692、启16:9.“人被大热所烤，就亵渎那有权掌管这些灾的神之名”表示由于强烈的邪恶欲望所产生的自我之爱的快乐，他们不承认主之人身的神性，然而，一切爱之良善和信之真理都是从它那里流出的。“热”表示邪恶的欲望，这些欲望就包含在自我之爱及其快乐中(AR 382, 691节)，因此，“被大热所烤”表示处于强烈的欲望，因而处于爱之快乐。“亵渎神之名”表示否认或不承认主之人身的神性和圣言的神圣(AR 517, 582节)。“亵渎”表示否认或不承认，“神之名”是指主的神性人身，同时指圣言(AR 584节)。“有权掌管这些灾”表示一切爱之良善和信之真理都是从祂那里流出的，邪恶和虚假通过它们被移除(AR 673, 680， 690节)，因为那掌管七灾的七位天使是从法版的帐幕中出来的(启示录15:5, 6)，“法版之帐幕的殿”表示天堂的至内层，在那里，主在圣言中存在于其神圣中，并存在于律法，即十诫中(AR 669节)；由于“倒出这些灾”所表示的流注(AR 676节)就来自那里，所以很明显，“有权掌管这些灾的神”是指主，流注来自祂。
我们要用几句话解释一下自我之爱的性质；这爱的快乐超过世上所有的快乐，因为它是由纯粹的邪恶欲望构成的，每一种欲望都产生或呼出自己的快乐。每个人都生在这种快乐中，它因促使人的心智不断为自己着想，所以阻止它思想神和邻舍，除非出于自我并关注自我。因此，如果神不支持他的欲望，他就向神发怒，就像他向不支持它们的邻舍发怒一样。当这快乐增长时，它使人不能在自我之上思考，只能在自我之下思考，因为它使他的心智沉浸在他身体的自我中；因此，这人逐渐变得感官化，而感官人以又高亢又傲慢的语气谈论世俗和民事，却只能出于记忆谈论神和神性事物。他若是一个从事民事事务的人，就会承认自然为创造者，承认自己的谨慎为指导者或掌管者，并否认一位神。他若是一个牧师，就会出于记忆谈论神和神性事物，然而却以又高亢又傲慢的语气来谈论，但心里几乎不相信它们。
692. 16:9 And people were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues. This symbolically means that owing to the delight of the love of self arising from their grievous lusts for evils, they did not acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's humanity, even though from it flows every goodness of love and truth of faith.
Heat symbolizes the lusts for evils present in self-love and its accompanying delight (nos. 382, 691). Therefore to scorch with great heat means, symbolically, to be caught up in grievous lusts and so in the delight accompanying the love. To blaspheme the name of God means, symbolically, to deny or to refuse to acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's humanity and the holiness of the Word (nos. 571, 582). To blaspheme is to deny or to refuse to acknowledge, and the name of God is the Lord's Divine humanity and at the same time the Word (no. 584). To have power over the plagues means symbolically that from the Lord flow every goodness of love and truth of faith by which evils and falsities are removed (nos. 673, 680, 690). And because the seven angels having the seven plagues came out of the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony (Revelation 15:5-6), and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony symbolizes the inmost of heaven where the Lord is present in His holiness in the Word and in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments (no. 669), and because the influx symbolized by pouring out the plagues came from there (no. 676), it follows that God's having power over the plagues means the Lord from whom springs all else.
[2] We will briefly describe the nature of self-love. Its accompanying delight surpasses every other delight in the world, for it consists of nothing but lusts for evils, and every one of the lusts produces its own delight. Every person is born into this delight, and because it impels the person's mind to focus its thought continually on itself, it draws the mind away from thinking about God and the neighbor except from the perspective of self and with a focus on self. As a consequence, if God does not favor the person's lusts, he becomes angry with God, as he becomes angry with the neighbor who does not favor them.
As this delight grows, it causes the person to be unable to elevate his thought above himself, but instead draws it down to a level beneath him, for it immerses the mind in the inherent nature of his body. As a result the person becomes gradually sensual, and a sensual person speaks in a lofty and elevated tone about worldly and civic matters, but he can speak about God and Divine matters only from memory. If he is a politician, he acknowledges nature as responsible for creation, his own prudence as his guide, and denies God's existence. If he is a priest, he speaks about God and Divine matters from memory, even in a lofty and elevated tone; but at heart he little believes them.
692. [verse 9] 'And men were scorched with the great heat, and blasphemed the Name of God having authority over these plagues' signifies that, on account of the delight of the love of self arising from the grievous lusts of evils, they did not acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's Human, from which nevertheless every good of love and truth of faith inflows. By 'heat' the lusts of evils are signified, which are in the love of self and its delight (382, 691). Consequently by 'to scorch with great heat' is signified to be in grievous lusts, and thus in a delight of love. By 'to blaspheme the Name of God' is signified to deny or not to acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's Human, nor the holiness of the Word (571, 582). 'To blaspheme' is to deny or not to acknowledge, and 'the Name of God' is the Lord's Divine Human and at the same time the Word (584). By 'to have authority over plagues' is signified that everything good and true of faith by means of which evils and untruths are removed inflows from Him (673, 680, 690). And because the seven angels having the seven plagues went out of the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony (Revelation 15:5-6), and by 'the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony' is signified the inmost of heaven where the Lord is in His holiness in the Word and in the Law which is the Decalogue (669), and the influx that is signified by 'to pour out the plagues' was produced therefrom (676), it may be established that by 'God having authority over the plagues' is understood the Lord from Whom [the influx is].
[2] A few things shall be said as to what the love of self is like. Its delight exceeds every delight in the world, for it is a fusion of nothing but the lusts of evils, and every single lust breathes out its own delight. Every man is born into this delight; and because it urges a man's mind to be continually thinking about himself, it draws it away from thinking of God and the neighbour except from self and concerning self. Therefore if God should not favour his lusts he is angry with God, just as he is angry with the neighbour who does not favour them. When this delight increases it renders the man unable to think above himself, but only below himself, for he immerses his mind in the proprium of his body. As a result the man becomes sensual by successive stages, and a sensual man speaks in a high and lofty tone of worldly and civil matters, but of God and things Divine he can only speak from memory. If the part he plays in the world is in civil affairs (si persona civilis est), he acknowledges nature as the creatress, and his proprial prudence as the directress, and God he denies. If the man is a priest he speaks of God and things Divine from memory, even with a high and lofty tone, but at heart he has little belief in them.
692. Verse 9. (Revelation 16:9) And men were scorched with great heat and they blasphemed the name of God, who hath authority over these plagues, signifies that by reason of the delight of self-love originating in grievous lusts of evils, they did not acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's Human, from which nevertheless flows all the good of love and the truth of faith. By "heat" the lust of evils are signified, which are contained in self-love and its delight, (382, 691), therefore by "burning with great heat," is signified to be in grievous lust, and so in the delight of love. By "blaspheming the name of God," is signified to deny or not to acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord's Human, nor the sanctity of the Word, (517, 582). "To blaspheme" is to deny or not to acknowledge, and "the name of God" is the Lord's Divine Human, and at the same time the Word, (584). By "having authority over the plagues," is signified that from Him flows every good of love and truth of faith, by which evils and falsities are removed, (673, 680, 690), and because the seven angels having the seven plagues went out from the tabernacle of the testimony, (Rev 15:5-6), and by "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony" is signified the inmost of heaven, where the Lord is in His holiness in the Word and in the Law, which is the Decalogue, (669), and thence was the influx, which is signified by "pouring out the plagues" (676), it is evident, that by "God having authority over the plagues" is meant the Lord from whom the influx is.
[2] The nature of self-love shall be explained in a few words; the delight of it exceeds every delight in the world, for it is composed of mere lusts of evils, and each lust breathes out its delight. Every man is born into this delight, and as it compels the mind of man to think constantly of himself, it withholds it from thinking of God and of the neighbor, except from himself and concerning himself. Wherefore if God does not favor his lusts, he is angry with God, just as he is angry with the neighbor who does not favor them. This delight, when it increases, renders man unable to think above self, but under self, for it immerses his mind in the proprium of his body; thence the man becomes successively sensual, and a sensual man speaks in a high and lofty tone about worldly and civil affairs, but of God and Divine things he can only speak from the memory. If he is a person engaged in civil affairs, he acknowledges nature as the creator, and his own prudence as the governor, and he denies a God. If he is a priest, he speaks of God and of Divine things from the memory, yet in a high and lofty tone, but in his heart he has little belief in them.
692. (Vers. 9.) "Et aestuaverunt homines aestu magno, at blasphemarunt Nomen Dei habentis potestatem super plagas has," significat quod propter jucundum amoris sui oriundum ex gravibus concupiscentiis malorum non agnoverint Divinitatem Humani Domini, a Quo tamen influit omne bonum amoris et verum fidei. - Per "aestum" significantur concupiscentiae malorum, quae sunt in amore sui et ejus jucundo (382, 691); inde per "aestuare aestu magno" significatur in gravibus concupiscentiis esse, et sic in jucundo amoris: per "blasphemare Nomen Dei" significatur negare aut non agnoscere Divinitatem Humani Domini, nec sanctitatem Verbi (571, 582); "blasphemare" est negare aut non agnoscere, ac "Nomen Dei" est Divinum Humanum Domini et simul Verbum (584); per "habere potestatem super plagas" significatur quod ab Ipso influat omne bonum amoris et verum fidei, per quae removentur mala et falsa (673, 680). 1Et quia septem Angeli habentes septem plagas exiverunt e Templo Tabernaculi Testimonii, (Apocalypsis 15:5-6), et per "Templum Tabernaculi Testimonii" significatur intimum Caeli, ubi Dominus in Sua Sanctitate in Verbo et in lege quae Decalogus, est (669), et inde factus est influxus, qui per "effundere plagas" significatur (676) 2, constat quod per "Deum habentem potestatem super plagas," intelligatur Dominus a Quo. Paucis dicetur qualis Amor sui est: jucundum ejus excedit omne jucundum in mundo, est enim conflatum ex meris concupiscentiis malorum, et unaquaevis concupiscentia exspirat suum jucundum. Omnis homo in hoc jucundum nascitur; et quia id adigit mentem hominis ad jugiter cogitandum de se, detrahit illam ad cogitandum de Deo et de proximo nisi a se, et de se; quare nisi Deus faveat concupiscentiis ejus, irascitur Deo, sicut irascitur proximo qui non favet. Jucundum illud cum crescit, facit ut homo non possit cogitare supra se, sed infra se, immergit enim mentem in proprium corporis sui: inde homo fit successive sensualis; et homo sensualis loquitur tono alto et elato de mundanis et civilibus, sed non potest loqui de Deo et de Divinis, nisi solum ex memoria. Si persona civilis est, agnoscit naturam pro creatrice, et propriam prudentiam pro gubernatrice, et Deum negat; si homo sacerdos est, loquitur de Deo et de Divinis ex memoria, etiam tono alto et elato, sed corde parum credit illa.
Footnotes:
1. 680 pro "687"
2. 676 pro "679"