8152. En hij jaagde na achter de zonen Israëls; dat dit betekent het streven om degenen te onderwerpen die in het met de naastenliefde verbonden geloof zijn, staat vast uit de betekenis van najagen, namelijk het streven om te onderwerpen, nr. 8136; en uit de uitbeelding van de zonen Israëls, namelijk zij die van de geestelijke Kerk zijn, waarover eerder; dus degenen die in het met de naastenliefde verbonden geloof zijn, want zij die van de Kerk zijn, zijn in dat geloof zowel ten aanzien van de leer als ten aanzien van het leven, het goede van het geloof of de naastenliefde is het wezenlijke, dus op de eerste plaats voor degenen die van de echte geestelijke Kerk zijn maar voor hen die het geloof hebben dat gescheiden is van zijn goede, zowel ten aanzien van de leer als ten aanzien van het leven, is het ware van het geloof of het geloof het wezenlijke of op de eerste plaats; deze mensen zijn niet van de Kerk, want het leven maakt de Kerk, maar niet de leer, tenzij voor zoveel als deze van het leven wordt.

Daaruit blijkt dat de Kerk van de Heer niet hier is of daar, maar dat zij overal is, zowel binnen die rijken waar de Kerk is, als buiten die, waar men leeft volgens de geboden van de naastenliefde.

Vandaar komt het, dat de Kerk van de Heer verspreid is over het gehele wereldrond en dat zij toch één is; wanneer immers het leven de Kerk maakt en niet de van het leven gescheiden leer, dan is de Kerk één, maar wanneer de leer de Kerk maakt, dan zijn het er verscheidene.

8208. 'And the Egyptians pursued' means the attempt by falsity arising from evil to do violence. This is clear from the meaning of 'pursuing', when done by the Egyptians, as the attempt to bring under their control, dealt with in 8136, 8152, 8154, thus to do violence; and from the representation of 'the Egyptians' as those steeped in falsities arising from evil, dealt with in 8132, 8135, 8146, 8148, and so also as falsities arising from evil.

8146. 'And he harnessed his chariot' means doctrine championing falsity that belongs to separated faith in general. This is clear from the meaning of 'chariot' as doctrine, dealt with in 2760, 5321, 5945, in this case doctrine championing falsity that belongs to separated faith, since the chariot is Pharaoh's and 'Pharaoh' represents the falsities that belong to separated faith. For those who subscribe to faith separated from charity and at the same time lead a life of evil are inevitably steeped in falsities, 8094.

[2] The descriptions that follow on from here refer to the gathering together of all the falsities arising from evil that existed with people who subscribed to faith separated from charity and led a life of evil. Descriptions prior to this have dealt with the vastation of the truths of faith that exist with those people, and with the eventual reduction of those people to a condition which is such that they are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil, and so are lost in damnation. The present chapter now deals with their being cast down into hell, for being cast down into hell follows damnation. What happens in this state - a state in which people are cast down into hell - is as follows: When they are going to be cast down all the falsities that exist with them are first gathered together (which is accomplished by the opening up of all the hells with which they have had contact) and then are poured into them. As a result those people have around them dense masses of falsities arising from evil, which appear as waters to those looking on from outside, 8137, 8138; they are vapours emanating from their life. When they are engulfed by those dense masses they are in hell. When the falsities arising from evil are gathered into one and poured into them the purpose is that those people may become surrounded by the kinds of things that have come to be part of their life, and after that may be confined within them. The type of evil, together with the falsity arising from it, then mark them and their hell off from other hells.

[3] Because of the subject here - the gathering together of all the falsities arising from evil that existed with those people - references are made so many times in this chapter to Pharaoh's chariot, his horses, horsemen, army, and people; for these mean all the powers of falsity that reside with those people. Such references are,

He harnessed his chariot, and took his people with him. Verse 6.

He took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt. Verse 7.

And the Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's chariot-horses, and his horsemen, and his army. Verse 9.

I will be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all his army, in his chariots, and in his horsemen. Verse 17, and similarly verse 18.

And the Egyptians pursued, and came after them, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Verse 23.

Jehovah took off the wheels of their chariots. Verse 25.

Let the waters return onto the Egyptians, onto their chariots, and onto their horsemen. Verse 26.

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh's army. Verse 28.

These references to them occur so many times because falsities arising from evil - their being gathered together and poured into those people - are the subject. The things referred to so many times mean all the powers of falsity arising from evil. 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians' are the people themselves who are steeped in falsities arising from evil; 'the chariots' are doctrinal teachings that uphold falsity; 'the horses' are false factual knowledge belonging to a perverted understanding; 'the horsemen' are reasonings resting on that knowledge; and 'the army' and 'the people' are the falsities themselves.