540、凡进入来世的人，几乎都对天堂的祝福和幸福的性质一无所知。因为他们不知道内在喜乐的性质和品质。他们只能通过肉体和世俗的幸福和快乐来获得对它的概念。他们以为他们所不知道的东西是毫无价值的。而事实上，肉体和世俗的快感相对来说一文不值，是肮脏的。因此，为叫那些诚实但无知的人能够学习并知道何为天堂的喜乐，他们首先被引入超乎其想象的天堂场景（对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后再述，1622节）。他们以为自己来到了天堂乐园，却被教导这不是真正的天堂幸福。接着他们被允许体验他们的至内在可感知到的喜乐的内在状态，然后被带入一种甚至抵达其至内在的平安状态。他们坦承，这种平安根本无法用语言或思维来表达。最后，他们被带入一种纯真的状态，也直达他们的至内在感觉。这使得他们认识到真正的属灵和属天的良善是何性质。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]540. Almost no one coming into the other life understands what the blessings and happiness of heaven are, since they do not know what deep-seated joy is or what it feels like. They can grasp it only in relation to bodily and worldly kinds of happiness and joy, and whatever they do not know about they consider worthless. Nevertheless, bodily and worldly thrills are relatively worthless and filthy.
In order for those who are honest but ignorant to learn what heavenly joy is and to come to recognize it, they are introduced first into scenes of paradise that surpass anything they could ever have imagined. (With the Lord's divine mercy, these scenes will be described further on [1622]). They suppose they have now entered the heavenly paradise, but they are taught that this is not the true happiness of heaven. Next they experience profound states of joy in their deepest core. Afterward they are carried into a state of peace reaching to the same deep level. They confess that nothing about that peace could ever be captured in word or thought. Finally they are brought into a state of innocence that again reaches right to their deepest level of sensation. This allows them to recognize what true good is like on the spiritual and heavenly planes.
Potts(1905-1910) 540
540. Almost all who come into the other life are ignorant of the nature of heavenly happiness and bliss, because they know not the nature and quality of inward joy. They form a conception of it merely from the delights and joys of the body and the world. What they are ignorant of they suppose to be nothing, the truth being that bodily and worldly joys are relatively non-existent and foul. In order therefore that those who are well disposed may learn and may know what heavenly joy is, they are taken in the first place to paradises that surpass every conception of the imagination (concerning which, of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter), and they suppose that they have arrived in the paradise of heaven; but they are taught that this is not true heavenly happiness, and are therefore permitted to experience interior states of joy which are perceptible to their inmost being. They are then transported into a state of peace, even to their inmost being, and they confess that nothing of it is at all expressible or conceivable. And finally they are introduced into a state of innocence, also to their inmost feeling. In this way are they permitted to learn the nature of true spiritual and celestial good.
Elliott(1983-1999) 540
540. Almost everybody entering the next life is ignorant of what heavenly blessedness and happiness are, for people do not know what internal joy is, or the nature of it. They gain a conception of it solely through bodily and worldly delights and joys. Consequently that of which they are ignorant they imagine to be nothing. But in fact bodily and worldly joys are by contrast worthless and foul. Therefore so that upright persons who do not know what heavenly joy is may come to know and recognize it they are taken first of all to the gardens there, which surpass anyone's entire imagination. These will in the Lord's Divine mercy be described later on. These persons now suppose that they have entered the heavenly paradise, but they are taught that even this is not true heavenly happiness, and so they are then given to know about the inward states of joy that enter their inmost being. After this they are brought into a state of peace that reaches to their inmost being, at which point they declare that no part of such experience could possibly be expressed in words or even conceived of. Finally they are brought into a state of innocence, and this too reaches their inmost feelings. In this way they are given to know what true spiritual and celestial goodness is.
Latin(1748-1756) 540
540. Fere omnes qui in alteram vitam veniunt, ignorant quid beatitudo et felicitas caelestis, quia quid et quale gaudium internum nesciunt; solum ex laetitiis et gaudiis corporeis et mundanis perceptionem capiunt; quare quod ignorant, nihil esse putant; eum tamen gaudia corporea et mundana sunt nihili et spurci respective; ideo probi qui non sciunt quid gaudium caeleste, ut sciant et cognoscant, feruntur primum ad paradisiaca, quae omnem imaginationis ideam excedunt, de quibus, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus; tunc arbitrati venisse in paradisum caelestem; sed docentur quod id non sit felicitas vere caelestis, quare datur iis cognoscere status interiores gaudii ad intimum eorum perceptibiles; dein auferantur in statum pacis, usque ad intimum eorum, fatentes tunc quod nihil ejus usquam expressibile sit nec cogitabile: denique in statum innocentiae, etiam usque ad sensum eorum intimum: inde nosse iis datur quid vere bonum spirituale et caeleste.