710. [verse 18] 'And voices and lightnings and thunderings were produced' signifies reasonings, falsifications of truth, and arguments derived from the untruths of evil in the Church, with those who are in faith alone and who turn away from reflecting upon the evils with themselves, since they are not willing to withdraw from them if they should know them. That by 'voices', 'lightnings' and 'thunderings' are signified reasonings, falsifications of truth, and arguments derived from untruths, can be established from the things said above (n. 396, 530), and the similar things there. That those who are in a faith separated from the works of the law and consequently in evils of life turn away from reflecting upon the evils with themselves because they are not willing to withdraw from them if they should know them, is plain without an exposition. Experience teaches this; for evils are delights, because they are loves, and no one is willing to withdraw from delights unless he looks to a life after death, first to hell [to see] what it is like, and afterwards to heaven [to see] what it is like, and thinks of them aside from the doing of evil. If he then looks to the Lord also, and thinks 'What is the temporal in respect to the eternal? Is it not as nothing?', then he can reflect upon his own evils and be willing to know them and to withdraw from them. But if he has confirmed himself in faith alone, then he will say in his heart' Our theological faith is that God the Father has mercy for the sake of the Son Who has suffered for our sins; if I with some confidence ask for this [faith], it effects all things. In this way he does not reflect upon any evil with himself. He even says to himself as a result of that faith, that evil does not condemn, and that salvation is pure mercy, besides other similar things. Thus he remains constant in his evils, and takes a delight in them even to the end of life. Such are the reasonings, the falsifications of truth, and the arguments derived from untruths of evil that are signified here by the 'voices', 'lightnings' and 'thunderings'.