321. 'And the one sitting upon it, his name was death and hell was following with him' signifies the extinction of spiritual life and the resulting damnation. By 'death' here is signified the spiritual death that is the extinction of spiritual life, and by 'hell' is signified the damnation that follows that death. Every man, as a result of creation and consequently of birth, has spiritual life, but that life is extinguished when there is a denial of God, of the holiness of the Word, and of eternal life. It is extinguished in the will, but it remains in the understanding, or rather in the faculty of understanding. By this man is distinguished from beasts. Since 'death' signifies the extinction of spiritual life and 'hell' the resulting damnation therefore in some places 'death' and 'hell' are named together, as in these:-
Out of the hand of hell will I redeem them, out of death will I set them free: O death, I will be thy plague, O hell, I will be thy destruction Hos. xiii 14.
The cords of death encompassed me; the cords of hell encompassed me, the snares of death went ahead of me Ps. xviii 4, 5 [H.B. 5, 6]; Ps. cxvi 3.
Like sheep (pecus) they are laid in hell, death shall feed on them; hell is for their dwelling, but God will redeem my soul out of the hand of hell Ps. xlix 14, 15 [H.B. 15, 16].
I have the keys of hell and of death Rev. i 18.
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