1056. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder. That this signifies those of that religious persuasion who reject the Word, is evident from the signification of them that dwell on the earth, as denoting those who are of that religious persuasion. For by the earth is signified the church; but, in this case, that religious persuasion, because the church is not there. For the church is only where the Lord is worshipped and the Word is read.

That those who reject the Word are meant is evident from what follows; that is, that they are those whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world; and that they are those who saw the beast, which was, and is not, but yet is. For by the beast is signified the Word, as was said above. Therefore their wonder is, that the Word still is, although it was, and is not.

Concerning the second kind of Profanation:-

[2] The love of ruling by the holy things of the church as a means, entirely closes the interiors of the human mind from inmost to outmost, according to the quality and quantity of that love. But in order that it may be known how they are closed, something shall first be said concerning the interiors of the human mind.

Man has a spiritual mind, a rational mind, a natural mind, and a sensual mind. By the spiritual mind he is in heaven, and is a heaven in its least form. By the natural mind he is in the world, and is a world in its least form. Heaven with man communicates with the world in him through the rational mind; and with the body through the sensual mind. After man's birth the sensual mind is first opened; afterwards the natural mind; and, as he studies to become intelligent, the rational mind; and, as he studies to become wise, the spiritual mind. But afterwards, as he becomes wise, the spiritual mind becomes with him as the head, and the natural mind as the body, to which the rational mind serves for conjunction, as the neck to the head, and then the sensual mind is like the sole of the foot.

[3] All these minds with infants are so disposed by the Lord, through an influx of innocence from heaven, that they may be opened. But with those who, from their youth, begin to be inflamed with the lust of ruling by the holy things of the church, as means, the spiritual mind is entirely closed, and also the rational mind; lastly, the natural mind, down to the sensual mind, as it is said in heaven, even to the nose. And thus they become merely sensual men; these are the most stupid of all in spiritual things, and thence in rational things; and the most cunning of all in worldly matters and those of a civil kind. That they are so stupid in spiritual things, they themselves do not know, because in heart they do not believe those things, and because they believe cunning to be prudence, and malice to be wisdom.

All of this kind, however, differ according to the quality and quantity of the lust of ruling and of its exercise also, according to the quality and quantity of persuasion that they are holy; and according to the quality of the good and truth from the Word, which they profane.

10505. 'And if not, blot me out, I beg You, from Your book which You have written' means that the internal side of the Word, the Church, and worship will not be destroyed. This is clear from the representation of Moses, who says these words, as the internal side of the Word, the Church, and worship, dealt with in 10468; from the meaning of 'book which You have written' as what exists there from the Lord, for 'book' means that which is present in the internal, while 'writing' - when attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord - means what exists there from the Lord; and from the meaning of 'blotting out of it' as being destroyed. But at this point not being destroyed is meant because the reply which follows - 'him who has sinned against Me I will blot out of My book' - means that the internal side of the Word, the Church, and worship will not be destroyed but those who turn themselves away from the Divine, thus those whose interest lies in external things and not in what is internal.

[2] The reason why the book written by Jehovah, which in the next verse is called 'My book' or Jehovah's book, and elsewhere 'the book of life', means what is internal is that a person's internal resides in heaven, thus where the Lord is. Consequently the things within his internal are derived from heaven and exist from the Lord, and all are Divine and celestial or spiritual. They are able to be received by the person's internal, but not by his external separated from his internal. This is because his external resides in the world and has been fashioned to receive natural things existing in the world, which without influx through the internal things possess no heavenly life and are therefore said to be dead.

[3] All this helps to show what should be understood in the Word by 'the book of life' and who exactly should be understood by those written in that book, namely those who lead a life of truth and good, thus who in love and faith obey Divine commandments. A life in keeping with those commandments opens and fashions the internal man; and what has been inscribed there has been inscribed by the Lord and remains forever. They are the ones who should be understood by 'those written in the book of life' in the following places: In Daniel,

At that time Your people will be rescued, every one who is found written in the book. Daniel 12:1.

In John,

He who conquers will be clad in white garments; I will not blot his name out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5.

In the same book,

None will enter ¹ the new Jerusalem except those who have been written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 21:27.

In the same book,

I saw that the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by the things written in the books, according to their works. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-13, 15.

In the same book,

All will worship the beast whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 13:8; 17:8.

There are other places in addition to these.

[4] It should be remembered that everything inscribed on a person's internal has been inscribed by the Lord; that what is inscribed there constitutes the person's actual spiritual and celestial life; and also that every single thing inscribed there has been inscribed on his love. See also 2474, 8620, 9386.

V: