Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 458
themselves into hell by their own free choice. Men in the world
because of their idea of hell are unable to believe that this is so.
In fact, in the other life before the eyes of those who are
outside of hell it does not so appear; but only so to those who
cast themselves into hell, for such enter of their own accord.
Those who enter from a burning love of evil appear to be cast
headlong, with the head downwards and the feet upwards. It is
because of this appearance that they seem to be cast into hell
by Divine power. (But about this more will be said below, n.
574.) From all this it can be seen that the Lord casts no one
into hell, but everyone casts himself into hell, both while he is
living in the world and also after death when he comes among
spirits.
549. The Lord from his Divine essence, which is goodness,
love, and mercy, is unable to deal in the same way with every
man, because evils and their falsities prevent, and not only
quench his Divine influx but even reject it. Evils and their
falsities are like black clouds which interpose between the sun
and the eye, and take away the sunshine and the serenity of its
light; although the unceasing endeavor of the sun to dissipate
the opposing clouds continues, for it is operating behind them;
and in the meantime transmits something of obscure light into
the eye of man by various roundabout ways. It is the same in
the spiritual world. The sun there is the Lord and the Divine
love (n. 116–140); and the light there is the Divine truth (n.
126–140); black clouds there are falsities from evil; the eye
there is the understanding. So far as anyone in that world is in
falsities from evil he is encompassed by such a cloud, which is
black and dense according to the degree of his evil. From this
comparison it can be seen that the Lord is unceasingly present
with everyone, but that he is received variously.
550. Evil spirits are severely punished in the world of spirits
in order that by means of punishments they may be deterred
from doing evil. This also appears to be from the Lord; and yet
nothing of punishment there is from the Lord, but is from the
evil itself, since evil is so joined with its own punishment that