96. We said that it is harmful to affirm the apparent truth of the Word to the point of destroying the genuine truth that lies concealed within, and that is because each and every particular in the Word’s literal sense communicates with heaven and opens it, in conformity with what we said in nos. 62-69 above.

So then, when a person uses that sense to justify worldly loves in opposition to heavenly loves, the inner meaning of the Word is falsified. And as a result, when that outer meaning or literal sense, whose inner meaning is false, communicates with heaven, it then closes heaven. For the angels who are present in the Word’s inner meaning reject the falsified meaning.

It is apparent from this that inner falsity or truth falsified takes away communication with heaven and closes it.

This is why it is harmful to affirm some heretical falsity.

96. [repeated]. The Word is like a garden, one rightly called a heavenly paradise, which contains delights to the tongue and to the eye and nose — delights to the tongue in its fruits and delights to the eye and nose in its flowers — with trees of life at its center by gushing springs of water. But surrounding the garden is a forest of trees.

A person guided by Divine truths in accordance with doctrine resides in the center where the trees of life are and experiences in fact the delicacies and delights of the garden.

In contrast, a person not guided by truths in accordance with doctrine, but who focuses on the literal sense alone, resides on the periphery and sees only the forest and its trees.

But someone caught up in the doctrine of a false religion, who has affirmed in himself the falsity of it, resides not even in the forest, but in a sandy plain round about, devoid even of grass.

That such are the states after death of the people described is something we will establish in its proper place.

26. 5. The Word’s spiritual meaning is granted after this only to someone who possesses genuine truths from the Lord. The reason is this: because no one can see the spiritual meaning unless he is enabled to do so by the Lord alone, and unless he possesses genuine truths from Him. For the Word’s spiritual meaning deals with the Lord alone and His kingdom, and that sense is the one possessed by His angels in heaven. It is, indeed, His Divine truth there. It is possible for a person to violate that truth if he has a knowledge of correspondences and tries to use it to explore the Word’s spiritual meaning in accord with his own intelligence. Applying some of the correspondences he knows, he may twist its meaning and use it to confirm even falsity, which would be to do injury to Divine truth, and to heaven as well. If someone tries to lay open that sense on his own, therefore, and not from the Lord, heaven is closed, and when heaven is closed, a person either sees nothing, or he becomes spiritually irrational.

[2] There is also another reason. Because the Lord teaches everyone by means of the Word, and teaches him in accordance with the truths the person already possesses and does not infuse new truths directly, therefore if the person is without any Divine truths, or if he possesses only a few truths and is caught up at the same time in falsities, it would be possible for him to use those falsities to falsify the truths — as is also commonly known to be the case with every heretic as regards just the Word’s literal sense.

Consequently, to keep people from entering into the Word’s spiritual meaning, or from twisting the genuine truth found in that sense, the Lord has set protections, meant in the Word by cherubim.

[3] That protections have been set was represented to me in the following way:

I was given to see large purses, looking like sacks, which had stored away in them a great deal of silver. Since they were open, it seemed as if anyone might take some of the silver deposited in them, even to make off with it. However, next to the purses two angels were sitting as guards. The place where the purses rested looked like a manger in a stable. In the next room I saw modest maidens, together with a chaste wife. Near that room were two little children, and I heard it said they were not to be played with in a childish way, but wisely. Afterward a harlot appeared, then a horse lying dead.

4] On seeing these images I was informed that they represented the literal meaning of the Word, which has a spiritual meaning within. The large purses full of silver symbolized concepts of truth there in great abundance. The purses’ being open and yet guarded by angels symbolized that anyone might draw concepts of truth there, but that people should take care not to falsify the spiritual meaning, which contains only truths. The manger in the stable where the purses were sitting symbolized spiritual instruction for the intellect. (A manger has this symbolism, because a horse, which feeds from it, symbolizes the intellect.)

5] The modest maidens I saw in the next room symbolized affections for truth, and the chaste wife the conjunction of truth and good. The little children symbolized the innocence of the wisdom in it (they were angels from the third heaven, all of whom appear like little children). The harlot together with the dead horse symbolized the falsification of the Word by many people today, by which all understanding of the truth has been extinguished. (A harlot symbolizes falsification, and a dead horse no understanding of truth.)