Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 122
accustomed to being held in love to the Lord and withheld
from love of self; also that by alternations between delight and
lack of delight the perception and sense of good becomes more
exquisite. 123
The angels added that their changes of state are
not caused by the Lord, since the Lord as a sun is unceasingly
flowing in with heat and light, that is, with love and wisdom;
but the cause is in themselves, in that they love what is their
own, and this continually leads them away. This was illustrated
by comparison with the sun of the world, that the cause of the
changes of state of heat and cold and of light and shade, year
by year and day by day, is not in that sun, since it stands
unchanged, but the cause is in the earth.
159. I have been shown how the Lord as a sun appears to the
angels of the celestial kingdom in their first state, in their
second state, and in their third state. I saw the Lord as a sun, at
first glowing and brilliant with a splendor that cannot be
described; and I was told that such is the appearance of the
Lord as a sun to the angels in their first state. Afterwards there
appeared a great obscure belt about the sun, and by this its first
glow and brilliancy, which gave it such splendor, began to be
dulled, and I was told that such is the appearance of the sun to
them in their second state. Then the belt seemed by degrees to
grow darker, and the sun to appear less glowing, and this by
degrees until at length it took on a shining whiteness; and I was
told that such is the appearance of the sun to them in their
third state. After this, that shining whiteness was seen to move
to the left toward the moon of heaven, and to add itself to her
light; and in consequence the moon shone forth with
unwonted splendor; and I was told that such is the fourth state
of those in the celestial kingdom and the first state of those in
the spiritual kingdom, and that in both kingdoms changes of
state have such alternations; yet not in the whole kingdom at
123. The angels are being perfected to eternity (n. 4803, 6648).
In the heavens one state is never just like another, and from this there is
an unceasing process of perfection (n. 10200).