554. And their faces were as the faces of men.- That this signifies that they appear to themselves as spiritual affections for truth, is evident from the signification of faces, as denoting the interiors of the mind and affection; see above (n. 412); and from the signification of man, as denoting the spiritual affection for truth, and thence intelligence and wisdom; see above (n. 280). And because faces are types of the interiors of man, they therefore signify the same as men themselves, namely, affections of truth. But in the present case it is said that they appear to themselves as affections for truth, and thence to be intelligent and wise, because it is stated of the locusts that their faces were seen as the faces of men.

[2] The locusts appeared with such faces, on account of the strong persuasive [power] which sensual men possess who are in falsities from evil, and who are signified by the locusts, the persuasive [power] itself presenting such appearance, but this only before themselves, and before such others as are also in falsities from evil, but not before the angels of heaven. The reason of this is, that the angels are in the light of heaven, and whatsoever they see, they see from that light; and the light of heaven, because it is Divine Truth, dissipates everything that is imaginative originating in the persuasive [power]. Sensual men appear to themselves to be such, because sensual men persuade themselves that they are in truths from good above others, although they are in falsities from evil; for they cannot view anything interiorly from heaven, but only outwardly from the world, and those who see from the world alone see only from an illusory light, from which they imagine themselves to be wiser and more intelligent than others, not knowing wherein intelligence and wisdom consist, and whence they come. It is from this persuasive faith that they believe themselves to be in the spiritual affection for truth, this therefore is signified by the faces of the locusts appearing like the faces of men.

[3] But these things must be illustrated by experience from the spiritual world. All in the heavens, are men as to their faces and the other parts of the body, for they are in the spiritual affection for truth, and the spiritual affection for truth is itself in form a man, because this affection is from the Lord, who is the only Man, and because from Him the entire heaven conspires to the human form; hence it is that the angels are the forms of their own affections, which also appear from their faces. But these things are amply explained in Heaven and Hell 59-102). But in hell, where all are external and sensual, because in falsities from evil, they also appear to themselves as men, even as to their faces, but only amongst their own; but when they are seen in the light of heaven, they appear as monsters, with horrible faces, and sometimes in place of the face only something hairy, or with a horrible grate of teeth, and sometimes ghastly pale, as though dead, in which there is not any living human faculty, for they are forms of hatred, revenge, and cruelty, in which there is spiritual death, because in opposition to the life which is from the Lord. That they appear amongst themselves with a face like men, is the result of fantasy and persuasion therefrom. Concerning these appearances see also in Heaven and Hell 553).

6789. 'And where is he? Why is it that you left the man?' means, In what way without that truth could they be joined to the good of the Church? This is clear from the meaning of an Egyptian man, to whom 'the man they left' refers here, as true factual knowledge, dealt with above in 6784; and from the meaning of 'Why is it that you left the man?' as, In what way without that truth could they be joined to good? For 'leaving the man' here is not being able to be joined.

[2] But the nature of all this needs to be explained. True factual knowledge, represented here by 'Moses', is truth as the external Church knows it. This truth depends for its existence on the truth which the law from God possesses, which too 'Moses' represents, 6771, 6780; and the truth that the law from God possesses is truth as the internal Church knows it. Unless external truth springs from internal truth it cannot be joined to good. Let the Word serve to illustrate this. But for the influence of the inner spirit of the Word received by those who read the Word and yet confine themselves to the literal sense, truth from the Word does not become joined to good. The inner spirit of the Word influences a person and becomes joined to good when he considers the Word to be holy; and he considers it to be holy when he is governed by good.

[3] Let the Holy Supper also serve to illustrate the matter. Scarcely any know that the bread there means the Lord's love towards the entire human race and man's reciprocation of that love, and that the wine means charity. Even so, those who receive the bread and wine in a holy manner are joined by means of them to heaven and the Lord; and through the angels - who do not think at that time about bread and wine, only about love and charity, 3464, 3735, 5915 - different forms of the good of love and charity flow in. From this one may see that when a person is governed by good external truth is joined to internal truth, without his knowing it.