3721. 'And this is the gate of heavens means that which serves as the ultimate degree of order, through which there is, so to speak, a way in from the natural creation. This is clear from the meaning of 'the gate' as that through which exit or entrance is made. The reason why here that which serves as the ultimate degree of order is meant is that the subject is the natural, which 'Jacob' represents. What 'a gate' means is clear from what has been stated and shown in 2851, 3187, and the fact that the natural is the ultimate degree of order from what has been introduced in 775, 2181, 2987-3002, 3020, 3147, 3167, 3483, 3489, 3513, 3570, 3576, 3671. The reason why through that ultimate degree there is so to speak a way in from the natural creation is that man's natural mind is the place through which things of heaven, that is, which are the Lord's, flow in and come down into the natural creation; and through that same mind the things that belong to the natural creation go back up, see 3702. The fact that there is so to speak an entrance from the natural creation through the natural mind into interior parts may be seen from what has been stated and shown in various places before.

[2] It seems to man as though worldly objects enter in through his physical or external senses and affect interior things, and so that there is an entrance from the ultimate degree of order into things that are within. But this is an appearance and illusion, as is evident from the general rule that what is secondary cannot flow into what is primary, or what amounts to the same, what is lower cannot flow into what is higher, or what is also the same, what is exterior into what is interior, or what is still the same, things of the world and the natural creation into those of heaven and of the spirit. For the former are grosser, the latter purer, and the grosser things that belong to the external or natural man come into being and are kept in being from those belonging to the internal or rational man. Those grosser things are unable to have any effect on the purer things but are affected by them. The nature of this influx however, seeing that appearance and illusion itself convince people that the reverse is true, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed separately, where influx is the subject. This then is why it is said that through the ultimate degree of order there is, so to speak, a way in from the natural creation.

2121. The Last Judgement is now imminent, but this is not so clear on earth and within the Church as it is in the next life, to which place all souls go and flock together. At the present time the world of spirits is full of evil genii and evil spirits drawn for the most part from the Christian world. Among them nothing but forms of hatred, revenge, cruelty, disgusting behaviour, and also scheming devices prevail. This is the situation not only in the world of spirits where souls recently arrived from the world first gather, but also in the interior sphere of that world where those people are who, as regards their intentions and ends in view, have been interiorly evil. This interior sphere is at the present time so full to capacity that I have wondered that so vast a number could ever exist. For all are not cast down into the hells instantly, since the laws of order ensure that every such person shall return to the life that was his during his lifetime, and from that point be taken down step by step into hell. The Lord casts no one down into hell, but everyone does so to himself. Consequently those worlds of spirits are completely full to overflowing - with the vast number of such souls gathering and remaining there for a time. Because of them souls coming from the world are horribly oppressed. And in addition the spirits who are present with a person - for everyone is governed by the Lord by means of spirits and angels - are stirred more than ever before to afflict him with wicked suggestions, doing so to such an extent that the angels present with him can scarcely ward them off, but are compelled to flow into that person from further away. From this situation as it exists in the next life it is quite clear that the final period is imminent.