695. And his kingdom became full of darkness. This symbolically means that nothing but falsities appeared.

Darkness symbolizes falsities because light symbolizes truth. To be shown that darkness symbolizes falsities that lead to evils, and thick darkness falsities springing from evils, see no. 413 above. Thus the beast's kingdom becoming full of darkness means symbolically that nothing but falsities appeared.

People who have confirmed themselves in a faith divorced from charity falsify the whole Word, as may be seen in nos. 136, 610 above. That they possess no truths, nos. 489, 501, 653, but only falsities, nos. 563, 597, 602.

Still, the falsities of their faith do not in fact appear to them as full of darkness, that is, as false, but they appear as though full of light, that is, as true, once they have confirmed themselves in them. Nevertheless, when these falsities are viewed in the light of heaven, which reveals everything, they appear as being full of darkness. Consequently, whenever the light of heaven flows into the rooms in their abodes in hell, the rooms become so dark that one cannot see another. Every hell is therefore closed over, so that not even a crack appears, and the inhabitants are then in their own light. They do not appear to themselves to be in darkness, but rather surrounded by light, even though they are caught up in falsities, and that is because their falsities, once they have confirmed themselves in them, appear to them as true. Thus their light is an illusory light, like the light of any falsity defended. This light corresponds to the light seen by owls and bats, which see darkness as light, and light as darkness - indeed, in whose sight the sun is nothing but thick darkness. Such is the sight acquired after death by people who in the world have confirmed themselves in falsities, to the point that they see falsity as true, and truth as false.

563. So the serpent spewed water out of its mouth like a river after the woman, that it might cause her to be swept away by the river. (12:15) This symbolizes a multitude of reasonings flowing from falsities in order to destroy the church.

The serpent symbolizes, here as above, the dragon leading astray. The woman symbolizes the New Church (no. 533). Water symbolizes truths, and in an opposite sense, falsities (no. 50, 409). A river symbolizes truths in abundance, and in an opposite sense, falsities in abundance (no. 409). Coming out of the mouth of the serpent symbolizes reasonings. So then, its spewing out water like a river symbolizes a multitude of reasonings flowing from falsities.

The reasonings of people meant by the dragon all arise from misconceptions and appearances, and if they are defended, they seem superficially to be true, but inwardly they contain a multitude of falsities.

I can relate this fact, that people in the church who affirm faith alone in themselves cannot afterward turn away from it without serious repentance, because they unite themselves with followers of the dragon who are currently in the world of spirits and in a state of agitation, being driven by their hatred for the New Church to harass all whom they encounter there. Moreover, because they unite with people on earth, as we said, they do not allow those who have once been captivated by their reasonings to withdraw from them; for they hold them as though bound in chains, and then shut their eyes so that they are no longer capable of seeing any truth clearly.