2803. That the Divine Truth is the “son,” and the Divine Good the “father,” is evident from the signification of a “son,” as being truth (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2633); and of a “father,” as being good; and also from the conception and birth of truth, which is from good. Truth cannot be and come forth [existere] from any other source than good, as has been shown many times. That the “son” here is the Divine Truth, and the “father” the Divine Good, is because the union of the Divine Essence with the Human, and of the Human Essence with the Divine, is the Divine marriage of Good with Truth, and of Truth with Good, from which comes the heavenly marriage; for in Jehovah or the Lord there is nothing but what is infinite; and because infinite, it cannot be apprehended by any idea, except that it is the being and the coming forth [esse et existere] of all good and truth, or is Good itself and Truth itself. Good itself is the “Father,” and Truth itself is the “Son.” But because as before said there is a Divine marriage of Good and Truth, and of Truth and Good, the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches in John:

Jesus saith unto Philip, Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me ? Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in me (John 14:10-11).

And again in the same Evangelist:

Jesus said to the Jews, Though ye believe not Me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father (John 10:36, 38).

And again:

I pray for them; for all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and that they all may be one, as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee (John 17:9-10, 21).

And again:

Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself. Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee (John 13:31-32; 17:1).

[2] From this may be seen the nature of the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord; namely, that it is mutual and alternate, or reciprocal; which union is that which is called the Divine Marriage, from which descends the heavenly marriage, which is the Lord’s kingdom itself in the heavens—thus spoken of in John:

In that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you (John 14:20).

And again:

I pray for them, that they all may be one, as Thou Father art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us, I in them and Thou in Me; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:21-23, 26).

That this heavenly marriage is that of good and truth, and of truth and good, may be seen above (n. 2508, 2618, 2728, 2729 and following numbers).

[3] And because the Divine Good cannot be and come forth without the Divine Truth, nor the Divine Truth without the Divine Good, but the one in the other mutually and reciprocally, it is therefore manifest that the Divine Marriage was from eternity; that is, the Son in the Father, and the Father in the Son, as the Lord Himself teaches in John:

And now O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:5, 24).

But the Divine Human which was born from eternity was also born in time; and what was born in time, and glorified, is the same. Hence it is that the Lord so often said that He was going to the Father who sent Him; that is, that He was returning to the Father. And in John:

In the beginning was the Word (the “Word” is the Divine Truth itself), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3, 14; see also John 3:13; 6:62).

409. About the many and the different ways of flushing out those who find their way into heaven and think they are in heaven because they are welcomed by the heavenly, who love as many as come, and believe all their qualities to be genuine, until they are exposed

In an uninterrupted spiritual vision, I experienced, and was also now and then taught aloud, that heaven is purged by various means of those who steal in, putting on what looks like a wedding garment, pretending to be angels. They display themselves in outer form as angels, but inwardly they are wolves who are continually leading believers astray. These are let in by believers because, amongst the multitude being freed from the pit, there are many of the kind who have not yet been purged. These wander among good spirits and angels, slipping into their company in angelic guise, and then, behaving in conformity with their shrewd talents and the sneaky character still with them, they entice the innocent to their side through intrigues that are second nature to them.

They are especially those who are steeped in self-love, and in various worldly loves. They indeed have stored within them the knowledge that there is a heavenly marriage. It is that very wedding feast the whole world is invited to [Matt. 22:9], which they thus slip into, and thereupon seek to destroy, so that they may obtain supreme power and then, from hatred, work against all in heaven.

How these matters stand, and how these spirits were exposed, and how they were cast down from that heaven in bands, would be too much to tell. However, they who have been cast down out of that feast are treated miserably, being thrown into a swamp. When they may again be delivered from there, no one can say, for one's term of imprisonment in the swamp, as well as one's depth in it, differ according to each person's wickedness. If the wickedness is only superficial, the punishment is lighter than that of people who, by bringing evil into act, have developed deeper roots.

Very many were surprised that gangs of this kind emerged in that realm, because nothing appears there but turmoil, confusion and condemnation. Therefore, so that they could be shown the nature and magnitude of the heaven of God the Messiah, this was also portrayed by a wonderful flowing movement of countless numbers of stars, and an actual voice then said to them that such, and so great, is the Heaven of God the Messiah. It was added that that gang only appears as a multitude, but that this kind of purging occurs every day and at every moment - otherwise mankind, with all its different states, could never be purified, so as to be able to stay in heaven. 1747, the 28th day of December.