9021. 'And anyone cursing his father and his mother' means complete rejection of the Lord and of His kingdom by those belonging to the Church, and so profanation of the Church's goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'cursing' as turning away and separating from, dealt with in 245, 379, 1423, 3530, 3584, 5071, and therefore also complete rejection, since one who turns away and separates from the Lord rejects Him in his heart; and from the meaning of 'father and mother' as the Lord and His kingdom, or in a relative sense goodness and truth that come from the Lord, dealt with in 8897, 9015. The reason why it is a rejection by those within the Church is that the commandments, judgements, and statutes which were declared by the Lord from Mount Sinai were intended specifically for the children of Israel, among whom a representative of the Church was at that time established, and who therefore served to mean the Church, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 7957, 8234, 8805. So it is too that 'cursing father and mother' means profanation; for those within the Church who completely reject the Lord and the things of His kingdom and Church profane them. The fact that those within the Church can profane holy things, but not those outside the Church, see 1008, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3399, 3898, 4289, 4601, 6348, 6959, 6963, 6971, 8882. Consequently rejection of the Lord is not profanation among those who are outside the Church; it is not such among gentiles, Muslims, or Jews.

6970. 'And so it will be, if they do not believe you' means if they are not in possession of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'believing' as being in possession of faith, as above in 6956. Here possessing faith does not imply the faith they had as a result of signs which indicated that they were to be delivered from Egypt, for that kind of faith has to do with worldly matters. What is meant is a faith recognizing that if they did not hold fast to truths they would become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded, and finally profaners of truth; for this is the meaning that the two signs have. The internal sense does not deal with worldly matters, as the external sense written as history does, but to spiritual ones. Faith in matters that are worldly is altogether different from faith in those which are spiritual. Take, for example, believing that people will act as they say they will; that a person is genuine or not genuine; that such and such and no other course of action should be taken if some matter is to succeed; that spoken or written statements are creditable or not creditable; and countless other examples in addition to these. These kinds of things belong to faith in matters that are worldly, as also does the belief here that the children of Israel are to be delivered from slavery in Egypt. But believing that there is a heaven; that there is a hell; that people will go on living after death, the good in a state of happiness for ever, the wicked in a state of unhappiness; that life awaits everyone; that faith and charity constitute the spiritual life, and that this is the life angels in heaven have; that the Lord has all power in heaven and on earth, as He Himself says in Matthew 28:18; that we receive our life from Him; that the Word comprises teaching about heavenly and Divine truths - these and others things like them are the kind that belong to faith in spiritual matters and are what are meant here by 'believing'.