110. 'And where thou dwellest, where Satan's throne is' signifies their life in dense darkness. It may be seen above (n. 97) that by 'Satan' is understood the hell [formed] out of those who are in untruths; and to be in untruths is to be in spiritual dense darkness. 'Spiritual dense darkness' 'the shadow of death' and 'darkness' are nothing else but the states of those in hell who are in untruths of evil, and therefore in the Word by those expressions untruths are described. It can be established from these things that by 'Satan's throne' is signified sheer dense darkness. But here by 'dense darkness' is not understood that they are in sheer untruths, but that they are in no truths of doctrine, for the truths of doctrine that are derived from the Word are in light. Resulting from this, not to be in truths is not to be in light, consequently in dense darkness. That truths are in the light of heaven may be seen in the work concerning HEAVEN AND HELL (n. 126-140), and in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE (n. 73, 104-113). [2] In many places in the Word it treats of those who are in 'darkness', 'the shadow of death' and in 'dense darkness' whose eyes the Lord is going to open; and by them are understood the Gentiles who have been in good works, but not in any truths, because they have not known of the Lord, nor had the Word. Exactly like them are those in Christendom who are in works alone and in no truths of doctrine, and they are therefore not to be called anything else but Gentiles. They indeed know of the Lord, but yet they do not approach Him; and they have the Word, but they do not search there for truths. By 'to know where thou dwellest' is signified to know what the quality is, since in the spiritual world every one has his dwelling in accordance with the quality of his affection. It can be established from these things that by 'thou dwellest where Satan's throne is' is signified the life of their good in dense darkness. [3] Satanic spirits also are powerful by means of those who are in works alone, but apart from them they are of no avail, for in the spiritual world they adjoin them to themselves, if only one of them says, I am your neighbour, and on this account I must get preferential treatment. On hearing this they approach and are helpful, and they do not inquire who and what he is, because they do not have truths, and only by truths is the difference of one from the other known. This also is signified by 'Thou dwellest where Satan's throne is'.