Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8622

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8622. That blotting I will blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. That this signifies that this falsity must be completely removed so that it may fight no longer, is evident from the signification of "blotting out the memory," as being to remove (of which below); and from the representation of Amalek, as being those who are in falsity from interior evil (see n. 8593). [2] That "blotting out the memory of Amalek" denotes to remove the falsity which is from interior evil, is because this can be removed, but cannot be blotted out, for this falsity exists with the infernal genii who live to eternity (n. 8593). But these genii are removed by the Lord, to prevent them from flowing into those who are of the spiritual church. The reason is that they do not flow into the thoughts which are of the understanding, thus not into what is of faith, as infernal spirits do, but into the affections which are of the will, consequently into the things of charity; and this so secretly that there never appears a trace that it is from them; and therefore if they were to flow in, the man of the spiritual church could not possibly be saved, because they would pervert and utterly deprave the affections of truth and good. Hence it is that these infernal genii are removed, so that they may not communicate with those who are of the Lord's spiritual kingdom. [3] Be it known further that with the man of the spiritual church a new will has been implanted in the intellectual part (n. 895, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113), which will these genii would wholly destroy if they were permitted to flow in. They would also enter into the hereditary evils of the old will, and would reopen them, and yet they have been closed (that these have been closed, see n. 986, 1667, 2308). These infernal genii are removed in this way in order to prevent their flowing in; because their falsity, which is falsity from interior evil, is evil, and indeed such evil that it cannot flow into the intellectual part, but into the will part; and as the new will of the man of the spiritual church has been implanted in the intellectual part, as was said above, they have consequently been removed from influx into it. To this end moreover the Lord provides that such genii be vastated as to everything intellectual. [4] Men become such genii after death who have continually meditated evil against their neighbor, and have delighted their thought with such things, and moreover have inflicted evil, but secretly and by means of others, taking the greatest care that no one should know that it came from them. In other respects they have seemed in outward appearance modest and courteous, and like friends, and also like Christians in their speech, as also in their life, yet have been hypocrites, and inwardly deceitful tigers.


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