403. And something like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. This symbolizes the appearance of a hellish love in people concerned with the external elements of the church and caught up in faith alone.

The sea symbolizes the church in people concerned with its external elements and caught up in faith alone; and people concerned with its external elements are in common speech termed the laity, because those concerned with its internal elements are called the clergy (no. Apocalypse Revealed 398, 402). A mountain symbolizes love (no. 336), and a mountain burning with fire symbolizes hellish love (nos. 494, 599). That is how this love appears in the case of people who are the subject here, for the love appears to emanate from them in the presence of angels. That is because faith alone is faith divorced from charity (no. 388); and where there is no charity, that is, no love for the neighbor, which is a spiritual love, a hellish love exists. An intermediate love is not found except among the lukewarm, who are the subject in Revelation 3:15-16.