8. Everyone in the heavens knows, believes, and even perceives that nothing good is intended and done by the self and that nothing true is thought and believed by the self. Everything comes from the Divine, which means from the Lord. Anything good and true from the self is not good or true, because there is no life from the Divine within it. Angels of the central heaven perceive and feel the inflow distinctly. The more they accept, the more they seem to be in heaven, because they are more fully absorbed in love and faith, in the light of intelligence and wisdom, and in the heavenly joy that results. Once we see that all these qualities emanate from the Lord's divine nature, we can see that the Lord's divine nature makes heaven. It is not anything the angels do with a sense of ownership. 1
This is why in the Word heaven is called the Lord's dwelling and his throne. It is why the people who live there are described as being "in the Lord." 2 We will explain later how the divine emanates from the Lord and fills heaven.
Imibhalo yaphansi:
1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Angels recognize that everything good comes from the Lord and nothing from themselves, and that the Lord dwells within them in what is his own and not in anything that they can claim as their own: 9338, 10125, 10151, 10157. Consequently, "angels" in the Word mean something that belongs to the Lord: 1925, 2821, 3093, 4085, 8192, 10528. Because of their acceptance of the Divine from the Lord, angels are called gods: 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192. In fact, the Lord is the source of everything that is really good and everything that is really true - of all peace, love, thoughtfulness, and faith: 1614, 2016, 2751, 2882-2883, 2891-2892, 2904. He is also the source of all wisdom and intelligence: 109, 112, 121, 124.
2. [Swedenborg's footnote] People in heaven are described as being in the Lord: 3637-3638.
