7520. And let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven. That this signifies these falsities shown to those who are in heaven, is evident from the signification of “ashes,” as being falsities (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “sprinkling toward heaven,” as being to show them to those who are in heaven. That “to sprinkle” denotes to show, is plain, for by this they are made to appear. By “heaven” in the internal sense is meant the angelic heaven. What these words signify is plain from what was said just above (see n. 7519), namely, that by means of truth from the Divine, which is represented by Moses, the falsities of cupidities of those who infest were shown and manifested to heaven, whence came the presence of heaven, and by its presence the occurrence of such things with the evil as are signified by the “sore breaking forth in pustules.” That “ashes” [favilla] denote falsity, may be confirmed from the passages where another word for “ashes” [cinis] is used, for these ashes have a like origin, and hence a like signification (as in Isaiah 44:15, 20; 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Ezekiel 27:30; 28:18; Jonah 3:6; Psalms 102:9; Job 2:8; 30:19).

5071. That they on the left hand are called “cursed,” and their punishment “eternal fire,” as where it is said:

Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me ye cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;

and,

These shall go away into eternal punishment;

is because they have averted themselves from good and truth, and have turned to evil and falsity. A “curse,” in the internal sense of the Word, signifies a turning away (n. 245, 379, 1423, 3530, 3584). The “eternal fire” into which they must depart is not natural fire, nor is it torment of conscience, but is concupiscence of evil; for the concupiscences in man are spiritual fires which consume him in the life of the body, and torment him in the other life. By these fires the infernals torture one another in direful ways.

[2] That “eternal fire” is not natural fire, is evident. That it is not torment of conscience, is because all who are in evil have no conscience, and they who have had none in the life of the body cannot have any in the other life. But that it is concupiscence is because all vital fire is from the loves in man-heavenly fire from the love of good and truth, and infernal fire from the love of evil and falsity-or what is the same, heavenly fire is from love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor, and infernal fire is from the love of self and the love of the world. That all the fire or heat within man is from this source, anyone may know if he pays attention to the matter. It is for this reason also that love is called spiritual heat, and that by “fire” and “heat” in the Word nothing else is signified (n. 934, 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446, 4906). The vital fire in the evil is such that when they are in the vehemence of their concupiscences, they are also in a kind of fire, from which they are in the ardor and fury of tormenting others; but the vital fire in the good is such that when in a high degree of affection, they also are in a kind of fire, but from it they are in the love and zeal of benefiting others.