3709. 'In you will all the families of the ground be blessed' means that all truths taught by doctrine which look to good will be joined to good. This is clear from the meaning of 'being blessed' as being joined together, dealt with in 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584, from the meaning of 'families' as goods and also truths which look to good, dealt with in 1159, 1261, and from the meaning of 'the ground' as that which is the Church's, consequently the doctrine of good and truth within the natural or external man, which 'Jacob' represents here, dealt with in 268, 566, ago, 3671. From this it is evident that 'in you will all the families of the ground be blessed' means that all truths taught by doctrine which look to good will be joined to good. Truths taught by doctrine which look to good are matters of doctrine concerning love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, which are said to be joined to good within the natural man when satisfaction and delight exists in knowing those things with the intention of acting upon them.

1274. The marvels existing in the next life include the following:

1. Communities of spirits and of angels, as regards position, appear distinct and separate from one another, even though places and distances in the next life are nothing other than varieties of state.

2. Position and distances are relative to the human body, so that people on the right thus seem to be stationed on the right whichever way the body turns. The same applies to those on the left, or in any other direction.

3. No spirits and angels are so far away that they cannot be seen; yet no more come into view than the Lord allows to do so.

4. When the Lord allows it, spirits whom others are thinking about - for example, people who had been known to them in some way during their lifetime - are present in an instant. They come close enough to be heard or touched, or stand a little way off, notwithstanding the fact that they may have been several thousands of miles away, even up among the stars. The reason is that spatial distance is meaningless in the next life.

5. With angels no idea of time exists; it is the same in the world of spirits, but more completely so in heaven. What then must the situation be with the Lord, to whom every single human being is inescapably most fully present and beneath His view and Providence?

These things seem unbelievable but are nevertheless true.