8148. And he took six hundred chosen chariots. That this signifies all and each of the doctrinal things of falsity which are of faith separate, in their order, is evident from the signification of the number “six hundred,” as being each and all things of the truth and good of faith in one complex, thus in the opposite sense each and all things of the falsity and evil of faith separate from charity (that these are signified by “six hundred” can be seen from what has been shown concerning the number “six hundred thousand,” n. 7973); and from the signification of “chariots,” as being doctrinal things of faith, here of faith separate (see just above, n. 8146). By “chosen chariots” are signified the chief doctrinal things of this faith, on which the rest depend; those which depend on them, or serve them, being signified by “the chariots of Egypt” (of which presently).

[2] Be it known that these falsities, which are here signified by “Pharaoh, his army, and his people,” also by his “chariots, horses, and horsemen,” are especially the falsities of those who are in persuasive faith, that is, who persuade themselves that the doctrinal things of the church in which they are, are true, and yet are in a life of evil. Persuasive faith exists together with evil of life, but not saving faith; for persuasive faith is a persuasion that all things that belong to the doctrine of the church are true, not for the sake of truth, nor for the sake of life, nor even for the sake of salvation, for in this they scarcely believe; but for the sake of self-advantage, that is, for the sake of getting honors and wealth, and for the sake of reputation with a view to these. They learn doctrinal things in order to acquire such things, thus not to the end that they may be of service to the church and the salvation of souls, but to serve themselves and those who belong to them; and therefore it is all the same to them whether these doctrinal things are true, or false; this they care nothing about, still less inquire into, for they are in no affection of truth for the sake of truth. No matter what kind of doctrinal things they may be, they confirm them; and when they have confirmed them, they persuade themselves that they are true, not considering that falsities can be confirmed equally as well as truths (n. 4741, 5033, 6865, 7012, 7680, 7950).

[3] This is the source of persuasive faith, which, because it has not for its end, and does not regard, the neighbor and his good, thus not the Lord, but self and the world, that is, honors and self-advantage, is conjoined with evil of life, but not with good of life; for assuredly the faith that is conjoined with this is saving faith. This faith is given by the Lord, but the other is from the man himself. The one remains to eternity; the other is dissipated in the other life, and is also dissipated in the world if nothing is gained by it. But so long as men profit by it, they fight for it as for heaven itself, although it is not for that faith, but for themselves; for the things of faith, that is, of doctrine, are to them as means to an end; that is, to eminence and opulence. They who are in this faith in the world can with difficulty be distinguished from those who are in saving faith, for they speak and preach from an ardor as of zeal for the doctrine; but it is an ardor from the fire of the love of self and of the world.

[4] These are they who are especially signified by “Pharaoh and the Egyptians,” and in the other life they are vastated in respect to this faith; and this being vastated, they are in mere falsities from evil, for falsities then burst forth from the evil. Every evil is attended with its falsity, for they are joined together; and the falsities appear when they are left to the evil of their life. The evil is then like a fire, and the falsities are like the light from it. This kind of evil and the consequent falsity is quite different from other kinds of evils and the consequent falsities, being more detestable than all others, because it is contrary to the goods and truths of faith, and therefore there is profanation in this evil. (Profanation is the acknowledgment of truth and good and yet a life contrary thereto, n. 593, 1008, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3898, 4289, 4601, 6959, 6963, 6971)

1008. Will I require the soul of man. That this means to avenge profanation, is evident from what has been said in the preceding verse and in this verse, for the subject is the eating of blood, by which is signified profanation. What profanation is, few know, and still less what its punishment is in the other life. Profanation is manifold. He who utterly denies the truths of faith does not profane them, as do not the nations which live outside of the church and of knowledges. But he profanes them who knows the truths of faith, and especially he who acknowledges them, bears them in his mouth, preaches them, and persuades others to adopt them, and yet lives in hatred, revenge, cruelty, robbery, and adultery, which he confirms in himself by many things that he extracts from the Word, perverting them and thus immersing them in these foul evils. He it is who profanes. And it is such profanity chiefly that brings death to a man, as may be evident from this, that in the other life what is profane and what is holy are entirely separated-what is profane in hell and what is holy in heaven. When such a man comes into the other life, in every idea of his thought, just as in the life of the body, what is holy adheres to what is profane. He cannot there bring forth a single idea of what is holy without what is profane being seen adhering, as clearly as in daylight, there is such perception of another’s ideas in the other life. Thus in everything he thinks profanation is manifest, and since heaven abhors profanation, he cannot but be thrust down into hell.

[2] The nature of ideas is known to hardly anyone. It is supposed that they are something simple; but in each idea of thought there are things innumerable, variously conjoined so as to make a certain form, and hence pictured image of the man, which is all perceived and even seen in the other life. Merely for example-when the idea of a place occurs, whether of a country, a city, or a house, then an idea and image of all things the man has ever done there comes forth, and they are all seen by angels and spirits; or when the idea of a person whom he has held in hatred, then the idea comes forth of all things which he has thought, spoken, and done against him. And so it is with all other ideas; when they come up, all things in general and particular that he has conceived and impressed on himself in regard to the subject in question lie open to view. As when the idea of marriage arises, if he has been an adulterer, all filthy and obscene things of adultery, even of thought about it, come forth; likewise all things with which he has confirmed adulteries—whether from things of sense, from things of reason, or from the Word—and how he has adulterated and perverted the truths of the Word.

[3] Moreover, the idea of one thing flows into the idea of another and colors it, as when a little black is dropped into water and the whole volume of water is darkened. Thus is the spirit known from his ideas, and, wonderful to say, in every idea of his there is an image or likeness of himself, which when presented to view is so deformed as to be horrible to see. From this it is evident what is the state of those who profane holy things, and what is their appearance in the other life. But it can never be said that those profane holy things who in simplicity have believed what is said in the Word, even if they have believed what was not true; for things are said in the Word according to appearances, as may be seen above n. 589).