302. I have talked with angels about the conjunction of heaven with the human race, and I said that, while the man of the Church declares that all good is from God, and that angels are with man, yet few believe that angels are conjoined to man, still less that they are in his thought and affection. To this the angels replied that they know that there is such a belief and even such a mode of speaking in the world, and especially, to their surprise, within the Church, where yet there is the Word to teach men about heaven and its conjunction with man. Nevertheless, there is such a conjunction that man is unable to think the least thing apart from the spirits adjoined to him, and on this his spiritual life depends. They said that the cause of ignorance of this matter is man's belief that he lives from himself, without a connection with the First Being (Esse) of life; and that he does not know that this connection exists by means of the heavens; and yet if that connection were broken man would instantly fall down dead. If man believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would not make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that inflows would be cast down to hell whence it comes. But because man does not believe that there is any influx into him either from heaven or from hell, and so supposes that all the things that he thinks and wills are in himself, and therefore from himself, he appropriates the evil to himself, and the inflowing good he defiles with merit.

414. And who is able to stand? signifies, who shall sustain and live? This is evident from the signification of standing, when it is before the Lord, as meaning to sustain and live, here, not able to sustain it and live; for, as was said above, the evil, from the influx and consequent presence of the Lord, that is, of Divine good and Divine truth going out and proceeding from Him with power and might, come not only into the tremors from fear, but also into torments from interior conflict, consequently unless they flee away and cast themselves down they cannot live, for from fear and torment death as it were befalls them, for the presence of the Divine brings death to the evil as it brings life to the good. From this their state it is then said, "Who is able to stand?" As also in Malachi:

Who sustaineth the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He shall appear (Malachi 3:2)?

In Nahum:

Who shall stand before His indignation; and who shall stand up in the glow of His anger (Nahum 1:6)?

And in Joel:

The day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who shall sustain it? (Joel 2:11).

Moreover, "to stand," like walking and sitting, in the Word signifies to be and to live; and "to stand," has a similar meaning with to stand firm and stand still. As in Luke:

The angel answered Zachariah, I am Gabriel, that standeth before God (Luke 1:19).

And in the same:

Be wakeful at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).

And elsewhere. And as "to stand" also signifies to be, it is said of Jehovah, in Isaiah:

Jehovah hath stood up to plead, and standeth to judge (Isaiah 3:13).

And in David:

God stood in the congregation of God; He shall judge in the midst of the gods (Psalms 82:1).

But why "to stand" signifies to be shall be told elsewhere.