1062. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth. That this signifies the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned by those who are in dominion from that religious persuasion, is evident from the signification of the seven heads of the beast, as denoting the holy things of the Word profaned (concerning which see n. 1040); and from the signification of seven mountains, as denoting the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned. That by mountains are signified the goods of love, and, in the opposite sense, the evils of the love, may be seen (n. 405, 510, 850, 1025). And that seven is said of what is holy, and, in the opposite sense, of what is profane (n. 1040). Hence by the seven mountains are signified the goods of love, which also are the goods of the Word, adulterated and profaned. And from the signification of, upon which the woman sitteth, as denoting where there is dominion from that religious persuasion.

That by the woman is signified the religious persuasion of those who are of Babylon may be seen above (n. 1038). And that to sit signifies to rule may be seen above (n. 1033, 1038), where it is explained concerning the woman that she sitteth upon many waters, and upon the scarlet beast.

The reason why it is dominion from that religious persuasion that is meant is, that those who are in dominion over the holy things of the church, and exercise that dominion, are the persons meant by this woman, who is called a whore, and the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth; and not those who worship according to that religious persuasion, and are not in dominion. For these, while they live according to the statutes of the Pope, and acknowledge him for the Lord's vicar, and comply with the holy things of worship according to their institution, are not unlike well-disposed pagans, who know simply that the truths which their ministers and monks teach them are good and holy. And this is the more readily admitted, because they do not read the Word; some, because it is taken away from them, and some, because having been persuaded, they depend upon the teaching of the monks, and believe that these and no others understand the Word.

[2] But those of the people who look to the Lord, and to the Pope only as to the head of the church, and have some affection for truth, though they are indeed in Babylon, still they are not of it. For after death they can be withdrawn from the vanities and idolatries of that religious persuasion, and be brought to worship and adore the Lord; and they also receive truths from the Lord through the Word, or through those who teach it. Therefore also many societies, which are so many churches, were instituted from them by the Lord after the Last Judgment, of which we shall speak in what follows.

As to the seven mountains upon which the woman was seen sitting, it is supposed that they are the seven mountains of Rome, where the Papal chair is. But admitting that Rome also is meant, still by the seven mountains are signified the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned; for the Word is everywhere spiritual, and this is its spiritual. That by the seven mountains are signified the goods of the Word adulterated and profaned, is evident also from what follows presently, where it is said, that by the seven heads of the beast are also signified seven kings; and by seven kings, in the spiritual sense, are signified the truths of the Word falsified and profaned.

Concerning the fourth kind of Profanation:-

[3] Those who give themselves up wholly to a life of piety, continually walk in pious meditations, pray frequently upon their knees, and discourse continually concerning salvation, faith, and love, and yet do not shun frauds, adulteries, hatred, blasphemies, and similar things, as sins against God, and do not fight against them, are those of this kind whose profanation is the greater. For by the impurities of their minds they defile the piety of their lips, especially if they abdicate the world, and lead solitary lives.

Of this kind, those are guilty of greater profanation who are such, and yet defend their vices - as adulteries and lust as pertaining to nature and their pleasure - by reasonings and by the Word falsely interpreted. Such persons make themselves first secure, afterwards blameless, and at length holy; and so, under the veil of sanctity, they enter into impurities, with which they pollute both themselves and their garments.

625. Over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings.- That this signifies with all those who are in truths and goods as to life, and at the same time in goods and truths as to doctrine according to every one's religion, consequently that the Word may be taught as to goods of life and as to truths of doctrine, is evident from the signification of peoples and nations, as denoting those who are of the spiritual church, and those who are of the celestial church. Those who are of the spiritual church are called in the Word peoples, but those who are of the celestial church are called nations. Those who are of the spiritual church, and are called peoples, are in truths as to doctrine and life; and those who are of the celestial church, and are called nations, are in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in good as to life (concerning this signification of people and nations in the Word, see above, n. 175, 331); and from the signification of tongues, and many kings, as denoting those who are in goods and truths as to life and doctrine, but according to each one's religion. For tongues signify the goods of truth, and confession thereof according to each one's religion (see above, n. 330, 455); and kings signify truths which are from good, and many kings, various truths which are from good, but according to each one's religion (concerning this signification of kings, see above, n. 31, 553).

[2] Various truths from good are signified by "many kings," because the peoples and nations out of the church were for the most part in falsities as to doctrine, but still, because they lived a life of love to God and of charity towards the neighbour, the falsities of their religion were accepted by the Lord as truths, because the good of love was interiorly in their falsities, and the good of love qualifies all truth, and in such case qualifies the falsity that is believed by such to be truth; the good also, which lies concealed within, causes such, when they come into the other life, to perceive genuine truths, and receive them. Moreover there are truths that are only appearances of truth, such as are those contained in the sense of the letter of the Word; these appearances of truth are also accepted by the Lord as genuine truths when the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour are in them; in the other life also the good that lies hidden within dissipates appearances, and lays bare spiritual truths, that are genuine truths. From these things the meaning of "many kings" is evident. But concerning falsities with the Gentiles in which there is good, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21).

[3] From what has been said and shown in this and the preceding article, it is plain, that the command to John that he must prophesy again over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings, signifies that the Word must as yet be taught to those who are in goods and truths as to doctrine, and thence as to life. But because it is said, "over peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings," also these words signify, that the Word must be taught as to goods of life and as to truths of doctrine, for the Word in its whole extent contains these two.

[4] This is the sense of those words apart from persons, which is the truly spiritual sense. The sense of the letter in most places is concerned with persons, and it also names them, but the truly spiritual sense is entirely apart from persons. For the angels, who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, in everything which they think and speak, have no idea of person or place, because the idea of person and place limits and confines the thoughts, and consequently renders them natural. But it is different when the idea is abstracted from persons and places; and this is the reason why they have intelligence and wisdom, and why angelic intelligence and wisdom are inexpressible. For while man lives in the world, he is in natural thought; and natural thought derives its ideas from persons, places, and times, and from material things, and, if these were taken away from man, his thought which comes to perception would perish, for he comprehends nothing without such things. But angelic thought is without ideas derived from persons, places, times, and material things; for this reason angelic thought and speech therefrom are inexpressible, and are also incomprehensible to man.

[5] The man, however, who has in the world lived a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards his neighbour, comes into that inexpressible intelligence and wisdom after his departure out of the world; for his interior mind, which is the very mind of his spirit, is then opened, and the man, when he becomes an angel, then thinks and speaks from it, and therefore thinks and speaks such things as he could neither utter nor comprehend in the world. Every man possesses such a spiritual mind, which is like the angelic mind; but because, in the world, he speaks, sees, hears, and feels, by means of the material body, it lies hid within the natural mind, or lives above it, and he is then altogether ignorant of what he is thinking in the spiritual mind; for the thought of that mind then flows into the natural mind, and is there limited, bounded, and so presented as to be seen and perceived. A man does not know so long as he lives in the body in the world that he interiorly possesses such a mind, and therein angelic wisdom and intelligence, because, as stated, all things that concern that mind flow into the natural mind, and thus become natural according to correspondences. These things are said in order that the quality of the Word in the spiritual sense may be known, when that sense is regarded altogether apart from persons and places, that is apart from those things that take their quality from the material things pertaining to the body and the world.