452. Verse 9. After these things I saw, and behold a great multitude, signifies all those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, as is evident from this, that "the twelve thousand sealed" out of each tribe meant those who are of the church in which there are genuine truths; for "the twelve tribes of Israel" mean those who are in genuine goods and truths, and in an abstract sense all goods and truths of the church; therefore these now treated of mean those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which nevertheless there are no genuine truths. That this is the meaning of "a great multitude" can be seen also from what follows in this chapter, where it is said, "These are they who come out of the great tribulation" (verse 14), which means out of temptations, for those who are in the good of life according to their religion, in which there are no genuine truths, in the other life undergo temptations, by which the falsities of their religion are scattered, and genuine truths implanted in their place (on this more will be said in what follows). From this it can be seen who are meant by "a great multitude" (which is treated of in what follows to the end of the chapter). It is to be known that no one, either within the church where the Word is or outside of that church, is damned who lives a good life according to his religion, for it is not the fault of such that they are ignorant of genuine truths. Moreover, as the good of life holds deep within it the affection of knowing truths, when such come into the other life they easily receive truths and drink them in. It is altogether different with those who have lived an evil life and have made light of religion. (Those who are not in genuine truths, and thus are in falsities from ignorance, and yet in the good of life, have been treated of above, n. 107, 195, 356; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where the peoples and nations outside of the church who are in heaven are treated of. Also in the Arcana Coelestia, as follows: There may be falsities of religion that agree with good, and falsities that disagree, n. 9258, 9259; falsities of religion, if they do not disagree with good, produce evil only with those who are in evil, n. 8311, 8318; falsities of religion are not imputed to those who are in good, but only to those who are in evil, n. 8051, 8149; truths not genuine, and also falsities, may be consociated with genuine truths with those who are in good, but not with those who are in evil, n. 3470, 3471, 4551, 4552, 7344, 8149, 9298; falsities and truths are consociated by appearances from the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 7344; falsities are made truthlike by good and become soft when they are applied to good and lead to good, and evil is removed, n. 8149; falsities of religion with those who are in good are received by the Lord as truths, n. 4736, 8149; a good that derives its quality from a falsity of religion is accepted by the Lord if there be ignorance, and if there be in it innocence and a good end, n. 7887; the truths that are with man are appearances of truth and good, tinctured with fallacies, and yet the Lord adapts them to genuine truths in the man who lives in good, n. 2053; there are falsities in which there is good with those who are outside of the church and thence in ignorance of truth, also with those within the church where there are falsities of doctrine, n. 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 3263, 3778, 4189, 4190, 4197, 6700, 9256)

166. Verse 23. And her sons I will kill with death, signifies that thus falsities are extinguished. This is evident from the signification of "sons," as being truths of the church from the Word, and, in the contrary sense, falsities (of which presently); also from the signification of "king with death," as being to extinguish; for falsities are separated, and as it were extinguished by temptations, and by man's refraining from them, and shunning them, and holding them in aversion. "Sons" in the Word signify truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, because the spiritual sense of the Word treats only of such things as relate to the church and heaven; and all things of the church and of heaven have reference to the goods which are of love, and to the truths which are of faith. From this it is that the names of kinships and relationships, as husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and others, signify spiritual things that have reference to spiritual birth, which is regeneration, and to the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth. The things that are born of this marriage are likewise goods and truths. From this it is that "daughters" in the Word signify goods, and "sons" truths, both derived from the good that is signified by "father," and from the truth that is signified by "mother." (That all the truths and goods that are with the regenerate man are conjoined according to spiritual relationships, and follow in order, see Arcana Coelestia 2508, 3815, 4121. That all who are in heaven are also associated according to spiritual relationships, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 205. That "sons" signify truths and the affections of truth, is shown in Arcana Coelestia 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373, 4257, 8649, 9807; that "sons of sons" signify truths in successive order, n. 6583, 6584; that by "father," "mother," "brethren," "children," goods and truths, or evils and falsities with man are signified, n. Arcana Coelestia 10490; that "to smite the mother upon the sons," is to destroy all things of the church, n. 4257; that the Lord called Himself "the Son of man," because He was Divine truth, and because every truth of heaven and of the church proceeds from Him, see above, n. 63.)