8099. The sea Suph. That this signifies the damnation which they were first to pass through, is evident from the signification of "the sea Suph," as being the hell where are those who are in faith separate from charity, and in a life of evil; and as "the sea Suph" denotes hell, it also denotes damnation. In regard to their having first to pass through damnation, the case is this. When those who had been of the spiritual church, and until the coming of the Lord had been detained in the lower earth, and there infested by those who had been in faith separate from charity (who have been treated of in the preceding chapters), were liberated, they were not at once taken up into heaven, but were first brought into a second state of purification, which is that of temptations; for the truths and goods of faith can neither be confirmed nor conjoined without temptations, and until these had been confirmed and conjoined, they could not be raised into heaven. These things were represented by the sons of Israel not being at once introduced into the land of Canaan, but being first led into the wilderness, where they remained forty years, and in the meantime underwent various temptations which are described in the books of Moses. [2] As regards the fact that they first passed through the sea Suph, by which is signified the hell of those who are in faith separate and in a life of evil, thus through the midst of damnation, be it known that this hell is in front deep down beneath the hells of adulterers, and spreads rather widely toward the left, being separated from the hells of adulterers by waters as of a sea. To the right there, but deeper, is where those are gathered together who are in the truth of faith, but not in the good of faith, who are signified by the "Philistines" (of whom just above, n. 8096); but the lower earth where those are who are being infested, is beneath the sole of the foot, a little in front. They who are liberated from infestations are not brought toward the right, for here are those who are signified by the "Philistines;" but they are brought to the left, through the midst of the hell above spoken of, and they emerge to the left, where there is as it were a wilderness. I have twice been allowed to see that those who are being delivered from infestations pass by this way. While they are passing through, they are so protected by the Lord that not the slightest evil can touch them, still less anything of damnation, for they are encompassed with a column of angels, with whom the Lord is present: this was represented by the passage of the sons of Israel through the sea Suph. [3] This was also meant by these words in Isaiah: