256. Revelation 5

1. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3. And no one in heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion which is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6. And I saw, and, behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.
8. And when He had taken the book, the four animals, and the twenty-four elders, fell down before the Lamb, having everyone of them harps, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.
10. And Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
11. And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands;
12. Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
13. And every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ages of ages.
14. And the four animals said, Amen. And the twenty-four elders fell down, and adored Him that liveth for ages of ages.

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

The contents of the whole chapter

That the Lord in the Divine Human will execute judgment from the Word and according to it, because He Himself is the Word; and that this is acknowledged by all in the three heavens.

The contents of the whole chapter

Verse 1. "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the back," signifies the Lord as to His Divine itself from eternity, who is omnipotent and omniscient, and who is the Word (n. 256). "Sealed with seven seals," signifies that it is altogether hidden from angel and man (n. 257). Verse 2. "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice," signifies the Divine truth from the Lord inflowing interiorly with angels and men (n. 258). "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" signifies, Who has power to know the states of life of all in the heavens and on the earths, and to judge everyone according thereto? (n. 259). Verse 3. "And no one in heaven, nor on earth neither under the earth, was able," signifies that no one in the higher heavens or in the lower heavens, was able (n. 260); "to open the book," signifies to know the states of the life of all, and to judge everyone according to his state (n. 261); "Neither to look thereon," signifies not in the least (n. 262). Verse 4. "And I wept much because no one was found worthy* to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon," signifies grief of heart, because if no one could do it, all must perish (n. 263). Verse 5. "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not," signifies consolation (n. 264); "Behold, the lion which is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David hath prevailed," signifies the Lord, who by His own power subjugated the hells and reduced all things to order when He was in the world by the Divine good united to the Divine truth in His Human (n. 265, 266): "To open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof," signifies here as before (n. 267). Verse 6. "And I saw, and behold, in the midst of the throne, and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders," signifies from the inmost and thence in all things of heaven, the Word, and the church (n. 268). "A Lamb standing as if slain," signifies the Lord as to His Human, not acknowledged in the church to be Divine (n. 269). "Having seven horns," signifies His omnipotence (n. 270). "And seven eyes" signifies His omniscience and Divine wisdom (n. 271). "Which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth," signifies that from the Divine wisdom is derived the Divine truth throughout the whole world, wheresoever there is any religion (n. 272). Verse 7. "And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne," signifies that the Lord as to His Divine Human is the Word, and this from His Divine in Himself and that therefore He will execute judgment from His Divine Human (n. 273). Verse 8. "And when He had taken the book," signifies when the Lord determined to execute the judgment, and thereby to reduce all things in the heavens and upon the earth to order (n. 274). "The four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb," signifies humiliation and adoration of the Lord from the higher heavens (n. 275). "Having everyone of them harps" signifies confession of the Lord's Divine Human from spiritual truths (n. 267). "And golden vials full of incense," signifies confession of the Lord's Divine Human from spiritual goods (n. 277). "Which are the prayers of the saints," signifies thoughts which are of faith from affections which are of charity with those who worship the Lord from spiritual goods and truths (n. 278). Verse 9. "And they sang a new song," signifies the acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord, that He alone is the Judge, Redeemer, and Savior, thus the God of heaven and earth (n. 279). "Saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof," signifies here as before (n. 280). "Because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God in Thy blood," signifies deliverance from hell and salvation by conjunction with Him (n. 281). "Out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation," signifies that they in the church, or in any religion, who are in truths as to doctrine, and in goods as to life are redeemed by the Lord (n. 282). Verse 10. "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests," signifies that from the Lord they are in wisdom from Divine truths and in love from Divine goods (n. 283). "And we shall reign on the earth," signifies, and will be in His kingdom, He in them and they in Him (n. 284,285). Verse 11. "And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders," signifies confession and glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens (n. 286).** Verse 12. "Saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and honor, and glory," signifies confession from the heart, that to the Lord as to His Divine Human is omnipotence, omniscience, Divine good, and Divine truth (n. 288). "And blessing," signifies all these in Him, and from Him in them (n. 289). Verse 13. "And every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying," signifies confession and glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lowest heavens (n. 290). "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ages of ages," signifies that in the Lord from eternity, and thence in His Divine Human, is the All of heaven and the church, Divine good, and Divine truth, and Divine power, and from Him in them (n. 291). Verse 14. "And the four animals said, Amen," signifies Divine confirmation from the Word (n. 292). "And the twenty-four elders fell down and adored Him that liveth for ages of ages," signifies humiliation before the Lord, and from humiliation, adoration of Him by all in the heavens, from whom and in whom is life eternal (n. 293).
* The original Latin omits "worthy."
** The original Latin omits "and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands."

THE EXPLANATION

Verse 1. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book, written within and on the back, signifies the Lord as to His Divine Itself from eternity, who has omnipotence and omniscience, and who is the Word; who also knows from Himself the state of the life of all in the heavens and on the earths, in every particular and in general. By "Him that sat on the throne" is meant the Lord as to His Divine, from which is His Human, for it follows that "the Lamb took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne" (verse 7), and by "the Lamb" is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human. By "the book written within and on the back" is meant the Word in every particular and in every general; by "within," in every particular, and by "on the back" in every general. By "within and on the back" is also meant the interior sense of the Word, which is spiritual, and its exterior sense, which is natural; by "right hand" is meant Himself as to omnipotence and omniscience, because the exploration of all in the heavens and on the earths, upon whom the Last Judgment is to be executed, and their separation, is treated of. The Lord, as the Word, knows the states of life of all in the heavens and on the earths from Himself, because He is the Divine truth itself, and the Divine truth itself knows all things from itself; but this is an arcanum, which is revealed in Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom. That the Lord as to His Divine from eternity was the Word, that is, the Divine truth, is evident from these words in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word (John 1:1).
And that the Lord as to His Human also was made "the Word," in the same:
And the Word became flesh (John 1:14).
Hence it may appear what it means that the book was in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, and that the Lamb took the book thence (Rev. 5:7).
[2] Since the Lord is the Word, and the Word is the Divine truth, which in general makes heaven and the church, and in particular each angel, that heaven may be in Him, and man that the church may be in Him; and because the Word is here meant by "the book," from which and according to which all are to be judged, therefore in many places occur the expressions, "to be written in the book," "to be judged from the book," "to be blotted out of the book," where the state of eternal life of anyone is treated of, as in these passages:
The Ancient of days did sit in judgment, and the books were opened (Dan. 7:10).
Every people shall be delivered that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1).
My bone was not hid from Thee, in Thy book all my days were written, not one of them is wanting (Ps. 139:15, 16).
Moses said, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which Thou hast written. And Jehovah said, Whosoever hath sinned against Me will I blot out of the book (Exod. 32:32, 33).
Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the just (Ps. 69:28).
I saw that the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to those things which were written in the book according to their works, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:12, 15).
None shall enter into the New Jerusalem, but them that are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev. 21:27).
All shall adore the beast whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).
That by "the book" is meant the Word, in David:
In the volume of the book it is written of me (Ps. 40:7).
And in Ezekiel:
I saw, and behold a hand sent forth unto me, and in it the volume of a book, written before and behind (Ezek. 2:9, 10).
The book of the words of Isaiah (Luke 3:4).
The book of Psalms (Luke 20:42.)