403. On the basis of an opinion formed in the world, some spirits have believed that heavenly happiness consisted of a life of leisure, being waited on by others; but they were informed that there is never any happiness in idling around in order to be content. This would mean wanting the happiness of others for oneself, in which case no one would have any at all. This kind of life would be idle, not active, a life that would lead to atrophy. They might in fact have known that apart from an active life, a life has no happiness, and that idleness serves that life only for refreshment, in order to return them to the active life with more energy. Then they were shown in many ways that angelic life consists of worthwhile, thoughtful actions, actions that are useful to others, and that all the happiness angels have is found in service, derives from service, and is proportional to service.

So that these people might feel shame (people who have had the notion that heavenly joy consists of a life of leisure, inhaling eternal bliss) they are enabled to perceive what kind of life this would be. They see that it is thoroughly miserable; and once all their delight therefore dies away, they are very soon disgusted and nauseated.

480. They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more.- That this signifies that good and truth, and happiness thence, shall not fail them, is plain from the signification of hungering, which denotes a defect of good, therefore by not hungering is here denoted that there shall be no defect of good; and from the signification of thirsting, as denoting a defect of truth, therefore by not thirsting is here denoted that there shall be no defect of truth. The reason why happiness is also signified by the same words, is that all happiness and blessing with the angels in heaven are from the good and truth which they receive from the Lord, and are according to their reception of these. That all heavenly happiness, or all heavenly joy, is in the affection for good and truth, consequently in the marriage of good and truth, in which the angels of heaven are, may be seen in Heaven and Hell 395-414). They shall not hunger, signifies that good shall not fail them, because bread signifies the good of love; and to hunger is a term used of bread and food. And they shall not thirst, signifies that truth shall not fail them, because water and wine signify truth, and to thirst is a term used of water and wine. Hungering, therefore, and thirsting are frequently mentioned in the Word; they do not mean natural hunger and thirst, but spiritual hunger and thirst, and these are deprivation, defect, and ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good, and at the same time a desire for them. That these things are signified in the Word by hungering and thirsting, or by hunger and thirst, may be seen above (n. 386); where many passages in which these expressions occur are adduced and explained.