intelligence; they received it from the ancient Word discussed above
(§§ 264 – 266 ). Later on people received this knowledge from the Israelite
Word. From these two Words, religious concepts spread to the Indies and
their islands; through Egypt and Ethiopia into the countries of Africa;
and from the coastal regions of the Middle East into Greece and from
there into Italy.
Because that Word could be written only in language that was highly
symbolic, using things in the world that correspond to and therefore
stand for things in heaven, the nations eventually turned its religious con-
cepts into idolatrous concepts—in Greece into myths—and turned divine
attributes and characteristics into as many gods. Over these gods they
placed a supreme god whom they called Jove, perhaps from Jehovah.
It is generally known that they had a concept of paradise, a flood,
sacred fire, and four ages—starting with the golden age and ending with
the iron age, as recorded in Daniel 2 : 31 – 35.
People who think their own intelligence could develop concepts of 276
God, heaven and hell, and the spiritual things that the church teaches do
not realize that our earthly self is intrinsically opposed to our spiritual
self. Our earthly self tries either to uproot any spiritual things that come
in or else to cover them in false concepts that are like grubs that devour
the roots of vegetables and grains.
People like this could be compared to people who dream that they
are sitting on eagles and soaring on high, or sitting on Pegasuses and fly-
ing over Mount Parnassus toward Mount Helicon, while they are actu-
ally like Lucifers in hell who nevertheless still call themselves children of
the dawn (Isaiah 14 : 12 ).
They are like the people of the valley in the land of Shinar who set
out to build a tower whose top would reach to heaven (Genesis 11 : 2 , 4 ).
They are as confident in themselves as Goliath, not foreseeing that they
could be laid out, as he was, by a single stone driven by a sling into their
forehead.
I should say what outcome awaits them after death. They first
become like drunks, then silly, and finally brainless, and they sit in the
dark. Be wary therefore of insanity like this.
To these points I will add the following memorable occurrences. 277
The first memorable occurrence.One day in the spirit I was touring var-
ious sites in the spiritual world for the purpose of observing the symbolic
§277 sacred scripture 339