752. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea.- That this signifies lamentation over those who become merely natural and sensual, is plain from the signification of woe, as denoting lamentation (concerning which see above, n. 531); and from the signification of those that inhabit the earth and the sea, as denoting the merely natural and sensual. For as those who dwell in the heavens signify the spiritual, so those that inhabit the earth and the sea signify the natural and sensual, the natural and sensual mind being beneath the spiritual mind, as the earth and sea are beneath the heavens. And also in the spiritual world the heavens appear on high (in editis), and far off beneath them lands and seas appear; and the spiritual dwell in the heavens, while on the lands far off beneath them dwell the natural; and the sensual dwell in the seas. For every one dwells on high, or deeply beneath (alte et profunde), according as his interiors, which are called the interiors of the mind, are opened or closed. For this reason, heaven and earth, in certain passages of the Word, signify the internal and external church, or the spiritual and natural church; also specifically, the spiritual and natural man, because the church is in man, and therefore the man who is spiritual is a church. Here the earth and the sea signify those who are merely natural and sensual, because the earth here means that earth unto which the dragon was cast, and to which the devil came down, as will be seen in what follows. This is where the merely natural or external man is, for the natural man without the spiritual, or the external man without the internal, is upon land that is damned, under which is hell. For man is born sensual and natural, that is, as it were in hell, because born into evils of every kind, but through regeneration he becomes spiritual, and by that means he is withdrawn from hell and raised up into heaven by the Lord. This is the reason of this lamentation over those who are merely natural and sensual. There is lamentation over them, because those are meant who are in faith separated from charity, thus those who say that they are in faith, although they have no life of faith; and that such become merely natural and sensual has been shown above (n. 714, 739). These are also meant by the dragon and his angels, and by the old serpent, but here those who suffer themselves to be easily led astray by the dragon and his angels are meant. It is these, therefore, of whom it is said, "Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea." That heaven and earth signify the internal church, which is spiritual, and the external church which is natural, may be seen above (n. 304). That the earth also signifies damnation (n. 742); that seas signify the most exterior things of the life of man, which are called sensual (n. 275, 342, 511); that they also signify the hells (n. 537, 538).

742. He was cast out unto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.- That this signifies that those evils and the falsities therefrom were condemned to hell, is evident from the signification of being cast out unto the earth, as denoting to be separated from heaven and to be condemned to hell (concerning which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of the angels of the dragon, as denoting falsities from evil, which evil is signified by the dragon. For the angels of heaven, in the Word, signify Divine Truths, because they are recipients of them, as may be seen above (n. 130, 302). The angels of the dragon therefore signify the infernal falsities which go forth from the evil signified by the dragon; those falsities are for the most part truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, as we have said above.

[2] To be cast out unto the earth, means to be condemned to hell, because this is signified when the expression "to cast out of heaven" is used.

In the spiritual world there are lands (terroe) as in the natural world, full of mountains and hills, and also of valleys and rivers, and when these are collectively called the earth, then the earth signifies the church; but when the lowest parts of the earth are meant, as is the case when the expression "to be cast out from heaven unto the earth" is used, then the earth signifies what is damned, because under those lowest parts are the hells, and also in the hells there are lands, but such as are damned. For this reason no angel goes about with head bent forward, bowed down or looking on the earth, much less does he lie upon the earth in its lowest parts, or take up any of its dust. It arises from this, that those who in the world had condemned others to hell, are accustomed to cast dust taken from that earth upon another, for this corresponds to such condemnation. Moreover, no one is allowed to walk with naked feet upon those lands (terroe) in the spiritual world. The lands (terroe) there that are damned are readily distinguished from those that are not damned, because the land that is damned is utterly barren and mere dust, and is here and there covered with thorns and briars, while the land that is not damned is fertile, full of herbs, shrubs, trees, and cultivated fields. It was therefore a customary rite in the Jewish representative church to cast themselves to the earth, to roll themselves upon it, and to sprinkle dust from it upon their heads, when they were in great grief on account of defeat by their enemies, and on account of violence offered to their sanctuaries. By these actions they represented that they acknowledged themselves to be of themselves accursed, thus in this most humble posture they begged that their sins might be forgiven. That those who are meant by the dragon and his angels were separated from heaven and condemned to hell, while the Last Judgment was being performed, and also afterwards, I was permitted to see, as an eye-witness; upon this fact more will be said at the end of this work. From these things it is evident that to be cast out of heaven unto the earth signifies to be condemned to hell.