Verse 21. On account of the reception of these false doctrines in the mind, the Lord is compelled for the sake of the ultimate safety of the soul to act vigorously against the unregenerate will; by reason of its perversion and love of empty vanities which lead to no real happiness, He seems to the mind in this state to be against its welfare; and the will becomes zealous about doctrines that are not true; and eager after things that are not really good.

7326. 'And they will be blood' means that they will falsify truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'blood' as the falsification of truth, dealt with above in 7317. In the genuine sense 'blood' means the holiness of love, as a consequence of which it means charity and faith, since they are holy attributes of love, and as a consequence of which again it means holy truth coming forth from the Lord, tool, 4735, 6978. In the contrary sense however 'blood' means violence done to charity and also violence done to faith, thus to holy truth coming forth from the Lord. And since violence is done to it when it is falsified the falsification of truth is meant by 'blood'; or when there is a greater degree of violence, the profanation of truth is meant by 'blood'. Such profanation was meant by 'the eating of blood', which was why that practice was so strictly forbidden, 1003.