Heaven and Hell (Harley) n. 33

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33. It ought to be clearly understood that with the angels it is their interiors which cause them to be in one heaven or another. For, the more their interiors are open towards the Lord, the more interior is the heaven in which they are. There are three degrees of the interiors with each angel as well as with each spirit, and also with man. Those with whom the third degree has been opened are in the inmost heaven. Those with whom the second degree has been opened, or only the first, are in the middle or in the outermost heaven. The interiors are opened by the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth. Those who are affected by Divine truths and admit them at once into their life, thus into their will and thence into action, are in the inmost or third heaven, and have their place in accordance with their reception of good from the affection of truth. Those, however, who do not admit truths at once into the will but into the memory and thence into the understanding, and who, from this, will and do them, are in the middle or second heaven. But, those who live morally and believe in a Divine Being, but do not care greatly about being taught, are in the outermost or first heaven.# From this it can be confirmed that the states of the interiors make heaven and that heaven is within everyone and not outside him, as the Lord teaches when He says,

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo here or Lo there, for behold, the kingdom of God ye have within you. Luke xvii. 20, 21. # There are as many degrees of life in man as there are heavens, and these are opened after death in accordance with his life (n. 3747, 9594). Heaven is in man (n. 3884). Therefore he who has received heaven into himself in the world, comes into heaven after death (n. 10717).


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