1002. Doing signs, signifies persuading by fallacies and sophistries. This is evident from the signification of "signs," as being attestations and persuasions, and thus confirmations (See n. 706, 824); here persuasions by fallacies and sophistries because those who establish by reasonings a faith separated from life are here treated of; and as this is done by fallacies and sophistries, by which the simple are persuaded, so "doing signs" here signifies persuasions and confirmations by fallacies and sophistries. That persuasions are effected by fallacies has been shown above where "the beast coming up out of the sea" was treated of (Revelation 13:1-13), which signified confirmations by reasonings from the natural man. This is the signification of "signs," because it is added that they were "to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to battle," which signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths in the whole church.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] From what has been thus far presented what the good is that results from chastity in marriage can be inferred, consequently what the good works of chastity are that a man does who shuns adulteries as sins against God. The good works of chastity concern either the married pair themselves, or their offspring and posterity, or the heavenly societies. The good works of chastity that concern the married pair themselves are spiritual and celestial loves, intelligence and wisdom, innocence and peace, power and protection against the hells and against the evils and the falsities therefrom, and manifold joys and felicities to eternity. Those who live in chaste marriages, as before described, have all these. The good works of chastity that concern the offspring and posterity are that so many and so great evils do not become innate in families. For the ruling love of parents is transmitted into the offspring and sometimes to remote posterity, and becomes their hereditary nature. This is broken and softened with parents who shun adulteries as infernal and love marriages as heavenly.

[3] The good works of chastity that concern the heavenly societies are that chaste marriages are the delights of heaven, that they are its seminaries, and that they are its supports. They supply delights to heaven by communications; they are seminaries to heaven by producing offspring; and they are supports to heaven by their power against the hells; for at the presence of conjugial love diabolical spirits become furious, insane, and mentally impotent, and cast themselves into the deep.

824. Verse 13. And he doeth great signs, signifies testifications and persuasions. This is evident from the signification of "signs," as being testifications and persuasions (See above, n. 706); and as "great" is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, therefore "great signs" signify testifications and persuasions of falsity from evil. It is here said that the beast "did great signs," because "the beast" signifies confirmations from the Word in favor of faith separated from good works; and when reasonings from the natural man, which are signified by "the first beast," are confirmed from the Word, they both testify and persuade that it is so, and this for the reason that those who make this separation are not willing that the intellectual sight should have any part in matters of faith, which they call mysteries; and when the intellectual sight is not present they can persuade anything they please, even that which from the mere light of nature, anyone may see to be false. Propose any falsity, and declare it to be true because it has been said by some leader who is believed by his followers to be enlightened or inspired, and take away the use of reason, and thus prevent the entrance of the understanding with any light, and you will see all things as true, and will be persuaded; and for the reason that the primary proposition is believed without first investigating whether it is a truth or a falsity.

[2] That it may be known, that a falsity may be confirmed as easily as a truth, take this most trifling example: Lay down the ridiculous proposition that a crow is white, and confirm it as follows: that a crow is not born wholly black, that as it grows old it grows white, that its feathers are white within, and also its skin is white, and thus its blackness is only a shade surrounding the white parts, and reason further that man may indeed speak according to the appearance, that is, may say that it is black, and yet, since he is a man, he ought to think from his understanding that it is white, because it is inwardly white; just as it is allowable to speak of the sun's progression around the earth from appearance, and as in the Word also the sun is said to rise and set; and yet from his understanding one's thought must be that the earth revolves and causes that appearance. Add to this reasonings from the nature of colors, that they are all white in their origin, because they are from the light of heaven, also because every color when it is ground to a powder, even a black crystal, becomes white; and cite on this point those who have written on optics; and besides take away the use of reason, declaring that some man of authority and learning has seen this, and fix the mind on the confirmations, and not on the primary proposition, and it is possible that someone may be persuaded. But all this is ridiculous, because it is silly to conclude about a bird from any other color than its own, in which it appears; for thus all things in the world might be said to be white.

[3] It is similar with the falsities of heresies, as with that greatest of all that existed in Babylon, of which it is said in Daniel that the king published an edict there that he should be worshiped as God. It is similar with the reasonings, which are from hell, of those who declare that all things belong to nature, and even that nature created herself, and was not created by God; and if I may venture to say it, it is the same with the faith that is called justifying without an actual cooperation of the life. Such are the things here meant by "the great signs that the beast that came up out of the earth did, and made fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, and seduced them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast," as is said in this and the following verse.