10287. And who shall put of it upon a stranger. That this signifies conjunction with those who do not acknowledge the Lord, thus who are in evils and the falsities of evil, is evident from the signification of "putting upon" anyone, when said of Divine truths, which are signified by the "aromatic ointment," as being to conjoin; and from the signification of "a stranger," as being one who is not of the church, thus who does not acknowledge the Lord, and consequently is in evils and falsities; for he who does not acknowledge the Lord is not of the church; and he who denies the Lord is in evils and falsities, because what is good and true comes from no other source. That such persons are signified by "strangers" will be seen from the passages in the Word which will follow. But something shall first be said about the conjunction of Divine truth with those who do not acknowledge the Lord. This conjunction is profanation, for profanation is the conjunction of Divine truth with falsities from evil; and this conjunction which is profanation is not possible with any but those who have first acknowledged the things of the church, and especially the Lord, and have afterward denied the same. For by the acknowledgment of the truths of the church, and of the Lord, communication is effected with the heavens, and from this the opening of the interiors of man toward heaven; and by denial afterward is effected the conjunction of the same with falsities from evil; for all things which a man acknowledges remain implanted, because nothing perishes with man which has entered by means of acknowledgment. [2] The state of the man who commits profanation is that he has communication with the heavens and at the same time with the hells; by truths with the heavens, and by falsities of evil with the hells; from this in the other life there comes a tearing asunder, whereby everything of interior life perishes. After this tearing asunder such persons barely appear as men, but as burnt bones in which there is but little life. (See what has already been said and shown about profanation, namely: That those profane who have first acknowledged truths Divine, and afterward deny them, n. 1001, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 4289, 4601, 6348, 6960, 6963, 6971, 8394: That those who have denied them from infancy, such as the Jews and others, do not profane, n. 593, 1001, 1059, 3398, 3489, 6963: And that the greatest care is taken by the Lord to prevent profanation with man, see n. 301-303, 1327, 1328, 2426, 3398, 3402, 3489, 6595.) [3] But be it known that there are very many genera of profanation, and of these many species; for there are those who profane the goods of the church, and there are those who profane its truths; there are those who profane much, and those who profane little; there are those who profane interiorly, and those who profane more and more exteriorly; there are those who profane through belief contrary to the truths and goods of the church; there are those who profane through the life; and there are those who profane through the worship. Hence result many hells of profaners, which are distinct from one another according to the diversities of the profanation. The hells of the profanations of good are at the back; but the hells of the profanations of truth are under the feet and at the sides. Such hells are deeper than the hells of all other evils, and are seldom opened. [4] That "strangers" denote those who do not acknowledge the Lord, and are unwilling to acknowledge Him, whether they be out of the church or within it, thus who are in evils and in the falsities of evil, and in a sense abstracted from persons, that they are evils and the falsities of evil, is evident from many passages in the Word. It is said "those who do not acknowledge the Lord, thus who are in evils and the falsities of evil," because those who do not acknowledge the Lord must needs be in evils and the falsities of evil; for all good and the truth of good are from the Lord, and therefore those who deny the Lord are in evils and the falsities of evil; according to the words of the Lord in John:
Unless ye believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24). [5] That these are "strangers," is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Your land is a solitude, your cities are burned with fire; your ground, strangers shall devour it in your presence; and it shall be a solitude, as the overthrow of strangers (Isa. 1:7). By "land" in this passage is not meant land, nor by "cities" and "ground," cities and ground; but by "land" is meant the church; in like manner by "ground;" and by "cities," the truths of the church which are called doctrinal things, and which are said to be "burned with fire" when they have been consumed by the evils of the loves of self and of the world. From this it is evident what is signified by "strangers devouring the ground," namely, that evils and the falsities of evil devour the church; and by "the land being desolate" (that "land" or "earth" denotes the church, see the places cited in n. 9325; in like manner "ground," n. 566, 1068; that "cities" denote the doctrinal things of the church, thus its truths, n. 2268, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; and "fire" the evils of the loves of self and of the world, n. 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7575, 9141). [6] In Jeremiah:
Disgrace hath covered our faces, seeing that strangers are come against the sanctuaries of the house of Jehovah (Jer. 51:51). "Strangers against the sanctuaries of the house of Jehovah" denote evils and the falsities of evil against the truths and goods of the church; those of the nations were called "strangers" who were servants in the Jewish Church; and by the "nations" of that land are also signified evils and falsities (n. 9320). In the same:
Thou sayest, There is no hope, no; but I will love strangers, and after them will I go (Jer. 2:25). "To love strangers, and to go after them," denotes to love evils and the falsities of evil, and to worship them. [7] In Ezekiel:
I will bring the sword upon you, and I will give you into the hand of strangers (Ezek. 11:8, 9);
where "to bring a sword" denotes falsities from evil fighting against truths from good; "to give into the hand of strangers" denotes that they should believe and serve these falsities. (That a "sword" denotes truth fighting against falsities, and in the opposite sense falsities fighting against truths, see n. 2799, 6353, 7102, 8294.) [8] Again:
Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised in the hand of strangers (Ezek. 28:10). "The uncircumcised" denote those who in respect to the life are in filthy loves and their cupidities, however much they may be in doctrinal things (n. 2049, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7045, 7225), whose death is spiritual death; "in the hand of strangers" denotes in evils themselves and the falsities of evils. [9] Again:
Jerusalem is an adulterous wife under her man, she receiveth strangers (Ezek. 16:32). "Jerusalem an adulterous wife" denotes the church in which good is adulterated; "to receive strangers" denotes to acknowledge evils and the falsities of evil in life and doctrine. And in Joel:
Jerusalem shall be holiness, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more (Joel 3:17). "Jerusalem" denotes the church, but that in which the Lord is acknowledged, men live in good, and believe in the truths which are from the Lord; that "strangers shall not pass through her any more" denotes that the evils and falsities of evil which are from hell shall not enter. [10] In David:
Strangers are risen up against me, and violent men have sought after my soul (Ps. 54:3). Here also "strangers" denote evils and the falsities of evil; "violent men" denote the same doing violence to goods and truths. Those who look solely at the sense of the letter of the Word, understand nothing else by "strangers" than those who are outside the church, and that they will rise up against David; whereas nothing of person enters into the heavens, but only the things which are signified (n. 8343, 8985, 9007); thus not strangers, but instead of them strange things, which are those which are estranged from the church, thus evils and the falsities of evil which destroy the church; by "David" also, against whom they would rise up, is perceived the Lord (n. 1888, 9954). [11] In Moses:
He forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation; they provoked Him to jealousy by strangers (Deut. 32:15, 16). "To forsake God, and lightly esteem the Rock of salvation," denotes to deny the Lord; "to provoke by strange things" denotes by evils and the falsities of evil. (That a "Rock" denotes the Lord as to the truths of faith, see n. 8581.) Moreover, in other places also "strangers" denote evils and falsities (as in Isa. 25:2, 5; Jer. 30:8; Ezek. 31:11, 12). [12] As "strangers" signified those who are in evils and the falsities of evil, and from this in the abstract sense, evils and the falsities of evil, therefore it was forbidden that a stranger should eat the holy things (Lev. 22:10); that a stranger should approach the office of the priesthood, or the service of the sanctuary; and that if he did so he should be slain (Num. 1:51; 3:10, 38; 18:7). [13] It was also forbidden to burn incense from strange fire, for doing which Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, were consumed by fire from heaven (Lev. 10:1, 2); for by the holy fire which was from the altar was signified love Divine; but by "strange fire," infernal love, and hence also evils and their cupidities (see n. 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7575, 9141). [14] Mention is also made of "foreigners," which is expressed in the original tongue by another word than "strangers," and by "foreigners" are signified falsities themselves, as in these passages:
O Jehovah look on our reproach; our inheritance is turned unto strangers, and our houses unto foreigners (Lam. 5:1, 2). Strangers have led captive his strength, and foreigners have entered his gates, and shall cast a lot upon Jerusalem (Obad. 11). "To cast a lot upon Jerusalem" denotes to destroy the church, and to dissipate its truths. [15] In Zephaniah:
I will visit upon the princes, and upon the king's sons, and upon all such as are clothed in the clothing of a foreigner (Zeph. 1:8). "Those clothed in the clothing of a foreigner" denote those who are in falsities; for "princes and the king's sons," upon whom was visitation, denote the chief truths, and in the opposite sense the chief falsities (that princes have this signification, see n. 1482, 2089, 5044; and that "kings" denote truths themselves, and in the opposite sense falsities themselves, n. 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148); consequently "the king's sons" denote that which is derived therefrom. [16] In David:
Deliver me and rescue me out of the hand of the sons of the foreigner, whose mouth speaketh emptiness, and their right hand is a right hand of a lie (Ps. 144:7, 8, 11). That "the sons of the foreigner" denote those who are in falsities, thus falsities, is very evident, for it is said, "whose mouth speaketh emptiness, and their right hand is the right hand of a lie;" for "emptiness" denotes falsity of doctrine, and "a lie," falsity of life (n. 9248).