1188. Verse 23. And the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee any more signifies nothing of the truth of heaven and the church. This is evident from the signification of "light," as being the Divine truth (See above, n. 955, 1067, 1159); also from the signification of "lamp" or "lampstand," as being heaven and the church (See n. 62; also from the signification of "not shining any more," as being not to exist.

(Continuation)

Take as another example a king, a prince, a magistrate, a governor, or an official, whose chief end is the love of rule, and whose means are all things belonging to their dominion, administration, and function. The uses they perform do not have the good of the kingdom, commonwealth, country, societies, and fellow- citizens, as their end, but delight in ruling, consequently self. The uses themselves are not to them uses, but minister to their pride. They perform uses for the sake of appearances and of distinction; they do not love them, but they commend and yet make light of them, just as a master does his servants. I have seen such after death, and have been amazed. They were devils among the burning; for when the love of rule is the chief end it is the very fire of hell.

[2] I have also seen others whose chief end was not love of rule, but love of God and the neighbor, which is the love of uses; these were angels to whom dominion in the heavens was granted. From all this again it is clear that eminence may be a blessing or may be a curse, and that eminence as a blessing is from the Lord, and eminence as a curse is from the devil. What the love of rule is when it is the chief end, anyone who is wise can see from the kingdom that is meant in the Word by "Babylon," that set its throne in the heavens above the Lord by claiming to itself all His authority; consequently it abrogated the Divine means of worship, which are from the Lord through the Word, and in their place instituted demoniacal means of worship, which are adorations of living and dead men, also of sepulchers, carcasses, and bones. That kingdom is described by "Lucifer" in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:4-24). But only those that have exercised that dominion from the love of it are Lucifers, not the rest.