4299. Omdat ik God van aangezichten tot aangezichten heb gezien en mijn ziel bevrijd is geweest; dat dit betekent dat Hij de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstond, alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, staat vast uit de betekenis van ‘God zien’, namelijk de toenadering tot Hem door de innerlijke dingen, namelijk door de goede en ware dingen, vandaar de tegenwoordigheid, zie nr. 4198 en uit de betekenis van de aangezichten, nrs. 1999, 2434, 3527, 3573, 4066;

en dus het denken en de aandoeningen, want deze beide zijn de innerlijke dingen, omdat zij van de ziel en van het gemoed zijn en zich in het aangezicht openbaren; en uit de betekenis van ‘mijn ziel is bevrijd geweest’ namelijk doorstaan, namelijk de Goddelijke tegenwoordigheid. Dat door al die dingen wordt aangeduid dat Hij de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstond alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, kan nergens anders vandaan blijken dan uit de naastgelegen en de verderaf gelegen oorzaken van de verzoekingen; de naastgelegen oorzaken zijn de boze en valse dingen bij de mens, die hem in verzoekingen leiden, dus de boze geesten en genieën die ze ingieten, nr. 4249; toch kan niemand verzocht worden, dat wil zeggen, enige geestelijke verzoeking ondergaan, dan alleen degene die een geweten heeft, want de geestelijke verzoeking is niets anders dan een marteling van het geweten; dus kunnen geen anderen verzocht worden dan zij die in het hemels en geestelijk goede zijn, want dezen hebben een geweten; de overigen hebben het niet en weten zelfs niet eens wat een geweten is; het geweten is de nieuwe wil en het nieuwe verstand uit de Heer; en dus is het de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer bij de mens en deze tegenwoordigheid is des te dichter nabij, hoe meer de mens in de aandoening van het goede of van het ware is; indien de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer dichter nabij is dan de mens naar verhouding in de aandoening van het goede of het ware is, dan komt de mens in verzoeking; de oorzaak hiervan is dat de boze en valse dingen die bij de mens zijn, die getemperd zijn met de goede en ware dingen bij hem, de nadere tegenwoordigheid niet kunnen doorstaan; dit kan vaststaan uit wat in het andere leven bestaat, namelijk dat de boze geesten geenszins enig hemels gezelschap kunnen naderen of zij beginnen angstig en gemarteld te worden; verder dat de boze geesten het niet verdragen dat de engelen hen onderzoeken, want zij worden terstond gemarteld en vallen in onmacht; en eveneens hieruit dat de hel van de hemel is verwijderd, met als oorzaak dat de hel de hemel niet verdraagt, dat wil zeggen, de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer die in de hemel is; vandaar komt het, dat in het Woord van hen gezegd wordt:

‘Dan zullen zij aanvangen te zeggen tot de bergen: Valt op ons en tot de heuvelen; Verbergt ons’, (Lukas 23:30);

en elders:

‘Zij zullen tot de bergen en tot de steenrotsen zeggen: Stort over ons en verbergt ons van het aangezicht van Degene die op de troon zit’, (Openbaring 6:16);

ook verschijnt de nevelachtige en duistere sfeer die uitwasemt van de boze en valse dingen van degenen die in de hel zijn, in de gedaante van een berg of een steenrots, waaronder zij verborgen worden, zie de nrs. 1265, 1267, 1270. Hieruit nu kan men weten dat ‘ik heb God van aangezichten tot aangezichten gezien en mijn ziel is bevrijd geweest’ de zwaarste verzoekingen betekent, alsof die uit het Goddelijke waren. De verzoekingen en de martelingen verschijnen alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, omdat ze, zoals gezegd, door de Goddelijke tegenwoordigheid van de Heer ontstaan, toch zijn ze niet vanuit het Goddelijke of uit de Heer, maar uit de boze en valse dingen die bij degene zijn die verzocht of gemarteld wordt; uit de Heer immers gaat niet dan het heilige, goede, ware en barmhartige voort; het is dit heilige, namelijk het goede, het ware en het barmhartige, dat diegenen die in de boze en valse dingen zijn, niet kunnen uithouden, omdat die dingen tegenovergesteld of strijdig zijn; de boze dingen, de valse dingen en de onbarmhartigheid streven aanhoudend daarnaar om die heilige dingen te schenden en voor zoveel als zij ze aanvallen voor zoveel worden zij gemarteld; en wanneer zij aanvallen en vandaar gemarteld worden, dan menen zij dat het het Goddelijke is dat hen martelt; dit is het wat wordt verstaan onder ‘alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren’. Dat niemand Jehovah van aangezicht tot aangezicht kan zien en leven, was aan de Ouden bekend en van daar ging de erkentenis daarover over op de nakomelingen van Jakob; daarom waren zij zozeer verheugd wanneer zij enig engel hadden gezien en toch leefden; zoals in het Boek Richteren:

‘Gideon zag, dat het een engel van Jehovah was; daarom zei Gideon: Heer Jehovah, daarom omdat ik een engel van Jehovah gezien heb van aangezicht tot aangezicht; en Jehovah zei tot hem: Vrede zij u, vrees niet, omdat gij niet sterven zult’, (Richteren 6:22, 23). In hetzelfde Boek:

‘Manoach zei tot zijn echtgenote: Stervende zullen wij sterven, omdat wij God gezien hebben’, (Richteren 13:22);

en bij Mozes:

‘Jehovah zei tot Mozes:

‘Gij zult Mijn aangezichten niet kunnen zien, omdat de mens Mij niet zal zien en leven’, (Exodus 33:20). Dat van Mozes wordt gezegd dat hij met Jehovah sprak van aangezicht tot aangezicht, (Exodus 33:11) en dat ‘Jehovah hem gekend heeft van aangezicht tot aangezicht’, (Deuteronomium 34:10), is omdat Hij hem verscheen in een menselijke vorm die aangepast was aan zijn opneming en die uiterlijk was, namelijk als een oude man met een baard, die bij hem gezeten was, zoals ik door de engelen hierover ben onderricht; vandaar hadden ook de Joden geen andere voorstelling dan zoals van een zeer oud mens met een lange en sneeuwwitte baard, die meer dan de andere goden wonderen kon doen; niet dat Hij de Allerheiligste was, omdat zij niet wisten wat het heilige was; te minder zouden zij ooit het heilige hebben kunnen zien dat uit Hem voortgaat, omdat zij in een lichamelijke en aardse liefde waren, zonder heilig innerlijke, nrs. 4289, 4293.

58. Where in the spiritual world their dwellings have been up to now. I said above (48) that the arrangement of all the nations and peoples in the spiritual world were seen to be as follows. In the centre were seen gathered those called the Reformed; around this centre those of the Roman Catholic religion, beyond them the Mohammedans, and in the last place the different heathens. This will show that the Roman Catholics made up the circle nearest to the Reformed in the centre. They occupy this position because the centre is occupied by those who enjoy the light of truth coming from the Word; and those who enjoy that light also enjoy the light of heaven, since the light of heaven comes from Divine truth, and it is the Word which contains this. For the light of heaven coming from Divine truth see HEAVEN AND HELL 126-140, and for the Word being Divine truth (303-310). The light spreads outwards from the centre and gives illumination. This is why those of the Roman Catholic religion are in the circle closest to the centre; for they have the Word, and it is read by those in religious orders, though not by the people. This is the reason why the Roman Catholics in the spiritual world were given their dwellings surrounding those who enjoy the light of truth coming from the Word.

[2] I shall now relate how they lived before their dwellings were utterly destroyed and turned into a desert. Most of them lived in the south and the west, only a few in the north and the east. Those who lived in the south were those who were more intelligent than the rest and had convinced themselves of their religious belief; and there too lived a large number of nobles and wealthy people. They did not live above ground there, but underground for fear of robbers, with guards at the entrances. In that quarter there was a large city, extending almost from the east to the west of it, and also a short distance into the west, occupying the position nearest to the centre where the Reformed were. That city was the home of tens of thousands of people or spirits. It was full of churches and monasteries. The ecclesiastics also brought together into that city all the precious objects they were able to amass by various devices, and hid them there in their cells and underground crypts. These crypts were so elaborately constructed that no one else could find their way in, since they were entered circuitously as in a maze. Their heart was in the treasures heaped up there, and they were confident that they could never be destroyed. I visited the crypts and was surprised to see how cunningly they were contrived and how they could be enlarged without limit. Most of those belonging to what they call the Society of Jesus were there, and they kept up friendly relations with the wealthy who were all round them. In that quarter there was towards the east a Council chamber, where they deliberated about extending their power and about methods of keeping the people in blind obedience (on this see above 56). So much for their dwellings in the southern quarter.

[3] In the north were living those who were less intelligent and had less convinced themselves of their religious belief, because their powers of perception were dim and they lived in blind faith. There was not such a large number there as in the south. Most of them were in a large city extending in length from the eastern corner towards the west, and a short distance into the west. This city too was full of churches and monasteries. On its extreme eastern edge were many from different religions including some of the Reformed. A few districts in that quarter outside the city were also occupied by Roman Catholics.

[4] In the east lived those of them whose chief delight in the world had been in ruling; and they enjoyed a natural kind of illumination. They were to be seen in the mountains there, but only on the side facing north, not on the other side facing south. In the corner towards the north there was a mountain, on the summit of which they placed someone out of his mind, whom they could influence to give any orders they wished by a method of sharing thoughts well known in the spiritual world, but unknown in the natural. They gave it out that he was the God of heaven Himself appearing in human form, and thus secured Divine worship for him. This was because the people wanted to abandon their idolatrous worship, so they had thought up this means of holding them to their obedience.

[5] That is the mountain meant in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:13) by the mountain of meetings on the sides of the north; those who live in the mountains are meant by Lucifer there (Isaiah 5:12). For those of the Babylonian crowd who were in the east had more illumination than the rest, but it was artificial illumination they had contrived for themselves. Some were to be seen building a tower intended to reach heaven where the angels are; but this was only a representation of their designs. For designs are presented in the spiritual world by many things visible to those standing a way off, though they are not really produced among the people devising them. This is a common event there. By means of this appearance I was given to understand the meaning of the tower, the top of which was in heaven, from which the place was called Babel (Genesis 11:1-10). So much for their dwellings in the east.

[6] In the west towards the front lived those of that religion who had lived during the Dark Ages, most of them underground, one generation beneath another. The whole front region, which faces north, was as if hollowed out and filled with monasteries. Their entrances were through caves with covers over them. They went in and out through these caves, but rarely talked with those who had lived in later centuries since they differed in character. They were not so malicious, because in their time there had been no struggle with the Reformed, so they did not have such cunning and malice arising from hatred and a desire for vengeance. In the western quarter beyond that region there were many mountains inhabited by the most malicious of this people, who denied the Divine at heart, although their oral confession and their pious gestures displayed a more pious attitude than that of the rest. The people there had thought out unspeakable schemes to keep the common herd obedient to their rule, and to force others to submit to it. I am not allowed to describe those schemes because they are unspeakable, but there is a general account of their nature in HEAVEN AND HELL 580.

[7] The mountains where they lived are what is meant in the book of Revelation by the seven mountains, and those who lived there are meant by the woman mounted upon the scarlet beast in this passage:

I saw a woman mounted on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names and having seven heads and ten horns. She had a name written on her forehead, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of whoredoms and abominations of the earth. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. Revelation 17:3, 5, 9.

Woman in the internal sense means the church; here in the contrary sense a profane religious system. The scarlet beast means the profanation of heavenly love; and the seven mountains the profane love of ruling. So much for the dwellings of those in the west.

[8] The reason why their homes are in different quarters is that all in the spiritual world move to a quarter and a place within the quarter corresponding to their affections and loves, and none can go anywhere else; on this see the discussion of the four quarters of heaven in HEAVEN AND HELL 141-153.

[9] Generally speaking all the deliberations of these Babylonian people have the tendency to establish their rule not only over heaven, but also over all the earth, and so to possess heaven and earth, earth by means of heaven and heaven by means of earth. To achieve this they continually think out and devise new rules and new teachings. They labour to produce the same kind of results in the other life as in the world, for each individual remains after death such a person as he was in the world, especially as regards his religious belief. I was allowed to listen to some of their prelates deliberating about a doctrine to serve as a standard for the ordinary people. It contained a number of paragraphs, but they were all intended to seize control over the heavens and lands upon earth, claiming all power for themselves and allowing none to the Lord. These doctrinal statements were later read to those present upon which they heard a voice from heaven declaring that, although they were unaware of it, these statements had been dictated from the deepest hell. To prove this a crowd of devils of the blackest and foulest appearance came up from that hell, and tore the statement away from them, not with their hands, but with their teeth, and carried it down to their hell. The ordinary people who witnessed this were thunderstruck.