676. Revelation 16

1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth.
2. And the first went forth and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there came an evil and noxious sore on the men that had the mark of the beast, and that adored his image.
3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea; and it became blood as of one dead, and every living soul in the sea died.
4. And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and into the fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Thou art just, O Lord, who art, and who wast, and art holy, because Thou hast judged these things.
6. Because they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy.
7. And I heard another out of the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just art Thy judgments.
8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and it was given him to scorch men with fire.
9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God who hath authority over these plagues, and they repented not to give Him glory.
10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became dark, and they gnawed their tongues for distress.
11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven for their distresses and for their sores, and repented not of their works.
12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.
13. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
14. For they are spirits of demons, doing signs, to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15. Behold, I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keepeth his garments, that he may not walk naked, and they see his shame.
16. And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there went forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done.
18. And there were voices, and lightnings, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, such an earthquake, so great.
19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger.
20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21. And great hail as of the weight of a talent cometh down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail: for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

The contents of the whole chapter

In this chapter the evils and falsities in the church of the Reformed are disclosed by influx out of heaven (verse 1): Into the clergy (verse 2): Into the laity (verse 3): Into their understanding of the Word (verses 4-7): Into their love (verses 8-9): Into their faith (verses 10-11): Into their interior reasonings (verses 12-15): Into all things of them together (verses 17-21).

The contents of each verse

Verse 1. "And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go, and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth," signifies influx from the Lord from the inmost of heaven into the church of the Reformed, where they are who are in faith separated from charity as to doctrine and as to life (n. 676). Verse 2. "And the first went forth, and poured out his vial on the earth," signifies into those who are in the interiors of the church of the Reformed, and study the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and are called the clergy (n. 677). "And there came an evil and noxious sore," signifies interior evils and falsities destructive of all good and truth in the church (n. 678). "Upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and that adore his image," signifies in those who live faith alone and receive the doctrine of it (n. 679). Verse 3. "And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea" signifies influx among those there who are in its externals, and in that faith, and are called the laity (n. 680). "And it became blood as of one dead, and every living soul died in the sea," signifies infernal falsity with them, by which every truth of the Word and thence of the church and of faith was extinguished (n. 681). Verse 4. "And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and the fountains of waters," signifies influx into the understanding of the Word with them (n. 683). "And they became blood," signifies the truths of the Word falsified (n. 684). Verse 5. "And I heard the angel of the waters saying," signifies the Divine truth of the Word (n. 685). "Thou art just, O Lord, who art, and who wast, and art holy, because Thou hast judged these things," signifies that this is from the Divine Providence of the Lord, who is and who was the Word, which otherwise would be profaned (n. 686). Verse 6. "Because they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets," signifies that this is for the reason, that this alone, that faith alone without the works of the law saves, being received, perverts all doctrinal truths from the Word (n. 687). "And Thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy," signifies that it was permitted those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone in doctrine and in life, to falsify the truths of the Word, and to imbue their life from falsified things (n. 688). Verse 7. "And I heard another out of the altar, saying, Yea, O Lord God Almighty, true and just are Thy judgments," signifies the Divine good of the Word confirming that Divine truth (n. 689). Verse 8. "And the fourth angel poured out his vial into the sun," signifies influx into their love (n. 690). "And it was given him to scorch men with fire," signifies that love to the Lord tortured them, because they were in the lusts of evils from the delight of their love (n. 691). Verse 9. "And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who hath authority over these plagues," signifies that on account of the delight of the love of self arising from vehement lusts of evils they did not acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's Human, from which nevertheless flows all good of love and truth of faith (n. 692). "And they repented not to give Him glory," signifies that on that account they cannot receive with any faith that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth as to His Human also, although the Word teaches it (n. 693). Verse 10. "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast," signifies influx into their faith (n. 694). "And his kingdom became dark," signifies that nothing but falsities appeared (n. 695). Verse 11. "And they gnawed their tongues for distress," signifies that they could not endure truths (n. 696). "And they blasphemed the God of heaven for their distresses and for their sores," signifies that they could not acknowledge the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth on account of resistance from interior falsities and evils (n. 697). "And repented not of their works," signifies that though instructed from the Word, they still do not recede from falsities of faith and the evils of life thence (n. 698). Verse 12. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates," signifies influx into their interior reasonings, by which they confirm justification by faith alone (n. 699). "And the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared," signifies that the falsities of their reasonings were removed with those who are in truths from good from the Lord, and are to be introduced into the New Church (n. 700). Verse 13. "And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet," signifies the perception that from a theology founded upon the doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in the Divinity, and upon the doctrine of justification by faith alone without the works of the law (n. 701). "Three unclean spirits like frogs," signifies that there arose mere reasonings and lusts of falsifying truths (n. 702). Verse 14. "For they are spirits of demons," signifies that they were the lusts of falsifying truths and of reasoning from falsities (n. 703). "Doing signs, to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty," signifies attestations that their falsities are truths, and the stirring up of all in the whole of that church who are in the same falsities, to attack the truths of the New Church (n. 704). Verse 15. "Behold, I come as a thief; happy is he that is awake and keepeth his garments," signifies the Lord's coming, and heaven then for those who look to Him, and remain steadfast in a life according to His precepts, which are the truths of the Word (n. 705). "That he may not walk naked, and they see his shame," signifies lest they should be with those who are in no truths, and their infernal loves should appear (n. 706). Verse 16. "And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon," signifies the state of combat from falsities against truths, and the disposition of destroying the New Church, arising from the love of dominion and supereminence (n. 707). Verse 17. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air," signifies influx into all things together with them (n. 708). "And there went forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done," signifies that it was thus made manifest by the Lord, that all the things of the church were devastated, and that now the Last Judgment is at hand (n. 709). Verse 18. "And there were voices, and lightnings and thunders," signifies reasonings, falsifications of truth, and arguments from the falsities of evil (n. 710). "And there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, such an earthquake, so great," signifies as it were shakings, convulsions, overturnings, and the drawing down from heaven of all the things of the church (n. 711). Verse 19. "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell," signifies that the church as to doctrine was altogether destroyed by them, and so too all the heresies which have emanated from it (n. 712). "And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger," signifies the destruction also at that time of the dogmas of the Roman Catholic religion (n. 713). Verse 20. "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found," signifies that there was no longer any truth of faith, nor any good of love (n. 714a). Verse 21. "And great hail as of the weight of a talent cometh down from heaven upon men," signifies direful and atrocious falsities, by which every truth of the Word and thence of the church was destroyed (n. 714b). "And they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great," signifies that because they confirmed such falsities with themselves, they denied truths to such a degree that they could not know them, on account of repugnances arising from their interior falsities and evils (n. 715).

THE EXPLANATION

Verse 1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth, signifies influx from the Lord out of the inmost heaven into the church of the Reformed, where they are who are in faith separated from charity as to doctrine and as to life, to deprive them of truths and goods, and lay open the falsities and evils in which they are, and thus to separate them from those who believe in the Lord, and are in charity and its faith from him. This is a summary of what is contained in this chapter. By "the temple" is signified the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony, mentioned in the foregoing chapter (Rev. 15:5), whereby is signified the inmost of heaven, where the Lord is in His holiness in the Word, and in the Law which is the Decalogue (n. 669). By "a great voice" thence, is signified a divine mandate to go and pour out the vials. By "the seven angels" the Lord is meant, as above (n. 657). By "pouring out the vials upon the earth," which contained the plagues, is signified influx into the church of the Reformed; by "pouring out the vials" is signified the influx, and by "the earth" is signified the church (n. 285).
[2] The church with the Reformed is still treated of; but in the next chapter the subject is concerning the Roman Catholic church, and afterwards concerning the Last Judgment, and finally concerning the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem (see the preface and n. 2). Chapters 8 and 9 treat of "the seven angels who had the seven trumpets," which they sounded, and since many similar things occur there, it shall here be said what is signified by those seven angels, and what by these. By "the seven trumpets," which the seven angels sounded, is signified the exploration and manifestation of the falsities and evils, in which they are who are in faith separated from charity; but by "the seven vials full of the seven last plagues," is signified their devastation and consummation, for the Last Judgment is not executed upon them until they are devastated.
[3] Devastation and consummation in the spiritual world take place in this manner: From those who are in falsities as to doctrine, and thence in evils as to life, are taken away all the goods and truths which they possessed only in the natural man, and from which they simulated Christian men; on being deprived of which, they are separated from heaven, and conjoined with hell. And then they are arranged into societies in the world of spirits according to the varieties of lusts, and afterwards these societies sink down.
[4] They are deprived of goods and truths by an influx from heaven. The influx is effected from genuine truths and goods, by which they are tortured and tormented; scarcely otherwise than as a serpent when put near a fire, or thrown upon an ant hill. Therefore they reject from themselves the goods and truths of heaven, which are also the goods and truths of the church, and at last they condemn them because they feel as if infernal torment proceeded from them. When this has come to pass, they enter into their own evils and falsities, and are separated from the good. These are the things which are described and signified in this chapter by "the pouring out of the vials, wherein were the seven last plagues." The vials did not contain the evils and falsities signified by "the plagues," but they were genuine truths and goods, the effect of which was such as has been described. For the angels went out of "the temple of the tabernacle of testimony," by which is meant the inmost of heaven, where there are nothing but truths and goods in Divine holiness (Rev. 15:6).
[5] Of this devastation and consummation the Lord speaks in these words:
Unto everyone that hath, to him shall be given, that he may have more abundantly; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath (Matt. 13:12; Mark 4:25).
Take the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents; for unto everyone that hath shall be given, that he may abound, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that he hath (Matt. 25:28-29; Luke 19:24-26).