Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 337
himself. That the unanimity and concord of many, especially
from such an origin and held together by such a bond,
produces perfection, everyone with a reason at all enlightened
can see clearly.
419. I have also been permitted to see the extent of the
inhabited and also of the uninhabited heaven; and the extent of
the uninhabited heaven was seen to be so great that it could
not be filled to eternity even if there were many myriads of
earths, and as great a multitude of men on each earth as on
ours. (On this also see the treatise Earths in the Universe, n.
168.)
420. That heaven is not immense, but is of limited extent, is
a conclusion that some have derived from certain passages in
the Word understood according to the sense of its letter; for
example, where it is said that only the poor are received into
heaven, or only the elect, or only those within the church, and
not those outside of it, or only those for whom the Lord
intercedes; that heaven is closed when it is filled, and that this
time is predetermined. But such are unaware that heaven is
never closed, and that there is no time predetermined, or any
limit of number; and that those are called the “elect” who are
in a life of good and truth; 254
and those are called “poor” who
are lacking in knowledges of good and truth and yet desire
254. Those are the elect who are in a life of good and truth (n. 3755,
3900).
Election and reception into heaven are not from mercy, as that term is
understood, but are in accordance with the life (n. 5057, 5058).
There is no mercy of the Lord apart from means, but only through
means, that is, to those that live in accordance with His precepts; such the
Lord from His mercy leads continually in the world, and afterwards to
eternity (n. 8700, 10659).