97. 8. This is why it is integral to divine providence that we act from freedom and in accord with reason. Acting freely and rationally and acting on the basis of our freedom and our rationality are the same thing, as is acting on the basis of our intent and discernment. There is a difference, though, between acting freely and rationally or on the basis of our freedom and our rationality on the one hand, and acting in ways that are truly free and rational or on the basis of genuine freedom and genuine rationality. This is because people who do evil out of a love for doing evil and who justify it are, in a way, acting freely and rationally. However, their freedom is not freedom in essence or real freedom. It is actually a hellish freedom that in essence is slavery. Their reason is not reason in essence, either. It is an imitation of reason, or distorted reason, or a facade made up of rationalizations.

Still, both ways of acting are under divine providence, for if we on the earthly level were deprived of the freedom to intend evil and to make it seem reasonable by rationalizations, that would be the end of our freedom and rationality and of our volition and discernment. We could not be led away from our evils and reformed, so we could not be united with the Lord and live forever. That is why the Lord protects our freedom the way we protect the pupil of our eye. The Lord, though, is constantly using our freedom to lead us away from our evils, and to the extent that he can do so through our freedom, he uses that freedom to plant good things within us. In this way, step by step he gives us heavenly freedom in place of hellish freedom.

427. And it was given them not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. (9:5) This symbolically means that owing to the Lord's Divine providence it was impossible for them to take away from those without the faith accompanying charity their faculty for understanding and willing truth and good, but only to be able for a short time to induce a mental numbness.

Its being given them means, symbolically, that it was owing to the Lord's Divine providence, as said just above. Their being unable to kill the men lacking the seal of God means, symbolically, that it was impossible for them to take away from those without the faith accompanying charity their faculty for understanding and willing truth and good; for if this faculty were to be taken away from a person, it would kill him spiritually. To torment for five months means, symbolically, to induce a mental numbness for a short time. The number five symbolizes a little something or for a short time, and to torment means, symbolically, to induce a mental numbness, because this is the symbolic meaning of a scorpion (no. 425), and of torment like the torment of a scorpion, as said next in no. 428.

That the faculty of understanding truth and willing it, or rationality and freedom, cannot be taken away from a person, is something we showed many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence, nos. 73 74, 82-86, 92-99, 138-149, 322.

[2] "Five months" means, symbolically, a little something or for a short time because this is the symbolic meaning of the number five. For periods of time, whether they be hours, days, weeks, months, or years, do not signify a period of time, but a state, and numbers define its character (nos. 4, 10348, 947).

That the number five symbolizes something, and also a little, can be seen from the following passages:

A thousand shall flee... at the threat of five... (Isaiah 30:17)

Five... shall chase a hundred... (Leviticus 26:8)

(Jesus said that) the kingdom of heaven (is like) ten virgins..., five (of whom) were prudent, and five foolish. (Matthew 25:1-2)

The ten virgins symbolize all in the church. Five of them symbolize a part or some.

The like is symbolically meant by the numbers ten and five in the parable in which minas were given to some servants with which to do business, and one of them used his mina to earn ten minas, and a second used his to earn five (Luke 19:13-20). Ten minas symbolize much, and five minas a little. So, too, elsewhere, as in Isaiah 17:6; 19:18, Matthew 14:15-21.