267. 13. Because of the Word, Even People Who Are outside the Church and Who Do Not Have the Word Have Light.

No connection to heaven is possible unless somewhere on earth there is a church where the Word exists and where the Lord is known through that Word. This is because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth - without the Lord there is no salvation. (For the Word providing a connection to the Lord and association with angels, see 234-239 above.) It is enough if there is one church where the Word exists. Even if this church consists of comparatively few people, still the Lord is present throughout the world by means of the Word, since heaven is connected to the human race through the Word.

799. I have had conversations with many others as well - both with followers of these three and with various heretics. From visiting with all of them I was able to conclude that whoever among them had practiced a life of goodwill, and especially those who had loved the truth because it was true, were open to being instructed in the spiritual world and were receptive to the teachings of the new church.

People who have become adamantly devoted to theological falsities, however, and also people who have lived evil lives, are not open to being instructed. Bit by bit, they distance themselves from the new heaven and come into association with people like themselves who are in hell. Once in hell, they become even more stubbornly and adamantly opposed to the worship of the Lord, even to the point where they cannot stand to hear the name Jesus. The complete opposite happens in heaven, where all are of one mind in acknowledging the Lord as the God of heaven.