603. And cause that as many as do not adore the image of the beast should be killed, signifies that they pronounce damnation upon those who do not acknowledge their doctrine of faith to be the holy doctrine of the church. "To adore the image of the beast" signifies to acknowledge their doctrine of faith as the holy doctrine of the church, for by "adoring" is signified to acknowledge as a holy thing of the church (n. 579, 580, 588, 597); and by "the image of the beast" is signified that doctrine (n. 601); by "being killed" is signified to be killed spiritually, which is to be condemned (n. 325, and elsewhere); and as "being killed" signifies to be condemned, it also signifies to be declared as heretical and excluded from the communion of the church, for such a one, in their eyes, is considered as condemned. This the learned among the clergy do who have imbibed the mysteries of justification in schools and academies, especially they who are in the pride of erudition on account of such things. These condemn all who do not think as they do, and so far as they dare, they fulminate against them.
[2] This I can relate, that they who have imbibed these mysteries, and thence were in the pride of erudition in the spiritual world, are so enraged against those who adore the Lord alone, and do not acknowledge faith alone as the only means of salvation, that they burn with wrath, anger and fury when they see them, and also when they feel at a distance the Divine sphere of the Lord and a sphere of charity encompassing them. Since they are such, the dragon is therefore described as a most bitter enemy against them; as that:
He stood before the woman about to bring forth that he might devour her offspring after it was born. And the serpent cast out of its mouth water as a river after the woman, that he might cause her to be swallowed up by the rivers. And the dragon was angry against the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (Rev. 12:4, 15, 17).
That out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, there came forth three unclean spirits like frogs, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:13-16; likewise 19:19-20, and 20:8-10).
Also that the beast that came up out of the abyss slew the two witnesses, and cast out their bodies upon the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, and did not permit them to be put into graves (Rev. 11:7-9).
By "not permitting them to be put into graves" is signified to reject them as condemned (n. 506).