1182. Verse 21. And one strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast into the sea, signifies confirmations of their doctrine from the Word cast with them into hell. This is evident from the signification of "strong angel," as being the Divine truth in its power (See n. 130, 200, 302, 593, 800); also from the signification of a "millstone," as being the confirmation of truth from the Word, and also the confirmation of falsity from the Word (of which presently); also from the signification of "casting into the sea," as being into hell with them; that the "sea" signifies hell, may be seen (n. 537, 538). A "millstone" signifies confirmation from the Word in both senses, because "wheat" signifies good, and "fine flour" its truth, therefore "a millstone," by which wheat is ground into fine flour, or barley into meal, signifies the production of truth from good, or the production of falsity from evil, so, too, the confirmation of truth or of falsity from the Word; as can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:

I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp (Jeremiah 25:10).

Here, too, the joy of heaven and of the church is described, and "the voice of joy" signifies exultation of heart from the good of love, and "the voice of gladness" signifies glorification of soul from the truths of faith, for in the Word "joy" is predicated of good, and "gladness" of truth. "The voice of millstones" has a similar signification as "the voice of joy;" and "the light of the lamp" has a similar signification as "gladness," namely, from the truth of faith. "The voice of millstones" signifies joy of heart from the good of love, because a millstone grinds wheat into fine flour, and "wheat" signifies the good of love, and "fine flour" truth from that good.

[2] Like things are said in this chapter of Revelation, namely:

The voice of a millstone shall not be heard in thee anymore, and the light of a lamp shall not shine in thee anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and the voice of bride shall not be heard in thee anymore (Revelation 18:22-23).

These words will be explained presently. In Isaiah:

Take the millstone and grind meal, make bare the thigh passing through the rivers (Isaiah 47:2).

This is said of Babylon and Chaldea; and "to take the millstone and grind meal," signifies to bring forth falsities from evil, and to confirm them by means of the Word; and "to make bare the thigh passing through the rivers," signifies to adulterate goods by means of reasonings. In Lamentations:

The young men they led away to grind, and the boys stumbled under the wood (Lamentations 5:13).

"To lead away the young men to grind," signifies to compel those who are capable of understanding truths to falsify truths; "the boys stumble under the wood," signifies to compel those who are capable of willing goods to adulterate goods, "to grind" being to falsify truths or to confirm falsities by means of the Word, "wood" being good. In Moses:

Thou shalt not take the mill or the upper millstone for a pledge, for He receiveth the soul for a pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6).

This was among their laws, all of which corresponded to spiritual things. "Not to take a mill or millstone for a pledge" signified in the spiritual sense that the ability from good to understand truths must not be taken away from anyone, thus that no one must be deprived of goods and truths. Because this is the signification it is said, "for he receiveth the soul for a pledge," which signifies that thus one would spiritually perish. In the same:

They shall die even to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill (Exodus 11:5).

"The firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill" signifies the chief things of faith of the natural man, that have been falsified.

[3] In Matthew:

In the end of the age two women shall be grinding, one shall be taken and the other shall be left (Matthew 24:40, 41).

"The end of the age" is the last time of the church; "the two women grinding" mean those who confirm themselves in truths and those who confirm themselves in falsities from the Word; those who confirm themselves in truths are meant by the one that shall be taken, and those who confirm themselves in falsities by the one that shall be left. In the Gospels:

Jesus said, Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is profitable for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be sunk in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).

"To cause one of the little ones that believe in Jesus to stumble," signifies to pervert those who acknowledge the Lord; "it is profitable that an ass-millstone be hanged about the neck," signifies that it would be better for him not to know any good and truth, but only evil and falsity; this is meant by "ass millstone," and "to be hanged about the neck" means cutting one off from knowing good and truth; "to be sunk in the depths of the sea," signifies to be cast down to hell. This is profitable because to know goods and truths and to pervert them is to profane. What is meant by:

Moses burnt the calf and ground it even to powder, and sprinkled it upon the face of the waters, and made the sons of Israel to drink of it (Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21),

may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 10462-10466).

(Continuation)

[4] Something shall now be said about the speech of spirits with man. Many believe that man can be taught by the Lord by means of spirits speaking with him; but those who believe this and are willing to believe it do not know that it is attended with danger to their souls. So long as man is living in the world, as to his spirit he is in the midst of spirits, although spirits do not know that they are with man, nor does man know that he is with spirits; and for the reason that as to the affections of the will they are immediately conjoined, while as to the thoughts of the understanding they are mediately conjoined. For man thinks naturally, but spirits think spiritually; and natural and spiritual thought make one only by correspondences; and in a oneness by correspondences neither one of the two knows anything about the other. But as soon as spirits begin to speak with man they come out of their spiritual state into man's natural state, and they then know that they are with man and they conjoin themselves with the thoughts of his affection and speak with him from those thoughts. They can enter into no other state of man, for all conjunction is by like affection and thought therefrom, while unlike separates. For this reason the speaking spirit must be in the same principles as the man is, whether they be true or false; and these he stirs up, and through his affection conjoined to man's affection he strongly confirms them. This makes clear that none but like spirits speak with man, or manifestly operate into him, for manifest operation coincides with speech. Consequently only enthusiastic spirits speak with enthusiasts; only Quaker spirits operate upon Quakers, and only Moravian spirits upon Moravians. The same is true of Arians, Socinians, and other heretics.

[5] All spirits that speak with man were once men in the world, and were then of like character. This has been granted me to know by repeated experience. And what is absurd, when a man believes that the Holy Spirit is speaking with him or operating upon him the spirit also believes himself to be the Holy Spirit. This is common with enthusiastic spirits. All this shows the danger in which a man is who speaks with spirits, or who manifestly perceives their operation. Man does not know what the quality of his affection is, whether it be good or evil, or with what others it is conjoined; and if he is in the pride of self-intelligence the spirit within him favors every thought from that source; and the same is true when one favors certain principles enkindled by such a fire with those who are not in truths from genuine affection. Whenever a spirit from like affection favors man's thoughts or principles, one leads the other as the blind lead the blind until both fall into the pit. The Pythonists formerly were of this character, also the magi in Egypt and in Babylon, who were called wise because they talked with spirits, and because they clearly perceived the operation of spirits in themselves. But by this the worship of God was changed into the worship of demons, and the church perished. For this reason such interaction was forbidden to the sons of Israel under penalty of death.

800. And them that dwell in heaven, signifies spiritual goods and truths, from which is the heavenly marriage. This is evident from the signification of "blaspheming them that dwell in heaven," as being to falsify spiritual goods and truths. By "them that dwell in heaven" the angels are meant; and as the angels are angels from the reception of the Divine good and the Divine truth, and as the spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, "angels" here signify the goods and truths from which they are angels; and these are also signified by "angels" elsewhere in the Word (See above, n. 301, 302). "Angels" signify spiritual goods and truths because all who are in heaven are spiritual, and think and speak spiritually. But it is otherwise with men on earth, who being natural, think and speak naturally, and therefore goods and truths with them are natural. And as good and truth mutually love each other, and for that reason they must needs be conjoined, it is also said, from which is the heavenly marriage. This, too, is signified by "them that dwell in heaven," since all in heaven are in that marriage, and this is why heaven is likened in the Word to a marriage; and there is a like marriage in every least particular of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 238, 288, 484, 724); also an angel cannot be an angel of heaven unless he is in that marriage, or unless that marriage is with him; and the like is true of the man of the church (See n. 660). From this again it is evident that a man who separates faith from good works is not a man of the church. From this it can now be seen that "to blaspheme them that dwell in heaven" signifies to falsify spiritual goods and truths from which is the heavenly marriage.

[2] In the two preceding articles those who separate faith from the goods of life and thereby so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, also those who join the goods of life to faith and thereby do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven to themselves, have been treated of. It now follows in order that something be said about those who, although they are in the churches where faith alone is acknowledged, still do not falsify the Word.

1. These are such as do not separate faith from the life but conjoin them by the belief that faith and life make one, like affection and thought, like will and understanding, like heat and light in the time of spring and summer, from the conjunction of which comes all germination, and like truth and good, when truth is put in place of faith, and good in place of life. On the conjunction of all these see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. Such affirm within themselves that no one who lives wickedly can have faith, but only he who lives well, and that one who lives wickedly cannot receive faith unless he performs repentance of life by seeking out his evils and desisting from them; likewise that one who lives wickedly cannot, in his spirit or in himself, have any other faith than a belief in falsity, however he may profess with the mouth a belief in truth. Therefore the life of those who so conjoin life and faith in profession and in works is charity, and their faith is the thought that a thing is so in truth. The faith of such is spiritual so far as they know truths from the Word, and live according to them, for faith becomes spiritual from the life, and so far as man thence becomes spiritual heaven is opened to him.

[3] 2. Neither do those falsify the Word who do not know, and do not wish to know, that faith is anything else than believing those things that are in the Word and doing them, for they see that faith is to believe and to do, and that to believe and not to do is a faith of the mouth and not of the heart, thus is outside of man and not within him. These, when they act, believe that faith is believing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death; and that to love God and to love the neighbor is to do the commandments in the Word; and such, so far as they desist from evils and shun and turn away from them because they are sins, so far do the commandments from God, and not from themselves. These also believe that the Lord came into the world to save those who believe in Him and who do what He taught.

[4] 3. Because such do not know, and do not wish to know, that faith is anything else than this, they do not acknowledge that justification and salvation are effected by merely believing that God the Father sent his Son, that by His blood He might effect propitiation, redemption, and salvation; for they perceive that merely to believe this and not to live any life of faith, which is charity, rather condemns than justifies; it rather condemns for the reason that it is not a belief in truth, but a belief in falsity; for it is a belief in immediate mercy, which is reformation and regeneration without means; which is imputation, propitiation, and intercession, not one of which is possible. Moreover, it is not true that a Son born from eternity was sent by the Father into the world, nor is it true that the Father was propitiated by the blood of the Son, nor is it true that the Lord transferred sins to Himself and thus effected redemption; and so with other things. So far as these are appearances of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word they may be asserted and also thought, but must not be so confirmed as to destroy the genuine truth that is in heaven, and that the doctrine of the church can teach from the Word. Those therefore who place all things of faith in that confession not only reject to the side all truths, which are innumerable, from which angels and men have life and wisdom, and make the universal theology to consist in certain expressions, uttered with confidence, in which there are no truths; but to confirm these expressions they must needs falsify the Word and thereby close heaven to themselves. But more on this subject elsewhere. So much concerning those who falsify the Word and those who do not falsify it.