1014. (v. 18) And there were voices, and lightnings, and thunders. That this signifies reasonings, darkness of the understanding, and conclusions of falsities from evils, is evident from the signification of voices, lightnings, and thunders, when said of those who belong to the church, with whom there is no longer any good of love or truth of faith, as denoting reasonings, darkness of the understanding, and conclusions formed from falsities from evils (concerning which see above, n. 702, 704). That such things are signified by voices, lightnings, and thunders, in the Word, is from the appearances of these in the spiritual world amongst those who are not in the good of love and in the truths of faith, but who nevertheless talk with each other about them. Such discourse, which is reasoning, is signified by voices; the conflict of truth and falsity, by lightnings, and the consequent rejection of truth and good, by thunders. And because such things are from correspondence in the spiritual world, it follows that similar things in the natural world correspond, and that, consequently, such things as we have mentioned are thereby signified.
Continuation concerning the Seventh Precept:-
[2] From what has been said above, it is evident that all those who are in evils of life, and in falsities therefrom, are murderers, for they are enemies and haters of good and truth. For evil hates good, and falsity hates truth. An evil man does not know that he is in such hatred until he becomes a spirit, then hatred is the very delight of his life. Therefore from hell, where all the evil are, there constantly exhales a delight of doing evil from hatred; but from heaven, where all the good are, there continually breathes forth a delight of doing good from love. Hence two opposite spheres meet each other in the midst between heaven and hell, and mutually fight against each other. In this mid-region is a man while in the world. If he is then in evil, and in falsities therefrom, he passes into the regions of hell, and thence comes into the delight of doing evil from hatred. But if he is in good, and truths therefrom, he passes over to the regions of heaven, and thence comes into the delight of doing good from love. [3] The delight of doing evil from hatred, which exhales from hell, is the delight of killing. But because they cannot kill the body, they desire to kill the spirit; and to kill the spirit is to deprive it of spiritual life, which is the life of heaven. From these things it is clear that the precept, "Thou shalt not kill," involves also, that thou shalt not hate thy neighbour, also, that thou shalt not hate the good of the church and its truth; for if thou hatest good and truth, then thou hatest thy neighbour, and to hate is to desire to kill. Hence it is that the devil, by whom is meant hell in its whole extent, is called by the Lord "A murderer from the beginning."
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