168 HEAVEN and HELL §308
reference to what has been presented above about the form of heaven
that determines its gatherings and communications.
Still, this mystery is understandable to people who are in spiritual
light but not to people who are only in natural light. People who are in
spiritual light, that is, see quite clearly countless things that people who
are in natural light alone either do not see at all or see only as a single
vague entity.309 If there had not been this kind of Word on our earth, the humanity
of our earth would have separated itself from heaven, and once separated
from heaven would no longer have had any rational ability. Our human
rational ability in fact arises from an infl ow of light from heaven.
We on this earth are by nature incapable of accepting any direct rev-
elation and being taught about divine truths by that means, unlike the
inhabitants of other planets ([whose abilities] have been dealt with in
their own separate booklet). We more than they are engrossed in worldly
concerns and therefore in superfi cial matters, while it is the deeper levels
that are open to revelation. If the outer levels were receptive, we still
would not understand the truth.
This nature of people on our earth is clearly visible in members of
the church. Even though they know from the Word about heaven, hell,
and life after death, they still deny these things at heart. This includes
people who have made a name for themselves for outstanding learning,
who you would think would therefore be wiser than others.
310 I have talked with angels about the Word on occasion, and have told
them that it is looked down on by some people because of its pedestrian
style. They know absolutely nothing about its deeper meaning and there-
fore do not believe that this kind of wisdom lies hidden within. The
angels have told me that even though the style of the Word may appear
pedestrian in its literal meaning, it is qualitatively incomparable because
divine wisdom lies hidden not just in the overall meaning but in every
word, and that this wisdom shines out in heaven. They have wanted to
declare that because it is divine truth, it is heaven’s light, since divine
truth in heaven is radiant (see above, § 132 ). They have added that with-
out this kind of Word there would be no light of heaven among the
people of our earth and consequently no union with heaven for them; for
the amount of heaven’s light there is among us determines the union and
therefore the extent to which we have any revelation of divine truth
through the Word. The reason people do not know this union exists
(through the spiritual meaning of the Word corresponding to its natural