1672. And the kings that were with him. That this signifies the apparent truth which is of that good, is evident from the signification of “kings” in the Word. “Kings,” “kingdoms,” and “peoples,” in the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word, signify truths and the things which are of truths, as may be abundantly confirmed. In the Word an accurate distinction is made between a “people” and a “nation;” by a “people” are signified truths, and by a “nation” goods, as before shown (n. 1259, 1260). “Kings” are predicated of peoples, but not so much of nations. Before the sons of Israel sought for kings, they were a nation, and represented good, or the celestial; but after they desired a king, and received one, they became a people, and did not represent good or the celestial, but truth or the spiritual; which was the reason why this was imputed to them as a fault (see 1 Samuel 8:7-22, concerning which subject, of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere). As Chedorlaomer is named here, and it is added, “the kings that were with him,” both good and truth are signified; by “Chedorlaomer,” good, and by “the kings,” truth. But what was the quality of the good and truth at the beginning of the Lord’s temptations has already been stated.

1276. Spirits in the world of spirits, and angels in heaven, are positioned as follows: Angels are on the Lord's right and evil spirits on His left. At the front are those of an intermediate kind, while the wicked are at the back. Overhead are those who are haughty and aspire to high things, and underfoot are the hells which correspond to those who are on high. In this way the positions of all are fixed in relation to the Lord, as to every direction and degree of height, horizontally and vertically, and in every oblique direction. Their positions remain constant, eternally the same. The heavens constitute so to speak one human being, who is therefore called the Grand Man, to which everything in the human being also corresponds. This correspondence will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with later on. Consequently the positioning of everything around each angel is similar, and around each person to whom heaven is opened by the Lord. This is an effect of the Lord's presence, and could not happen if the Lord were not omnipresent in heaven.