AUTHOR’S TABLE OF CONTENTS OF VOLUME 1.

The Heavenly Arcana which have been unfolded in the Holy Scripture or Word of the Lord are contained in the Explication, which is the INTERNAL SENSE of the Word. What the nature of this sense is may be seen in those things which have been shown concerning it from Experience in numbers 1767-1777, and 1869-1879; and also in the context (n. 1-5, 64-66, 167, 605, 920, 937, 1143, 1224, 1404, 1405, 1408, 1409, 1502 at the end, 1540, 1659, 1756, 1783, 1807).

The Wonderful Things which have been seen in the Word of Spirits and in the heaven of Angels, are prefixed and subjoined to the several chapters. In this volume are the following:—

Concerning the Resuscitation of man from the dead, and his entrance into eternal life (n. 168-181).

Continuation concerning the entrance of man into eternal life (n. 182-189; also 314-319).

What the next life of the Soul or Spirit then is (n. 320-323).

Some examples from Spirits of what they had thought in the life of the body about the Soul or Spirit (n. 443-448).

Concerning Heaven and Heavenly Joy (n. 449-459; also 537-546; and 547-553).

Concerning the Societies which constitute Heaven (n. 684-691).

Concerning Hell (n. 692-700).

Concerning the Hells of those who have passed their life in Hatred, Revenge, and Cruelty (n. 814-823).

Concerning the Hells of those who have passed their life in Adulteries and Lasciviousness; and also concerning the Hells of the Deceitful, and of Sorceresses (n. 824-831).

Concerning the Hells of the Avaricious; and concerning the Filthy Jerusalem, and the Robbers in the Desert; and also concerning the excrementitious Hells of those who have lived in mere pleasures (n. 938-946).

Concerning other Hells that are distinct from the former (n. 947-970).

Concerning Vastations (n. 1106-1113).

315. But if the resuscitated person or soul is not of such a character as to be willing to be instructed, he then desires to be rid of the company of the angels, which they exquisitely perceive, for in the other life there is a communication of all the ideas of thought. Still, they do not leave him even then, but he dissociates himself from them. The angels love everyone, and desire nothing more than to render him kindly services, to instruct him, and to convey him to heaven. In this consists their highest delight.

1. From the mere letter of the Word of the Old Testament no one would ever discern the fact that this part of the Word contains deep secrets of heaven, and that everything within it both in general and in particular bears reference to the Lord, to His heaven, to the church, to religious belief, and to all things connected therewith; for from the letter or sense of the letter all that anyone can see is that-to speak generally-everything therein has reference merely to the external rites and ordinances of the Jewish Church. Yet the truth is that everywhere in that Word there are internal things which never appear at all in the external things except a very few which the Lord revealed and explained to the Apostles; such as that the sacrifices signify the Lord; that the land of Canaan and Jerusalem signify heaven—on which account they are called the Heavenly Canaan and Jerusalem—and that Paradise has a similar signification.