8866. 'Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves' means deliverance by Him from hell. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing out' as deliverance; from the meaning of 'the land of Egypt' as molestations by those from hell, dealt with in 7240, 7278; and from the meaning of 'the house of slaves' as spiritual captivity, dealt with in 8049. The reason why 'the house of slaves' means spiritual captivity and also hell is that being held captive by those in hell and being led by them is slavery, whereas being led by the Lord is freedom, 892, 905, 2870-2875, 2882, 2884, 2892, 2893, 6205, 8209. The fact that those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are represented by the children of Israel, were delivered from hell by the Lord, through His coming into the world and making Divine the Human within Himself, see 6854, 6914, 7035, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8321.

8209. 'And came after them' means the attempt to flow in. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming after someone', when done by those steeped in falsities arising from evil, as the attempt to do violence by flowing in with falsity arising from evil, dealt with in 8187. The reason why it is an attempt is that genii and spirits belonging to hell cannot inflict ill on the good, yet are nevertheless constantly attempting to do so. There is a sphere emanating from the hells, which may be called a sphere of endeavours; this is a sphere of doing ill. I have also been allowed sometimes to perceive this sphere. That attempt to flow in exists constantly, and is actualized the moment any opportunity presents itself. But that sphere is counteracted by a sphere of endeavours by heaven, which emanates from the Lord; this is a sphere of doing good, which has all power within it since it has a Divine origin.

[2] Nevertheless equilibrium is maintained between those diametrically opposed types of endeavour, to the end that a person may be in freedom and so have freedom to choose, and to the end that he may be able to be reformed; for all reformation takes place in freedom, and no reformation without it. Spiritually, attempting something is the same as willing it. While a person is being reformed he is kept in a state of equilibrium, that is, in freedom between willing good and willing evil. The closer he moves at this time towards willing good, the closer he moves to heaven and the further away from hell. His new will, acquired at this time from the Lord, also comes more and more to prevail over the will properly his own, which he acquired by heredity from his parents and then through his own actions in life. When therefore a person's reformation has progressed so far that he wills good and has an affection for it, good removes evil, since the Lord is present within that good. For good has its origin in the Lord, and so is the Lord's, indeed is the Lord. From all this one may see what the situation is so far as the things attempting to flow into him are concerned.