9020. 'Shall surely die' means damnation, as above in 9008. The reason why they are damned who apply the truths of faith to evils and in so doing alienate them from themselves is that they have hitherto acknowledged them. If the truth of faith has been acknowledged, and then after that it is applied to evil, it is mixed together with falsity arising from evil, the result of which is profanation. For such mixing together is profanation, see the places referred to below in 9021. To make this matter more understandable, let an example serve to shed light on it. Take people who wish to direct according to their own will things that are the Lord's, especially those things that belong to heavenly life with a person, to the end that they may have dominion over everyone and may gain the [whole] world. When they take some of the Lord's words to support their desire they are thieves in a spiritual sense; for they are stealing truths from the Word and applying them to evils. They are evils because those people's end in view is dominion and gain, not the salvation of souls. If up to now those truths which they begin to apply to evils have been acknowledged without a view to dominion and gain, such people profane them; for by applying them to evils they mix falsities arising from evils together with the truths. Such people cannot possibly escape damnation, since they deprive themselves of all spiritual life by what they do. That they deprive themselves of spiritual life is evident from the consideration that when they are left on their own, and they then think alone or talk among themselves, these people possess no belief in truths. They do not believe in the Lord, in heaven, or in hell. Even so they proclaim them with their lips more than others do, because an intense desire for dominion and gain drives them towards these things, as means to their ends. This is especially prevalent in Christian Gentilism where images of persons canonized as saints are on display for veneration, before which those people too genuflect and prostrate themselves but do so because of their guile, in order that they may deceive and convince others.

5139. Verses 16-19 And the chief of the bakers saw that he had interpreted what was good, and he said to Joseph, I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets with holes in them were on my head. And in the highest basket there was some of every kind of food for Pharaoh, the work of the baker, and the birds were eating them out of the basket, from upon my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. In yet three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you, and will hang you on wood; and the birds will eat your flesh from upon you.

'And the chief of the bakers saw' means the discernment of the sensory power subject to the will part of the mind. 'That he had interpreted what was good' means what was going to take place. 'And he said to Joseph' means the perception of the celestial within the natural. 'I also was in my dream' means a foretelling. 'And behold, three baskets' means consecutive degrees forming the will. 'With holes in them were on my head' means without a termination anywhere at all in the middle. 'And in the highest basket' means the inmost degree of the will. 'There was some of every kind of food for Pharaoh' means full of celestial good for nourishing the natural. 'The work of the baker' means according to every useful purpose served by that power of the senses. 'And the birds of the air were eating them out of the basket, from upon my head' means that falsity originating in evil would consume it. 'And Joseph answered and said' means revelation resulting from the perception received by the celestial within the natural. 'This is the interpretation of it' means what it held within it. 'The three baskets' means the consecutive degrees of the will. 'Are three days' means even to the final one. 'In yet three days' means that within the final one. 'Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you' means a decision based on foresight. 'And will hang you on wood' means a casting aside and condemnation. 'And the birds will eat your flesh from upon you' means that falsity originating in evil will consume every one of those sensory impressions.