1. THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

A statement of faith, set out in both universal and particular terms, is placed at the beginning to serve as a preface to the book which follows, to be like a doorway leading into a church, and a summary presenting in a short compass what follows at more length. It is called the faith of the new heaven and the new church, because heaven, where the angels are, and the church among men form a single unit, just as the internal and external sides of the personality make up a single individual. This is why a member of the church who possesses the good of love which arises from the truths of faith, and possesses the truths of faith which arise from the good of love, is, so far as the interiors of his mind are concerned, an angel of heaven. Therefore too after dying he comes into heaven, and there enjoys happiness depending upon how far the good and truth are linked. It should be known that in the new heaven, which is at the present time being established by the Lord, this statement of faith serves as its preface, doorway and summary.

800. The Dutch in the spiritual world.

In my book HEAVEN AND HELL I reported that Christians, who have the Word read to them and who know and acknowledge the Lord, the Redeemer and Saviour, are in the middle of the nations and peoples who make up the whole spiritual world. The reason is that with them the spiritual light is strongest; and it radiates as from a centre towards all the surrounding areas as far as the most distant. How this happens was shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture (267-272 above). In this Christian centre the members of the Reformed churches are allotted places in accordance with their ability to receive spiritual light from the Lord. Since the Dutch have this light more deeply and fully infused into their natural illumination, so that they are more disposed than others to receive rational ideas, they have been given dwellings in the east and south of that Christian nucleus. It is their capacity for receiving spiritual heat which locates them in the east, their capacity for receiving spiritual light which locates them in the south. Compass-points in the spiritual world are not like those in the natural world, but the location of dwellings depends upon the way faith and love are received, those in the east excelling in love, those in the south excelling in intelligence; see HEAVEN AND HELL 141-153.

195. From the Lord there proceed, one after the other, the celestial Divine, the spiritual Divine and the natural Divine. The name 'celestial Divine' is given to whatever proceeds from His Divine love, and it is good. The name 'spiritual Divine' is given to whatever proceeds from His Divine wisdom, and it is all truth. The natural Divine comes from both of these, being their totality at the outermost level. The angels of the celestial kingdom, which make up the third or highest heaven, are in the Divine called celestial which proceeds from the Lord, for they are in possession of the good of love coming from the Lord. The angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, who make up the second or middle heaven, are in the Divine called spiritual which proceeds from the Lord, for they are in possession of Divine wisdom coming from the Lord. The angels of the Lord's natural kingdom, who make up the first or lowest heaven, are in the Divine called natural which proceeds from the Lord, and they possess the faith of charity coming from the Lord. However, the people who make up the church are in one or other of those kingdoms, depending upon their love, wisdom and faith; and after death they come into the same kingdom as that in which they were previously. The pattern of heaven is repeated in the Word of the Lord. In its outermost sense it is natural, in a more inward sense spiritual, and in its inmost sense celestial, each sense being Divine. It is consequently suitable for the angels of the three heavens and also for men.