9492. 'And you shall make on it a rim of gold round about' means a border of good, serving to defend them from the approach of evils and the harm these can do. This is clear from the meaning of 'a rim' as a border, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'gold' as good, dealt with just above in 9490. The reason why to defend them from the approach of evils and the harm these can do is meant is that the good emanating from the Lord serves to protect those in heaven from being approached and harmed by evils that spring from hell. For unceasingly the hells are bent on doing ill and try to destroy heaven, 8295, which accounts for their looking like something that is boiling up and bubbling over, 8209. For firmly lodged in the minds of those who are in hell there is hatred of the neighbour and hatred of God; and because of this they are filled with rage when they become aware of the bliss of those who are upright, 1974. But the good emanating from the Lord which surrounds heaven as a whole, also every heavenly community and each individual inhabitant specifically, protects them and wards off attacks; and it does so unceasingly. Regarding 'the sphere of endeavours' emanating constantly from the hells to do ill and to destroy, and 'the sphere of endeavours' emanating constantly from the Lord to do good and to protect, see 8209. That border of good with which the Lord protects heaven is meant by the rim of gold round about the ark.

1974. After troubled sleep a very lovely sight presented itself round about the first watch. There were wreaths as of laurel, green and fresh, placed in a very beautiful order, and moving as though they were alive. They were formed and arranged in such a way that their beauty and unity, and the feeling of bliss flowing from these, defy description. They ran in a double series spaced a little distant from each other and extended quite a long way with ever varying beauty. This was plainly seen by spirits, even by evil ones. Then another sight followed, which was still more beautiful, holding heavenly happiness within it; yet it was only dimly visible. Young children were playing heavenly games which filled the mind with feelings beyond description.

[2] Subsequently I spoke to the spirits about those sights and they confessed that they had seen the first as clearly as I had done but not the second except so obscurely that they could not tell what it was. This gave rise to anger within them, and after that gradually to envy, when they were told that the angels and young children had seen it; and I was allowed to experience with my senses their feeling of envy so that nothing should escape me insofar as it contributed to what I had to learn about. Their envy was such that it not only caused them extreme annoyance but also agony and interior pain, and solely because they did not see the second sight as well as the first. They were consequently led through different kinds of envy until they experienced pain in the region of the heart.

[3] While they were passing through this state I talked to them about their envy. I said that they might have been contented with having seen the first vision, and that they could have seen the second as well if they had been good spirits. But this too merely roused their anger, which increased their envy to such an extent that after that they could not bear the faintest recollection of the experience without feeling pain. The states and the successive stages of their envy, together with the degrees of it, the increases in it, and the varied intermingled feelings of distress in mind and heart, are indescribable. In this way I was shown how much the wicked are tormented by envy alone when they see from afar the blessedness of the good, or indeed when they simply think about it.