797. Verse 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, which is from the Lord and which is the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "opening his mouth," when the "mouth" signifies doctrine, and instruction, preaching, and reasoning therefrom (See above, n. 794), as being to instruct, preach, and reason; also from the signification of "blasphemy," as being the falsification of the Word, even to the destruction of Divine truth such as it is in heaven (See above, n. 778); also from the signification of "God," as being Divine truth, thus the Word. And as Divine truth is from the Lord, and is the Lord in heaven, therefore "blasphemy against God" signifies the falsification of Divine truth, or the Word, which is from the Lord, and which is the Lord. Moreover, the Word is the Lord because it is from the Lord, for the reason that the Word is the Divine truth, and the Divine truth proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds belongs to Him from whom it proceeds, yea, is Himself; consequently the Divine truth, which is the source of all the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have, is the Lord in heaven. Furthermore, the Word is such as it is with us in the world because that Word is the Divine truth in the ultimate of order, and contains a spiritual sense, which is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven. But more about this elsewhere. From this it is clear that "the beast opened his mouth in blasphemy against God" signifies the falsification of the Divine truth or the Word which is from the Lord and which is the Lord.

[2] As this verse treats of blaspheming, and as "blasphemy" signifies the falsification of the divine truth or the Word, namely, by those who separate faith from life, in explaining this verse, I will state who of that class so falsify the Word as to wholly close heaven to themselves, and what the quality of such is; and then who of that class do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, and what their quality is; and finally who of that class do not falsify the Word, and in whom, therefore, heaven can be opened or is being opened, and what their quality is. In this article those who so falsify the Word that they altogether close heaven to themselves shall be described, but in the following article the others in order. All those altogether close heaven to themselves who confirm themselves by doctrine and at the same time by life that faith alone without good works justifies and saves; the reason is that these so falsify the Word that it is contrary to the Divine truth which is in heaven, and from which is heaven. The Word may be falsified to this extent or it may not.

[3] The reasons that they falsify the Word to that extent are these: 1. From their doctrine they regard the goods of life, which are good works, as of no value, and in their life they make them of no account, and yet the universal heaven is in good, for good is of love, and love is of the life. All the wisdom and all the happiness that angels of heaven have is from good through truths; and each one there has so much and such wisdom and happiness, as he has of the good from which are truths; consequently good is the very essence of angelic life, and thus the essence of heaven itself. Those, therefore, who ascribe the whole of salvation to faith alone, and nothing of it to good works, must needs close heaven to themselves; for they regard good, in which heaven consists, as of no account, and they make it of no account; and where good is not, there evil is; and where evil is, there is hell.

2.

[4] Because these place everything of salvation, and thus everything of heaven and of the church, in faith alone, and nothing of these in the goods of charity, which are good works, they give little value to love to God and love towards the neighbor, and make these of no account; and yet the Lord teaches:

That on these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:34, 38).

"The Law and the Prophets" are all things of the Word. Also the Lord says to the lawyer respecting these two commandments:

Do these and thou shalt live (Luke 10:28).

To love God and to love the neighbor is nothing else than doing goods, for love in its essence is to will, and in its existence it is to do; for what a man loves, that he wills, and what he wills from love, that he does. Therefore also the Lord teaches:

He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; but he that loveth Me not keepeth not My commandments (John 14:21, 24).

From this it follows that those who regard good works, which are the goods of love, the goods of charity, and the goods of life, which in heaven are called uses, as of no account, and who make them of no account, close heaven to themselves; for they neither love God nor love the neighbor, and yet heaven is heaven from these two loves. This is especially what falsifies the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth, which in heaven is from the Lord, and which is the Lord there.

3.

[5] Those who confirm themselves in doctrine and in life in the belief that faith alone without good works justifies and saves, close heaven to themselves by this also, that they excuse evil works; they excuse these by saying and believing that evils are not seen by God; or that with those who have faith the evils are forgiven (according to some with those who have the confidence of faith, according to others with those who are justified by faith). Therefore many think insanely, "Of what consequence is it for me to do goods when goods do not save me? Or what does it matter if I do evils, when evils do not damn me? I am in grace because I have faith." Thus they live for themselves and for the world, and do not abstain from evil because it is evil, nor do good because it is good; if they abstain from evil it is from fear of the civil law and of the loss of reputation, and not from any fear of the Divine law and of the loss of eternal life; and if they do good it is from love of reward, and not from love of God. And yet such as the life is, such is the man:

Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? (Matthew 7:16)

Moreover, such a man does not know what a good life is, or what an evil life is. If he lives as a citizen of the world he believes that he lives a good life; when yet such a life, if he does not live it as a citizen of heaven, is an evil life. Neither does he distinguish the one from the other, because the two appear alike in externals. He does not distinguish them, because good works, which make the life, he values lightly. From this it now follows that those who confirm themselves both in doctrine and in life in the belief that faith alone without good works justifies and saves, altogether close heaven to themselves.

4.

[6] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that although their life is a merely natural life, everything of which is drawn from the love of self and of the world, yet they attribute to themselves the Lord's merit, saying in their hearts, "If only I shall have believed with trust and confidence that the Lord endured the cross for me, and thereby redeemed me, I can have eternal life, and this because that righteousness and that merit are imputed to me by faith, and nothing of it by works of the life." And yet there is no imputation of the Lord's merit; so neither can life thence be imputed to man. But a life from the Lord is given, such as has been described above in the article treating of it. Therefore to impute to oneself the merit of the Lord, and not to live according to His commandments in the Word, and thus live from Him, is blasphemy; because this implies the possibility of living solely for self and the world, thus wickedly, in the Lord.

5.

[7] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that they acknowledge what is no faith as faith, or historical faith as saving faith, thus natural for spiritual faith, and dead for living faith; and the same is true of the confidence of their faith. For such believe that knowing and thinking opens heaven, and not at the same time willing and doing, when yet these are primary, and the others are secondary. For the life of man's thought is from the affection of his will.

6.

[8] Again, they close heaven to themselves by this, that because man cannot do good from himself that is good and unless it is meritorious, they omit doing good, and pray earnestly for faith; and yet there is no faith that is faith except from charity, thus except from good. The faith that is then suffered to be given through these beseechings is a faith in falsity from evil, for where good is not, there evil is; and where evil is, there falsity is; and faith in falsity from evil is the faith of hell, which is called dead faith; and this closes heaven.

7.

[9] Heaven is especially closed to them by the application of the Word to confirm all these things; for they thus falsify them even to the destruction of the Divine truth that is in heaven. For our Word in its spiritual sense is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven; and if the sense of the letter is falsified so as to destroy the spiritual sense, heaven is closed up; for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, yea, is heaven; since the angels there are angels from the reception of it.

8.

[10] It has been said that those altogether close heaven to themselves who, both in doctrine and in life, make good works to be of no account from the principle that faith without good works justifies and saves. It shall now be stated briefly how heaven is closed by doctrine and how by life. Doctrine closes by consent, affirmation, confirmation, and persuasion that it is so; for then man not only thinks that it is so, but also wills it to be so. And if he still does goods because they are commanded in the Word he does only moral goods from the natural man; and these goods are from himself, and are meritorious goods. For all of man's doing is from his will and is according to his will, since a deed is nothing but the will in its activity; consequently when a man thinks and also wills that there is nothing of salvation in works, he can do no other goods than such as are like their origin. Of this character are many of the learned, who have confirmed faith alone with themselves by their preaching and writings. In the spiritual world the mind of such appears to be covered as with a veil, or to be involved as if in a dense cloud, which prevents the entrance of light or truth from heaven; thus heaven is closed in them. But a life according to that doctrine altogether closes heaven because their faith is that the goods of life do not save, nor do the evils of life condemn.

9.

[11] It is similar whether it is said that heaven is closed to man, or that the higher mind of man, which is called his spiritual mind, is closed; for man's spiritual mind is his heaven, therefore through this a man has conjunction with heaven, while the natural mind is his world, therefore through this he has conjunction with the world. But how the spiritual mind is opened, and thus communication and conjunction with heaven is granted to man, has been explained above n. 790.

778. And upon his heads a name of blasphemy, signifies the falsifications of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "heads," as being the knowledge of the holy things of the Word, which are falsified and adulterated (See above, n. 775); also from the signification of "name," as being the quality of a thing and its state (See above, n. 102, 135, 696); here the quality of the reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life, which are signified by this "beast;" also from the signification of "blasphemy," as being the falsification of the Word (of which presently). From this it is evident that "upon his heads a name of blasphemy" signifies the quality of those who by reasonings from the natural man confirm the separation of faith from life, and that the quality of such is the falsification of the Word. "Blasphemy" signifies the falsification of the Word, because in what follows by this beast is described the way in which those who are meant by the dragon pervert the sense of the letter of the Word by reasonings from the natural man, that they may confirm the justification and salvation by faith alone without good works; and this cannot be done except by their falsifying the Word, which in each and every particular conjoins truths to goods and goods to truths, thus faith to charity and charity to faith (as shown above, n. 775. This is why falsifications of the Word are signified by "blasphemy," which is said to be the name of this beast.

[2] But how the Word is blasphemed by the falsification of it shall be illustrated by the following example. Those who separate faith from good works say:

That God the Father removed and even rejected from Himself the human race on account of their evils; and for this reason His Son was sent into the world, or the Son Himself, moved by pity, came into the world, and by the punishment of extreme condemnation, which was the passion of the cross, and by His own blood upon it, and finally by His death, He reconciled mankind to the Father, by thus interceding for it.

As this is among the chief things of the doctrine of those who separate faith from its life, which is charity, I will state briefly how the Divine is thereby blasphemed. It is blasphemed by this, that they believe and think that the Divine removed or rejected the human race from itself, when yet God is love itself, mercy itself, and goodness itself, and these are His Esse; evidently, therefore, it is impossible for God to remove or reject a single one of the human race, for this would be to act against His own Esse, which, as has been said, is the source of all love, all mercy, and all good. It would be impossible even for any angel or any man who is in love, mercy, and good from the Lord, to do this; and yet their love is finite, while the Divine love is infinite. God the Father's removing or rejecting the human race they call vindictive justice, of which they cherish no other idea than that of a king or judge avenging an evil done to him, consequently that it is like their vengeance, in which there cannot but be something of anger. To confirm this they cite passages from the Word where God is called an avenger, a revenger, jealous, angry, wrathful; and these passages of the Word they thus falsify, since these expressions are used in the sense of the letter of the Word according to appearances. For when a man after death becomes a spirit, if he is in evils from his life in the world he turns himself away from the Lord; and when he turns himself away from the Lord and denies Him he can no longer be so under the Lord's protection that his evil does not punish him, for the punishment of evil is in the evil, as the reward of good is in the good. But because the punishment of evil by the evil, or by those who are evil, appears as if it were punishment by the Divine, so from that appearance the Divine is said in the Word to be angry, to condemn, to cast into hell, and the like. Yet the Lord condemns and punishes no one (as can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 545-550, under the head, The Lord casts no one down into Hell, but the spirit casts himself down). From this can be seen how the Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word. For it is thought that God is in some respect an avenger, or revenger, that He is angry, that He casts into hell and punishes, when in fact it is evil that punishes itself, that is, hell from which evil is, and not the Divine. The Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word also by their believing and thinking that God the Father wished to be reconciled to the human race by the punishment of extreme condemnation, which was the passion of the cross, thus by the blood of His Son; and that by this He was moved and is moved to mercy. Who that has an enlightened understanding does not see that this, too, is contrary to the Divine, and therefore contrary to the genuine truth of the Word? For as what is contrary to the Divine is blasphemy, so to wrest the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm this doctrine is blasphemy. But more about this in what follows.

[3] What, then, is signified by "blasphemy" can be seen from passages in the Word where it is mentioned; from which I am only allowed to cite the following. In the Gospels:

Jesus said, Every sin and blasphemy shall be remitted unto men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be remitted unto men. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man it shall be remitted unto him, but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit it shall not be remitted unto him, neither in this age nor in that which is to come (Matthew 12:31, 32).

I say unto you, All sins shall be remitted unto the sons of man. But whosoever shall blaspheme against the Spirit hath no remission to eternity, but shall be subject to an eternal judgment (Mark 3:28, 29).

Everyone who shall speak a word against the Son of man it shall be remitted unto him, but unto him that blasphemeth the Holy Spirit it shall not be remitted (Luke 12:10).

What is signified by "sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit," and what by "a word against the Son of man," has not hitherto been known in the church, and for the reason that it has not been known what is properly meant by "the Holy Spirit," and what by "the Son of man." "The Holy Spirit" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is in the heavens, that is, the Word such as it is in the spiritual sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven. And "the Son of man" means Divine truth such as it is on the earth, that is, the Word such as it is in the natural sense, for this is Divine truth on the earth. When it is known what is meant by "the Holy Spirit," and what by "the Son of man," it can also be known what is signified by "sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit," and by "a word against the Son of man;" also why "a word against the Son of man" can be remitted, and "sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" cannot. "Sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" means to deny the Word, and to adulterate its essential goods and falsify its essential truths; while "a word against the Son of man" means to interpret the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, according to appearances.

[4] To deny the Word is a sin that "cannot be remitted in this age nor in that which is to come," that is, to eternity, and he who does it "is subject to an eternal judgment," because those who deny the Word deny God, deny the Lord, deny heaven and hell, and deny the church and all things pertaining to it; and those who deny these are atheists, who, although with their lips they attribute the creation of the universe to some Supreme Entity, or Deity, or God, yet in heart ascribe it to nature. Because such by denial have dissolved all bond of connection with the Lord they must needs be separated from heaven and conjoined to hell. To adulterate the essential goods of the Word and to falsify its essential truths is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that cannot be remitted, because "the Holy Spirit" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is in the heavens, that is, the Word such as it is in the spiritual sense, as has been said above. In the spiritual sense are genuine goods and genuine truths; but in the natural sense these same are as it were clothed, and only here and there are naked. They are therefore called apparent goods and truths. These are what are adulterated and falsified; and they are said to be adulterated and falsified when they are so explained as to be contrary to genuine goods and truths, for heaven then removes itself and man is separated from it; and for the reason, as has been said, that genuine goods and truths constitute the spiritual sense of the Word in which the angels of heaven are. For example, heaven is removed from man when the Lord and His Divine are denied, as was done by the Pharisees who said that the Lord wrought miracles by Beelzebub and had an unclean spirit; and because they thus denied Him and His Divine He said that this was sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because it was against the Word, as may be seen in the preceding verses of these chapters in the Gospels. For the same reason also the Socinians and Arians, who deny the Divine of the Lord, although they do not deny the Lord, are out of heaven, and cannot be received by any angelic society.

[5] Take, as another example, those who exclude the goods of love and the works of charity from among the means of salvation, and who claim that faith, exclusive of these, is the sole means of salvation, and who confirm this opinion not only by doctrine but also by their life, saying in heart, Goods do not save me nor evils condemn, because I have faith. Such also blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for they falsify the genuine good and truth of the Word, and this in a thousand passages, where love and charity and deeds and works are mentioned. Moreover, as has been said above, in each and every thing of the Word there is the marriage of good and truth, thus of charity and faith; consequently when good or charity is taken away that marriage perishes, and instead there is adultery; the nature of this adultery will be explained elsewhere. This is why these, too, cannot be received into heaven; and for the further reason that they have put earthly love in place of heavenly love and evil works in place of good works, because their works are from earthly love, and when this is separated from heavenly love it is infernal love. But it is otherwise with those who believe, indeed, from the doctrine of the church and from their teachers, that faith is the only means of salvation, or who know this, but inwardly neither affirm it nor deny it, and who, nevertheless, live a good life from the Word, that is, because the Lord has so commanded in the Word. Such do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for they do not adulterate the goods of the Word nor falsify its truths, wherefore they have conjunction with the angels of heaven. Moreover, few of such know that faith is anything else than believing in the Word. The dogma of justification by faith alone without the works of the law they do not apprehend, because it transcends their understanding.

[6] These two examples are cited to make known what is meant by "sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit," that is, that sin against it is to deny the Divine truth, thus the Word, and that blasphemy against it is to adulterate the essential goods of the Word and falsify its essential truths. Let it be noted that the good of the Word when adulterated is evil, and that its truth when falsified is falsity. A word against the Son of man, signifies to interpret the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, according to appearances, because the Son of man means the Lord in relation to Divine truth such as it is on earth, thus such as it is in the natural sense. Such a word is remitted unto men, because most things in the natural sense of the Word, or the sense of its letter, are goods and truths clothed, and some only are naked, as they are in the spiritual sense; and goods and truths that are clothed are called appearances of truth. For the Word in its ultimates is like a man clothed with a garment, but with his face and hands naked; and where the Word is thus naked its goods and truths appear naked, as they do in heaven, thus such as they are in the spiritual sense. There is, therefore, nothing to hinder those who are enlightened by the Lord from seeing, or to hinder those who are not so enlightened from confirming, the doctrine of genuine good and genuine truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. The Word is such in the sense of the letter that it may be a basis for the spiritual sense; thus, too, it is accommodated to the comprehension of the simple, who, unless things are so stated, are unable to perceive them, and when perceived, to believe and do them.

[7] Moreover, because the Divine truths in the sense of the letter of the Word are for the most part appearances of truth, and the simple in faith and heart cannot be raised above them, it is not sin or blasphemy to interpret the Word according to appearances, provided principles are not formed from these appearances and so confirmed as to destroy Divine truth in its genuine sense. For example, where it is said:

Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29);

and:

This is My blood, that of the new Testament, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28);

and again:

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:7, 11);

and when from these words it is believed in simplicity that the Lord suffered the passion of the cross on account of our sins, and that through this suffering and His blood He redeemed us from hell-since this is an apparent truth, and can be stated and believed, therefore it does not condemn the simple in faith and heart. But to establish a principle from these words, and to confirm that principle so far as to hold that God the Father was and is in this way reconciled to man, and that man is justified and saved by his faith alone without the good things of charity, which are good works, and to be in that principle in life as well as in doctrine-this cannot be remitted.

[8] From this it can be seen that "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" signifies the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth in its genuine sense. Therefore "a name of blasphemy" signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, because it is called blasphemy when anyone speaks against God; and to speak against God is to speak against the Divine truth, for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what is meant in the Word by "God;" and Divine good is meant by "Jehovah," and by "the Lord." And as it is blasphemy to speak against God, thus also against the Word, since the Word is Divine truth, it follows that blasphemy is to falsify the Word. For those who falsify the Word make its truth to be falsity, and falsity continually speaks against truth, and even assaults it. This is why "blasphemy" signifies the falsification of the Word, even to the destruction of its genuine good and genuine truth.

[9] The like is said of the "scarlet beast" further on in Revelation:

The woman sitting upon the scarlet beast was full of the names of blasphemy (Revelation 17:3).

That beast with the woman sitting on it there means Babylon; and "the names of blasphemy" mean the adulterations of the good and the falsifications of the truth of the Word; and these, as has been said, are blasphemies against the Lord.

[10] That "blasphemies" signify to believe and speak wickedly and falsely about God and about Divine truth can also be seen from other passages in the Word. As in Isaiah:

Jehovah said, Fear not on account of the words which thou hast heard, wherewith the young men of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. And Hezekiah the king prayed, and said, Hear, O Jehovah, all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to blaspheme the living God. And Jehovah spake concerning him, Whom hast thou blasphemed and reviled, and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel! By the hand of thy servants thou hast blasphemed the Lord (Isaiah 37:6, 15, 17, 23, 24).

From this, too, it can be seen that blasphemy is predicated of false speaking against God. For "the king of Assyria," who at that time was Sennacherib, signifies the rational, but here the rational perverted, which speaks against Divine truth, treats it shamefully, and censures it by falsities; and this is to falsify it, as has been said above. The falsities spoken against Divine truth are signified by the things mentioned in verses 10-13, 24, 25, which were all not only blasphemies against God but also falsifications of Divine truth.

[11] In Moses:

As to the soul that doeth with a high hand, the same blasphemeth Jehovah, in that he hath despised the word of Jehovah and hath rendered void His commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off, its iniquity shall be upon it (Numbers 15:30, 31).

This treats of those who act against the commandments of God given through Moses, both through error, and also from purpose (as is clear from verse 23 and those that follow in that chapter); here those who so act from purpose are treated of, and this is meant by "doing with a high hand." And since to act against a commandment is to act against Divine truth, and to act against this from purpose is to act from the intention of the will, and from that to speak falsity, which is the actual adulteration and falsification of the Word, therefore it is said "he blasphemeth Jehovah." And as this is similar to the sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit it is said, "that soul shall be utterly cut off, its iniquity shall be upon it;" "its iniquity shall be upon it" signifying that it cannot be remitted.

[12] That blasphemy is predicated of evil speaking and false speaking about God, and thus about Divine truth, it is unnecessary to confirm here by many passages from the Word; not only because anyone can see that blasphemy is nothing else in the spiritual sense, but also because there are various kinds of it; consequently in human languages, as in the Hebrew, there are various terms by which the kinds of blasphemy of God and of the Divine truth are expressed, such as calumny, contumely, ignominy, opprobrium, reproach, rebuke, jesting, scoffing, mocking, and others, each of which is used in the Word with a generic and specific difference, to analyze and explain which would require many pages.