Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead) n. 1142

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1142. Of precious stone and of pearl signifies the knowledges of truth and good from the Word that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "precious stone," as being the knowledges of truth from the Word (see n. 717); also from the signification of "pearl," as being the knowledges of good (see n. 1044); and as such knowledges are scientific truths [vera scientifica] or truths of the natural man, so "precious stones" signify the truths through which goods come, and "pearls" the goods through which truths come, for everywhere in the Word there is a marriage of truth and good, and for the reason that truth is not truth unless it looks to good or proceeds from good, and good is not good unless it looks to truths or exists through truths. Thus truths and goods are joined as in a marriage, and truths and goods exist as from a marriage. This is why here and elsewhere in the Word things are mentioned in pairs, one of which signifies good and the other truth, as "gold and silver," "precious stone and pearl," "fine linen and purple," "silk and scarlet," "vessel of ivory and vessel of precious wood," "brass, iron, and marble," where "gold, pearl, purple, scarlet, precious wood, and brass," signify goods of various kinds, and "silver, precious stone, fine linen, silk, ivory, iron, and marble," signify truths of various kinds. So elsewhere. But here these all signify goods and truths profaned, thus evils and falsities, as has been said just above of the signification of gold and silver.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] First it shall be told of whom hell consists. Hell consists of spirits who when they were men in the world denied God, acknowledged nature, lived contrary to Divine order, loved evils and falsities, although not before the world for appearance's sake; consequently they were either insane as to truths, or despised truths, or denied them in heart if not with the lips. Of all such from the creation of the world hell consists. All these are called either devils or satans; those in whom the love of self has predominated are called devils, and those in whom the love of the world has predominated are called satans. The hell where devils are is meant in the Word by the "Devil," and the hell where satans are is meant by "Satan." Moreover, the Lord has so joined the devils together that they are as one, and also the satans; and this is why the hells are called the Devil and Satan in the singular. Hell does not consist of spirits immediately created, neither does heaven consist of angels immediately created; but hell consists of men born in the world, who were made devils or satans by themselves, and in like manner heaven consists of men born in the world, who were there made angels by the Lord. All men as to the interiors which belong to their minds are spirits, clothed in the world with a material body which is under the direction of the thought of the spirit and under the control of its affection; for the mind which is spirit acts, and the body which is matter is acted upon; and every spirit after the material body has been cast off, is a man similar in form as a man in the world (see above, n. 1127). All this makes clear of whom hell consists.


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