Since each name signifies some distinct attribute or quality, “to profane the name of God” does not mean to profane His name itself but His quality.  “Name” signifies quality for the reason that in heaven everyone is named according to his quality; and the quality of God or the Lord is everything that is from Him by which He is worshipped.  For this reason, since no Divine quality of the Lord is acknowledged in hell the Lord cannot be named there; and in the spiritual world His names cannot be uttered by anyone except so far as His Divine is acknowledged; for there all speak from the heart, thus from love and consequent acknowledgment. (A.E., n. 959.)

Since “the name of God” means that which is from God and which is God, and this is called Divine truth, and with us the Word, this must not be profaned, because it is in itself Divine and most holy; and it is profaned when its holiness is denied, which is done when it is despised, rejected, and treated contemptuously.  When this is done heaven is closed and man is left to hell.  For as the Word is the only medium of conjunction of heaven with the church, so when the Word is cast out of the heart that conjunction is dissolved; and because man is then left to hell he no longer acknowledges any truth of the church.

There are two things by which heaven is closed to the men of the church.  One is a denial of the Lord’s Divine, and the other is a denial of the holiness of the Word; and for this reason, that the Lord’s Divine is the all of heaven; and Divine truth, which is the Word in the spiritual sense, is what makes heaven; which makes clear that he who denies the one or the other denies that which is the all of heaven and from which heaven is and exists, and thus deprives himself of communication and consequent conjunction with heaven.  To profane the Word is the same as “blaspheming the Holy Spirit,” which is not forgiven to anyone, consequently it is said in this commandment that he who profanes the name of God shall not be left unpunished. (A.E., n. 960.)

As Divine truth or the Word is meant by “the name of God,” and the profanation of it means a denial of its holiness, and thus contempt, rejection, and blasphemy, it follows that the name of God is interiorly profaned by a life contrary to the commandments of the Decalogue.  For there can be a profanation that is inner and not outer, and there can be a profanation that is inner and at the same time outer, and there can be also a kind of profanation that is outer and not at the same time inner.  Inner profanation is wrought by the life, outer by the speech.  Inner profanation, which is wrought by the life, becomes outer also, or of the speech, after death.  For then everyone thinks and wills, and so far as it can be permitted, speaks and acts, according to his life; thus not as he did in the world.  In the world man is wont [accustomed], for the world’s sake and to gain reputation, to speak and act otherwise