747. That accuseth them before God day and night, signifies and who have denounced them and disputed with them continually from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "to accuse," as being to assault (See above, n. 746); consequently it means to denounce and to dispute with, for he who accuses also disputes and denounces; also from the signification of "before God," as being from the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of "day and night," as meaning continually and without intermission; for "day and night" signify all states of life, "day" the state of the life when the mind is in clear thought, and "night" when the mind is in obscure thought. These two states of life mean continually, because there is in the spiritual world no division of times into years, months, weeks, days, and hours, but instead of these there are changes of state; for there angels and spirits are sometimes in clear thought and sometimes in obscure thought. That angels and spirits are by turns in a state of clear perception and in a state of obscure perception can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 154-161. But in particular their states follow each other variously, as from one affection into another; and it is from these states that angels and spirits number their times; thus these take the place of times in the world, which are years, months, weeks, days, nights, and hours. Because then their states of life in general change as to clearness or obscurity of understanding, and thus are in a continual succession, so "days and nights" signify continually. "To accuse before God" signifies to denounce and to dispute from the Word; because those who are meant by "the dragon," who are those that separate faith from life, argue and dispute from the Word; and to dispute from the Word is to dispute "before God," for God is in the Word, since the Word is from God, and is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is why it is said in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word (John 1:1).

They dispute in favor of faith separated from a life of charity, because they confirm their heresy from certain passages in the Word understood according to the mere letter, and when they have thus confirmed it they believe it to be the very truth of the church, although it is a falsity. In general, "to accuse day and night" signifies the continual influx of falsity from those who are meant by "the dragon;" and as their falsities are from the Word falsified, therefore this is signified by "accusing before God."

6770. Verses 15-19 And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses. And Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he dwelt next to a well. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; and Moses rose up and helped them, and watered their flock. And they came to Reuel their father, and he said, Why have you hastened to come today? And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds; and he even drew water for us, and watered the flock.

'And Pharaoh heard of this matter and sought to kill Moses' means that having discerned this matter false factual knowledge wished to destroy the truth which the law from God possessed. 'And Moses fled from before Pharaoh' means that it was separated from falsities. 'And dwelt in the land of Midian' means a life led in the Church among those in whom simple good was present. 'And he dwelt next to a well' means an eagerness there for the Word. 'And the priest of Midian had seven daughters' means holy things belonging to that Church. 'And they came and drew water' means that they received instruction in truths from the Word. 'And filled the troughs' means that from there they enriched teachings about charity. 'To water their flock' means to the end that those governed by good might receive instruction from there. 'And the shepherds came and drove them away' means that teachers steeped in evils set themselves against them. 'And Moses rose up and helped them' means aid brought by truths which the law from God possesses. 'And watered their flock' means that those governed by good received instruction from it. 'And they came to Reuel their father' means a joining to the actual good of that Church. 'And he said, Why have you hastened to come today?' means a perception that now it was a certain joining together. 'And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds' means because true factual knowledge that was [attached] to the Church prevailed over the power of the teachings that presented falsity arising from evil. 'And he even drew water for us' means that the instruction it gave came from the Word. 'And watered the flock' means those who belonged to the Church there.