7317. 'And they will be turned into blood' means that they will falsify truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'blood' as falsified truth, dealt with in 4735, 6978, 'blood' in the genuine sense is truth emanating from the Lord, thus the holiness of faith, this being what is meant by blood in the Holy Supper. But in the contrary sense 'blood' is violence done to Divine Truth, and since it is done by means of falsifications, 'blood' is the falsification of truth. From this and from what follows it may be seen who specifically are represented by 'Pharaoh', or who specifically are meant by those who molest - those within the Church who have declared themselves on the side of faith and have also convinced themselves that faith saves, yet have led a life contrary to the commandments intrinsic to faith. In short they are those whose faith has been false and whose life has been evil.

[2] When these people enter the next life they bring with them the assumption that they are to be introduced into heaven because they were born and baptized within the Church, possessed the Word, and also the teachings drawn from the Word which they had claimed to believe in, and especially because they claimed to believe in the Lord, who suffered for their sins and thereby saved those within the Church who from a knowledge of its teachings claimed to believe in Him. When these people first arrive in the next life from the world they do not wish to know anything about a life of faith and charity. They regard it as of no account, saying that because they have possessed faith all the evils marring their life have been purged and washed away by the blood of the Lamb. But then they are told that these ideas are contrary to the Lord's words in Matthew, where He says this,

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name, and through Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works in Your name? But then I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Everyone who hears My words and does them I liken to a wise man; but everyone hearing My words and not doing them I liken to a foolish man. Matthew 7:11-24, 26.

And in Luke,

Then you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He replying will say to you, ¹ I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, We ate in Your presence and we drank; and You taught in our streets. But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity. Luke 13:25-27.

But when they are told this they reply that only those who possessed faith induced by miracles are meant, not those who possessed the faith of the Church.

[3] But after some time these same people start to learn that none are admitted into heaven apart from those who have led the life of faith, that is, have had charity towards the neighbour. And when they start to learn this they begin to feel contempt for the teachings making up their faith, and their faith itself also. For their faith had not been faith but merely a knowledge of such things as constitute faith; and it had not existed for life's sake, only for the sake of making gain and having important positions. So it is that they begin to feel contempt for the things which had composed their knowledge of faith, and so cast them aside, soon after which they immerse themselves in falsities opposed to the truths of faith. This is the state in which those who have declared themselves on the side of faith, yet have led a life contrary to faith, come to live. These are the ones who in the next life molest the upright by means of falsities, thus who are meant specifically by 'Pharaoh'.

Poznámky pod čarou:

3596. 'And have blessed him? Indeed, he will be blessed!' means that it was indeed joined to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'being blessed' as being joined to, dealt with in 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584. What is implied by making its own and joining to itself the truth represented by 'Jacob' may become clear from what has been stated already. But because these matters are such as to be beyond the range of anything grasped by the natural man and so cannot be seen except in the light in which the rational or internal man sees - a light in which few see at the present day because few are regenerate - it is better not to elucidate them any further, for the elucidation of things which are not known and which go beyond the range of a person's understanding does not throw light on them but rather puts them in the shade. What is more, such things ought also to exist as a superstructure built upon ideas of natural truths by means of which they can be grasped; but these ideas too are lacking at the present day. This also explains why the phrases prior to that under discussion here have been explained so briefly and solely as to the internal sense of the words used.

[2] From what has gone before one may see what is embodied in the fact that Isaac asked for venison from his son so that he might eat of it before he blessed him; and that he did not bless him until after he had eaten; and thus that after he had eaten there followed the blessing of the one who made and brought him the food, as is also evident from Isaac's words here spoken in reference to Jacob, 'He brought it to me and I have eaten from all of it before you came in, and have blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!' The reason is evident from an internal understanding of the rituals of the Ancient Church With them 'eating' meant making one's own and being joined to - joined to him at whose house they had eaten, that is, shared his bread. 'Food' means in general those things which are the signs of love and charity, that is, the very things that constitute celestial and spiritual food - 'bread' in that case meant things that are the sign of love to the Lord, and 'wine' those that are the sign of charity towards the neighbour. When these things had been made their own, those persons were joined together. They accordingly talked to one another from affection and shared one another's company. Feasts among the ancients were nothing else than this; the meals of consecrated things in the Jewish Church represented nothing else; and the meals at midday or in the evening which those in the Primitive Christian Church took together did not entail anything else.