Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 620[2] The like is signified by this in Isaiah:I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and Hisskirts filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had sixwings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered hisfeet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, Holy, holy,holy, Jehovah of Hosts; the idleness of all the earth is His glory (6:1–3).The “seraphim” here have a like signification with the “cherubim;”and the throne high and lifted up” signifies the Divine proceedingfrom which is heaven; “the skirts that filled the temple” signify theDivine truth proceeding from the Lord in the ultimates of heavenand in the church; “the wings with which the seraphim coveredtheir faces and their feet, and with which they did fly,” signify thespiritual Divine in firsts and in lasts and the extension thereof onevery side, thus omnipresence; “Holy, holy, holy,” signifies what ismost holy; that this is the Divine truth that fills all things issignified by “the fullness of all the earth is His glory. (That “glory”is the Divine truth, see above, n. 33; and that the Lord only is holy,and that “holy” is predicated of the Divine truth that proceedsfrom Him, see above, n. 204.)286. Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is tocome, signifies the infinite and eternal. This is evident from thesignification of “Almighty” as being that He is the infinite of whichpresently), and from the signification of “who was, who is, and whois to come,” as being that He is the eternal (see above, n. 23). Thereare two things that can be predicated only of Jehovah, that is, theLord, namely, infinity and eternity; infinity of His esse, which isthe Divine good of His Divine love; eternity of His existere fromthat esse, which is the Divine truth of His Divine wisdom. Thesetwo are Divine in themselves. Out of these the universe wascreated; consequently all things in the universe are referable to goodand to truth, and good everywhere is the esse of a thing, and truthis the existere therefrom; but these two in all things of the universeare finite. It is therefore here said “Lord God,” for “Lord” signifiesthe Divine good of the Divine love, and “God” the Divine truth ofthe Divine wisdom. (That Jehovah in the Word is called “Lord”from Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4973, 9167, 9194; and