1092# “我看见另有一位天使从天降下”表示从主发出的在天上和世上的神性。这从“从天降下的天使”的含义清楚可知，“从天降下的天使”是指发出的神性或神性发出方面的主，因为一位天使在内义上不是指一位天使，而要么是指主，要么是指属于主的某种事物（可参看AE130b,302,593,910节），在此是指主，因为经上说他“有大权柄，地就因他的荣耀发光”，这句话是指神性真理在天上和世上的能力和同在；现在已经清楚表明，巴比伦被摧毁了，当她被摧毁时，从主发出的神性的能力和光明就会增强。下文将解释其原因。
（关于《亚他那修信经》续）
这是整个基督教界都接受的关于神的教义，因为它出自一个公会。但在检查这个教义之前，先要揭示一个奥秘，这个奥秘涉及人在这个世界上，以及后来在死后所进入的另一个世界上的信与爱的状态；因为若不揭开这个奥秘，人们可能会以为，每个人，无论他的信是什么，都能凭神性怜悯被准许进入天堂并得救。这是以下罗马天主教徒，或巴比伦种族的错误信仰的源头，这个错误信仰是：人照着教皇的美意和他牧师的青睐而拥有天堂。
奥秘是这样，人的一切思维都延伸到灵界的各个方向上，与火焰发出的光线差不多。由于灵界是由天堂和地狱构成的，而天堂和地狱是由无数社群组成的，所以人的思维必然延伸到社群；与主，与对祂的爱和信，以及天堂和教会的真理和良善有关的属灵思维延伸到天堂社群；但与自我和世界，以及对自我和世界的爱有关，同时与神无关的纯属世思维延伸到地狱社群。
迄今为止，人们还不知道人的一切思维都有这种延伸和方向，因为人们完全不知道天堂是什么样，地狱是什么样，从而不知道它们是由社群组成的，因此人的思维还可以延伸到他眼睛的视觉所延伸到的自然界之外的另一个世界。因此，思维延伸到灵界，视觉延伸到自然界，因为心智的思维是属灵的，而眼睛的视觉是属世的。多年的经历清楚告诉我，人的一切思维都延伸到灵界的各个社群，没有这种延伸，思维是不可能的，我可以完全自信地宣布：这是千真万确的！
总之，人的头在灵界，就像他的身体在自然界一样，这里的头是指他的心智，心智是由理解力、思维、意愿和爱构成的，这里的身体是指他的五种感官，即视觉、听觉、嗅觉、味觉和触觉。由于人的头，也就是他的心智在灵界，所以他要么在天堂，要么在地狱；心智在哪里，整个人当成为灵时，连头带身体就都在哪里。此外，一个人的品质和他与灵界社群的结合的性质完全一致：他若是天使，其品质就像他与天堂社群结合的性质，他若是魔鬼，其品质就像他与地狱社群结合的性质。
1092. I saw [another] angel coming down out of heaven.- That this signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in heaven and in the world, is evident from the signification of an angel coming down out of heaven, as denoting the Lord in regard to the proceeding Divine; for by an angel, in the internal sense, is not meant an angel, but either the Lord, or something pertaining to the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 130, 302, 593, 910), in the present case the Lord, because it is said, that He had great power, and that the earth was lightened with His glory, which means the power and presence of Divine Truth now in heaven and in the world, it being now made manifest that Babylon is destroyed, and when this is destroyed, then the power and light of the Divine which proceeds from the Lord increase; the reasons for this will be explained hereafter.
Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- This is the doctrine concerning God which is accepted by the whole Christian world, because it has come down from a general council. But before the examination of it is entered upon, a fact not known concerning the state of man's faith and love in this world and afterwards in that other into which he comes after death, shall be revealed; for unless this were disclosed it might be supposed that every one, whatever his faith, can of the Divine mercy be admitted into heaven and saved. This is the source of the erroneous belief of the Roman Catholics (Gentis Babylonica) that man possesses heaven according to the good pleasure of the pope, and by the favour of his priests (vicariorum). The unknown fact is this, that all the thoughts of man extend into the spiritual world, in every direction, almost like rays of light from flame. Since the spiritual world consists of heaven and hell, and both heaven and hell are formed of countless societies, therefore man's thoughts must necessarily have extension into societies, spiritual thoughts - which are those relating to the Lord, to love and faith in Him, and to the truths and goods of heaven and the church - into heavenly societies; but thoughts merely natural, concerned with self, the world, and the love of these, and not at the same time with God, into infernal societies.
That all the thoughts of man have such an extension and direction (determinatio) has up to this time been unknown, because nothing is known of the nature of heaven and of hell, that is, that they are formed of societies, and that consequently there is an extension of man's thoughts into a world other than the natural world; into the latter also there is an extension of the sight of his eyes. But it is the spiritual world into which thought extends itself, and the natural world into which vision extends itself, since the thought of the mind is spiritual, and the vision of the eye natural.
It has been made so evident to me from an experience of many years that there is an extension of all the thoughts of man into the societies of the spiritual world, and that there can be no thought apart from such extension, that I can declare the fact with perfect confidence. In a word, man is in the spiritual world with his head, as he is in the natural world with his body.
By head we here mean his mind, consisting of understanding, thought, will, and love, while by body we mean his senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. And because man as to his head, that is, as to his mind, is in the spiritual world, therefore he is either in heaven or hell; and where the mind is, there is the entire man with head and body, when he becomes a spirit. And a man's quality is exactly in agreement with the nature of his conjunction with the societies of the spiritual world, he being an angel whose quality is like that of his conjunction with the societies of heaven, or a devil whose quality is like that of his conjunction with the societies of hell.
1092. I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, signifies the Divine proceeding from the Lord in heaven and in the world. This is evident from the signification of "an angel coming down out of heaven," as being the Lord as to the Divine proceeding, for in the internal sense an angel means not an angel, but either the Lord or something pertaining to the Lord (See n. 130, 302, 593, 910), here the Lord, because it is said that "he had great authority, and the earth was lightened by his glory," which means the power and presence of the Divine truth now in heaven and in the world; for it is now made clear that Babylon has been destroyed, and when she has been destroyed there is an accession of power and light to the Divine that proceeds from the Lord. The reason of this will be explained hereafter.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[2] This is the doctrine respecting God that is accepted in the whole Christian world, because it is from a council. But before that doctrine is examined, a certain arcanum respecting the state of man's faith and love in this world, and afterwards in the other world into which he comes after death shall be disclosed; for until this has been disclosed man can have no other idea than that everyone, whatever his faith may have been, can by the Divine mercy be admitted into heaven and saved, which is the source of the erroneous belief of the Babylonish race, that man has heaven from the good pleasure of the Pope, and by the favor of his vicars.
[3] The arcanum is this, that all the thoughts of man pour themselves forth into the spiritual world in every direction, much the same as rays of light from a flame. As the spiritual world consists of heaven and hell, and as heaven as well as hell consists of innumerable societies, the thoughts of man must needs pour themselves forth into societies; spiritual thoughts, which relate to the Lord, to love and faith in Him, and to the truths and goods of heaven and the church, into heavenly societies; but merely natural thoughts, which relate to self and the world and the love of these, and not at the same time to God, into infernal societies.
[4] That there is such an extension and determination of all man's thoughts has not been known heretofore, because it has not been known what heaven is and what hell is, thus that they consist of societies, consequently that there is an extension of man's thoughts into another world than this natural world, into which the sight of his eyes extends. Thus it is the spiritual world into which thought extends, and the natural world into which sight extends, because the thought of the mind is spiritual while the sight of the eye is natural. That all thoughts of man extend into the societies of the spiritual world, and that without such extension no thought is possible, has been made so evident to me by the experience of many years that I can with all faith affirm it to be true.
[5] In a word, man is in the spiritual world with his head as he is in the natural world with his body, head meaning here his mind, which consists of understanding, thought, will, and love, and body here meaning his senses, which are seeing, hearing, smelling, taste, and touch. And as a man is in the spiritual world as to his head, that is, as to his mind, so he is either in heaven or in hell; and where the mind is there the whole man with the head and body is when he becomes a spirit. Moreover, man is wholly such as his conjunction is with the societies of the spiritual world, such an angel as his conjunction is with the societies of heaven, and such a devil as his conjunction is with the societies of hell.
1092. "Vidi [alium] angelum descendentem e caelo." - Quod significet Divinum procedens a Domino in caelo et in mundo, constat ex significatione "angeli descendentis e caelo", quod sit Dominus quoad Divinum procedens; per "angelum" enim iri sensu interno non intelligitur angelus, sed vel Dominus, vel aliquid Domini (videatur (supra] , n. 130 [d] , 302, 593, 910); hic Dominus, quia dicitur quod "haberet potestatem magnam", et quod "terra illustrata esset a gloria ejus", per quae intelligitur Divini Veri potentia ac praesentia nunc in caelo et in mundo, manifestatur enim nunc quod Babylon destructa sit, quae cum destructa est, accedit Divino quod a Domino procedit potentia et lux; cujus rei causa dicetur in sequentibus.
[2] (Continuatio de Fide Athanasiana.)
Haec est doctrina de Deo, in universo Christiano orbe recepta, quia ex concilio; sed antequam Doctrina illa sub ventilationem mittitur, arcanum quoddam de statu fidei et amoris hominis in hoc mundo, et postea in altero, in quem post mortem venit, detegetur; nam absque illo detecto homo non scit aliter quam quod unusquisque, qualiscunque ei fides fuerit, possit ex Divina misericordia in caelum intromitti et salvari; unde fides erronea gentis Babylonicae quod caelum homini sit ex beneplacito pontificis, et ex gratia vicariorum ejus.
[3] Arcanum hoc est: quod omnes cogitationes hominis in mundum spiritualem quaquaversum se effundant, vix aliter quam sicut radii lucis ex flamma. Quia mundus spiritualis est caelum et infernum, ac caelum ex innumeris societatibus consistit, similiter infernum, inde cogitationes hominis non possunt non quam in societates se effundere; cogitationes spirituales, quae de Domino sunt, de amore et fide in Ipsum, et de veris et bonis caeli et ecclesiae, in societates caelestes; at cogitationes mere naturales, quae de se sunt, et de mundo, deque amore illorum, et non simul de Deo, in societates infernales.
[4] Quod talis extensio et determinatio omnium cogitationum hominis sit, hactenus latuit, quia latuit quale caelum et quale infernum est, ita quod ex societatibus consistant; consequenter quod extensio cogitationum hominis sit in alium mundum quam in naturalem, in quem etiam est extensio visus oculorum ejus; sed est mundus spiritualis in quem se extendit cogitatio, et est mundus naturalis in quem se extendit visio, quoniam cogitatio mentis est spiritualis et visio oculi est naturalis. Quod extensio omnium cogitationum hominis sit in societates mundi spiritualis, et quod nulla cogitatio absque illa extensione dari queat, ex plurium annorum experientia ita mihi testatum factum est ut cum omni fide id possim asseverare.
[5] Verbo, est homo cum suo capite in mundo spirituali, sicut est cum suo corpore in mundo naturali; per caput hic intelligitur mens ejus quae sunt intellectus. cogitatio, voluntas et amor, et per corpus hic intelligitur sensus ejus, qui sunt visus, auditus, olfactus, gustus et tactus; et quia homo quoad caput suum, hoc est, quoad mentem est in mundo spirituali, ideo est vel in caelo vel in inferno; et ubi est mens, ibi est totus homo cum capite et corpore, dum fit spiritus; et homo prorsus talis est qualis ei conjunctio est cum societatibus mundi spiritualis; talis angelus qualis ei conjunctio est cum societatibus caeli, et talis diabolus qualis ei conjunctio est cum societatibus inferni.