Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

night. 273
HEAVEN AND HELL 399
But as truths from good are light, and correspond to
light (see above, n. 126–134), so those that are in truths from
good have sight and open eyes, and discern the things that
pertain to light and shade.
[3] This, too, has been proved to me by experience. The
angels in heaven both see and perceive the evils and falsities
that sometimes arise in themselves, also the evils and falsities in
spirits in the world of spirits that are connected with the hells,
although the spirits themselves are unable to see their own evils
and falsities. Such spirits have no comprehension of the good
of heavenly love, of conscience, of honesty and justice, except
such as is done for the sake of self; neither what it is to be led
by the Lord. They say that such things do not exist, and thus
are of no account. All this has been said to the intent that man
may examine himself and may recognize his love by his
delights; and thus so far as he can make it out from a
knowledge of correspondences may know the state of his life
after death.
488. How the delights of everyone’s life are changed after
death into things that correspond can be known from a
knowledge of correspondences; but as that knowledge is not as
yet generally known I will try to throw some light on the
subject by certain examples from experience. All who are in evil
and who have established themselves in falsities in opposition
to the truths of the church, especially those that have rejected
the Word, flee from the light of heaven and take refuge in
caves that appear at their openings to be densely dark, also in
clefts of rocks, and there they hide themselves; and this because
273. From correspondence “darkness” in the Word signifies falsities,
and “thick darkness” the falsities of evil (n. 1839, 1860, 7688, 7711). To the
evil the light of heaven is thick darkness (n. 1861, 6832, 8197). Those that
are in the hells are said to be in darkness because they are in falsities of evil; of
such (n. 3340, 4418, 4531). In the Word “the blind” signify those that are in
falsities and are not willing to be taught (n. 2383, 6990).