439. 'And there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt the men five months' signifies the clever falsifications of the Word by means of which for a short time they darken and bewitch the understanding, and thus deceive and captivate. By 'stings in their tails' are signified clever falsifications of the Word; by 'stings' cleverness, and by 'tails' truths of the Word falsified (n. 438). By 'power to hurt' is signified that by means of these they can induce stupefaction, that is, darken and bewitch the understanding, and thus deceive and captivate, for the tails were 'like scorpions', and by 'scorpions' such things are signified (n. 425). By 'five months' is signified for a short time, as above (n. 427). This comes about when they quote and apply anything out of the Word; for the Word is written by means of correspondences, and the correspondences are partly the appearances of truth, and these conceal the genuine truths inwardly in themselves. If these [genuine truths] are not known in the Church, they can select many things out of the Word which at first appear as if in agreement with heresy; but when the genuine truths are known in the Church, then the appearances of truth are laid bare and the genuine truths come into view; but before this comes about, a heretic by means of various things out of the Word can cover up and bewitch the understanding, and thus deceive and captivate. That this is done by those who assert sins to be remitted for a man, which is equivalent to being justified, by means of an act of faith of which no one knows a thing, and this in a moment, and if not before, at the last hour of death, can be illustrated by examples; but this is not the place for it. By 'stings' are signified untruths of a hurtful nature derived from evil, also in Amos:-