10492. And there fell of the people that day up to three thousand men. That this signifies a full and complete closing of the internal, is evident from the signification of “falling” or being slain, as being to be closed (of which above, n. 10490); and from the signification of “three thousand,” as being what is full and complete; for by “three” is signified what is full and complete (n. 2788, 4495, 7715, 8347, 9198, 9488, 9489), in like manner by “three thousand,” because the larger numbers signify the like as the smaller numbers from which they arise by multiplication (n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). That all numbers in the Word signify real things, see the places cited in n. 9488, and n. 10127, 10217, 10253).

[2] As the closing of the internal with the Israelitish and Jewish nation has here been treated of, something further may be said about the closing of the internal. Evils and falsities are what close the internal man, or what is the same thing, worldly, earthly, and bodily loves, when they prevail, for all evils and falsities are from this source. The reason why the internal is closed by these loves, is that they are opposed to heavenly loves, or what is the same thing, evils and falsities are opposed to goods and truths; and when things that are opposed act against each other, that which is injured contracts almost as does a fiber when it is pricked, and as in other circumstances every part of man will shrink when in pain. It is well known that an injury, and also a troubled state of mind, will cause the face to wrinkle; and will also cause the abdomen, together with the lungs and their respiration, to contract. Such also is the case with the internal man, when evils and falsities enter into the thought and into the will. That there is then an aversion, and from this a contraction, is perceived, and is also apparent.

[3] This is the general reason why the internal is closed; but the special reason is to prevent goods and truths from entering from heaven through the internal man into the external man, and there being defiled and profaned; and therefore in order to prevent this with the Israelitish nation, with whom was the Word together with the holy things of the church, the internal was with them fully and completely closed. That it was fully and completely closed is evident from the fact that although they live among Christians, and although the Lord is plainly treated of in the prophecies, they nevertheless do not at all acknowledge Him; nay, they are of such a nature that they cannot even think anything which is confirmatory; such is the interior repugnance and aversion.

[4] Be it known moreover that in the Christian world also the internal is closed with those who know the truths of faith from the Word and do not live according to them, for it is precisely a life in accordance with these truths that opens the internal man; for otherwise the truths reside merely in the memory of the external man. But in very deed with those who deny these truths the internal is completely closed; and, wonderful as it may seem, the internal is closed in more of the intelligent than of the simple. The reason is that the intelligent are in the cupidities of attaining to eminence and to wealth, and consequently are in the loves of self and of the world, more than are the simple; and are also able to confirm, by means of memory-knowledges, in which the intelligent excel the simple, the evils and falsities which are from these loves. An additional reason is that most of the intelligent think of the soul from some hypothesis that prevails in the learned world, from which they conceive no other idea of the soul than as of breath or of wind in which perchance there is a living principle; while on the other hand the simple do not think from such an idea, but only from the idea that the soul is the man who lives after death. From this it is that with the latter the internal is opened; but with the former it is closed. Whether you say that the internal is opened or closed, or whether you say that heaven is so, is the same.

661. To destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of lives from under the heavens. That this signifies that the whole posterity of the Most Ancient Church would destroy themselves, is evident from what is said above, and from the description of them given before: that they derived by inheritance from their parents in succession such a genius that they more than others were imbued with direful persuasions; and especially for the reason that they immersed the doctrinal things of faith that they possessed in their cupidities. It is otherwise with those who have no doctrinal things of faith, but live entirely in ignorance; these cannot so act, and therefore cannot profane holy things, and thereby close up the way for remains; and consequently they cannot drive away from themselves the angels of the Lord.

[2] Remains, as has been said, are all things of innocence, all things of charity, all things of mercy, and all things of the truth of faith, which from his infancy a man has had from the Lord, and has learned. Each and all of these things are treasured up; and if a man had them not, there could be nothing of innocence, of charity, and of mercy, and therefore nothing of good and truth in his thought and actions, so that he would be worse than the savage wild beasts. And it would be the same if he had had the remains of such things and had closed up the way by foul cupidities and direful persuasions of falsity, so that they could not operate. Such were the antediluvians who destroyed themselves, and who are meant by “all flesh wherein is the breath of lives, under the heavens.”

[3] “Flesh” as before shown, signifies every man in general, and the corporeal man in particular. The “breath of lives” signifies all life in general, but properly the life of those who have been regenerated, consequently in the present case the last posterity of the Most Ancient Church. Although there was no life of faith remaining among them, yet as they derived from their parents something of seed therefrom which they stifled, it is here called the “breath of lives” or (as in Genesis 7:22) “in whose nostrils was the breathing of the breath of lives.” “Flesh under the heavens” signifies what is merely corporeal; the “heavens” are the things of the understanding that are of truth and the things of the will that are of good, on the separation of which from the corporeal a man can no longer live. What sustains man is his conjunction with heaven, that is, through heaven with the Lord.