747. Who accuseth them before God day and night.- That this signifies, and who have rebuked them and disputed with them continually from the Word, is evident from the signification of accusing, as denoting to fight against (concerning which see above, n. 746), consequently it means to rebuke and to dispute with, for he who accuses also disputes and rebukes; from the signification of before God, as denoting from the Word (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of day and night, as denoting continually and without intermission; for day and night signify all states of life, day signifying 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, in the spiritual world, there is no division of times into years, months, weeks, days, and hours, but instead of these there are changes of state; for angels and spirits there are sometimes in clear thought, and sometimes in obscure thought. That angels and spirits are alternately in a state of clear perception, and in a state of obscure perception, may be seen in Heaven and Hell 154-161). But individually their states succeed each other variously, as from one affection into another; and it is according to these states that angels and spirits reckon their times, they are thus in 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 the understanding, and thus are in a continual succession, so days and nights signify continually. To accuse before God signifies to rebuke and dispute from the Word, because those who are meant by the dragon - and these are they who 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" (1:1). These dispute in favour of faith separated from the life of charity, because they confirm their heresy from certain passages in the Word understood according to the letter only; and when they have thus confirmed it they believe it to be the essential truth of the church although it is a falsity. In general, to accuse day and night signifies the continual influx of falsity from those meant by the dragon; and as their falsities are from the Word falsified, therefore this is signified by accusing before God.