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744. "And I heard a great voice saying in heaven".- That this signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom which they then possessed, is evident from the signification of a great voice saying, as denoting manifestation of joy from the heart (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of in heaven, as denoting with the angels of heaven. That the joy of the angels was from the light and wisdom which they then had follows as a consequence; for when the dragons - by whom are meant those who indeed have some knowledge (scientia) of the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, but who still are not in truths and goods, because not in the life of these - were cast out, and were therefore no longer in conjunction with heaven, then the angels came into the possession of light and wisdom, and from this was their joy. The angels then came into the possession of light and wisdom because there is a connection of all in the heavens, from the first of them to the last, that is, from the first, who are in the inmost or third heaven, to the last, who are in the ultimate or first heaven. For the Lord flows in through the third heaven into the ultimate, and conjoins the heavens by influx. In consequence of this the whole heaven, in the sight of the Lord, is as one Man. When, therefore, the ultimates of the heavens have connection with those who are conjoined to hell, thus with those who are signified by the dragon and his angels, then, in the same degree in which the ultimate heaven is conjoined with such, the light and intelligence of the angels of heaven are lessened.
[2] The case is the same as with the ultimates in man, which are the outermost skins that invest the body in general and in particular; also with the muscles within those skins, and the nerves in their ultimates, from which connecting parts and membranes are spread over the interiors. If those outermost parts are injured, or in any way infected, or if they become too tense, then in the same degree the life of acting and feeling in the interiors, which are invested and enclosed by those outermost parts, perishes. It is evident from this that the health of the body depends upon the state of the outermost parts, as a house upon its foundations. This comparison is particularly apt in the case of men worn down with age, in whom the outermost parts are the first to harden; they are thus deprived of the ability to act and feel, and by degrees this extends to the interiors, and then death follows.
[3] A similar reasoning applies to the heavens which are as one Man in the sight of the Lord - when the outermost parts (postrema) become hardened as it were, as is the case when those parts have conjunction with the hells. It was so with the heavens, so long as the dragons were seen there, for the dragons, as before observed, had conjunction with the ultimates of heaven, as to externals, but with the hells as to their internals. This is why it was said that the dragon was seen in heaven, and that there was a combat between him and Michael in heaven, and afterwards that he was cast out of heaven, which signifies that he was separated. This is the reason why a great voice heard in heaven signifies manifestation of joy from the heart with the angels of heaven. That they had this joy because of the light and wisdom which they then had, follows from what has been said, namely, that as a man is in his active and sensitive life from the interiors when the outermost parts are sound, so also the higher and lower heavens are in their intelligence and wisdom, and thus in the joy of their heart; therefore these same words mean that the angels had joy because of the light and wisdom which they then possessed.
744. Verse 10. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them. This is evident from the signification of "a great voice saying," as being the attestation of joy from the heart (of which presently); also from the signification of "in heaven," as being with the angels of heaven. That this is because of the light and wisdom then with them, follows for the reason that when the "dragons" (by whom are meant those who have some knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and yet are not in truths and goods because they are not in a life from truths and goods) had been cast out, and thus were no longer in conjunction with heaven, then the angels came into light and wisdom, and from this was their joy. The angels then came into light and wisdom because there is a connection of all in the heavens, from the first there to the last, that is, from those who are in the inmost or third heaven, who are first, to those who are in the lowest or first heaven, who are last; for the Lord flows in through the third heaven into the lowest, and by influx conjoins the heavens. Because of this the whole heaven is in the sight of the Lord as one Man. When, therefore, the ultimates of the heavens have connection with those who are conjoined to hell, thus with those who are signified by "the dragon and his angels," then in the degree in which the lowest heaven is conjoined with such, the light and intelligence of the angels of heaven are lessened.
[2] It is similar as with the ultimates in man, which are the outermost skins that invest the body in general and in particular, and the muscles within those skins, as also the nerves in their ultimates, from which bands and membranes are spread over the interiors; if these most external parts are injured, or in any way infected, or if they become tendinous, then in the same degree the life of acting and feeling of the interiors that are invested and enclosed by these most external parts perishes. This shows that the health of the body depends upon the condition of the extreme parts as a house does upon its foundation. This comparison especially applies to men worn out with age, whose extreme parts first become hardened, and thus they lose the faculty to act and feel, and by degrees this extends to the interiors, which causes death. The same reasoning applies to the heavens, which are as one Man in the sight of the Lord, when the outermost parts become callous as it were, which takes place when those parts have conjunction with the hells. Thus it was with the heavens so long as "the dragons" were seen there, for "the dragons," as has been said, had conjunction with the ultimates of heaven as to externals, but with the hells as to their internals. This is why it was said that "the dragon was seen in heaven," and that there was a combat between him and Michael in heaven, and finally that "he was cast out of heaven," which signifies that he was separated. From this it is that "the great voice heard in heaven" signifies the attestation of joy from the heart with the angels of heaven. That they had this joy because of the light and wisdom they then had follows from what has been said before, namely, that as a man is in his active and sensitive life from the interiors when his extreme parts are in their integrity, so too are the lower and the higher heavens in their intelligence and wisdom, and in the consequent joy of their heart; therefore the same words mean that the angels had joy from the light and wisdom they then had.
744. [Vers. 10,] "Et audivi vocem magnam dicentem in caelo." - Quod significet gaudium angelorum caeli ex luce et sapientia tunc apud illos, constat ex significatione "vocis magnae dicentis", quod sit testificatio gaudii ex corde, de qua sequitur; et ex significatione "in caelo", quod sit apud angelos caeli: quod sit ex luce et sapientia tunc apud illos, sequitur; nam cum "dracones", per quos intellecti sunt qui quidem in aliqua scientia cognitionum veri et boni ex Verbo sunt, sed usque non in veris et bonis quia non in vita illorum, projecti fuerunt, et sic non amplius in conjunctione cum caelo, tunc angeli venerunt in lucem et sapientiam; inde eorum gaudium. Quod angeli tunc in lucem et sapientiam venerint, causa erat, quia est nexus omnium in caelis a primis eorum ad postremos; hoc est, a primis qui in intimo seu tertio caelo sunt, ad postremos qui in ultimo seu primo caelo; influit enim Dominus per tertium caelum in ultimum, et per influxum conjungit caelos; inde est quod universum caelum in conspectu Domini sit sicut unus Homo: quare cum ultima caelorum nexum habent cum talibus, qui conjuncti sunt inferno, ita cum illis qui per "draconem et ejus angelos" significantur, tunc in eodem gradu in quo conjunctio ultimi caeli est cum talibus, diminuitur lux et intelligentia angelorum caeli.
[2] Similis res est sicut cum ultimis in homine, quae sunt extremae cutes, quae corpus in communi et in parte investiunt, tum musculi intra cutes illas, et quoque nervi in ultimis, ex quibus ligaturae et membranae expansae super interiora; illa extrema si laesa aut aliquo modo infecta sunt, aut si tendinea facta sunt, in eodem gradu perit vita agendi sentiendique interioribus, quae ab extremis illis investita et inclusa sunt; inde patet quod salus corporis pendeat a statu extremorum, sicut domus a suis fundamentis. Hoc imprimis comparet apud homines senic confectos; apud quos extrema primum indurescunt, et inde facultate agendi sentiendique deprivantur, et pedetentim interiora, unde mors eorum. Par ratio est cum caelis, qui sicut unus Homo in conspectu Domini sunt, quando postrema quasi occalescunt, quod fit cum illa conjunctionem cum infernis habent. Ita fuit cum caelis quamdiu dracones ibi visi sunt; nam dracones, ut prius dictum est, conjunctionem habuerunt cum ultimis caeli quoad externa, sed cum infernis quoad interna eorum: inde est quod dictum sit quod "draco visus sit in caelo", et quod "pugna fuerit cum illo et cum Michaele in caelo", et denique quod "projectus sit e caelo", per quod significatur quod separatus sit. Inde nunc est quod per "vocem magnam auditam in caelo" significetur testificatio gaudii ex corde apud angelos caeli. Quod gaudium fuerit illis ex luce et sapientia tunc, sequitur ex illis quae praecedunt; nempe, sicut homo in sua vita activa et sensitiva ab interioribus est, dum extrema in sua integritate sunt, ita quoque caeli inferiores et superiores in sua intelligentia et sapientia, et inde in gaudio sui cordis sunt; quare etiam per eadem verba intelligitur quod gaudium angelis fuerit ex luce et sapientia tunc apud illos.