10731. Everyone doing work therein shall die. That this signifies spiritual death for those who are led by themselves and their own loves, and not by the Lord, is evident from the signification of “doing works on the Sabbath day,” as being to be led by self and one’s own loves, and not by the Lord (see n. 8495, 10360, 10362, 10364); and from the signification of “dying,” as being damnation, or spiritual death (n. 6119, 9008). Those who are led by themselves and by their own loves do not believe in the Lord, for to believe in the Lord is from Him, and not from self. From this it is also that such persons make of no account the union of His Human with the Divine Itself, and also of regeneration by the Lord; and thus also make of no account the truths of the church; for they say to themselves, “Of what value are such things?” Or, “What does it matter whether we know them? or even think them, and desire them? Are we not still alive, like other people? What difference is there?” The reason why they so think is that they think from the life of the world, and not from the life of heaven. The life of heaven is a thing unknown to them, and no one can think from what is unknown; and therefore such people cannot be saved, because they have not heaven in them, and therefore they cannot be in heaven, for their interiors are not in agreement with it. For unless these have been disposed by the Lord according to the image of heaven, there is no conjunction with heaven. Such are those who deny these universal truths. It is this state of man which is signified by “works done on the Sabbath day;” and the spiritual death of such persons is signified by their natural “death.”

9008. Dying he shall die. That this signifies damnation, is evident from the signification of “dying to die,” as being damnation (see n. 5407, 6119, 7494). That “death” denotes damnation, is because with those who are damned the truths of faith and the goods of love have been extinguished, for these are what constitute the veriest life of man, because they are from the Lord who is the only source of life. When these have been extinguished, falsities and evils succeed in their place, which being opposite to the truths and goods that are of life, are therefore of death, but of spiritual death, which is damnation, hell, eternal unhappiness. That nevertheless those are alive who are in evils and falsities, or who are in hell, is because they have been born men, and therefore into the capacity of receiving life from the Lord; and also do receive so much of life from the Lord as to be able to think, reason, and speak, and thereby to cause the evil in themselves to appear as good, and the falsity as truth; and thus to live as semblances of life.