947. CHAPTER 9

THE HELLS - continued

In this section other hells that are different from those mentioned already.

People who are given to deceit, who imagine that they can get everything by the use of deceitful practices, and who during their lifetime have confirmed themselves in this notion from the fact that they have been successful in these matters, seem to themselves to be living on the left in a kind of tun, called 'the hellish tun', with a covering over it, and a small globe standing on a pyramid-shaped base outside of it, which they imagine to be the whole universe under their supervision and control. This is exactly how it appears to them. Those of them who have persecuted innocent people by the use of deceit are in that place for ages, and I have been told that some have already been there for twenty ages (saecula). ¹ When they are let out they have this kind of delusion in which they imagine that the whole universe is a globe which they walk around and tread under their feet, believing that they are the gods of the universe. I have seen them frequently and have talked to them about this delusion of theirs. but because they had been of such a nature in the world they could not be wrested from it. I have also noticed several times how they could corrupt people's thoughts by cunning deception, and instantly divert their attention elsewhere and replace them with other ideas, doing so in such a way that one scarcely realized they were doing it. And they acted in an unbelievably natural way. Such being their nature, they are never allowed near men, for they inject their poison in so secret and hidden a fashion as to escape notice.

Footnotes:

1783. THE INTERNAL SENSE

As stated already, the narratives contained here draw on true history; that is to say, Jehovah did in fact speak to Abram as described; the land of Canaan was promised to him as an inheritance; he was in fact commanded as described to arrange a heifer, she-goat, ram, turtle dove and fledgling; birds of prey came down on the carcasses; a deep sleep came over him, and in that sleep a horror of darkness; and when the sun had set he did in fact see what looked like a smoking furnace with a flaming torch passing between the parts; besides all the other details mentioned. These events are historically true, but even so every single one, down to the smallest event that took place, is representative; and the actual words used to describe those events, down to the smallest part of a letter, carry a spiritual meaning, that is, every single detail has an internal sense within it. For every single detail in the Word is inspired, and being inspired cannot derive from other than a heavenly origin; that is, celestial and spiritual things lie concealed in its inner recesses. If this were not so it could not possibly be the Word of the Lord.

[2] These are the things which the internal sense contains. When this sense lies open to view the sense of the letter passes out of sight, as though it did not exist, as also conversely when attention is paid solely to the historical sense, or sense of the letter, the internal sense passes out of sight, as though it did not exist. The relationship of the two senses is like that of heavenly light to the light of the world, and conversely like that of the light of the world to heavenly light. When heavenly light is seen, the light of the world is like thick darkness, as I have been made to know from experience. But when anyone is in the light of the world, heavenly light, if it is seen, would be like thick darkness. It is similar with human minds: to the person who limits everything to human wisdom, or worldly knowledge, heavenly wisdom is seen as something obscure and blank; but to one who possesses heavenly wisdom, human wisdom is like something totally obscure which, unless it had heavenly rays of light within it, would be as thick darkness.