10605. And be thou ready against the morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai. That this signifies a new beginning of the revelation of Divine truth, is evident from the signification of “morning,” as being a rising state or beginning, here a new beginning (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “Mount Sinai,” as being heaven from which comes Divine truth, thus from which comes revelation (see n. 8805, 8931, 9420). That “morning” denotes a rising state or beginning, is because all times signify states, for the reason that in heaven time is not thought of, but only changes of state in respect to the affections and derivative thoughts, and also because the changes of state there are like the times of the day, which are morning, noon, evening, and night; and the morning is that from which they begin. It may seem strange that in heaven there are no times, when yet they live there one with another like men in the world; nevertheless with a difference in respect to intelligence, wisdom, and happiness. But the reason is that the light there from the sun, which is the Lord, does not undergo daily alternations like the light from the sun in the world, but is varied in accordance with the states of love and faith with the angels, which states undergo alternations like the states of heat, of light, and of shade every day in the earth. The reason of this is that the light from the sun there, which is the Lord, is Divine truth; and the heat from that sun is love, with which the angels are affected as are men with the state of light and heat in the world. (That the light in heaven is from the Lord as a sun there, may be seen at the places cited in n. 9548, 9684: That this light is the Divine truth from which angels and men have intelligence and wisdom, see the places cited in n. 9548, 9571, 9684, 10569: That times signify states, see the places cited in n. 10133: That in heaven states vary like the times of day and year in the world, n. 5962, 8426: That “morning” denotes the beginning of these states, thus a new beginning, n. 8427, 10114: And that in heaven there is a state of evening and twilight, but not a state of night, n. 6110)

1106. CONCERNING VASTATIONS

There are many persons who during their life in this world from simplicity and ignorance have imbibed falsities of religious belief, and yet have had a kind of conscience in accordance with the principles of their faith, and have not like others lived in hatred, revenge, and adultery. In the other life these persons cannot be introduced into heavenly societies so long as they remain in these falsities, for they would contaminate them; and they are therefore kept for a time in the lower earth, in order that they may get rid of their false principles. The time that they remain there is longer or shorter according to the nature of the falsity, and the life contracted thereby, and according to the degree in which they have confirmed themselves in their principles. Some suffer there severely, others not severely. These sufferings are what are called Vastations, of which there is frequent mention in the Word. ¹ When the period of vastation is completed, they are taken up into heaven, and as newcomers are instructed in the truths of faith, and this by the angels by whom they are received.

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