695. And His kingdom became dark, signifies that nothing but falsities appeared. By "darkness" falsities are signified, because "light" signifies truth; that "darkness" signifies falsities, by which are evils, and "thick darkness," falsities from evils, see above (n. 413). Therefore by "the kingdom of the beast became dark" is signified that nothing but falsities appeared. That they who have confirmed faith separated from charity, falsify the whole Word, may be seen above (n. 136, 610). That they are not in any truths (n. 489, 501, 653), but in mere falsities (n. 563, 597, 602). But the falsities of their faith do not indeed appear before themselves as darkness, that is, as falsities, but they appear to them as if they were lucid, that is, as truths, after they have confirmed them; but nevertheless while they are viewed from the light of heaven, which discloses all things, they appear as darkness. For which reason, when the light of heaven flows into their dens in hell, the darkness is such that they cannot see one another; on which account every hell is closed so as not to leave a crevice open, and then they are in their own light [lumen]. The reason why they do not appear to themselves to be in darkness but in light, although they are in falsities, is because their falsities, after confirmation, appear to them as truths, hence comes their light; but it is the light of infatuation, such as is the light of the confirmation of what is false. This light corresponds to that to which owls and bats owe their sight, to which darkness is light and light darkness, yea, to which the sun itself is thick darkness. Such eyes do they have after death, who in the world confirmed themselves in falsities to such a degree as to see falsity as truth and truth as falsity.