Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 22:19
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AR 958. Verse 19. And if anyone shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and the things which are written in this book, signifies that they who read and know the truths of doctrine in this book, now opened by the Lord, and yet acknowledge any other God than the Lord, and any other faith than a faith in Him, by taking away anything whereby they may destroy these two things, cannot acquire any wisdom, nor appropriate to themselves anything from the Word, nor be received into the New Jerusalem, nor have their lot with those who are in the Lords kingdom. These words signify the same as the foregoing, only that here it is said of those who take away, and there of those who add, consequently of those who either by adding or taking away, destroy those two truths. "To take away their part out of the book of life," signifies that they cannot acquire any wisdom from the Word, nor appropriate anything out of it to themselves. "The book of life" is the Word, and also the Lord as to the Word (n. 256, 469, 874, 925). The reason is, because the Lord is the Word, for the Word treats of Him alone, as is fully shown in the Two Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, one concerning the Lord, and the other concerning the Sacred Scripture; wherefore they who do not immediately approach the Lord cannot see any truth from the Word. "To take away their part out of the holy city," signifies out of the New Church, which is the holy Jerusalem; for no one is received into it who does not approach the Lord alone. "To take away their part out of the things which are written in this book," signifies not to have their lot with those who are in the Lord‘s kingdom, for all the things which are written in this book regard the New Heaven and the New Church, which make the Lord’s kingdom as the end," and the end is that to which all the things which are written in the book have reference.

AR 959. That it may be known that by these words is not meant he who "takes away from the words of this book" as it is written in the literal sense, but he who takes away from the truths of doctrine which are in its spiritual sense, I will explain whence this is: The Word, which was dictated by the Lord, passed through the heavens of His celestial kingdom, and the heavens of His spiritual kingdom, and thus came to the man through whom it was written; wherefore the Word in its first origin is purely Divine. This Word, as it passed through the heavens of the Lord‘s celestial kingdom, was Divine celestial, and as it passed through the heavens of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, was Divine spiritual, and when it came to man, it became Divine natural. Hence it is that the natural sense of the Word contains in itself the spiritual sense, and this the celestial sense, and both a sense purely Divine, which does not appear to any man nor indeed to any angel. These things are adduced that it may be seen, that by "not adding nor taking away" anything from what is written in the Apocalypse, is meant in heaven, that not anything is to be added or taken away from the truths of doctrine concerning the Lord and concerning faith in Him. For it is this sense, and truth concerning life according to His commandments, from which is the sense of the letter, as has been said.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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