5742. The last Judgment and the destruction of the old heaven and earth
The purging described earlier went on for several days, and at the end something like a hand stretched out by the Lord appeared above the heavens; and then began the battles between Michael and the Dragon that are described in the book of Revelation [Rev. 12:7 {ign17}]. On the western side toward the north something like a back appeared. From that elevated point upwards to the heavens above the center there were many heavens, and there an enormous number of angels unknown to me previously, up to myriads could be counted. There were followers of the dragon in the entrance and they spoke with them; and then all turned to them to listen to what they said. The heavenly doctrine was then refuted by the Dragonists, especially the [doctrine] about the Lord. And then each one who was listening was brought back to the state of their thought about the Lord that they had when they were in the world, and it was then evident that the majority rejected the Lord's Divinity, saying that they had no desire to know about a visible God, only about the invisible [God]. It was said to them that the Lord is also the invisible God, for He is one with the Father and in the Sun, and was invisible in the world after the ascension from the sepulcher, and many other things from the Word, but none of them wanted [to hear] this. Besides this, whether they place any part of salvation in a life of faith was examined. But they said, "No," but to faith, thus in thought alone, and nothing in willing and doing, that is, in living. In a word, they were turned in every direction and examined as to what their natures were. And it also was said to them that they were dragonist spirits, who urge these things and agree with them, and that the Lord teaches otherwise. But it was all in vain. This continued on through all the heavens assembled after the Lord's advent. And all there who were like this, after a great battle, as has been said, were judged [in order] to be thrown down. But they insisted that they stay there because they had been there so long.
