686# 启11:16, 17.在神面前坐在宝座上的二十四位长老，就伏面拜神，说，现在、过去和将要到来的主神全能者啊，我们感谢你，因你执掌大权进入王国了。
“在神面前坐在宝座上的二十四位长老”表示处于来自主的光和能力的高层天堂，以在很快就要到来的最后审判之日之前，将恶人与善人分离(687节)；“就伏面拜神”表示他们出于一颗最谦卑的心而对主的崇拜(688节)。
“说，主神全能者啊，我们感谢你”表示承认，即一切存在、生命或存活和能力都来自主(689节)；“现在、过去和将要到来的”表示来自那从永恒直到永恒都是天堂和教会的全部中的全部的(690节)；“因你执掌大权进入王国了”表示当先前的天堂和教会被毁灭时，一个新天堂和一个新教会的建立(691节)。
686. Verses 16, 17. And the four and twenty elders who sit before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and adored God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who wast, and who art to come, because thou hast taken thy great power, and entered upon the kingdom.
"And the four and twenty elders who sit before God upon their thrones," signifies the higher heavens in light and power from the Lord to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment which is shortly to come; "fell upon their faces and adored God," signifies their adoration of the Lord from a most humble heart. "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty," signifies acknowledgment that all being (esse), life, and power (posse) are from the Lord; "who art, and who wast, and who art to come," signifies from Him, who is the all in all things of heaven and the church from eternity to eternity; "because thou hast taken thy great power, and entered upon the kingdom," signifies the establishment of a new heaven and a new church, when the former heaven and church are destroyed.
686. Verses 16, 17. And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom.
16. "And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones," signifies the higher heavens in light and power from the Lord to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment which is to come shortly n. 687; "fell upon their faces and worshipped God," signifies the adoration of the Lord with them from a most humble heart n. 688.
7. "Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty," signifies the acknowledgment that all being, living, and ability are from the Lord. n. 689); "who is, and who was, and who is to come," signifies from Him who is the all in all things of heaven and the church from eternity to eternity (n. 690); "because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom," signifies the establishment of the new heaven and the New Church, when the former heaven and church are destroyed n. 691.
686. VERSUS 16, 17.
"Et viginti et quatuor seniores, qui coram Deo sedentes super thronis suis", ceciderunt super facies suas et adoraverunt Deum. Dicentes, Gratias agimus Tibi, Domine Deus omnipotens, qui es, qui eras, et qui venturus es, quod adeptus sis potentiam tuam
magnam, et regnum inieris."
16. "Et viginti et quatuor seniores, qui coram Deo sedentes super thronis suis", significat caelos superiores in luce et potentia a Domino ad separandum malos a bonis ante diem ultimi judicii brevi venturum [n. 687] ; "ceciderunt super facies suas et adoraverunt Deum", significat adorationem Domini apud illos ex humillimo corde [n. 688] .
17. "Dicentes, gratias agimus Tibi, Domine Deus omnipotens", significat agnitionem quod omne esse, vivere et posse sit a Domino [n. 689] ; "qui es et qui eras et qui venturus es", significat ab Ipso qui est omne in omnibus caeli et ecclesiae ad aeterno in aeternum [n. 690] ; "quod adeptus sis potentiam tuam magnam, et regnum inieris", significat instaurationem novi caeli et novae ecclesiae, destructo priori et caelo et ecclesia [n. 691] .