1058. When they behold the beast, which was, and is not. That this signifies the knowledge that the Word was received, but still rejected, is evident from the signification of seeing, as denoting to know and cognise (concerning which see (n. 260, 529); and from the signification of the beast, as denoting the Word (see n. 1038); and from the signification of, which was, and is not, as denoting that it was received, and yet rejected (concerning which see (n. 1054, 1055, 1056).

Concerning the third kind of Profanation:-

[2] In this kind of profanation are those who adore Divine things with devout gestures and pious lips, and yet in heart and spirit deny them, thus, who outwardly and before the world venerate the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and yet, at home and in secret, deride them. Such persons, when they are in a holy external, whether they teach in the temple or speak with the common people, do not know but that what they say is so, but as soon as they return into themselves, they think the contrary. Because these are such, they can counterfeit angels of light, although they are angels of darkness. It is therefore evident that this kind of profanation is a hypocritical one. They are not unlike gilded images made of dirt; fruits inwardly putrified, but beautiful in the skin; or nuts inwardly consumed by worms, but whole in the shell. From which it is evident that their internal is diabolical, and consequently their holy external profane.

[3] Such are many of the rulers in the Babylon of the present day, and many of a certain society therein, as they themselves know, who claim to themselves dominion over the souls of men, and over heaven. For to believe, as they do, that power is granted to them to save and admit into heaven, and to acknowledge in heart that there is a God, are two opposites. The reason is, that a man must look to the Lord, and supplicate Him, in order to be saved and admitted into heaven. But the man who believes that that power is given to him looks to himself, and believes the things that are the Lord's to be in himself. And to believe this, and at the same time to believe that there is a God, or that God is in him, is not possible. To believe that God is in him, while he thinks that he is above the holy things of the church, and heaven in his power, is to be like Lucifer. He who is inflamed with the fire of ruling over all things, if he thinks that God is in him, cannot but think this from himself; and to think from himself that God is in him, is to think that God is not in him, but that he himself is God; as also is said of Lucifer in Isaiah (14:13, 14), by whom is there meant Babylon, as is clear from verses 4 and 22 of the same chapter.

[4] Such a man also of himself shows what he is. He breaks out when power is given him, and this by degrees according to his elevation. Hence it is evident that such persons are atheists, some avowedly, some clandestinely, and some ignorantly. And as they regard domination as an end, and the holy things of heaven and the church as means, they counterfeit angels of light in face, gestures, and discourse, and thus profane holy things.

199. And I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. That this signifies that they will be in heaven because they are fitted for it is evident from the signification of name, as denoting the quality of the state of man's life (see above, n. 148) and from the signification of the book of life, as denoting heaven, concerning which we shall speak presently. Hence, not to blot their name out of the book of life signifies that they will be in heaven because their state as to love and faith is heavenly, thus because they are fitted for heaven. The reason why heaven is signified by the book of life is, that a man who is in love and faith to the Lord is a heaven in its least form, and this heaven corresponds to heaven in the greatest form: therefore he who has heaven in himself, also comes into heaven, for he is fitted for it. (That there is such a correspondence, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 51-58, 73-77, 87-102; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 230-236.) Hence it is, that the book of life is that in man which corresponds to the heaven in which he is; and because the former remains with him to eternity, if he becomes spiritual by the knowledges of truth and good applied to life in the world, therefore, it is here said, "I will not blot out his name from the book of life. In the world, indeed, it may be blotted out, if a man does not remain spiritual even unto the end of his life; but if he does remain spiritual it cannot be blotted out, because he is conjoined to the Lord by love and faith; and conjunction with the Lord, such as took place in the world, remains with man after death.

From these considerations it is evident, that by the book of life is meant that from the Lord which is inscribed on a man's spirit, that is, which is inscribed on his heart and soul, or, what is the same, on his love and faith; and that which is inscribed by the Lord on man, is heaven.

[2] It is therefore evident what is meant by the book of life in the following passages; in Daniel:

"The Ancient of days did sit, and the books were opened" (7:9, 10).

Again:

"The people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (12:1).

In David:

"Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with the righteous" (Psalms 69:28).

In Moses:

Moses said, "Blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written. And Jehovah said, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book" (Exodus 32:32, 33).

In the Apocalypse:

"All shall worship the beast, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb" (13:8; 17:8).

In another place:

"And the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire" (Apoc. 20:12, 13, 15).

Again:

"And there shall not enter into the New Jerusalem any but those that are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Apoc. 21:27).

In David:

"My bone was not hid from thee when I was made in secret. Upon thy book all my days were written in which they were formed: not one of them is wanting" (Psalms 139:15, 16).

By all the days being written, are meant all the states of man's life. (That all the separate things which he has thought, willed, spoken and done, yea, which he has seen and heard, are with man in his spirit as if inscribed therein, so that nothing whatever is wanting, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 462, 463, and in Arcana Coelestia, 2469-2494, 7398; and that this is the book of man's life, 2474, 9386, 9841, 10505; and likewise, n. 5212, 8067, 9334, 9723, 9841.)