39、⑸目击者的见证充分证明了这一切。目前，我寻求通过诸如属于理解和所谓理性之类的论据证实以下几个要点：人死后依然是活生生的人，那时男性仍是男性，女性仍是女性，每个人都保留自己的爱，尤其是两性情爱和婚姻之爱。但是，人们从小就被父母和老师，后来则被学者和牧师灌输这样的信念：人死后不再像人那样活着，直等到最后审判之日，有些人已等了六千年。此外，许多人将这信念当作信的问题而非理解的问题来接受。鉴于上述原因，有必要通过目击者的见证证明上述要点。否则，只认感官之人，在所灌输的信念误导下，会说：“若人死后依然是活生生的人，那我就该看见并听见他们。有谁从天上下来，或从地狱上来告诉我们呢？”但是，要天堂天使下来，或地狱灵上来与人交谈过去不可能，现在仍旧不可能，除非其心智，即灵的内层被主打开。这只有在那些被主预备好接受属灵智慧的真理之人身上才能完全实现。因此，主乐意与我做这一切，以确保天堂和地狱的情况，并人死后的状态能为人所知，使世人不至于陷入无知，最终被埋葬于否认之中。不过，关于上面所提要点的见证数量庞大，无法在此一一讲述出来。这些见证可见于我的《天堂与地狱》、《最后的审判续》，以及后来的《揭秘启示录》等书。不过，有关婚姻的见证，可见于增补在本书几个章节里的记事中。
39、（5）所有这些都是亲眼所见。人死后还做为人而存在，男性还是男性，女性还是女性。每个人爱也还与他同在，尤其是对异性的爱和婚姻之爱——关于这一点我已经做了详细论述，理性、智慧的人会觉得它们很有道理。
但是，人们从小就从父母、师长、以及牧师那得知，人死后不会还像人一样存在，直到最后的审判到来之际，人们已经等了六千年了。
因为很多人都将这当做信仰的问题，所以有必要将这些用事实来证明。否则，只相信自身所见的人就会说：“如果人死后还做为人而存在，我应该能看到他们，听到他们，包括从天堂和地狱来的人。”
然而，除非一个人头脑、精神受到主的启示，他们不可能与从天堂来的天使或地狱里的精灵相交流。除非主选择了有精神上的智慧的人，这种交流才会有可能。
主很高兴我能够揭示天堂、地狱以及人死以后的状态，否则的话，这些将不为人所知，被忽视，被否认。
但是我们的见证实在太长了，不能在这里一一阐述。在《天堂与地狱》、《关于精神世界》以及《天启录》中有详细的阐述。同时，关于婚姻方面，请参见本书以后章节。
39. (v) These facts have been fully confirmed by eye-witness.
I have so far considered it enough to confirm these propositions by intellectual, what are called rational, arguments: that a person lives on as a person after death, that a male is then a male and a female a female, that each person retains his own love after death, and his chief loves are sexual and conjugial. But people have from childhood been given by parents and teachers, and later by learned men and clergy, a firm belief that they will not live on as people after death, except on the day of the Last Judgment, and some have now spent six thousand years waiting for it. Moreover, many have placed this belief in the category of things which must be taken on trust and not understood. For these reasons it has been necessary to confirm the same propositions also by eye-witness accounts. If this is not done, the person who trusts only his senses will be led by the belief forced on him to say, 'If people lived on as people after death, I could see and hear them' and 'Who has come down from heaven, or up from hell, to tell us?'
But it has not been and still is not possible for an angel of heaven to come down, or for a spirit of hell to come up, and talk with a person, unless the inner levels of his mind, that is, of his spirit, have been opened by the Lord. This can only happen fully with those whom the Lord has prepared to receive the truths of spiritual wisdom. It has therefore pleased the Lord to do this with me, in order to ensure that conditions in heaven and hell, and how people live after death, should not remain unknown, be sunk in ignorance and finally buried in denial. The eye-witness proofs of the propositions mentioned above are too numerous to relate here; but they can be seen in my book HEAVEN AND HELL, also in the CONTINUATION ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL WORLD 1; and later in my Apocalypse Revealed. But in so far as particularly concerns marriage, they will be found in the account of experiences subjoined to sections or chapters of this book.
39. 5. All of this has been fully attested by personal observation. That a person lives as a person after death, that a male is then still a male, and a female a female, and that everyone's own love remains in him, especially love for the opposite sex and conjugial love - these points I have so far endeavored to establish by the sort of arguments that appeal to the intellect and are called rational.
But from early childhood people have acquired the belief from parents and teachers, and afterward from the learned and the clergy, that a person will not live as a person after death until after the day of the Last Judgment, which they have been waiting for, now, for six thousand years.
Because of this, and because many people have placed this question among matters to be accepted on faith and not with the understanding, it has become necessary that these same points be attested also by the affidavits of an eyewitness. Otherwise people who trust only in their senses will say, in accord with the faith instilled in them, "If people lived as people after death, I would see them and hear them. Besides, who has come down from heaven or ascended from hell and told us?"
It has not been possible, however, neither is it possible, for any angel of heaven to descend or any spirit of hell to ascend so as to speak with any person, except with those who have had the inner faculties of their mind, the faculties of their spirit, opened by the Lord. And this cannot take place fully except in the case of those who have been prepared by the Lord to receive such things as have to do with spiritual wisdom.
It has therefore pleased the Lord to do this with me, in order to keep the states of heaven and hell and the state of people's life after death from remaining unknown, and from being laid to sleep in ignorance, and from being finally buried in denial.
But my personal observations and testimony regarding the points outlined above are too extensive to be presented here. I have presented them, however, in the book, Heaven and Hell, and then in Continuation Concerning the Spiritual World, 1and later in The Apocalypse Revealed. Meanwhile, respecting marriages specifically, see what is presented here in the narrative accounts that come at the end of the sections or chapters of this book.
Footnotes:
1. = Continuation Concerning the Last Judgment and the Spiritual World.
39. 5. There is full confirmation of these things by my own experience.
So far I have had my hands full showing by methods that are intellectual and are known as rational that people live on as people after death, and that then men are still male and women are female, and that everyone's love remains with him - particularly love for the other sex and love for marriage. But starting in infancy, from parents and teachers, and then from the learned and the clergy, one acquires the belief that he will not live on as a person after death until after the Last Judgment Day (they have waited for it for six thousand years now), and many have represented these as concepts that you get from faith, not intellect. Therefore I have had to demonstrate the ideas by the evidence of my own eyes.
Otherwise a person who believes only his senses will say, from his ingrained faith, "If people lived on as people after death, I'd see and hear them. Besides, who has come down from heaven or up from hell to report?"
But it is not possible, and never has been possible, for any angel of heaven to come down or any spirit of hell to come up and speak with any human unless the Lord opened the interiors of the person's mind, which are spiritual. And this cannot happen fully except to those whom the Lord has prepared to accept what relates to spiritual wisdom. Therefore it pleased the Lord to do just that to me in order to keep the conditions in heaven and hell and the condition of people's life after death from being unknown, laid to rest in ignorance, and finally entombed in denial. But the firsthand evidence for what I have been saying is too extensive to bring in here. However, it is brought together in the book Heaven and Hell, and then in The Continuation about the World of Spirits, and afterwards in Apocalypse Revealed. The part that is specifically about marriages will be contained in the stories that follow the paragraphs or chapters of the present work.
39. V. THESE STATEMENTS FULLY CONFIRMED BY OCULAR EXPERIENCE. That man lives as a man after death, that the male is then a male and the female a female, and that with every one his own love remains and especially love of the sex and conjugial love, are propositions which I have thus far sought to confirm by considerations such as belong to the understanding and are called rational. But because in childhood, from his parents and masters, and in later years from the learned and the clergy, man has acquired the belief that after death he will not live as a man until after the day of the Last Judgment, in expectation whereof men have now been for six thousand years; and because many have placed this matter among things which must be received by faith and not by the understanding; it has been necessary to confirm them by the testimony of experience. Otherwise, the man who believes only in the senses would say from the faith impressed upon him: "If men were living as men after death, I would see and hear them;" and also, "Who has come down from heaven or risen up from hell and told us this?" But because it could not and cannot be that any angel of heaven should descend, or any spirit of hell ascend, and talk with a man, save with those, the interiors of whose mind which are those of his spirit have been opened by the Lord; and because this cannot be done to the full save with those who have been prepared by the Lord for the reception of the things of spiritual wisdom; therefore, it has pleased the Lord to do this with me, to the end that the state of heaven and of hell, and the state of the life of men after death, may not be unknown and be put to sleep in ignorance, and finally buried in denial. But the testimonies of experience with respect to the above-mentioned propositions cannot be adduced here on account of their abundance. They have been adduced, however, in the work HEAVEN AND HELL, and afterwards in the CONTINUATION CONCERNING THE SPIRITUAL WORLD, and later in THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED. Moreover, as specifically regards marriages, they will be given in the present work, in the Memorable Relations which follow the paragraphs or chapters.
39. (v) Full substantiation of these facts from observation. So far I have been content to establish by rational considerations the fact that the human being lives as such after death, and that male is male then, and female female, and that the life's love continues with every one, and that in particular love for the sex and marital love persist. But from infancy men have picked up from parents and teachers and from the learned and the clergy, the belief that the human being does not live again after death until the last judgment-day, now awaited for six thousand years, and many have placed human survival among subjects to be grasped by faith and not by the mind. I must therefore establish my propositions by the evidence of observation, too. Otherwise, in the belief impressed upon him, the man who credits only his senses, will say, "If human beings continued to live as such after death, I should hear and see them. Who has descended from heaven, or ascended from hell, and told us so?" As it is impossible for an angel of heaven to descend or a spirit of hell to ascend and speak with man, except with such men as the Lord has made ready by opening the interiors of their minds or spirits (something which can be effected fully only in those prepared by Him to receive the things of spiritual wisdom), the Lord has been pleased to do this with me, to the end that the state of heaven and of hell, and the state of man's life after death, may not remain unknown or allowed to lie in ignorance, and finally be buried in denial. The witness of my observation to the facts stated above cannot be cited here, however, because of its extent, but is to be found in the work Heaven and Hell, again in Continuation about the Last Judgment, once again in Apocalypse Revealed; and in the present work and on the specific subject of marriages, in the Memorabilia which follow the sections or chapters.
39. (5) These things fully confirmed by actual sight. Thus far I have been content to establish by such considerations as are of the understanding, and are called rational, that man lives as a man after death; that a male is then a male and a female is a female; and that with everyone his own love remains, and especially the love of the sex and conjugial love. But, because from infancy a man receives from his parents and masters, and afterwards from the learned and the clergy, a belief that he will not live as a man after death until the day of the last judgment (in the expectation of which they have been now for six thousand years), and because many hold these to be among the things that are to be received by faith and not by the understanding, it was necessary that these propositions should also be confirmed by evidence from actual sight. Otherwise the man who believes only from the senses would say, from the faith impressed upon him: 'If men were living as men after death I should see and hear them. Who has come down from heaven or ascended from hell and told of them?' But as it could not and cannot be that any angel of heaven should descend, or any spirit of hell ascend, and talk with any man - except with those the interiors of whose mind, which are those of the spirit, have been opened by the Lord; and as this cannot be fully effected except with those who have been prepared by the Lord for the reception of the things of spiritual wisdom; therefore, it has pleased the Lord so to prepare me, to the end that the state of heaven and of hell, and the state of the life of men after death may not be unknown and sleep in ignorance, and be finally buried in negation. But the ocular proofs of the facts above stated cannot be adduced here, on account of their abundance. They have been given however in the work On Heaven and Hell: and in The Continuation concerning the Spiritual World; and afterwards in The Apocalypse Revealed. And respecting marriages especially they will be given here in the Relations which follow the paragraphs or chapters of this work.
39. V: Haec plene confirmata per Autopsiam. Quod Homo vivat homo post mortem, et quod tunc Masculus sit masculus, ac Foemina foemina; quodque amor suus apud unumquemque maneat, ac quod principaliter Amor sexus et Amor conjugialis, hactenus per talia quae sunt intellectus, et vocantur rationalia, confirmare sategi; sed quia homo ab infantia ex parentibus et magistris, et dein ex eruditis et clericis captavit fidem, quod non victurus homo post mortem, quam post diem ultimi Judicii, in cujus exspectatione nunc per sex millia annorum fuerunt, et quia plures retulerunt hoc inter illa, quae captanda sunt fide et non intellectu, necessum fuit, ut etiam eadem per documenta autopsica confirmarentur; alioquin homo, qui modo credit sensibus, ex fide impressa dicturus est, "si homines post mortem viverent homines, viderem et audirem illos; tum, quis descendit e Coelo, et ascendit ex Inferno, et narravit;" sed quia non fieri potuit, nec potest, ut aliquis Angelus Coeli descendat, aut aliquis spiritus Inferni ascendat, ac loquatur cum aliquo homine, nisi cum illis, quorum interiora mentis, quae sunt spiritus, a Domino aperta sunt; et hoc non fieri potest ad plenum, nisi quam apud illos, qui a Domino ad recipiendum illa, quae spiritualis sapientiae sunt, praeparati sunt; quare hoc placuit Domino mecum, ob finem, ne status Coeli et Inferni, ac status vitae hominum post mortem, nesciretur, et sopiretur in ignorantia, ac tandem sepeliretur in negatione. At documenta autopsica de supradictis propter copiam hic non possunt adduci; sed adducta sunt in Opere de Coelo et Inferno; ac deinde in Continuatione de Mundo Spirituali; ac postea in Apocalypsis Revelata; at in specie hic de Conjugiis, in Memorabilibus, quae post Paragraphos seu Capita hujus Operis sequuntur.