687、这就是天堂的性质，所以天使或灵人若非生活在某个社群，从而与许多人和谐共处，就不可能拥有任何生命。一个社群无非是许多人的一种和谐关系，因为一个人的生命绝无可能与其他人的生命隔绝。事实上，没有哪个天使，灵人，或社群能拥有任何生命，也就是被良善感动去意愿，或被真理感动去思考，除非他通过自己社群里的许多人与天堂和灵人界相联。这同样适用于人类：没有人，无论他是谁，是什么样，能够存活，也就是被良善感动去意愿，或被真理感动去思考，除非他以同样的方式通过与其同在的天使与天堂和灵人界相联，甚至通过与其同在的灵人与地狱相联。
因为每个人活在肉身时就在某个灵人或天使社群，尽管他完全没有意识到这一点。他若不通过他所在的社群与天堂和灵人界相联，就片刻不能存活。这就像人体的各个部位，人体的任何部位若不通过纤维和血管，因而通过各种功能与其余部分相连，就不是人体的一部分，而是立刻被分离并逐出，因为它没有生命。
当人们进入来世时，他们活在肉身时所生活并与之相联系的那些社群就会被指给他们看。当肉身生活结束后，他们进入自己的社群时，便进入他们在肉身中所拥有的那种生活，他们从这种生活开始一个新的生活。因此，他们照其在肉身中所过的生活或下地狱，或上天堂。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]687. Since that is what heaven is like, no angel or spirit could ever have any life without being part of some community, without joining in harmony with many others. Community is simply harmony among many. No one's life is ever isolated from the life of others.
In fact no angel, spirit, or society could ever have any life — could ever be affected by good, form an intention, be affected by truth, form a thought — without a tight link to heaven and the world of spirits through other members of the group.
It is the same for the human race. Whoever we are, whatever we are like, we need the same kind of link to heaven through the angels with us, and to the world of spirits and even hell through the spirits with us. Otherwise we could never engage in life; we could never be affected by good or truth, never form an intention or thought. Everyone living in the body associates with some community of spirits and angels, despite being totally unaware of the fact. If we were not closely connected to heaven and the world of spirits through the spiritual society we associate with, we could not survive for a minute.
The situation resembles that in the human body. When any part of it lacks connection with the rest through nerve fibers and blood vessels and so lacks the means for performing its function, it ceases to be part of the body. Instead the body immediately isolates it and rejects it as being devoid of life.
When we come into the next life, we are shown the actual communities we lived in and associated with during bodily life. On entering that society after bodily life, we come into the selfsame life we lived while in the body, and on that life we build a new one. Depending on the life we carried out in the body, then, we either go down to hell or are raised into heaven.
Potts(1905-1910) 687
687. Such being the nature of heaven, no angel or spirit can have any life unless he is in some society, and thereby in a harmony of many. A society is nothing but a harmony of many, for no one has any life separate from the life of others. Indeed no angel, or spirit, or society can have any life (that is, be affected by good, exercise will, be affected by truth, or think), unless there is a conjunction thereof through many of his society with heaven and with the world of spirits. And it is the same with the human race: no man, no matter who and what he may be, can live (that is, be affected by good, exercise will, be affected by truth, or think), unless in like manner he is conjoined with heaven through the angels who are with him, and with the world of spirits, nay, with hell, through the spirits that are with him. For every man while living in the body is in some society of spirits and of angels, though entirely unaware of it. And if he were not conjoined with heaven and with the world of spirits through the society in which he is, he could not live a moment. The case in this respect is the same as it is with the human body, any portion of which that is not conjoined with the rest by means of fibers and vessels, and thus by means of functions, is not a part of the body, but is instantly separated and rejected, as having no vitality. The very societies in and with which men have been during the life of the body, are shown them when they come into the other life. And when, after the life of the body, they come into their society, they come into their veriest life which they had in the body, and from this life begin a new life; and so according to their life which they have lived in the body they either go down into hell, or are raised up into heaven.
Elliott(1983-1999) 687
687. This being the nature of heaven, no angel or spirit can possibly have any life unless he lives in some community, and in so doing in a harmonious relationship of many people. A community is nothing else than the harmonious relationship of many, for one person's life in no sense exists in isolation from the life of others. Indeed no angel, spirit, or community can possibly have any life, that is, be moved by good to will anything, or be moved by truth to think anything, if he is not joined to heaven and to the world of spirits through the many in his own community. The same applies to the human race. No one whatever, no matter who, can possibly live, that is, be moved by good to will anything, or be moved by truth to think anything, unless he has in like manner been joined to heaven through the angels residing with him, and to the world of spirits, and even to hell through the spirits residing with him.
[2] For everyone during his lifetime is dwelling in some community of spirits or angels, although he is not conscious of doing so. And if he is not joined to heaven or the world of spirits by means of the community in which he lives, he cannot go on living one moment longer. It is like the parts of the human body. Any part of it which is not joined to the rest by means of fibres and vessels, and so by means of various functions, is not part of the body. It is instantly removed and expelled as that which has no life.
[3] The very communities in which and among which people have lived during their lifetime are shown to them once they have entered the next life. When they enter such a community after the life of the body, they enter into the very life that had been theirs while in the body, and from that life they start a new one. And so according to the life they have led in the body they either go down to hell or are raised up to heaven.
Latin(1748-1756) 687
687. Quia tale est caelum, nusquam aliquis angelus aut spiritus aliquam vitam habere potest nisi sit in aliqua societate et sic in harmonia plurium; societas non est nisi harmonia plurium; nam nusquam datur vita alicujus dissociata a vita aliorum: immo nusquam angelus aut spiritus aut societas vitam aliquam habere potest, hoc est, affici bono, velle, affici vero, cogitare, nisi conjunctio ejus per plures suae societatis sit cum caelo et cum mundo spirituum: similiter genus humanum; homo quicumque et qualiscumque nusquam vivere potest, hoc est, affici bono, velle, affici vero, cogitare, nisi similiter conjunctus sit cum caelo per angelos apud eum, et cum mundo spirituum, immo cum inferno per spiritus apud eum; [2] nam quisque cum vivit in corpore in quadam societate spirituum et angelorum est, tametsi is id prorsus nescit; et nisi per societatem, in qua est, conjunctus sit cum caelo et cum mundo spirituum, ne minutum temporis vivere potest: se habet hoc sicut in corpore humano; quae pars ejus non conjuncta est reliquis per fibras et vasa, et sic per officiorum rationes, non est pars corporis, sed ilico dissociatur et ut nullius vitae rejicitur. [3] Ipsae societates, in quibus et cum quibus homines fuerunt in vita corporis, iis ostensae sunt cum venerunt in alteram vitam; cum in illam societatem post vitam corporis veniunt, in ipsissimam suam vitam quam habuerunt in corpore, veniunt, et ab illa vita novam exordiuntur, et sic secundum vitam suam quam egerunt in corpore, vel descendunt ad infernum vel elevantur ad caelum.