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
10. Such spirits as have confirmed themselves during their life in
the world in the belief that the good they do and the truth they
believe is from themselves, or is appropriated to them as their own
(which is the belief of all who place merit in good actions and claim
righteousness to themselves) are not received into heaven. Angels
avoid them. They look upon them as stupid and as thieves; as stupid
because they continually have themselves in view and not the Divine;
and as thieves because they steal from the Lord what is His. These
are averse to the belief of heaven, that it is the Divine of the Lord
in the angels that makes heaven.
11. The Lord teaches that those that are in heaven and in the church
are in the Lord and the Lord is in them, when He says:
Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, so neither can ye,
except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much
fruit; for apart from Me ye can do nothing (John 15:4,5).
12. From all this it can now be seen that the Lord dwells in the
angels of heaven in what is His own, and thus that the Lord is the
all in all things of heaven; and this for the reason that good from
the Lord is the Lord in angels, for what is from the Lord is the
Lord; consequently heaven to the angels is good from the Lord, and
not anything of their own.
13. III. IN HEAVEN THE DIVINE OF THE LORD IS LOVE TO HIM AND CHARITY
TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR.
The Divine that goes forth from the Lord is called in heaven Divine
truth, for a reason that will presently appear. This Divine truth
flows into heaven from the Lord from His Divine love. The Divine love
and the Divine truth therefrom are related to each other as the fire
of the sun and the light therefrom in the world, love resembling the
fire of the sun and truth therefrom light from the sun. Moreover, by
correspondence fire signifies love, and light truth going forth from
love.{1} From this it is clear what the Divine truth that goes forth
from the Lord's Divine love is-that in its essence it is Divine good
joined to Divine truth, and being so conjoined it vivifies all things
of heaven; just as in the world when the sun's heat is joined to
light it makes all things of the earth fruitful, which takes place in
spring and summer. It is otherwise when the heat is not joined with
the light, that is, when the light is cold; then all things become
torpid and lie dead. With the angels this Divine good, which is
compared to heat, is the good of love; and Divine truth, which is
compared to light, is that through which and out of which good of
love comes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account