Week 2    Day 4

    Listen:

Things Heard and Seen Regarding the Word in Heaven

SS 70. Until now it has not been known that the Word is in the heavens. And this could not be made known as long as the church was ignorant that angels and spirits are men like the men in this world, and that they possess in every respect similar things to those possessed by men, with the sole difference that they themselves are spiritual, and that all things they possess are from a spiritual origin; while men in this world are natural, and all things they possess are from a natural origin. As long as this fact was hidden, it could not be known that the Word exists in the heavens also, and is read by angels there, and also by spirits who are beneath the heavens. But that this might not be forever hidden, it has been granted me to be in company with angels and spirits, to converse with them, see what exists with them, and afterwards relate many things that I have heard and seen.

SS 71. As regards the Word in heaven, it is written in a spiritual style, which differs entirely from a natural style. The spiritual style consists solely of letters, each of which contains a meaning, and there are points above the letters which exalt the meaning. With the angels of the spiritual kingdom the letters resemble printed letters in our world; and with the angels of the celestial kingdom the letters (each of which also contains a complete meaning) resemble the ancient Hebrew letters, curved in various ways, and with marks above and within.

Such being the style of their writing, there are no names of persons and places in their Word such as there are in ours, but instead of names there are the things which they signify. Thus instead of Moses there is the historical Word; instead of Elijah, the prophetical Word; instead of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord as to His Divine and Divine Human; instead of Aaron, the priestly office; instead of David, the kingly office—each of these offices belonging to the Lord; instead of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, or of the tribes of Israel, various things of heaven and the church, and similar things instead of the names of the Lord’s twelve disciples; instead of Zion and Jerusalem, the church in respect to the Word and doctrine from the Word; instead of the land of Canaan, the church itself; instead of the cities in it on this side and beyond Jordan, various things of the church and of its doctrine; and so with all the other names. It is the same with the numbers; neither do these appear in the Word that is in heaven, but instead of them the things to which the numbers that are in our Word correspond. It is evident from these examples that the Word in heaven is a Word that corresponds to our Word, and thus that the two are a one, for correspondences make a one.

SS 72. It is a wonderful thing that the Word in the heavens is so written that the simple understand it in simplicity, and the wise in wisdom, for there are many points and marks over the letters, which as has been said exalt the meaning. The simple do not pay attention to these marks and are not even aware of them, but the wise pay attention to them, each one according to his wisdom, even to the highest wisdom. In every larger society of heaven, a copy of the Word, written by angels inspired by the Lord, is kept in its sanctuary, lest being elsewhere it should be altered in some point. In respect to the fact that the simple understand it in simplicity and the wise in wisdom, our Word is indeed like that in heaven, but this is accomplished in a different way.

SS 73. The angels acknowledge that all their wisdom comes through the Word, for they are in light in proportion to their understanding of the Word. The light of heaven is Divine wisdom, which to their eyes is light. In the sanctuary where the copy of the Word is kept, there is a flaming and bright light that surpasses every degree of light in heaven that is outside of it. The cause is the same as mentioned above: it is that the Lord is in the Word.

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