10731. Everyone doing work therein shall die. That this signifies spiritual death for those who are led by themselves and their own loves, and not by the Lord, is evident from the signification of “doing works on the Sabbath day,” as being to be led by self and one’s own loves, and not by the Lord (see n. 8495, 10360, 10362, 10364); and from the signification of “dying,” as being damnation, or spiritual death (n. 6119, 9008). Those who are led by themselves and by their own loves do not believe in the Lord, for to believe in the Lord is from Him, and not from self. From this it is also that such persons make of no account the union of His Human with the Divine Itself, and also of regeneration by the Lord; and thus also make of no account the truths of the church; for they say to themselves, “Of what value are such things?” Or, “What does it matter whether we know them? or even think them, and desire them? Are we not still alive, like other people? What difference is there?” The reason why they so think is that they think from the life of the world, and not from the life of heaven. The life of heaven is a thing unknown to them, and no one can think from what is unknown; and therefore such people cannot be saved, because they have not heaven in them, and therefore they cannot be in heaven, for their interiors are not in agreement with it. For unless these have been disposed by the Lord according to the image of heaven, there is no conjunction with heaven. Such are those who deny these universal truths. It is this state of man which is signified by “works done on the Sabbath day;” and the spiritual death of such persons is signified by their natural “death.”

10362. He that profaneth it. That this signifies to be led by one’s self and one’s own loves, and not by the Lord, is evident from the signification of “profaning the Sabbath,” or doing work on the Sabbath day, as being to be led by one’s self and not by the Lord, thus by one’s own loves. That this is signified by “profaning the Sabbath,” is evident in Isaiah:

If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, so that thou doest not thine inclinations on the day of My holiness, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own desire, nor speaking a word (Isaiah 58:13).

To “turn away the foot from the Sabbath” denotes such things as are of the natural man; “doing one’s own inclinations” denotes doing those things which favor the cupidities and evils of the loves of self and of the world; “doing one’s own ways” denotes favoring the falsities of evil; “finding one’s own desire” denotes living according to the delights of these loves; and “speaking a word” denotes thinking such things. From this it is evident that by “profaning the Sabbath” is signified being led by one’s self and one’s own loves, and not by the Lord, who in the supreme sense is “the Sabbath,” as has been shown just above.

[2] Like things are signified by “works on the Sabbath day,” such as cutting wood, kindling a fire, then preparing food, by gathering in the harvest, and many other things which were forbidden to be done on the Sabbath day. By “cutting wood” is signified doing good from one’s self; by “kindling a fire” is signified doing it from one’s own loves; and by “preparing food,” teaching one’s self from one’s own intelligence. No one can know that such things are involved in these prohibitions except from the internal sense.

[3] Be it known further that to be led by self, and to be led by the Lord, are two opposites; for he who is led by himself is led by his own loves, thus by hell, because man’s own loves are from hell; and he who is led by the Lord is led by the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. He who is led by these loves is withdrawn from his own loves; and he who is led by his own loves is withdrawn from the loves of heaven, because they by no means agree together; for the life of man is either in heaven or in hell. It is not possible that it be at the same time in one and in the other. This is meant by the Lord’s words in Matthew:

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will cleave to the one, and slight the other (Matthew 6:24).

From all this it is evident what is signified by “doing work on the Sabbath day.”