1057. They whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. That this signifies that they are those who do not acknowledge the Lord's Divine power over heaven and earth, but as transferred to some vicar, and from him to his vicars, is evident from the signification of names not written in the book of life, as denoting those who are not received in heaven (concerning which see (n. 199, 222, 299). And because those who do not acknowledge the Lord's Divine power over heaven and earth are not received in heaven, therefore these are they who are meant; and from the signification of the foundation of the world, as denoting from the establishment of the church. By the foundation of the world, in the literal or natural sense, is meant the creation of the world; but in the internal spiritual sense the establishment of the church is meant. For the spiritual sense treats of spiritual things; and the natural sense of the natural things that pertain to the world. Hence it is that by the creation of heaven and earth, in the first chapter of Genesis, in the spiritual sense, is described the new creation or establishment of the first and Most Ancient Church on this earth. That this is described by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where the things in that chapter are explained. Moreover, by creating, in the Word, is signified to reform, and by Creator, the Lord as Reformer and Saviour. That to create signifies to reform, and that by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis is described, in the spiritual sense, the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, may be seen above (n. 294, 739).

[2] The establishment of the church is also meant by the foundation of the world in these passages in the Word:

"The king shall say to them on the right hand, Come and possess as a heritage the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

Jesus praying said, "Father, because thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).

Jesus said, "The blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, shall be required of this generation" (Luke 11:50).

That the establishment of the church is meant by the foundation of the world, is evident from the passages in the Word where it is said to found the earth, the founding of the earth, and the foundation of the earth, by which is not meant the foundation or creation of the earth, but the establishment or creation of the church upon the earth. As in Zechariah:

"Jehovah who stretcheth out the heavens, and layeth the foundations of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him" (12:1).

Here by stretching out the heaven, and founding the earth, is not meant the stretching out of the visible heaven, and founding the habitable earth, but the church as to its internals, which are called spiritual, and as to its externals, which are called natural. To found the latter and stretch out the former is to establish; therefore it is also said, forming the spirit of man in the midst of him, which signifies his reformation and regeneration.

[3] In Isaiah:

"Attend to me, O Jacob and Israel, my hand hath founded the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens" (48:12, 13).

By founding the earth with the hand, and spanning the heavens with the right hand, are signified similar things to those explained just above, as is evident from the preceding and following parts of the chapter, where the establishment of a new church by the Lord is treated of.

In the same:

"Hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, who stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth" (51:13).

Here also by the heavens and the earth is signified the church as to its internal or spiritual things, and as to its external or natural things and by stretching out and founding is signified to establish.

[4] In the same:

"I will put my words into thy mouth, and with the shadow of my hand will I cover thee, to plant the heavens, and to found the earth, and to say unto Zion, Thou art my people; awake, awake, arise, O Jerusalem" (51:16, 17).

Here by planting the heavens and founding the earth, is evidently meant to establish the church; for this is said unto the prophet, that the word should be put in his mouth, and that he should be covered with the shadow of the hand to plant the heavens and to found the earth. By a prophet the earth cannot be founded, but the church. Therefore also it is added, "To say unto Zion, thou art my people;" also, "Awake, awake, arise, O Jerusalem." For by Zion and by Jerusalem, in the Word, is meant the church.

In David:

"The heaven and the earth are thine; the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded them" (Psalm 89:11).

Here in like manner by heaven and the earth is signified the church, by the world the church as to good; and by the fulness thereof are signified all the goods and truths of the church.

[5] Again:

"Jehovah hath founded the earth and the world upon the seas, and established them upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of Jehovah, and who shall stand in the place of his holiness?" (Psalm 24:2, 3).

That the establishment of the church is described by founding the earth and the world upon the seas, and establishing them upon the rivers, may be seen above (n. 304, 518, 741). That the establishment of the church is signified, is evident from what follows here, namely, who shall ascend into the mountain of Jehovah, and who shall stand in the place of His holiness? By the mountain of Jehovah is understood Zion; whereby is signified, where the Lord reigns by means of Divine truth; and by the place of [His] holiness is meant Jerusalem, where the temple was, by which is signified the church as to doctrine. From these things it is evident, that by the foundation of the world is signified the establishment of the church. For the same is meant by the world, as by heaven and the earth. And it is said, "To found the earth;" because by the earth is signified the church on earth, and upon this heaven is founded as to its holy things.

Hence, also, it is evident what is signified by the foundations of the earth in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Have ye not known, have ye not heard, hath it not been declared to you from the beginning, have ye not understood the foundations of the earth?" (40:21).

In the same:

"The foundations of the earth are corrupted" (24:18).

Likewise in Isaiah 63:12; Jeremiah 31:37; Micah 6:2; Psalms 18:7, 15; 82:5; and elsewhere).

Continuation concerning the second kind of Profanation:-

[6] The reason why profaners of this kind are stupid and foolish in spiritual things, but cunning and ingenious in worldly things is, that they make one with the devils in hell.

And because, as said above, they are merely sensual, and thence are in their own proprium, which draws its delight of life from the unclean effluvia exhaled from effete things in the body, and exhaled from dunghills, from these also arise their conceit and pride when things are in their delight.

[7] That it arises from these is evident from their delights, after death, when they live as spirits; for then in preference to the most fragrant odours they love the rank stenches that arise from the air discharged from the belly, and from latrines, which smell to them more fragrant than thyme. By the breath and touch of these the interiors of the mind are closed, and the exteriors belonging to the body are opened, whence arise their eagerness in worldly matters, and their dulness in spiritual things. In a word, the love of domination by means of the holy things of the church corresponds to filth, and the delight of it to an unspeakable stench, which to the angels is most horrible. Such is the exhalation from their hells when they are opened, but because of the oppression that arises, and on account of swooning that sometimes follows, they are kept closed.

748. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.- That this signifies resistance and victory by means of Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, is evident from the signification of blood, when used in reference to the Lord, as denoting the Divine Truth proceeding from Him (concerning which see above, n. 328, 329); and from the signification of the Lamb, as denoting the Lord as to the Divine Human (concerning which also see above, n. 314); from which it is evident that to overcome the dragon by the blood of the Lamb signifies to conquer him, that is, those signified by the dragon and his angels, by means of Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. It is said, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human, because all Divine Truth, which fills the heavens, and constitutes the wisdom of the angels in the heavens, proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human; for the Lord's Divine Human is united with the Divine itself, which was in Him from conception, so that they are one. The Divine itself, which was in Him from conception, is what he called Father, and this is united with His Human as the soul is united with the body; this is why the Lord says that He is one with the Father (John 10:30, 38); and that He is in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:7-11.) And because there is such a union, therefore the Divine Truth, after the glorification of His Human, proceeded from His Divine Human. The Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord is what is called the Holy Spirit; that this proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord, He Himself teaches in John:

"The Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (7:39).

The glorified Human is the Divine Human. But on this subject more may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 280-310), also in Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end. That the blood of the Lamb means the Divine proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord, may be seen above (n. 476).

[2] From these things it can be seen how much the sense of the letter of the Word differs from its spiritual sense; also, how the Word is falsified, when it is regarded exteriorly, and not also interiorly. How much it differs is plain from this, that the blood of the Lamb, in the sense of the letter, means the Lord's passion of the cross, but in the spiritual sense, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. If therefore it were to be taken as the literal truth that Michael conquered the dragon by the Lord's passion of the cross, it would follow as a consequence that the Lord by this took away all the sins of the world, and also by this moved His Father to mercy towards mankind, when yet these ideas are in harmony neither with Divine Truth which the angels in heaven possess, nor with a correct understanding of truth. Who could ever suppose that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, when notwithstanding every man's character after death is such as his life had been in the world, those who do evil coming into hell, and those who do good into heaven? Who can suppose that God the Father was moved to mercy by the blood of His Son on the cross, and that he had need of such a means, when nevertheless He is in Himself mercy itself, love itself, and good itself? From these things it is evident that the Word here, and in a thousand other places, regarded exteriorly only and not interiorly, is falsified. To regard it exteriorly is to look at it from the letter, but to regard it interiorly is to look at it from the doctrine of genuine truth. When it is believed from doctrine that the Lord subjugated the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human by means of temptations, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and the complete victory, by which He subjugated the hells, and glorified His Human, then this can be understood and believed; and that Michael conquered by the passion of the cross is seen to be an apparent truth; but that he conquered by means of Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human of the Lord is seen to be a real truth. But if the apparent truth is taken for the real truth and confirmed, the Word is then falsified, according to what was stated above (n. 719), by way of illustration.