Resurrection, the first
'The first resurrection,' mentioned in Revelation 20:5, 6, does not mean a first resurrection, but the essence and primary part of resurrection, which is salvation and eternal life. There is only one resurrection to life. A second does not happen, and is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
(References: Apocalypse Explained 6; Apocalypse Revealed 851; Revelation 20:5-6)
Spiritual Experiences #4544
4544. 1 About the wakeful state of the good and the dreaming state of the evil
Conscience
Nordberg complained that he was like this in his dreams, and had therefore done these things while dreaming, but he was told that the evil, or those devoid of conscience, are in such a sleeping state, because their inward parts can no longer awaken. When their outer qualities are taken away, then their inner ones have no more light, thus no more wakefulness. The case is otherwise with those who had had a conscience, and who then inwardly had been different. When their outer qualities are taken away, then they awaken into full consciousness.
Footnotes:
1. [NCBS Editor's Note: There's a big break in time that occurs between sections 4544 and 4545. Swedenborg was embarking on one of his journeys at this point. He continued recording his experiences in a separate octavo-sized manuscript that was probably more convenient to take along while he was traveling. It has sometimes been referred to as "the minor diary", since it was smaller, and J. Durban Odhner's translation calls it "Spiritual Experiences (Interim Diary)". Swedenborg continued the numbering series, so this diary begins with section 4545. After Swedenborg returned to Sweden, he picked up where he'd left off, with the quarto-sized manuscript again, and - instead of jumping ahead to the end of the numbering sequence in the Interim Diary, he started back at 4545 again, and went from there. So, there's a time gap, but no numbering gap, which can of course be confusing. To read them in sequence, readers will want to jump from this current section, Spiritual Experiences 4544, to Spiritual Experiences (Interim Diary) 4545, and then from Spiritual Experiences (Interim Diary) 4792 back to Spiritual Experiences 4545.]
