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888. And shall be tormented with fire and sulphur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. That this signifies that their hell from the love of evil and falsity is direful according to the falsification and consequent destruction of Divine truth and Divine good, thus of the Word; this is evident from the signification of being tormented, as denoting hell. For as, when heaven is mentioned, joy therein is also meant, so when hell is mentioned the torment there is also meant; and the reverse, especially by being tormented with fire and sulphur; and from the signification of fire, as denoting love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour, which are the loves that reign in heaven; and, in the opposite sense, the love of self and the love of the world, these being the loves that reign in hell (concerning which see above, n. 504). And because all goods arise from love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour; and all evils, through the love of self and the love of the world; therefore by fire is signified the love of everything pertaining to good, and, in the opposite sense, the love of everything pertaining to evil. And from the signification of sulphur, as denoting the love of falsity from evil; properly the lust of destroying the truths of the good of the church by means of the falsities of evil (see n. 578). And from the signification of the holy angels, as denoting Divine truths from the Lord (see n. 130, 200, 302, 800). And from the signification of the Lamb, as denoting the Lord's Divine Human; here the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is Divine good united with Divine truth in the heavens; accordingly, in the present instance, Divine good, because it is mentioned together with the holy angels, by whom are signified Divine truths from the Lord.
[2] The reason why being tormented before the holy angels and before the Lamb, signifies the direfulness of hell according to the falsification and consequent destruction of Divine truth and Divine Good, thus of the Word, is, that the direfulness of hell, or the torment there, is entirely according to these. For in proportion as a man falsifies the Word, in the same proportion he closes heaven against himself; and in proportion as he destroys interior Divine truths, which are Divine truths in the heavens, and from which the heavens exist, in the same proportion he is removed from the heavens, and cast down more deeply into hell. The reason why this is being tormented before the angels and before the Lamb is, that the Word in the letter communicates with heaven by means of the spiritual sense; therefore as far as it is destroyed by falsification, so far is the falsifier rejected from heaven; and as far as any one is rejected from heaven, so far is he tormented. That this is the spiritual sense of these words is evident from this, that no one is tormented in hell by the angels and by the Lord, nor, consequently, before the angels or before the Lord; but by himself, by the falsification and consequent destruction of Divine truth, which is signified by the holy angels, and of Divine Good, which is signified by the Lamb.
[3] How infernal and therefore how damnable it is to falsify the Word so as to destroy the Divine truth and Divine Good in the heavens, is evident from this, that all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, which are Divine truths for the natural man, communicate with the angels of heaven by means of the spiritual sense so that men and the angels of heaven are conjoined by means of the Word. Therefore the sense of the letter of the Word, with the man who falsifies it, is perceived in heaven in a two-fold way - to such a degree as genuine truth, and also as that [genuine truth] destroyed; as genuine truth from the sense of the letter, according to correspondences, and as destroyed, according to falsifications. It comes to pass, therefore, that truth and falsity are presented as conjoined together; when the angels of heaven see this they are grieved and turn entirely away. Thus heaven is closed, and all communication with it perishes with such a man; consequently he comes into conjunction with hell. And as far as any one is conjoined with hell, so far is he in the love of all evil, and the falsity therefrom; and consequently he is in the lust of destroying the truths and goods of the church, and then at the same time he is in torment. This, therefore, is what is signified by being tormented with fire and sulphur before the holy angels and before the Lamb.
[4] This is the case chiefly with those who think from faith alone, and also live from faith alone, that is, who confirm that faith both in doctrine and life, as those more especially do who have studied much to confirm that faith in their writings and preachings. Such persons cannot but falsify the Word to such a degree as to destroy its genuine truth. For the Word in its whole content concerns the life of man, consequently works. For the Lord says that the law and the prophets hang upon these two commandments - to love God above all things, and the neighbour as ourselves. The law and the prophets signify the Word in its whole extent; and to love God and the neighbour is to do the precepts, and these are works, as may be seen above (n. 826), these the defenders of faith separated shut out. And therefore they reject all the essentials of the Word, when they read it; and the essentials being rejected, all the rest is but dross; just as when an animal is deprived of life, the body becomes putrid. For love, which is the same with deeds, is its life.
I have also heard spirits, who, when they lived as men in the world, had embraced faith alone, speaking concerning the Word, and saying that it contained Divine truths in abundance. [I have heard such say,] what are the knowledges of good and truth to me? What advantage is it to know anything of regeneration, of the remission of sins, free-will, Providence, love and charity, good works, and the rest, when the trust and confidence reposed in this faith alone, that the Lord died for our sins, alone saves, seeing that all things contained in the Word are to be explained so as to confirm this, and can be so explained, because everything said therein about good works, and doing, are included, and stored up, in that faith, like treasures hidden under the earth?
It is evident that such persons cannot but falsify all the truths and goods of the Word, when they read it, and when they think more deeply about its meaning than about anything else and apply it to faith alone.
888. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the lamb, signifies that their hell is from the love of evil and falsity, that is direful according to the falsification and consequent destruction of Divine truth and Divine good, thus of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "to be tormented," as being hell; for when heaven is mentioned its joy is at the same time meant, so when hell is mentioned its torment is also meant, and conversely; this is especially true of this expression "to be tormented with fire and brimstone." The above is evident also from the signification of "fire," as being love in both senses, namely, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, which are the loves that prevail in heaven, and in the contrary sense love of self and love of the world, which are the loves that prevail in hell (See above, n. 504. And as all goods have their source in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and all evils have their origin through love of self and love of the world, so "fire" signifies the love of all things of good, and in the contrary sense the love of all things of evil. Also from the signification of "brimstone," as being the love of falsity from evil, especially the lust of destroying the truths of the good of the church by the falsities of evil (See n. 578). Also from the signification of "the holy angels," as being Divine truths from the Lord (See n. 130, 200, 302, 800). Also from the signification of "the Lamb," as being the Lord's Divine Human; here the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is the Divine good united to the Divine truth in the heavens; so again here the Divine good, since it is mentioned in connection with "the holy angels," which signify Divine truths from the Lord.
[2] "To be tormented before the holy angels and before the Lamb" signifies the direfulness of hell according to the falsification and consequent destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good, thus of the Word, because the direfulness of hell, or the torment there is altogether according to that falsification and destruction; for so far as a man falsifies the Word so far he closes heaven to himself, and so far as he destroys interior Divine truths, which are Divine truths in the heavens, and from which the heavens exist, so far he is separated from the heavens and is cast down the more deeply into hell. This is "to be tormented before the angels and before the Lamb," because the Word in the letter communicates with heaven through the spiritual sense; consequently so far as that sense is destroyed by falsification so far is the falsifier cast out of heaven, and so far as anyone is cast out of heaven so far he is tormented. That this is the spiritual sense of these words can be seen from the fact that no one is tormented in hell by angels or by the Lord, thus neither before the angels nor before the Lord, but by himself through the falsification and consequent destruction of the Divine truth, which is signified by "the holy angels," and of the Divine good, which is, signified by "the Lamb."
[3] How infernal and thus how injurious it is to falsify the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good in the heavens can be seen from the fact that all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, which are Divine truths for the natural man, communicate through the spiritual sense with the angels of heaven, to the extent that men and the angels of heaven are conjoined by means of the Word; consequently the sense of the letter of the Word, with the man who falsifies it, is perceived in heaven in a two-fold manner, namely as genuine truth and also as that truth destroyed; as genuine truth from the sense of the letter according to correspondences, and as destroyed according to falsifications. From this it comes that truth and falsity are presented together as conjoined, from which the angels of heaven are exasperated, and turn themselves entirely away. Thus heaven is closed up, and all communication of heaven with that man is destroyed; consequently he comes into conjunction with hell. And so far as anyone is conjoined with hell so far he is in the love of all evil and its falsity, and from that in a lust of destroying the truths and goods of the church, and at the same time he is in torment. This, then, is what is signified by "being tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb."
[4] This is true especially of those who think from faith alone and at the same time live from faith alone, that is, who confirm that faith in themselves both in doctrine and life, as is done especially by those who have studied much to confirm that faith by writings and preachings. Such cannot do otherwise than falsify the Word, even to the destruction of its genuine truth; for the Word in the whole complex has respect to man's life, consequently to works; for the Lord says that the law and the prophets hang upon these two commandments, namely, to love God above all things and the neighbor as oneself. "The law and the prophets" signify the Word in the whole complex; and "to love God and the neighbor" means doing the commandments, and this is works (See above, n. 826), and works are what the defenders of faith separated shut out; and as a consequence they reject all the essentials of the Word when they read it; and when the essentials are rejected all that remains is dross, just as an animal's body when its life is taken away becomes putrid, since its love, which is the same as deeds, is its life. I have heard spirits who, when they lived as men in the world, had embraced faith alone, talking about the Word, that it contained Divine truths in abundance, and they said, "What are the knowledges of good and truth to me? What advantage is it to know anything about regeneration, remission of sins, free will, providence, love and charity, good works, and the rest, when the trust and confidence of this faith alone-that the Lord died for our sins-is the only thing that saves, and when all things of the Word must be explained to prove this, and can be so explained? For all things that are there said about love, good works, and doing, are included in that faith, and thus concealed like treasures under the ground." Evidently such can do no otherwise than falsify all the truths and goods of the Word when they read it and think more deeply about its meaning than about other things, and apply it to faith alone.
888. "Et cruciabitur igne et sulphure coram sanctis angelis et coram Agno." Quod significet quod infernum eorum sit ex amore mali et falsi dirum secundum falsificationem et inde destructionem Divini Veri ac Divini Boni, ita Verbi, constat ex significatione "cruciari", quod sit infernum; nam sicut dicitur caelum ac intelligitur simul gaudium ibi, ita cum dicitur infernum intelligitur etiam cruciatus ibi, ac vicissim, imprimis per "cruciari igne et sulphure": ex significatione "ignis", quod sit amor in utroque sensu, nempe amor in Dominum et amor erga proximum, qui sunt amores qui regnant in caelo, ac in opposito sensu amor sui et amor muedi, qui sunt amores qui regnant in inferno (de qua supra, n. 504); et quia ex amore in Dominum et ex amore erga proximum oriuntur omnia bona, ac per amorem sui et amorem mundi oriuntur omnia mala, inde per "ignem" significatur amor omnium boni, et in opposito sensu amor omnium mali; ex significatione "sulphuris" quod sit amor falsi ex malo, proprie concupiscentia destruendi vera boni ecclesiae per falsa mali (de qua n 578); ex significatione "sanctorum angelorum", quod sint Divina vera a Domino (de qua n. 130, 200, 302, 800); et ex significatione "Agni", quod sit Divinum Humanum Domini; hic Divinum procedens a Domino, quod est Divinum Bonum unitum Divino Vero in caelis; hic itaque Divinum Bonum, quia una cum "sanctis angelis" dicitur, per quos significantur Divina vera a Domino.
[2] Quod "cruciari coram sanctis angelis et coram Agno" significet diritatem inferni secundum falsificationem et inde destructionem Divini Veri et Divini Boni, ita Verbi, est quia diritas inferni seu cruciatus ibi est prorsus secundum illa; quantum enim homo falsificat Verbum tantum occludit sibi caelum, et quantum tunc destruit Divina vera interiora, quae sunt Divina vera in caelis et ex quibus caeli, tantum removetur ille a caelis, et inferius in infernum dejicitur: quod hoc sit "cruciari coram angelis et coram Agno", est quia Verbum in littera per sensum spiritualem communicat cum caelo; ideo quantum id per falsificationem destruitur, tantum falsificator rejicitur e caelo; et quantum quis rejectus est e caelo tantum cruciatur. Quod hic sensus spiritualis illorum verborum sit, constare potest ex eo, quod nemo crucietur in inferno ab angelis et a Domino, ita nec coram angelis et coram Domino; sed a se per falsificationem et inde destructionem Divini Veri, quod significatur per "sanctos angelos", ac Divini Boni quod significatur per "Agnum."
[3] Quam infernale et inde quam damnosum sit falsificare Verbum usque ad destructionem Divini Veri ac Divini Boni in caelis, constare potest ex eo, quod omnia sensus litterae Verbi, quae sunt Divina vera pro naturali homine, per sensum spiritualem communicent cum angelis caeli, usque adeo ut homines et angeli caeli per Verbum conjuncti sint; quare sensus litterae Verbi, apud hominem qui falsificat illum, duplici modo percipitur in caelo, nempe ut genuinum Verum, et simul ut id destructum; ut genuinum Verum ex sensu litterae secundum correspondentias, ac ut destructum secundum falsificationes; inde fit quod verum et falsum ut conjuncta simul sistantur, ex quo exacerbantur angeli caeli, et se prorsus avertunt; sic occluditur caelum, ac perit omnis communicatio caeli cum illo homine; inde conjunctio ei fit cum inferno; et quantum quis conjunctus est cum inferno tantum in amore omnis mali et inde falsi est, et ex eo in concupiscentia destruendi vera et bona ecclesiae, et simul tunc in cruciatu; hoc itaque significatur per "cruciari igne et sulphure coram sanctis angelis et coram Agno."
[4] Hoc fit praecipue apud illos qui ex sola fide cogitant, et simul ex sola fide vivunt; hoc est, qui confirmant illam fidem apud se et doctrina et vita, ut faciunt imprimis illi qui multum studuerunt confirmare illam fidem scriptis et praedicationibus; illi non possunt aliter quam falsificare Verbum usque ad destructionem genuini veri ejus, Verbum enim in omni complexu spectat vitam hominis, ita opera; nam dicit Dominus quod Lex et Prophetae pendeant super binis illis mandatis, nempe ut ament Deum super omnia, et proximum sicut se ipsum; "Lex et Prophetae" significant Verbum in toto complexu, ac "amare Deum et proximum" est facere praecepta; ita sunt opera (videatur supra, n. 826); quae, nempe opera, defensores fidei separatae excludunt; et inde omnia essentialia Verbi, dum illud legunt, rejiciunt; et rejectis essentialibus cetera sunt scoriae, prorsus sicut dum animali vita aufertur, putrescit ejus corpus, amor enim qui idem cum factis est vita ejus. Audivi etiam spiritus, qui, dum in mundo vixerunt homines, solam fidem amplexi sunt, loquentes de Verbo, quod inibi sint Divina vera in copia, dicentes, "Quid mihi cognitiones boni et veri? Quid refert scire aliquid de regeneratione, de remissione peccatorum, de libero arbitrio, de providentia, de amore et charitate, de bonis operibus, et de ceteris, quando fiducia et confidentia solius hujus fidei, quod Dominus pro peccatis nostris mortuus sit, unice salvet, et cum omnia Verbi ad id confirmandum explicanda sunt, et explicari possunt? quoniam omnia quae de amore, ' de bonis operibus, ' et de facere' ibi dicta sunt, in illa fide inclusa, et sicut thesauri sub terra recondita sunt." Quod tales non possint aliter quam falsificare omnia vera et bona Verbi, dum id legunt et de sensu ejus interius quam alibi cogitant, et id applicant soli fidei, patet.