Heaven and Hell: The Portable New Century Edition

§259 written materials 133

e. External or physical possession no longer occurs today the way it used to: 1983. Now, however,
there is more internal, mental possession than there used to be: 1983 , 4793. We are possessed
more inwardly when we entertain fi lthy thoughts and libels against God and our neighbor and
when we are kept from airing them only by the outward restraints imposed by our fear of losing
reputation, respect, profi t, legal standing, or life: 5990. On the diabolic spirits who primarily pos-
sess our deeper levels: 4793. On the diabolic spirits who want to possess our more outward levels,
who are pent up in the hells: 2752 , 5990.

our mouths and acting through our limbs. It seems to them entirely as

though everything of ours were theirs. These are the spirits that possess

people; but they have been cast into hell by the Lord and moved deci-

sively away; so possession like this no longer occurs nowadays.e

Written Materials in Heaven

258
S

INCE angels do have language and their language is one of words, they

also have written materials; and through those written materials just as

through their conversation, they express what their minds are sensing. I

have sometimes been sent pages covered with writing, just like pages hand-

written or printed and published in our world. I could even read them in

much the same way, but I was not allowed to get more out of them than a

bit of meaning here and there. This was because it is not in keeping with

the divine design to be taught by written materials from heaven, but [only]

by the Word, since this is the sole means of communication and union

between heaven and earth, and therefore between the Lord and humanity.

We gather from Ezekiel that pages written in heaven appeared to the

prophets as well:

When I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me by the spirit,

and in it the scroll of a book that he unrolled in my sight. It was writ-

ten on the front and on the back. (Ezekiel 2 : 9 – 10 )

And in John,

I saw in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne a book

written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (Revelation 5 : 1 )

The occurrence of written materials in the heavens is provided by the 259

Lord for the sake of the Word, for in its essence the Word is the divine