offerings for various expiations [or acts of penance to gain God's forgiveness.]...(Continuation respecting the Word) [8] The spiritual by influx presents what is correspondent to itself in the natural, in order that the end may become a cause... [9] As this trine, namely, end, cause, and effect, exists in each heaven, there must be in each heaven products that are correspondences, and which in form and aspect are like the objects in the three kingdoms of our earth; from which it is clear that each heaven is like our earth in external appearance, differing only in excellence and beauty according to degrees... From this it follows that the Word in each heaven is like the Word in our world, differing only in excellence and beauty according to degrees...

1083. And shall burn her up with fire, signifies rejection of the whole of that religious persuasion which has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven... The punishment for profaning the holy things of the church was burning with fire, for the reason that that "fire" represented the fire of hell, and "to be burned" signified to perish thereby, and the fire of hell is the love of having dominion... From all this it can be seen that "burning the harlot with fire" signifies the rejection of the whole religious persuasion that has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of having dominion over them and over heaven. This means rejection by the Reformed... (Continuation respecting the Word) [2] ...There are three senses in the Word, one within another, namely, the natural, the spiritual, and the celestial; the natural for the world, the spiritual for the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the celestial for the heavens of His celestial kingdom. (That all the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell n. 20-28.) Now as there is one sense within another, the first which is the sense of the letter for the natural world, the second which is the internal sense for the spiritual kingdom, and the third which is the inmost for the celestial kingdom, it follows that the natural man draws from it his sense, the spiritual angel his sense, and the celestial angel his sense, thus everyone what is analogous to and in agreement with his own essence and nature. This takes place whenever a man who is led by the Lord is reading the Word. [3] But let this be illustrated by examples. When this commandment... is read: "Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother," a man in the world understands by "father and mother" a father and mother on the earth, and also all who are or may be in the place of father or mother; and by "honoring" he understands to hold such in honor. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom understands by "father" the Divine good, and by "mother" the Divine truth, and by "honoring" loving; while an angel of the celestial kingdom understands by "father" the Lord, and by "mother" heaven and the church, and by "honoring" doing. [4] When the fifth commandment..., "Thou shalt not steal," is read, by "stealing" a man understands stealing, defrauding, and taking away under any pretense his neighbor's goods. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by "stealing" understands depriving another of his truths and goods by means of falsities and evils, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by "not to steal" understands not to attribute to himself the things that are the Lord's, as the good of love and the truth of faith; for thereby good becomes not good, and truth not truth, because they are from men. [5] When the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," is read, a man by "committing adultery" understands committing adultery and whoredom, also thinking filthy thoughts, speaking lasciviously, and doing obscene things. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by "committing adultery" understands falsifying the truths of the Word and adulterating its goods, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by "committing adultery" understands blaspheming against the Lord, heaven, and the church. [6] When the seventh commandment "Thou shalt not kill," is read, by "killing" a man understands hating and desiring revenge, even to murder. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by "killing" understands the killing of a man's soul by stumbling blocks to the life and by reasonings, whereby a man is led into spiritual death, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by "killing" understands seducing a man into believing that there is no God and no heaven and no hell, for thus man perishes as to eternal life. [7] When the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," is read, a man by "false witness" understands lying and defamation. But an angel of the spiritual kingdom by "false witness" understands asserting, confirming, and persuading that falsity is truth and evil is good, or on the other hand that truth is falsity and good is evil, while an angel of the celestial kingdom by "false witness" understands every falsity against the Lord, and against heaven in favor of hell. [8] All this makes clear how a man draws and calls forth from the Word in the letter the natural sense, a spiritual angel the spiritual sense, and a celestial angel the celestial sense, much as the wood of a tree draws its sap, the leaf its sap, and the fruit its sap, from the same soil...

1084. Verse 17. For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, signifies things from the Lord, causing them to recede altogether... which signifies in brief that they would wholly reject the profane things of Babylon and recede from them, as was done by the Reformed...

1085. And to do one mind, signifies unanimously... That there is unanimity in this is evident from the Reformed, who are divided into three churches, one of which has embraced the doctrine of Luther [Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, former Catholic priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of a reform movement in 16th century Christianity, subsequently known as the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with monetary values,] another that of Calvin [John Calvin (1509-1564) was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation,] and the third that of Melancthon [Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation]; nevertheless all three have wholly withdrawn from the profane things of Babylon. This, therefore, is what is here signified by "doing one mind" (see just above, n. 1084).

1088. Verse 18. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, signifies the heinous doctrine of the church...  (Continuation respecting the Word) [5] ...The "cherubim" mean in the Word a guard and protection that the holy things of heaven be not violated, and that the Lord be approached only through love; consequently these signify the sense of the letter of the Word, because that is what guards and protects... 

1089. Which hath a kingdom over the kings of the earth, signifies its domination over the truths of the church... This makes clear that "having a kingdom over the kings of the earth" signifies domination over the truths of the church. There is domination over the truths of the church because their chief, who is called Pope and Pontiff, ascribes to his own decrees an equal holiness and a like inspiration with the truths of the Word. It is also a part of this doctrine that it is lawful for him to change the truths of the Word according to the changes of the state of the church, and thus to turn them into such things as may be means of domination, and these are falsities; for all things that have regard to domination are falsities, or truths falsified, since the end chooses the means and applies them to itself; and means that are applied to an end which is domination over the souls of men, over all things of the church and over heaven, cannot be truths, and if they are truths the end falsifies them, but with those only who are in dominion.