718.启17:1.“拿着七香瓶的七位天使中，有一位来跟我讲话”表如今从主出于天堂至内层的有关天主教的流注和启示。到目前为止，圣言一直论述的是改革宗教会末后的状态；现在论述天主教末后的状态；这一切是按着“整章内容”中所提到的顺序。之所以不叫它天主教会，而是叫它天主教，是因为他们不靠近主，也不读圣言，还祈求死人；教会正是通过主和圣言而成为教会，它的完美取决于它对主的承认和对圣言的理解。之所以拿着七香瓶的七位天使中有一位来与约翰说话，是因为拿着七香瓶的七位天使表示从主出于基督天堂的至内层进入教会的流注，以揭露教会的邪恶与虚假（672，676-677，683，690-691，699-700节）；因此，此处“七位天使”表示主通过天堂至内层说话，揭示天主教末后的状态。也正因如此，那七位天使中的一位带约翰上一座高山，将羔羊的妻，也就是新耶路撒冷，指示给他（启示录21:9，10）。
718. 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me. This symbolizes influx now and a revelation from the Lord from the inmost of heaven about the Roman Catholic religion.
Up to this point the subject has been the state of the Protestant Reformed church at its end. Now the subject is the state of the Roman Catholic religion at its end. This also follows in order, as mentioned in the introduction [no. 717].
We do not call it the Roman Catholic Church, but the Roman Catholic religion, because Roman Catholics do not turn to the Lord or read the Word, and because they invoke the dead, and yet it is the Lord and the Word that make the church a church, and its perfection depends on its acknowledgment of the Lord and on its understanding of the Word.
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with John, because the seven angels who had the seven bowls symbolize an influx from the Lord from the inmost of the Christian heaven into the church in order to expose the evils and falsities in it (see nos. 672, 676, 677, 683, 690, 691, 699, 700 above). Therefore those seven angels here symbolize the Lord speaking from the inmost of heaven and revealing the state in which the Roman Catholic religion would be at its end.
That is also why one of the seven angels took John onto a high mountain and showed him the Lamb's wife, which is the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-10).
718. [verse 1] 'And there came one of the seven angels having the seven phials, and spoke with me' signifies now an influx and revelation from the Lord out of the inmost of heaven concerning the Roman Catholic form of religion. Thus far [the Word] has treated of the state of the Church of the Reformed at its end. Now it treats of the state of the Roman Catholic form of religion at its end; and this also follows in the order mentioned in the introduction. It is not termed the Roman Catholic Church, but the Roman Catholic form of religion, because they do not approach the Lord, nor read the Word, and because they invoke the dead; and a Church is a Church out of the Lord and out of the Word, and its perfection is in accordance with the acknowledgment of the Lord and the understanding of the Word. The reason why one of the seven angels having the seven phials came and spoke with John is because by 'the seven angels having the seven phials' is signified an influx from the Lord out of the inmost of the Christian heaven into the Church for the purpose of disclosing the evils and untruths there, as may be seen above (672, 676-677, 683, 690-691, 699-700). Here therefore by those 'seven angels' is signified the Lord speaking out of the inmost of the heaven and revealing what state the Roman Catholic form of religion is in at its end. Consequently also, one of those seven angels took John upon a high mountain and showed him the Lamb's wife, which is the New Jerusalem (chapter 21:9-10).
718. And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven vials, and spoke with me, signifies influx now and revelation from the Lord, from the inmost of heaven, concerning the Roman Catholic religion. Thus far the state of the church of the Reformed at the end has been treated of; but now the state of the Roman Catholic religious persuasion at its end is treated of; and this follows in the order mentioned in the introduction. It is not called the Roman Catholic church, but the Roman Catholic religious persuasion, because they do not approach the Lord, nor read the Word, and because they invoke the dead; and a church is a church from the Lord, and from the Word, and its perfection is according to its acknowledgment of the Lord, and according to its understanding of the Word. The reason why one of the seven angels having the seven vials came and spoke with John, is because by "the seven angels who had the seven vials," is signified influx from the Lord out of the inmost of the Christian heaven into the church, to disclose the evils and falsities therein, see above, (672, 676-677, 683, 690-691, 699-700); here therefore by those "seven angels" is signified the Lord speaking from the inmost of heaven, and revealing the state of the Roman Catholic religious persuasion at its end. Hence also it is, that one of those seven angels took John upon a high mountain, and showed him the Lamb's wife, which is the New Jerusalem, (Revelation 21:9-10).
718. (Vers. 1.) "Et venit unus ex septem Angelis habentibus septem phialas, et locutus cum me, significat nunc influxum, et revelationem a Domino ex intimo Caeli de Religioso Catholico Romano. - Hactenus de statu Ecclesiae Reformatorum in fine ejus actum est nunc de statu Religiosi Romano Catholici in fine ejus agitur; hoc etiam sequitur in ordine, de quo in Prologo. Non dicitur Ecclesia Catholica Romana, sed Religiosum Catholico Romanum, quia non adeunt Dominum, nec legunt Verbum, et quia mortuos invocant; et Ecclesia est Ecclesia ex Domino et ex Verbo, et ejus perfectio secundum agnitionem Domini, et secundum intellectum Verbi. Quod unus ex septem Angelis habentibus septem phialas venerit et locutus sit cum Johanne, est quid per "septem Angelos habentes septem phialas" significatur influxus a Domino ex intimo Caeli Christiani in Ecclesiam ad detegendum mala et falsa ibi (672, 676, 677, 683, 690, 691, 699, 700); hic itaque per septem illos Angelos significatur Dominus ex intimo Caeli loquens et revelans in quo statu est Religiosum Catholico Romanum in fine ejus: inde etiam est, quod unus ex septem illis Angelis sumpserit Johannem super montem altum, et ostenderit illi Uxorem Agni, quae est Nova Hierosolyma, (21:9-10).