747. That accuseth them before God day and night, signifies and who have denounced them and disputed with them continually from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "to accuse," as being to assault (See above, n. 746); consequently it means to denounce and to dispute with, for he who accuses also disputes and denounces; also from the signification of "before God," as being from the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of "day and night," as meaning continually and without intermission; for "day and night" signify all states of life, "day" the state of the life when the mind is in clear thought, and "night" when the mind is in obscure thought. These two states of life mean continually, because there is in the spiritual world no division of times into years, months, weeks, days, and hours, but instead of these there are changes of state; for there angels and spirits are sometimes in clear thought and sometimes in obscure thought. That angels and spirits are by turns in a state of clear perception and in a state of obscure perception can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 154-161. But in particular their states follow each other variously, as from one affection into another; and it is from these states that angels and spirits number their times; thus these take the place of times in the world, which are years, months, weeks, days, nights, and hours. Because then their states of life in general change as to clearness or obscurity of understanding, and thus are in a continual succession, so "days and nights" signify continually. "To accuse before God" signifies to denounce and to dispute from the Word; because those who are meant by "the dragon," who are those that separate faith from life, argue and dispute from the Word; and to dispute from the Word is to dispute "before God," for God is in the Word, since the Word is from God, and is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. This is why it is said in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word (John 1:1).

They dispute in favor of faith separated from a life of charity, because they confirm their heresy from certain passages in the Word understood according to the mere letter, and when they have thus confirmed it they believe it to be the very truth of the church, although it is a falsity. In general, "to accuse day and night" signifies the continual influx of falsity from those who are meant by "the dragon;" and as their falsities are from the Word falsified, therefore this is signified by "accusing before God."

742. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him, signifies that those evils and the falsities thence were condemned to hell. This is evident from the signification of "cast out into the earth," as being to be separated from heaven and to be condemned to hell (of which presently); also from the signification of the dragon's "angels," as being falsities from the evil that is signified by "the dragon;" for "the angels of heaven" signify in the Word Divine truths because they are recipients of them (See above, n. 130, 302); therefore the dragon's "angels" signify the infernal falsities that proceed from the evil that is signified by "the dragon." The falsities signified by the dragon's "angels" are for the most part truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, as has been said above.

[2] "To be cast out into the earth" means to be condemned to hell, because this is signified by the expression "to be cast out of heaven." In the spiritual world there are lands as in the natural world, full of mountains and hills, likewise of valleys and rivers; when these taken together are called the earth, then the "earth" signifies the church; but when the lowest parts of the earth are meant, as is meant in the expression "to be cast out of heaven into the earth," then the "earth" signifies what is condemned, because under those lowest parts are the hells, and in the hells also there are lands, but such as are condemned. For this reason no angel goes about ordinarily with his head bent forward or bowed down or looking to the earth, still less lying upon it in its lowest parts, or taking up any of its dust. From this it comes that those who condemned others to hell in the world are wont to take the dust of that earth and to cast it upon another, because this corresponds to such condemnation. Furthermore, no one is permitted to walk with naked feet upon those lands. The earths (or lands) there that are condemned are easily distinguished from those that are not condemned, because the condemned land is utterly barren and mere dust, and is here and there covered with thorns and briars, while the land not condemned is fertile and full of herbs, shrubs, trees, and also fields.

[3] From this came the established rite in the Jewish representative church to cast themselves to the earth, to roll themselves upon it, and to sprinkle dust from it upon their heads, when they were in great grief on account of defeat by enemies or violence offered to their sanctuaries; and by this they represented that they acknowledged themselves to be of themselves condemned; thus by this most humble gesture they begged that their sins might be forgiven. That those meant by "the dragon and his angels" were separated from heaven and condemned to hell while the Last Judgment was executed and afterwards, it was granted me to see as an eyewitness, about which more will be told at the end of this work. From this it can be seen that "to be cast out of heaven into the earth" signifies to be condemned to hell.