6481. De geesten die in het andere leven komen, brengen de mening met zich mee dat de Goddelijke Voorzienigheid universeel is, en dus niet in de afzonderlijke dingen; de oorzaak van die mening was daarin gelegen dat zij de bozen tot ereposten hadden zien verheven en rijk worden en welslagen, wat zij aan de eigen voorzichtigheid en wijsheid toeschrijven; maar zij weten niet dat de Goddelijke Voorzienigheid het eeuwig heil van de mens ten doel heeft, dus niet zijn heilrijkheid in de wereld, namelijk welstand en voorrang, waarin de meeste mensen zolang zij in het lichaam leven, de gelukzaligheid zelf stellen; terwijl dit toch niet zo is, want meestal baart de voorrang de liefde van zich en de welstand de liefde van de wereld, dus dingen die strijdig zijn met de liefde tot God en met de liefde jegens de naaste; daarom worden zulke dingen aan de bozen gegeven en eveneens aan de goeden, maar alleen indien die geschikt zijn en niet van de hemel afleiden en bovendien zorgt de Heer voor Zijn einddoelen door de bozen evenzeer als door de goeden; want de Heer drijft de bozen door hun liefden zelf aan om het goede te doen aan de naaste, het vaderland en de Kerk; de bozen willen immers uitmunten, zij willen gewin en willen daarom rechtschapen en vol ijver schijnen; en zo worden zij vanuit die begeerte zoals vanuit een vuur sterker aangespoord om zulke dingen te doen dan de rechtschapenen. Het wordt de bozen zelfs toegestaan te geloven dat alle dingen van de eigen voorzichtigheid zijn en dat er geen Goddelijke Voorzienigheid is of dat die slechts universeel is, omdat zij niet iets anders willen aanvaarden; en opdat zij zulke dingen ten uitvoer brengen die voor het algemeen welzijn bevorderlijk zijn, wordt aan hun plannen ook succes gegeven die hen nog meer aansporen omdat zij die aan zichzelf toeschrijven.

7007. 'And will teach you the things you will do' means that the Divine will therefore be within every single thing that is going to happen. This is clear from the meaning of 'teaching' as flowing in, and when it is used as it is here in reference to the Divine, as going forth, as above in 6999; and from the meaning of 'the things you will do' as things that are going to happen. Every single one is meant because what is said refers to the Divine. Something must be said here about what is meant by the Divine within every single thing that happens in a person's life. To man this seems to be altogether untrue, because he thinks that if the Divine were present in every single thing that happens no evil deeds would be done and no one would be damned either, and also that justice would always prevail, the upright would prosper in the world rather than those who are not upright, and many other conditions like these. But because they see the opposite of such conditions they do not believe that the Divine is in every single thing. As a consequence they attribute matters of a specific nature to themselves and their own prudence, and merely general, overall control to the Divine, calling everything else fortune and chance, which to them are blind natural forces.

[2] But a person thinks in that kind of way because he has no knowledge of the arcana of heaven, which are that the Lord leaves each person in freedom, for unless a person is in freedom he cannot be reformed at all. What a person does under compulsion does not reform him because compulsion does not allow anything to take root; for anything a person does under compulsion is not an act of willing, whereas what he does in freedom is an act of willing. What is good and true, if it is to be present in a person as his own, must take root in his will. What is outside the will is not the person's own. And since everyone is for that reason left in freedom people are allowed to think what is evil and, so far as outward fears do not hold them back, to do what is evil; and - since everyone is in freedom - those who are not upright rejoice and glory in the world seemingly more than those who are upright. But the glorying and rejoicing of those who are not upright is external or of the body and in the next life it is turned into hellish misery, whereas the glorying and rejoicing of those who are upright, being internal or of the spirit, remains and becomes heavenly bliss.

[3] Furthermore high rank and wealth bring worldly but not eternal happiness. This being so, that happiness may be experienced both by those who are not upright and by those who are upright; and if the upright are denied it, it is in order that such things may not divert them from what is good. And since a person thinks that Divine blessings consist in worldly kinds of goodness and bliss, his weakness leads him into errors about God's providence when He sees the opposite taking place. He also draws conclusions from present circumstances as he sees them. He gives no thought to the idea that Divine Providence has what is eternal in view, working especially to bring all things into a state of order in heaven, and also in hell, and so to ensure that heaven will unceasingly resemble a single human being, hell will exist opposite it, and equilibrium will therefore result. He gives no thought to the idea that these things cannot be brought about at all except by means of Divine providence at work in the most specific details of all, thus unless the Divine is constantly governing and directing people's freedom.

[4] For anything further on the subject see what has been stated and shown already regarding Divine providence:

The Lord's providence cannot be overall unless it is present in the most specific details, 1919 (end), 4319, 5122 (end), 5894 (end), 6481-6486, 6490.

The Lord's providence has in view what is eternal, 5264, 6490.

The Lord foresees what is evil and makes provision for what is good, 5155, 5195, 6489.

The Lord turns evil that He foresees into good, 6574.

Things that happen by chance are all part of providence, 5508, 6493, 6494.

One's own prudence is like dust thinly distributed in the air, while providence is, like the entire atmosphere, 6485.

Quite a number of mistaken ideas deny the presence of Divine providence in specific details, 6481.