Heaven and its Wonders and HellSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
Heaven and its Wonders and Hell
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Future life -- Christianity -- Early work to 1800; Heaven -- Christianity; Hell -- Christianity
They that are intelligent shall shine as with the
brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (12:3).
But few know who are meant by the "intelligent" and by those that
"turn many to righteousness." The common belief is that they are such
as are called the accomplished and learned, especially such as have
taught in the church and have surpassed others in acquirements and in
preaching, and still more such among them as have converted many to
the faith. In the world all such are regarded as the intelligent;
nevertheless such are not the intelligent in heaven that are spoken
of in these words, unless their intelligence is heavenly
intelligence. What this is will now be told.
347. Heavenly intelligence is interior intelligence, arising from a
love for truth, not with any glory in the world nor any glory in
heaven as an end, but with the truth itself as an end, by which they
are inmostly affected and with which they are inmostly delighted.
Those who are affected by and delighted with the truth itself are
affected by and delighted with the light of heaven; and those who are
affected by and delighted with the light of heaven are also affected
by and delighted with Divine truth, and indeed with the Lord Himself;
for the light of heaven is Divine truth, and Divine truth is the Lord
in heaven (see above, n. 126-140). This light enters only into the
interiors of the mind; for the interiors of the mind are formed for
the reception of that light, and are affected by and delighted with
that light as it enters; for whatever flows in and is received from
heaven has in it what is delightful and pleasant. From this comes a
genuine affection for truth, which is an affection for truth for
truth's sake. Those who are in this affection, or what is the same
thing, in this love, are in heavenly intelligence, and "shine in
heaven as with the brightness of the firmament." They so shine
because Divine truth, wherever it is in heaven, is what gives light
(see above, n. 132); and the "firmament" of heaven signifies from
correspondence the intellectual faculty, both with angels and men,
that is in the light of heaven. [2] But those that love the truth,
either with glory in the world or glory in heaven as an end, cannot
shine in heaven, since they are delighted with and affected by the
light of the world, and not with the very light of heaven; and the
light of the world without the light of heaven is in heaven mere
thick darkness.{1} For the glory of self is what rules, because it is
the end in view; and when that glory is the end man puts himself in
the first place, and such truths as can be made serviceable to his
glory he looks upon simply as means to the end and as instruments of
service. For he that loves Divine truths for the sake of his own
glory regards himself and not the Lord in Divine truths, thereby
turning the sight pertaining to his understanding and faith away from
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