El Cielo y sus maravillas y el Infierno de cosas oídas y vistas

ÍNDICE GENERAL DEL CONTENIDO

Parte I — El Cielo

§1 [Prólogo del Autor]

Capítulo 1, (2-6), El Dios del Cielo es el Señor

Capítulo 2, (7-12), La Divinidad del Señor hace el Cielo

Capítulo 3, (13-19), En el Cielo la Divinidad del Señor es el amor a Él y la caridad hacia el prójimo

Capítulo 4, (20-28), El Cielo está dividido en dos reinos

Capítulo 5, (29-40), Hay tres cielos

Capítulo 6, (41-50), Los cielos se componen de innumerables sociedades

Capítulo 7, (51-58), Cada sociedad es un Cielo en la más pequeña forma, y cada ángel en la más pequeña forma, constituye un Cielo

Capítulo 8, (59-67), Todo Cielo en su conjunto, refleja a un sólo hombre

Capítulo 9, (68-72), Cada sociedad en el Cielo refleja a un sólo hombre

Capítulo 10, (73-77), Todo Ángel está en el Cielo en forma completamente humana

Capítulo 11, (78-86), De la Divina Humanidad del Señor es de donde el Cielo, como un todo y una parte, se refleja en el hombre

Capítulo 12, (87-102), Hay una correspondencia de todas las cosas del Cielo con todas las cosas del hombre

Capítulo 13, (103-115), Hay una correspondencia del Cielo con todas las cosas de la Tierra

Capítulo 14, (116-125), El sol en el Cielo

Capítulo 15, (126-140), La luz y el calor en el Cielo

Capítulo 16, (141-153), Las cuatro partes del Cielo o los cuatro puntos cardinales

Capítulo 17, (154-161), Cambios de estado de los ángeles en el Cielo

Capítulo 18, (162-169), El tiempo en el Cielo

Capítulo 19, (170-176), Las representaciones y las apariencias en el Cielo

Capítulo 20, (177-182), Los vestidos con que los ángeles aparecen ataviados

Capítulo 21, (183-190), Las moradas de los ángeles

Capítulo 22, (191-199), El espacio en el Cielo

Capítulo 23, (200-212), La Forma del Cielo y de cómo ésta determina las afiliaciones y las comunicaciones allá

Capítulo 24, (213-220), Los gobiernos en el Cielo

Capítulo 25, (221-227), El culto Divino en el Cielo

Capítulo 26, (228-233), El poder de los ángeles en el Cielo

Capítulo 27, (234-245), El habla de los ángeles

Capítulo 28, (246-257), El habla de los ángeles con el hombre

Capítulo 29, (258-264), La escritura en el Cielo

Capítulo 30, (265-275), La sabiduría de los ángeles del Cielo

Capítulo 31, (276-283), El estado de inocencia de los ángeles en el Cielo

Capítulo 32, (284-290), El estado de paz en el Cielo

Capítulo 33, (291-302), La unión del Cielo con la especie humana

Capítulo 34, (303-310), La unión del Cielo con el hombre a través de la palabra

Capítulo 35, (311-317), El Cielo y el Infierno son propios de la especie humana

Capítulo 36, (318-328), Situación de los no cristianos o de los que están fuera de la Iglesia, en el Cielo

Capítulo 37, (329-345), Los niños en el Cielo

Capítulo 38, (346-356), Los sabios y los sencillos en el Cielo

Capítulo 39, (357-365), Los ricos y los pobres en el Cielo

Capítulo 40, (366-386), Los matrimonios en el Cielo

Capítulo 41, (387-394), Los empleos de los ángeles en el Cielo

Capítulo 42, (395-414), La alegría y la felicidad en el Cielo

Capítulo 43, (415-420), La inmensidad del Cielo

Parte II - El mundo de los espíritus y el estado del hombre después de la muerte.

Capítulo 44, (421-431), De lo que es el mundo de los espíritus

Capítulo 45, (432-444), Con respecto a su interioridad, todo hombre es un espíritu

Capítulo 46, (445-452), La resurrección y la entrada a la vida eterna

Capítulo 47, (453-460), El hombre después de la muerte está en completa forma humana

Capítulo 48, (461-469), Después de la muerte el hombre posee todos los sentidos, toda la memoria, pensamiento y afección que tuvo en el mundo, no dejando nada tras de si, sino su cuerpo terrenal

Capítulo 49, (470-484), El hombre después de la muerte es tal como lo fue en su vida en el mundo

Capítulo 50, (485-490), Las delicias de la vida de cada cual, se transforman, después de la muerte, en las delicias correspondientes

Capítulo 51, (491-498), El primer estado del hombre después de la muerte

Capítulo 52, (499-511), El segundo estado del hombre después de la muerte

Capítulo 53, (512-520), El tercer estado del hombre después de la muerte: estado de instrucción para aquellos que entran al Cielo

Capítulo 54, (521-527), Nadie entra al Cielo por mera misericordia sin los medios necesarios para ello

Capítulo 55, (528-535), No es tan difícil vivir la vida que conduce al Cielo como muchos creen

Parte III - El Infierno

Capítulo 56, (536-544), El Señor gobierna los infiernos

Capítulo 57, (545-550), Ninguno es arrojado al Infierno por el Señor, esto lo hace el espíritu de cada cual

Capítulo 58, (551-565), Todos los que están en los infiernos están en los males y en los errores que hay en ellos, derivados del amor al yo (egoísmo) y al mundo

Capítulo 59, (566-575), Lo que es el fuego del Infierno y el crujir de dientes

Capítulo 60, (576-581), La malicia y los artificios de los espíritus infernales

Capítulo 61, (582-588), La aparente situación y número de los infiernos

Capítulo 62, (589-596), El equilibrio entre el Cielo y el Infierno

Capítulo 63, (597-603), Por medio del equilibrio entre el Cielo y el Infierno, el hombre tiene libertad

9824. 'And an ephod' means Divine Truth there in an outward form, in which inner things terminate. This is clear from the meaning of 'an ephod' as Divine Truth in an outward form. The reason why 'an ephod' has this meaning is that Aaron's holy garments represented forms of Divine Truth in the spiritual kingdom, in their proper order, see above in 9822, and the ephod was the outermost of the three garments, Aaron's holy garments being the ephod, the robe, and the checkered tunic. Not only does what is outermost contain inner things; but inner things also terminate in it. This applies to the human body, and therefore also applies to the heavens, to which aspects of the human body correspond. It applies similarly to truths and forms of good, for both these constitute the heavens.

[2] Since the ephod represented the most external part of the Lord's spiritual kingdom it was holier than all the other garments; and on it there was the breastplate containing the Urim and Thummim, by means of which answers from the Divine were given. The reason why the most external part is holier than the things within is that what is outermost contains all inner things in their proper order. It contains them in an outward form and in a connection which are so perfect that if what is outermost were taken away the things within would disintegrate; for the things within not only terminate there, but also exist together there. The truth of this may be recognized by people who know about the nature of things that succeed one another and those that exist together with one another, namely that those which succeed one another, that is, proceed and follow one another in their proper order, also stand together with one another at the last and lowest levels. Let end, cause, and effect exemplify this. The end is the first in order, the cause is the second, and the effect is the last and lowest, so that these too progress one after another. Yet within the effect, which is last, the cause at the same time manifests itself, as does the end within the cause. Consequently the effect is the completion of the inner or prior things, which have also been brought together in it and lodge there.

[3] The situation is similar with human will, thought, and action; will comes first, thought second, and action last. Action is also the effect that has the two prior or inner things existing together within it. For to the extent that action contains what the person thinks and what the person wills, inner things are contained in a form and in connection. This explains why the Word says that a person will be judged according to his deeds or works, which means that he will be judged according to his thought and will, for these are present within deeds as the soul is within its body. Now since inner things present themselves together in what is last and lowest, then if the order is perfect that which is last and lowest, as has been stated, is held to be holier than the inner things, because it is there that the holiness of the inner things exists in its fullness.

[4] Since inner things exist together in the last and lowest in the same way, as has been stated, as a person's thought and will - or, on a spiritual level, his faith and love - exist together in his deeds or works, John more than all the other disciples was loved by the Lord and leaned on His breast, John 13:23; 21:20, 22. This was because that disciple represented the works of charity, see Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22, and also 3934. This too shows why what is outermost or last within perfect order is holier than the things within if considered separately from it. For when the Lord is present in what is last and lowest He is at the same time present on all levels; and when He is present in it inner things are contained in their proper order, connection, and form, and are under His control and guidance, subject to His good will. This is the arcanum that was meant in 9360, as you may see.

[5] This then is the reason why the ephod, being representative of the last and lowest part of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, was held to be holier than the rest of the garments belonging to the priestly office. Therefore the ephod was the chief of the priestly vestments, being made from threads of gold in among the violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen, Exodus 39:3, though the rest of the priests had ephods made of linen, 1 Samuel 2:18; 22:18. This goes to explain why the word 'ephod' stood for a priest's whole attire and why he was said 'to wear the ephod', meaning that he was a priest, 1 Samuel 2:28; 14:3. It also goes to explain why the breastplate was tied to the ephod and why answers were given through the Urim and Thummim there. That is to say, this vestment was a representative sign of the lowest part of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and answers from God present themselves in things last and lowest; for they pass through all the inner levels one after another, declaring themselves on the last and lowest because they terminate there. The fact that answers were given when they wore the ephod is clear from 1 Samuel 23:6-13; 30:7-8, and also in Hosea,

The children of Israel sat many days with no king, and no prince, and no sacrifice, and no pillar, and no ephod, and no teraphim ¹ . Hosea 3:4.

'Teraphim' means answers from God, for in former times answers were given through them, Zechariah 10:2. Furthermore the word 'ephod' in the original language is derived from the root 'to enclose all inner things', as is evident from the meaning of that word in Exodus 29:5; Leviticus 8:7.

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