that angels have. Moral issues that have been examined and seen in a theo-
retical way are located on the second level under theological issues, because
moral issues communicate with spiritual issues. Political issues dwell on the
first level, below moral issues. Academic subjects, which come in many dif-
ferent forms and can be broken into genera and species, form a doorway to
all the higher issues.
“People who have spirituality, morality, politics, and academics pri-
oritized like this think what they think and do what they do on the basis
of justice and judgment. The reason for this is that the light of truth,
which is also the light of heaven, radiates through their highest level and
lights up what is lower down, just as the light from the sun passes
through the upper atmospheres and eventually through the air to pro-
vide light for the eyesight of people, animals, and fish.
“Theological issues do not, however, occupy the same place in people
who love the truth only for the sake of their own glorious reputations
and not because it is true. In these people theological issues occupy the
lowest level where academic subjects are considered. In some people, the-
ology and scholarly study become intertwined, but in others they cannot
become intertwined. Political issues occur on the same level beneath the-
ological issues, and moral issues fall beneath them. In people like this,
the two higher levels are not open on the right-hand side, so these people
have no inner reason that judges and they have no love for justice.
Instead they have cleverness that enables them to talk about any subject
as if they were intelligent and to support whatever comes to their mind as
if they were rational. The topics that they love to reason about the most,
though, are false because those topics are connected to lies told by their
five senses.
“This is why there are so many people in the world who cannot see
teachings that are true in the Word any more than someone born blind
could. When they hear teachings that are true, they hold their noses so
the smell will not upset or nauseate them. In the presence of falsities,
they open all their senses and drink those falsities in the way a whale
swallows water.”187 The third memorable occurrence.Once as I was meditating on the
dragon, the beast, and the false prophet mentioned in the Book of Reve-
lation, an angelic spirit appeared to me and asked what I was meditating
on. I said, “The false prophet.”
The angelic spirit said, “I will take you to the place where the spir-
its meant by the false prophet are.” He added, “They are the same