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The World of Spirits

Heaven and Hell 421. The world of spirits is not heaven, nor is it hell, but it is the intermediate place or state between the two, for it is the place into which man comes after death; and from which, after a certain time, according to his life in the world, he is either elevated into heaven, or cast into hell.

On good appearing when evil is removed 

CL 444… “Do you not know of the existence of good and evil? and that good is from creation, but not evil? Yet evil, regarded in itself, is not nothing although it is the nullity of good. Good is from creation, both good in its greatest degree and good in its least; and when this least becomes nothing, then from the other side arises evil. There is therefore no relation between them, nor any progression of good to evil, but only a relation and progression of good to greater and less good, and of evil to greater and less evil, the two being opposites at each and every point. And since good and evil are opposites, there is an intermediate between them wherein is an equilibrium in which evil acts against good; but because it does not prevail, it stops in the endeavor. Every man is brought up in this equilibrium. Being between good and evil or, what is the same thing, between heaven and hell, it is a spiritual equilibrium, and for those who are in it, it brings freedom. The Lord draws all men away from this equilibrium to Himself; and the man who from freedom follows Him, He leads from evil into good and so to heaven.

CL 325… [4] FOURTH: That good when thus implanted cannot be transcribed. By transcription is meant the transcription of the good of one man into another. From what was said above, it follows that by regeneration a man is made wholly new as to his spirit, and that this is effected by a life according to the Lord’s commandments. Who does not see that this renovation cannot be accomplished except from time to time, in almost the same way as from seed a tree successively takes root, grows, and is perfected? Those who perceive regeneration in any other way do not know anything concerning man’s state, or concerning evil and good, that the two are altogether opposite, and that good cannot be implanted except so far as evil is removed. Nor do they know that so long as one is in evil he is averse to every good which in itself is good. Therefore, were the good of one to be transferred into another who is in evil, it would be as though a lamb were thrown to a wolf, or a pearl tied to the snout of a swine. From this it is manifest that transcription is impossible.

AC 6319 [2] With regard to the subject itself, they who do goods with the sole end of reward cannot possibly know that in doing goods without any reward there is happiness so great as to be heavenly happiness itself. The reason of their ignorance is that they perceive happiness in the delight of the love of self, and insofar as a man perceives delight in this love, so far he does not perceive delight in heavenly love, for they are opposites. The delight which flows from the love of self completely extinguishes the delight which is from heavenly love, insomuch that it is absolutely unknown what heavenly delight is; and if its nature is told it is not believed, nay, it is denied.

3] This it has been given me to know from evil spirits in the other life who, while they lived, did nothing of what is good to others or to their country except for the sake of themselves; such do not believe that any delight is possible in doing goods without the end of reward; for they suppose that if there is no end of reward all delight ceases. And if they are told further that when that delight ceases heavenly delight begins, they are amazed at the hearing;

Doing good for recompense

AC 6389… they who do what is good for the sake of reward, do indeed perform uses, and are of service; but yet are among those in the Lord’s kingdom who are in the lowest place, for they do not dispense the good which is communicated to them, except to those who can recompense them; and they pass by the rest who need aid the most, or if they do good to these, it is from the end of being rewarded by the Lord. Hence what they do they regard as merit, and thus consider the Lord’s mercy as due them. In this way they recede from humiliation, and in the same proportion from a state of receiving what is blessed and happy through heaven from the Lord. From all this it is evident that in the other life such are indeed employed in uses, but as lowest services.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.