7871. 'And will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt' means the damnation of those governed by faith separated from charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'striking' as damnation, for striking is killing or putting to death, and 'death' in the spiritual sense means damnation, see 6119; from the meaning of 'the firstborn' - when used in reference to the Egyptians, who represent those steeped in falsities arising from evil - as faith separated from charity, 3325, 7039, 7766, 7778, 7779. In the genuine sense the expression 'the firstborn', when it describes a feature of the spiritual Church, means faith that is wedded to charity, see 367, 2435, 3325, 3494, 6344, 7035; therefore in the contrary sense 'the firstborn' is faith devoid of charity.

7766. 'One more plague I will bring onto Pharaoh and onto Egypt' means the final stage of vastation, which is damnation. This is clear from the meaning of 'one more plague' as the last stage of vastation. It is evident from the explanation of what has gone before that the plagues brought onto Egypt meant consecutive states of vastation. The fact that the last stage is damnation - the damnation of faith separated from charity - will be evident from what is to follow; for the killing in Egypt of the firstborn means the damnation of that faith, 'death' being damnation and 'the firstborn' faith. Faith is said to be damned when matters of faith are used to support falsities and evils. When used in support of these, matters of faith go over to their side and become endorsements of them. This happens with those who separate faith from charity in both doctrine and life. But no faith in fact resides with them, only knowledge of such things as are matters of faith, though they call that knowledge faith. This is what one should understand by faith that is damned. Furthermore the people themselves in whom such matters of faith have been linked to falsities and evils end up in damnation after undergoing stages of vastation. Their damnation is made perceptible by the rotten and foul stink that emanates from them, worse than any emitted by those who have never subscribed to matters of faith. Their situation in particular is the same as that which arises in a general way. Generally, if an evil spirit approaches a heavenly community, where charity exists, its inhabitants smell plainly the foul stink emanating from him. They do so in particular situations in which such things as belong to heaven, that is, matters of faith, have co-existed in a person with such things as belong to hell. From all this it is now evident that 'one more plague which will be brought onto Pharaoh and onto Egypt' means the last stage of vastation, which is damnation. For 'Pharaoh' represents those who have been molesters, at this point those who are damned, and 'Egypt' means the natural mind, 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301, 6147, 6252.