452. Verse 9. After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude, signifies all those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, as is evident from this, that "the twelve thousand sealed" out of each tribe meant those who are of the church in which there are genuine truths; for "the twelve tribes of Israel" mean those who are in genuine goods and truths, and in an abstract sense all goods and truths of the church; therefore these now treated of mean those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which nevertheless there are no genuine truths. That this is the meaning of "a great multitude" can be seen also from what follows in this chapter, where it is said, "These are they who come out of the great tribulation" (verse 14), which means out of temptations, for those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, in the other life undergo temptations, by which the falsities of their religion are scattered, and genuine truths implanted in their place (on this more will be said in what follows). From this it can be seen who are meant by "a great multitude" (which is treated of in what follows to the end of the chapter). It is to be known that no one, either within the church where the Word is or outside of that church, is damned who lives a good life according to his religion, for it is not the fault of such that they are ignorant of genuine truths. Moreover, as the good of life holds deep within it the affection of knowing truths, when such come into the other life they easily receive truths and drink them in. It is altogether different with those who have lived an evil life and have made light of religion. (Those who are not in genuine truths, and thus are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in the good of life, have been treated of above, n. 107, 195, 356; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the peoples and nations outside of the church who are in heaven are treated of. Also in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: There may be falsities of religion that agree with good, and falsities that disagree, n. 9258, 9259; falsities of religion, if they do not disagree with good, produce evil only with those who are in evil, n. 8311, 8318; falsities of religion are not imputed to those who are in good, but only to those who are in evil, n. 8051, 8149; truths not genuine, and also falsities, may be consociated with genuine truths with those who are in good, but not with those who are in evil, n. 3470, 3471, 4551, 4552, 7344, 8149, 9298; falsities and truths are consociated by appearances from the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 7344; falsities are made truthlike by good and become soft when they are applied to good and lead to good, and evil is removed, n. 8149; falsities of religion with those who are in good are received by the Lord as truths, n. 4736, 8149; a good that derives its quality from a falsity of religion is accepted by the Lord if there be ignorance, and if there be in it innocence and a good end, n. 7887; the truths that are with man are appearances of truth and good, tinctured with fallacies, and yet the Lord adapts them to genuine truths in the man who lives in good, n. 2053; there are falsities in which there is good with those who are outside of the church and thence in ignorance of truth, also with those within the church where there are falsities of doctrine, n. 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 3263, 3778, 4189, 4190, 4197, 6700, 9256)

6353. 'Instruments of violence are their swords (machaera)' means that religious teachings serve to destroy charitable deeds, thus charity itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'instruments of violence' as things that serve to destroy charity (the fact that 'instruments' are things that serve is self-evident, while the fact that 'violence' means the destruction of charity will be seen shortly below); and from the meaning of 'swords as religious teachings. For 'swords' (gladius) are the truths of faith that are employed to fight against falsities and evils, 2799; thus swords' (machaera) ¹ are religious teachings, here teachings employed to fight against truth and goodness and to annihilate them, for they are employed by those who champion faith alone, or faith separated from charity, and with whom the opposite of charity resides.

[2] The religious teachings employed by those who champion faith alone to dispense with charitable works are principally these:

A person is saved by faith alone without the works of charity.

Those works are unnecessary, and a person can be saved by faith alone even in his final hour when he dies, irrespective of how he has lived throughout the whole course of his life.

Thus those who have performed nothing else than cruel deeds, robberies, acts of adultery, or unholy deeds can be saved.

Consequently salvation is merely a letting into heaven, which means that none are let in except those who have received that grace at the end of their lives, and which also means that some by God's mercy have been chosen and others by the lack of it have been damned.

The truth of the matter however is that the Lord does not deny heaven to anyone. The life people have led and the communication of that life, which is perceived in heaven in the way an odour is on earth by its recipients, make it completely impossible for them to be there; for they are tormented in heaven by the wicked life they led more than they are in the deepest hell.

[3] 'A sword' means falsity fighting and killing. This is evident in John,

There went out another horse, fiery red; and it was granted to the one sitting on it to take away peace from the earth, so that people would kill one another, for which reason there was given him a great sword. Revelation 6:4.

In the same author,

If anyone kills with the sword, he must be killed with the sword. Revelation 13:10, 14.

[4] 'Violence' is the use of force against charity. This is plain from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

The violent one will cease to be and the scornful one will be destroyed. All ripeners of iniquity ² will be cut off, those who cause a person to sin by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and cause him who is just to turn aside to something empty. Isaiah 59:20, 21.

Here a different expression is used in the original language for 'the violent one'; but it carries a similar spiritual meaning. The fact that 'the violent one' is someone who uses force against charity is meant when it says that 'they cause a person to sin by a word' and 'cause him who is just to turn aside'.

[5] In the same prophet,

Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Isaiah 59:6-7.

Here 'violence' stands for force used against charity, a force that is also meant by 'shedding blood', see 774, 1005. In the same prophet,

No longer will there be violence in your land, a laying waste and ruin within your borders. Isaiah 60:18.

'Violence' stands for the destruction of charity, for the outcome is a laying waste and ruin in the land, that is, in the Church.

[6] In Jeremiah,

I proclaim violence and a laying waste, for the word of Jehovah was made to me a reproach and ignominy the whole day. Jeremiah 20:8.

Here also 'violence' stands for violence in spiritual things, thus for the destruction of charity, and also of faith. In Ezekiel,

The land is full of the judgement of blood, ³ and the city is full of violence. Ezekiel 7:23.

'The judgement of blood' stands for the destruction of faith, 'violence' for the destruction of charity.

[7] In the same prophet,

If he begets a violent son, a shedder of blood, who does any one of these things; if he eats on the mountains, or defiles his companion's wife, oppresses the wretched and needy, engages in plunderings, does not restore the pledge, or lifts his eyes to idols, commits abomination, lends at interest and takes usury, will he live? He will not live; he will surely die. Ezekiel 18:10-13.

In this description of what 'a violent son and a shedder of blood' is, the wrong-doings that are listed are all the charitable works he destroys; thus 'a violent son and a shedder of blood' is one who destroys charity and faith.

[8] In David,

Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil person; from the man of violent actions preserve me. Those who think evil things in their heart gather together all the day for war, they make their tongue sharp, like a serpent; the poison of an asp is under their lips. Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked; from the man of violent actions preserve me. Do not let a slanderer ⁴ be established in the land; as for the violent man, evil hunts him down, to overthrow him. Psalms 140:1-4, 11.

'The man of violent actions' stands for those who destroy the truths of faith and forms of the good of charity. Their fight against these is meant by 'they gather together all the day for war, they make their tongue sharp, like a serpent', 'the poison of an asp is under their lips', and 'evil hunts him down, to overthrow him'. 'Violence' is referred to in other places besides these, such as Ezekiel 12:19; Joel 3:19; Malachi 2:16-17; Zephaniah 3:4; Psalms 18:48; 55:9-11; 58:2-5; Deuteronomy 19:16.

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