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
386. I have been shown how the delights of marriage love advance
towards heaven, and the delights of adultery towards hell. The
advance of the delights of marriage love towards heaven is into
states of blessedness and happiness continually increasing until they
become innumerable and ineffable, and the more interiorly they
advance the more innumerable and more ineffable they become, until
they reach the very states of blessedness and happiness of the inmost
heaven, or of the heaven of innocence, and this through the most
perfect freedom; for all freedom is from love, thus the most perfect
freedom is from marriage love, which is heavenly love itself. On the
other hand, the advance of adultery is towards hell, and by degrees
to the lowest hell, where there is nothing but what is direful and
horrible. Such a lot awaits adulterers after their life in the world,
those being meant by adulterers who feel a delight in adulteries, and
no delight in marriages.
387. XLI. THE EMPLOYMENTS OF ANGELS IN HEAVEN.
It is impossible to enumerate the employments in the heavens, still
less to describe them in detail, but something may be said about them
in a general way; for they are numberless, and vary in accordance
with the functions of the societies. Each society has its peculiar
function, for as societies are distinct in accordance with goods (see
above, n. 41), so they are distinct in accordance with uses, because
with all in the heavens goods are goods in act, which are uses.
Everyone there performs a use, for the Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of
uses.{1}
{Footnote 1} The Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses (n. 454,
696, 1103, 3645, 4054, 7038). Performing uses is serving the
Lord (n. 7038). In the other life all must perform uses (n.
1103); even the wicked and infernal, but in what manner (n.
696). All are such as are the uses they perform (n. 4054,
6815); illustrated (n. 7038). Angelic blessedness consists in
the goods of charity, that is, in performing uses (n. 454).
388. In the heavens as on the earth there are many forms of service,
for there are ecclesiastical affairs, there are civil affairs, and
there are domestic affairs. That there are ecclesiastical affairs is
evident from what has been said and shown above, where Divine worship
is treated of (n. 221-227); civil affairs, where governments in
heaven are treated of (n. 213-220); and domestic affairs, where the
dwellings and homes of angels are treated of (n. 183-190); and
marriages in heaven (n. 366-368); all of which show that in every
heavenly society there are many employments and services.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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