darkness, because according to you we don’t have any doctrinal truths
from the Word. We know that every truth in the Word shines. It has
been our belief that this was the source of the gleaming when we were
deeply meditating on our mysteries. Therefore we will demonstrate that
we have truths from the Word in great abundance.”
They said, “Don’t we have this truth, that there is a Trinity—God the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and that we should all believe in
the Trinity? Don’t we have this truth, that Christ is our Redeemer and
Savior? Don’t we have this truth, that Christ alone is justice, and he alone
has merit; and we are unjust and ungodly if we try to attribute any of his
merit and justice to ourselves? Don’t we have this truth, that no people
alive can do anything spiritually good on their own, and everything that is
truly good comes from God? Don’t we have this truth, that there is such a
thing as goodness done for reward, and also goodness that is hypocritical,
and these types of goodness are actually evil? Don’t we have this truth,
that we nevertheless have to do good works? Don’t we have this truth, that
there is such a thing as faith, that we have to believe in God, and as we
believe we have life? And many other things from the Word like that. Can
any of you deny a single one of those truths? Yet you have said that in our
debates there are no truths, not even one. Surely then your harsh state-
ments against us are unwarranted.”
[ 5 ] “All the things you listed are truths in themselves,” the angels
answered, “but among you they have been falsified. They became false
because of a false premise.
“We’ll give you visible proof of what we’re asserting. There is a place
not far from here where light flows straight in from heaven. In the middle
of the place there is a table. When someone puts on the table a piece of
paper that has a truth from the Word written on it, because of the truth
written on it the piece of paper shines like a star. So write your truths on
a piece of paper, allow it to be placed on the table, and you’ll see.”
They did. They gave the piece of paper to a guard, who put it on the
table. The guard then said to them, “Stand back and look at the table.”
They stood back and watched. Lo and behold, the piece of paper
began to shine like a star.
Then the guard said, “You see that the statements you wrote on the
piece of paper are true. Now come closer and stare at the piece of paper.”
They did. Suddenly the light vanished and the piece of paper became
as black as if it had been coated with soot from a furnace.
§162 the holy spirit & divine action 233