810. Verse 10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity, signifies that those who have shut out others from truths are shut out from the Divine truths in the Word. This is evident from the signification of "captivity," as being to shut out from truths, here by reasonings from the natural man, for this is the spiritual captivity that is meant by "captivity" in the internal sense. (That this is what is meant in the Word by "captivity" will be seen in the following article.) Thence it is clear that "to lead into captivity" signifies to shut out others from truths; and "to go into captivity" signifies to be also shut out from truths. Here "to lead into captivity" signifies to shut out others from truths by reasonings from the natural man, because "the beast of the dragon," which is here treated of, means those who separate faith from life, and confirm that separation by reasonings from the natural man (see above, n. 773). [2] Before proving from the Word that "captivity" signifies spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from truths from the Word, I will first take up what was considered above (in article n. 805), which those who separate faith from life confirm by reasonings, and thus shut out others from truths; and in this way I will exhibit to view how they pervert truths and thence falsify the Word. It is to be known that those who are in truths can say the same things as those who are not in truths; for the latter prove the separation of faith from good works by the same passages of the Word as are used by the former to prove the conjunction of faith with good works. For the same expression may be used by two persons who disagree, and yet the perception be different; and it is the perception of a thing that causes it to be true or false. I have heard lovers of falsities speak in quite a similar way as those who were anxious to speak truths, and yet the latter were in truths and the former were in falsities, since they understood in a different way the things they expressed in a similar way, and according to their understanding they explained the passages from the Word; consequently by the one such passages were falsified, and by the other verified. For the truth in man is not a matter of speech, but of his perception; and this is why those who attempt to preach from the Word appear to be in truths, and yet when the same preach from doctrine about faith alone, redemption, the imputation of the Lord's merit, and the like, they are in falsities. This may be illustrated by a thousand examples. In a word, it is the perception and not the speaking from the Word that falsifies. This is meant by these words of the Lord:
Then two men shall be in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41). To be "in the field" signifies to be within the church, "to grind" signifies to investigate and learn truths from the Word; and one who investigates and learns truths is meant by "the one grinding that is taken," while he who falsifies truths is meant by "the one grinding that is left." To illustrate this let us consider again how propitiation by the blood of the Son, the bearing of iniquities by the Lord, the imputation of His merit, intercession, redemption, and salvation out of mercy, also trust and confidence, and so on, are understood by such persons. [3] As to propitiation by the blood of the Son, those who are in truths do not think about it as those do who are in falsities. Those who are in truths perceive by the propitiation by the blood of the Son that those who approach the Lord and pray to Him from the truths that are in the Word are received compassionately and are heard. "The Lord's blood" signifies not only the passion of His cross, but also the Divine truth of the Lord that is in the Word; for by the passion of the cross the Lord subjugated the hells; and this is meant by His "conquering death and rising victorious," as the leaders of the church say when they speak from the Word. By the passion of the cross the Lord also glorified His Human, and by this He keeps the hells forever subjugated. "The mercy-seat" that was over the ark of the Testimony, upon which cherubs were engraved, has the same signification. How those who are in truths understand the bearing of iniquities by the Lord has been shown above (n. 805). [4] To those who are in truths the imputation of the Lord's merit means simply an entreaty to the Lord that He will have mercy (who endured such cruel sufferings in order to redeem and save men, who would otherwise have perished in eternal death). The Lord's merit means that by His own power He saved those who believe in Him, and who do what He has commanded. This merit cannot be imputed, but it can be prayed for. Intercession means the perpetual remembrance of man by the Lord. Trust and confidence mean trust and confidence in the Lord that out of pure mercy He will teach man the way and lead him to heaven. Thence it is also clear what is meant by redemption. [5] From this it can now be seen that the things presented above (n. 805) do not mean, to those who are in truths from the Word, anything done by the Lord with the Father, but with Himself. For, as has been said above, God is one and not three, and the trinity is in the Lord; consequently when the Lord is approached the Father and the Holy Spirit are at the same time approached. From this it can also be seen that "to lead into captivity" signifies to shut out from Divine truths in the Word. For those who hold the doctrine of three persons in the Divinity, and who separate faith from its life, which is good works, shut out others from the understanding of truth in the Word. For they explain all things in it according to their doctrine; and what they cannot explain they falsify. Moreover, the Divine which is in the Lord, and which is of the Lord Himself, they ascribe to the Divine of the Father, and thus do not approach the Lord; and because they do this, either by reasonings or by an explanation of the truths of the Word foreign to them, they shut out from the truth the people who believe that everything that is said about Divine things is above human comprehension; this is signified by "leading into captivity." That they themselves "go into captivity," that is, shut themselves out from the Divine truths in the Word, is evident from all things of their doctrine, in that while the things they speak are true as to statement they are not true in the way they understand them. This, too, has been testified to me by the state of such in the spiritual world, where it was found, when they were examined, that they were in mere falsities, and consequently could never be brought by the Lord into any heavenly intelligence.
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