Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
It is a Law of the Divine Providence that man should as if from himself put away evils as sins in the external man; and the Lord is able in this way and in no other to put away evils in the internal man, and simultaneously in the external.Any one is able to see from reason alone that the Lord, who is good itself and truth itself, cannot enter into man unless the evils and falsities in him are put away; for evil is the opposite of good, and falsity is the opposite of truth, and two opposites can in no wise be commingled, but when one draws near to the other a combat takes place, which lasts till one gives way to the other; and the one that yields departs, and the other takes its place. In such opposition are heaven and hell, or the Lord and the devil. Can any one think in a rational way that the Lord can enter where the devil reigns, or that heaven can be where hell is? From the rationality granted to every sane man can he not see that for the Lord to enter the devil must be cast out? or for heaven to enter, hell must be put away?
This opposition is meant by Abraham's words from heaven to the rich man in hell:—
Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; that those wishing to pass from this side to you may not be able, nor can those on that side pass over to us (Luke 16:26).Evil itself is hell, and good itself is heaven; or what is the same, evil itself is the devil, and good itself is the Lord; and the man in whom evil reigns is a hell in the least form; while the man in whom good reigns is a heaven in the least form. This being so, how can heaven enter hell when between them a gulf so great is fixed that there can be no crossing from one to the other? From all this it follows that hell must by all means be put away to make it possible for the Lord with heaven to come in.
But many, especially such as have confirmed themselves in a faith separated from charity, do not know that when they are in evils they are in hell; they do not even know what evils are, for the reason that they give no thought to evils, saying that as they are not under the yoke of the law they are not condemned by the law, and that, as they are unable to contribute anything to their salvation, they are unable to put away any evil from themselves; and furthermore are unable to do any good from themselves. These are such as neglect to think about evil, and because of this they are continually in evil. Such are meant by the goats spoken of by the Lord in Matthew (25:32, 33, 41-46), as may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning Faith (n. 61-68), of whom it is said:—
Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. (verse 41)For those who give no thought to the evils in themselves, that is, do not examine themselves and afterwards refrain from evils, must needs be ignorant of what evil is, and must needs love it from enjoyment in it; for he who does not know what evil is loves it, and he who fails to think about it is continually in it. Like a blind man he does not see it. For it is the thought that sees good and evil, as it is the eye that sees the beautiful and the unbeautiful; and he who so thinks and wills evil as to believe that evil does not appear before God, or that if it does appear it is forgiven, is in evil, since he is thus led to think that he is free from evil. If such abstain from doing evils they do not abstain because these are sins against God, but because they fear the laws or the loss of reputation; and they still do them in their spirit, for it is the spirit of man that thinks and wills; consequently what a man thinks in his spirit in this world, that he does after he leaves this world when he becomes a spirit.
In the spiritual world into which every man comes after death, it is not asked what your belief has been, or what your doctrine has been, but what your life has been, that is, whether it has been such or such; for it is known that as one's life is such is his belief, and even his doctrine; for the life makes doctrine for itself, and belief for itself.
(from Divine Providence 100 - 101)