121. (Verse 10) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. That this signifies that they should not grieve on account of such persecution is evident from the signification of fear when said of those who are about to suffer persecutions, as being that they should not grieve in mind, for such fear is also grief; and from the signification of those things which thou shalt suffer from those who are in all kinds of falsity, as being that these are about to persecute. The persecution of those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, by those who are in falsities, is now treated of. This is particularly evident from those who are of such a character in the world of spirits (concerning which world see what is said in the work, Heaven and Hell 421-535); for there the quality of every one as to the interiors of his thought and intention is made evident, because every one there is in himself, because he is a spirit, and it is the spirit which thinks and intends. All spirits there are conjoined either with the hells or with the heavens.Those who are conjoined with the hells, as soon as they perceive any one who is in the spiritual affection of truth, begin to burn with hatred, and endeavour to destroy him; they cannot even endure the sight of him. When most of these perceive only slightly the delight of the spiritual affection of truth, which is the essential delight of heaven, they become insane, as it were, and nothing is then more delightful to them than to endeavour to extinguish it. It is evident from this, that all in the hells are in opposition, to the spiritual affection of truth, and all in the heavens are in that affection. It would be similar on earth among men, if they had the perception which spirits have; but because this is not the case, and hence they do not know those who are in spiritual affection, they remain quiet, and act amicably, according to the delights of the world.

This disposition, however, manifests itself in the churches, among those who study religious dogmas, and also among those who are in that spiritual affection, by this circumstance, that falsities break out in their thoughts, striving to extinguish their desire, and the delight thence derived. Such falsities are from hell; for everything that a man thinks is either from hell or heaven (as was said above, n. 120).

10535. 'And the people heard this bad news, and mourned' means their grief because they do not occupy a position above others. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing this bad news and mourning' as grief. The fact that it is grief because they do not occupy a position above others is evident from what has been shown previously regarding that nation. That is to say, it has been shown that they insisted on the Church's being established among themselves. But they insisted on this with no other end in view than that they might occupy a position above all nations throughout the entire world; for they were ruled by self-love more than others were, and could not be raised to a position above those nations unless Jehovah, and therefore also the Church, was with them; for where Jehovah - that is, the Lord - is, so is the Church. That such was their end in view is clear from a large number of places in the Word, and also from the following verse in the present chapter,

Moses said, How will it ever be made known that I have found grace in Your eyes, I and Your people? Will it not be in Your going with us? And I and Your people will be made more distinguished than all the people who are on the face of the earth. Exodus 33:16.

It was not because they were chosen, rather because they were allowed to have the Church established among them; yet the Church did not reside within the actual nation, only that which was representative of the Church did so, see in the places referred to in 10396(end).