469. Verse 2. And he had in his hand a little book open, signifies the Word as to this point of doctrine therein, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine. That by "the book" which the Lamb took from Him that sat on the throne, and of which he loosed the seven seals (Revelation 5:1, 7; 6:1) is meant the Word, may be seen above (n. 256, 259, 295, and following). Therefore by "the little book" in the hand of the angel, who also is the Lord (n. 465), nothing else is here meant but the Word as to some essential therein. That this is the doctrinal point in the Word, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine is evident from the spiritual sense of all the particulars in this and the following chapter, and also from the natural sense of the next chapter (11:15-17).
[2] "The little book" is said "to be open" because that doctrine appears manifestly in the Word, and is evident to everyone who reads it, if he attends. This is the subject now treated of, because it is the very essential of the New Church. The reason is, because on the knowledge and acknowledgment of God depends the salvation of everyone; for, as was observed in the Preface, "The whole heaven, and the whole church on earth, and, in general, all religion, is founded on a just idea of God; because by it there is conjunction, and by conjunction light, wisdom, and eternal happiness."
[3] Since the Lord is the very God of heaven and earth, therefore, no one, who does not acknowledge Him, is admitted into heaven, for heaven is His body; but he stands below, and is bitten by serpents, that is, by infernal spirits, for whose bite there is no cure but that which the sons of Israel experienced by looking up to "the brazen serpent" (Num. 21:1-9); by which is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human, as is plain from this passage in John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:14-15).
