199. What good is effected by temptations.

The effect of temptations, a summary (n. 1692, 1717[1-3], 1740, 6144, 8958-8969). By temptations the spiritual or internal man acquires dominion over the natural or external man; consequently good over evil, and truth over falsity; because good resides in the spiritual man, which cannot exist without it, and evil resides in the natural man (n. 8961). Since temptation is a combat between them, it follows that dominion is the object of the contest, that is, whether the spiritual man shall have dominion over the natural man, thus whether good shall have dominion over evil, or vice versa; consequently, whether the Lord or hell shall have dominion over man (n. 1923, 3928). The external or natural man, by means of temptations, receives truths corresponding to the affection thereof in the internal or spiritual man (n. 3321, 3928). The internal spiritual man is opened and conjoined with the external by means of temptations, in order that man as to each may be elevated, and look to the Lord (n. 10685). The internal spiritual man is opened and conjoined with the external by means of temptations, because the Lord acts from the interior, and flows in thence into the external, and removes and subjugates the evils therein, and at the same time subjects and renders it subordinate to the internal (n. 10685).

Temptations take place for the sake of the conjunction of good and truth, and the dispersion of the falsities which adhere to truths and goods (n. 4572). Consequently that good is conjoined to truths by temptations (n. 2272). The vessels recipient of truth are softened by temptations, and put on a state receptive of good (n. 3318). Truths and goods, thus the things which belong to faith and charity, are confirmed and implanted by temptations (n. 8351, 8924, 8966-8967). And evils and falsities are removed, and room made for the reception of goods and truths (n. 7122). By temptations the loves of self and the world, from whence proceed all evils and falsities, are broken (n. 5356). And thus man is humbled (n. 8966-8967). Evils and falsities are subdued, separated, and removed, but not abolished, by temptations (n. 868). By temptations corporeal things with their lusts are subdued (n. 857, 868). ¹ Man by temptations learns what good and truth are, even from their relation to their opposites, which are evils and falsities (n. 5356). He also learns that of himself he is nothing but evil, and that all the good with him is from the Lord, and from His mercy (n. 2334).

By the temptations in which man conquers, evil spirits are deprived of the power of rising up against him any further (n. 1695, 1717[1-3]). The hells dare not rise up against those who have suffered temptations and have conquered (n. 2183, 8273).

After temptations in which man has conquered, there is joy arising from the conjunction of good and truth, although the man does not know that the joy is thence (n. 4572, 6829). There is then the enlightenment of the truth which is of faith, and the perception of the good which is of love (n. 8367, 8370). Thence he has intelligence and wisdom (n. 8966-8967). Truths after temptations increase immensely (n. 6663). And good has the precedence, or is in the first place, and truth in the second (n. 5773). And man, as to his internal spiritual man, is admitted into the angelic societies, thus into heaven (n. 6611).

Before a man undergoes temptations, the truths and goods which are with him are arranged in order by the Lord, that he may be able to resist the evils and falsities which are with him, and are excited from hell (n. 8131). In temptations the Lord provides good where the evil spirits intend evil (n. 6574). After temptations the Lord reduces truths with goods into a new order, and arranges them in a heavenly form (n. 10685). The interiors of the spiritual man are arranged into a heavenly form, see the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on the Form of Heaven, according to which are the consociations and communications ² there (n. 200, 212).

They who fall in temptations, come into damnation, because evils and falsities conquer, and the natural man prevails over the spiritual man, and afterwards has the dominion; and then the latter state becomes worse than the former (n. 8165, 8169,8961).

Mga talababa:

8966. Temptations lead to stronger belief in the truths of faith, also to the implantation of them in a person, and their insinuation into the workings of his will, so that they become forms of the good of charity. For as stated already, a person employs the truths of faith when fighting against evils and falsities; and since during that conflict his mind is intent on truths, when he is victorious he strengthens his belief in them and implants them within himself. At the same time he regards as his enemy the evils and falsities which have made the attack, and casts them away from himself. Temptations also serve to subdue the cravings of self-love and love of the world and to make a person humble. That is, they serve to fit him to receive the life of heaven from the Lord, that life being the new life such as one who has been regenerated possesses.

6663. 'And according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied' means that in the measure that there were molestations, so the truths increased. This is clear from the meaning of 'afflicting' as molestation, and from the meaning of 'multiplying' as increasing in truths, dealt with above in 6656. Since people at the present day cannot, without experience of what goes on in the next life, know what such molestations are like, something must be said about them. The majority of spirits who come from the world and have led a life in keeping with the Lord's commandments are subjected to molestation before they can be raised to heaven and become attached to communities there. The molestation is caused by the evils and falsities residing with them and takes place for the purpose of removing those evils and falsities, see 6639; for they are impurities which those spirits acquired during their lifetime and are wholly out of keeping with heaven. The molestations come about by engulfing those spirits in their own evils and falsities. While they are engulfed in them other spirits steeped in similar evils and falsities are present, and these others strive in every way to lead them away from what is true and good. Yet they are not engulfed too deeply in their evils and falsities for the Lord's influence coming by way of the angels to prevail. What happens is controlled precisely, as if weighed in a balance, to the end that the one who suffers molestation may appear to himself to be in freedom and so to be fighting on his own against the evils and falsities, yet acknowledging - if not at the time, then subsequently - that all power to resist has come from the Lord, see 1937, 1947, 2881, 5660. While all this is going on, not only are previously implanted truths and forms of good made stronger but also more are introduced. This is how it is with all spiritual conflict in which the one involved becomes the victor.

[2] The truth of this is also evident from everyday experience, for anyone who defends his opinion against others attacking it becomes all the more convinced of his opinion and also at the same time discovers further ideas which he has not previously taken note of that strengthen it, as well as many that refute opposing ideas. He thus becomes more firmly established in his opinion and also illuminates it with further ideas. The same applies but in a far more perfect way to spiritual conflicts, because that kind of conflict takes place in the spirit and has to do with forms of good and with truths, and especially because - since the conflict is over eternal life and salvation - the Lord is present and leads by means of angels. As a general rule in such conflicts the Lord turns all evils intended by the hells into good, and therefore the hells are not allowed to evoke evils in excess of or different from those which can be turned into good appropriate for the person involved in the conflict. The reason why things happen in this way is that the Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of usefulness, and therefore nothing can take place there unless good can come out of it. From all this one may now see how to understand the idea that truths increase in the measure that there are molestations, meant by 'according as they afflicted them, so they multiplied'.