Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 50
of all things, and they regard his kingdom as the general, the
good of which is to be sought. This is what is meant by the
Lord’s words,
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all things shall be added unto you (Matt. 6:33).
“To seek his righteousness” means to seek his good. 62
[3] Those who in the world love their country’s good more
than their own, and their neighbor’s good as their own, are
they who in the other life love and seek the Lord’s kingdom;
for there the Lord’s kingdom takes the place of country; and
those who love doing good to others, not with self as an end
but with good as an end, love the neighbor; for in heaven good
is the neighbor. 63
All such are in the greatest man, that is,
heaven.
65. As the whole heaven reflects a single man, and is a Divine
spiritual man in the largest form, even in figure, so heaven like
a man is arranged into members and parts, and these are
similarly named. Moreover, angels know in what member this
or that society is. This society, they say, is in a certain part or
province of the head, that in a certain part or province of the
breast, that in a certain part or province of the loins, and so on.
In general, the highest or third heaven forms the head down to
the neck; the middle or second heaven forms the breast down
to the loins and knees; the lowest or first heaven forms the feet
62. In the Word “righteousness” is predicated of good, and “judgment”
of truth; therefore “to do righteousness and judgment” is to do what is good
and true (n. 2235, 9857).
63. In the highest sense the Lord is the neighbor; consequently to love
the Lord is to love that which is from Him, that is to love good and truth
because the Lord is in everything that is from Him (n. 2425, 3419, 6706,
6711, 6819, 6823, 8123).
Therefore all good that is from the Lord is the neighbor, and to will and
do that good is to love the neighbor (n. 5028, 10336).