§348 the wise & the simple 191
a. The world’s light is for the outer person, heaven’s light for the inner: 3222 , 3223 [ 3224 ], 3337.
Heaven’s light fl ows into our natural illumination, and as natural people we are wise to the extent
that we accept heaven’s light: 4302 , 4408. Looking from the world’s light, which is called natural
illumination, things that are in heaven’s light cannot be seen, but the reverse can happen: 9754
[ 9755 ]. So people who are solely in the world’s light cannot see things that are in heaven’s light:
3108. The world’s light is darkness to angels: 1521 , 1783 , 1880.
in heaven, because they are not delighted and moved by heaven’s light,
only by the world’s light; and this latter light without the heavenly one is
pure darkness.a Their own praise is actually in control because it is the
goal they have in view, and when that praise is our goal, then we are
focused primarily on ourselves; and the truths that are useful as means to
our praise are regarded solely as means to an end and as slaves. This is
because whenever we love divine truths for the sake of our own praise,
we are focusing on ourselves in the divine truths and not on the Lord.
This switches our sight (which is an activity of our understanding and
faith) from heaven to the world and from the Lord to ourselves. This is
why we are in the world’s light and not in heaven’s light.
[ 3 ] Outwardly, in each other’s sight, they look just as intelligent and
wise as people who are in heaven’s light, because they talk in much the
same way. They may even seem wiser outwardly, because they are ener-
gized by their self-love and have learned to imitate heavenly affections.
Inwardly, though, as angels see them, they are totally different.
We may gather in some measure from this just who are meant by
“the intelligent, who will shine like the radiance of the fi rmament.” Now
we need to explain who are meant by “the ones who justify many, who
will shine like stars.”
“The ones who justify many” means the ones who are wise. In heaven 348
people are called wise if they are engaged in what is good, and people are
engaged in what is good when they involve divine truths directly in their
lives, since divine truth becomes good when it becomes a matter of life.
Then it truly becomes a matter of intent and love; and anything that
belongs to our intent and love is called good. This is why these individu-
als are called wise, since wisdom is a matter of life. In contrast, people are
called intelligent if they do not involve divine truths directly in their lives
but consign them fi rst to their memories and then draw them out and
apply them to life. The nature and extent of the difference between these
two kinds of people in the heavens has been presented in the chapter on
heaven’s two kingdoms, the heavenly and the spiritual (§§ 20 – 28 ), and in
the chapter on the three heavens (§§ 29 – 40 ).