. And where thou dwellest, where Satan‘s throne is, signifies their life in thick darkness. That by "Satan" is meant the hell of those who are in falsities, may be seen in (n. 97); and to be in falsities, is to be in spiritual thick-darkness. "Spiritual thick darkness," "the shadow of death," and "darkness," are nothing else but the states of those in hell, who are in the falsities of evil; therefore, in the Word, falsities are described by them; from which it may appear, that by "Satan’s throne" is signified mere thick darkness. But by thick darkness here, is not meant that they are in mere falsities, but that they are in no truths of doctrine; for truths of the doctrine, which are from the Word, are in light, therefore not to be in truths, is not to be in light, consequently to be in thick darkness. That truths are in the light of heaven, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell (HH n. 126-140); and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (Sacred n. 73, 104-113). The Word in many places treats of those who are in "darkness," in "the shadow of death," and in "thick darkness," whose eyes the Lord will open; and by them are meant the Gentiles, who were in good works, but not in any truths, because they did not know the Lord, nor did they have the Word. Exactly similar to these are they in the Christian world, who are in works alone and in no truths of doctrine, therefore they cannot be called anything else than Gentiles; they know the Lord indeed, but yet do not approach Him, and they have the Word, but yet do not search for the truths therein. By "I know where thou dwellest," is signified to know their quality, because in the spiritual world everyone dwells according to the quality of his affection. Hence it may appear, that by "thou dwellest where Satan‘s throne is," is signified the life of their good in thick darkness. Satanic spirits also have power through those in the spiritual world who are in works alone, but without them they have none; for they adjoin them to themselves, provided one of them says, I am thy neighbor, and on this account good offices ought to be extended to me; on hearing this they approach, and give aid; nor do they inquire who and what he is, because they do not have truths, by which alone one can be distinguished from another. This also is signified by "thou dwellest where Satan’s throne is."
. And thou holdest fast My name, and hast not denied My faith, signifies when yet they have religion and worship according to it, and also acknowledge the Word to be the Divine truth. That by the "name" of Jehovah, or of the Lord, is meant all by which He is worshiped, thus the all of religion (n. 81); here therefore it signifies that they have religion, and, according to religion, worship. By "faith," here, is not meant that which exists in the church at this day, but the Divine truth, because faith is of truth and truth is of faith; nothing else is meant by "faith" in heaven, nor by the "faith of God" in the Word; hence it is that faith and truth are expressed in the Hebrew language by one and the same word, and are called Amuna. Since then by "the faith of God" is meant the Divine truth, and the Word is Divine truth itself, it is evident that by "thou hast not denied My faith," is meant, that they acknowledge that the Word is the Divine truth.
. Even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth, signifies when all truth was extinguished by falsities in the church. By "martyr" is signified confession of the truth, the same as by "a witness" (n. 6, 16), because "martyr" and "witness" are expressed in the Greek language by one expression. "Antipas" is named from the spiritual or angelic language. Since by "Antipas the martyr" is signified a confessor of the truth, and, abstractly, the truth itself, it is evident that, by "in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth," is signified, when truth was extinguished by falsities in the church. That by "Satan" is meant the hell where and from whence falsities are, may be seen in (n. 97).
REVELATION 2:13previous
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