495、人的灵魂进入灵界后，｛注1｝初期的生活和他们在世上的生活没什么两样，除了从圣经的字义和有关的讲道所了解的外，他们对自己死后生命的状态一无所知，对天堂和地狱一无所知。起初，他们惊讶地发现自己在一个身体中，享有在世时所拥有的一切感觉，看见类似的事物；然后又渴望知道天堂是什么样的，地狱是什么样的，它们在哪里。于是，他们的朋友们便指教他们永生的境况，带他们去不同的地方，和不同的人群在一起。他们有时进入城市、花园和园林，通常都很壮丽，因为像这样的事物愉悦他们所处的外在的状态。然后，他们逐一地被引导到关于死后灵魂的状态、天堂和地狱的观念中，这些观念是他们活在肉身时曾有的，甚至直到他们对自己感到愤怒，因为他们对这些事和教会太无知了。
几乎所有人都渴望知道自己能否进入天堂，其中大多数人以为他们能，因为他们在世上过着道德文明的生活，却从未想过，从表面上看，恶人和善人过着同样的生活，都一样帮助他人、去教会参加礼拜、听道和祷告，他们完全没有意识到，外在行为和外在的敬拜无济于事，唯有产生这些外在行为的内在才有功效。在数千个人当中几乎没有一个人知道内在是什么、在内在的里面人有天堂和教会；更鲜为人知的是，外在行为是由意图和思想以及里面的爱和信决定的，因为行为就源于它们。就算有人告诉他们，他们也不明白是思想和意志才有用，他们以为重要的只是言行。如今，这些人中的大部分是从基督教界进入来世的人。
｛注1｝：【中】此时，人已经是“灵人”状态。
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495. 由于新灵的生活和他们在世上的生活没什么两样, 并且除了从圣言的字义和出于圣言的讲道所获知的外, 他们对自己死后的生命状态, 对天堂与地狱一无所知, 所以他们先是惊讶地发现自己仍在一个身体中, 享有在世时所拥有的一切感官, 看到周围熟悉的事物, 然后又渴望知道天堂什么样, 地狱什么样, 分别在哪里. 于是, 其朋友便告诉他们永生的情况, 带他们到各个地方和社群. 他们还去往不同的城市, 花园, 园林, 通常都是非常漂亮的地方, 因为像这样的事物吸引他们所处的外在. 然后, 他们时不时地被带入他们活在肉身时曾持有的关于死后其灵魂的状态, 天堂与地狱的观点, 甚至直到他们对自己和教会完全不知道这些事而感到愤慨. 几乎所有人都渴望知道自己能否上天堂. 其中大多数人以为他们能, 因为他们在世上过着道德文明的生活, 却从未想过, 表面上看, 恶人和善人过着同样的生活, 都一样帮助他人, 去教会参加公众敬拜, 听道祷告; 但他们完全没有意识到, 外在行为和外在的敬拜行动无济于事, 唯有产生这些外在行为的内在才有功效. 千万人中, 几乎没有一个人知道何为内在, 知道人必须在它们里面才能找到天堂和教会. 更少有人知道, 外在行为的品质取决于意图与思维并它们里面爱与信的品质, 因为行为就源于它们. 就算有人告诉他们, 他们也不明白这一事实: 造成不同的, 是思维与意愿; 相反, 他们以为重要的是他们的言行. 如今, 从基督教界进入来世的许多人都是这样.
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495. 由於人在進入靈界初期將延續他在人間的生活方式, 加之他對死後生命, 天國, 地獄一無所知(除了他從聖言的文字和佈道所瞭解的以外), 所以當他平復對自己依然有身體, 有知覺, 周圍有類似事物的驚奇之後, 就想更多地瞭解天國地獄各在哪裡, 分別是什麼樣子。其朋友會向他描述永生的狀態, 並帶他到各地遊覽, 與不同的人交往。他們去到不同的城市, 園林, 通常都很壯觀, 因為那些地方最能吸引他們的注意。他們不時想起自己在肉身時對死後生命, 天國, 地獄的看法, 不禁為自己的無知並教會的無知感到氣憤。
幾乎所有人都想知道自己能否進入天國。很多人自以為能, 因為他們在人間曾過著道德文明的生活。他們不曾想過, 惡人和善人在表面上並無差別, 也是過著道德文明的生活, 同樣與人為善, 參加聚會, 聽道禱告。他們未曾意識到, 表面的行為和虔誠其實無濟於事, 唯獨產生外在行為的內在實質才有功效。千萬人中, 鮮有一人明白何為內在實質, 知道它才是天國和教會的根本。人外在的行為取決於內在的意志和認知(或說仁與信), 瞭解這一點的人更少。就算有人告之, 他們也無法領悟。在他們看來, 只有言語和行為才是重要的。如今, 多數進入靈界的基督徒就是如此。
495. Since the life of newly arrived spirits is not unlike their life in the world, and since they do not know anything about life after death, heaven, or hell except what they have learned from the literal meaning of the Word and some sermons drawn from it, once they get over their astonishment at being in a body and enjoying all the senses they had in the world, seeing familiar things around them, they find themselves wanting to know what heaven and hell are like and where they are. Consequently, their friends tell them about the state of eternal life and take them around to various places, into the company of different people. They go to different cities, to gardens and parks, often to gorgeous ones because things like this appeal to the outward concerns they are involved in. Then from time to time they are led into the thoughts they had had during their physical lives about the state of the soul after death and about heaven and hell. This brings them to the point of resentment that they had been so ignorant about such matters, and also that the church had been so ignorant.
Almost all of them want to know whether they will make it into heaven. Many of them think they will because they led moral and civic lives in the world, not reflecting that both evil and good people lead similar outward lives, being similarly helpful to others, going to church, listening to sermons, and praying similarly, utterly unaware that outward behavior and outward worship accomplish nothing whatever; only the inner realities that give rise to these outward ones are effective. Scarcely one in thousands even knows what the inner realities are or that they are the focal point of heaven and the church for us. Even fewer realize that the quality of our outward actions is determined by the quality of our intentions and thoughts and the love and faith within them, from which our actions arise. Even when they are told, they do not grasp the fact that thinking and intending actually make a difference. They attach importance only to speaking and acting. Many of the people who are coming into the other life from the Christian world are like this nowadays.
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495. As the life of spirits recently from the world is not unlike their life in the natural world, and as they know nothing about their state of life after death and nothing about heaven and hell except what they have learned from the sense of the letter of the Word and preaching from it, they are at first surprised to find themselves in a body and in every sense that they had in the world, and seeing like things; and they become eager to know what heaven is, what hell is, and where they are. Therefore they are instructed by their friends about the conditions of eternal life, and are also taken about by them to various places and into various companies, and sometimes into cities, and into gardens and parks, being shown chiefly such magnificent things as delight the externals in which they are. They are then brought in turn into those notions about the state of their soul after death, and about heaven and hell, that they had entertained in the life of the body, even until they feel indignant at their total ignorance of such things, and at the ignorance of the Church also. Nearly all are anxious to know whether they will come into heaven. Most of them believe that they will, because of their having lived in the world a moral and civil life, never considering that the bad and the good live a like life in externals, alike doing good to others, attending public worship, hearing sermons, and praying; and wholly ignorant that external deeds and external acts of worship are of no avail, but only the internals from which the externals proceed. There is hardly one out of thousands who knows what internals are, and that it is in them that a man has heaven and the Church. Still less is it known that outward acts are such as the intentions and thoughts are, and the love and faith in these from which they spring. And even when taught, they fail to comprehend that thinking and willing are of any avail, but only speaking and acting. Such for the most part are those who, at this day, come from the Christian world into the other life.
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495. As the life of spirits recently from the world is not unlike their life in the natural world and as they know nothing about their state of life after death and nothing about heaven and hell except what they have learned from the sense of the letter of the Word and preaching from it, they are at first surprised to find themselves in a body and in every sense that they had in the world, and seeing like things; and they become eager to know what heaven is, what hell is, and where they are. Therefore their friends tell them about the conditions of eternal life, and take them about to various places and into various companies, and sometimes into cities, and into gardens and parks, showing them chiefly such magnificent things as delight the externals in which they are. They are then brought in turn into those notions about the state of their soul after death, and about heaven and hell, that they had entertained in the life of the body, even until they feel indignant at their total ignorance of such things, and at the ignorance of the church also. Nearly all are anxious to know whether they will get to heaven. Most of them believe that they will, because of their having lived in the world a moral and civil life, never considering that the bad and the good live a like life outwardly, alike doing good to others, attending public worship, hearing sermons, and praying; and wholly ignorant that external deeds and external acts of worship are of no avail, but only the internals from which the externals proceed. There is hardly one out of thousands who knows what internals are, and that it is in them that man must find heaven and the church. Still less is it known that outward acts are such as the intentions and thoughts are, and the love and faith in these from which they spring. And even when taught they fail to comprehend that thinking and willing are of any avail, but only speaking and acting. Such for the most part are those that go at this day from the Christian world into the other life.
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495. Quia vita recentium spirituum non absimilis est vitae illorum in naturali mundo, et quia non sciunt aliquid de statu vitae suae post mortem, nec aliquid de caelo et inferno, praeter quae ex sensu litterae Verbi et inde praedicatione didicerunt, ideo postquam mirati sunt quod in corpore sint, et in omni sensu in quo in mundo, et quod similia videant, in desiderium veniunt sciendi quale est caelum, et quale infernum, ac ubinam. Quare ab amicis instruuntur de statu vitae aeternae, et quoque circumducuntur ad varia loca, et in varia consortia, et quidam in civitates, et quoque in hortos et paradisos, plerumque ad magnifica, quoniam talia oblectant externa in quibus sunt. Feruntur tunc per vices in suas cogitationes, quas de statu suae animae post mortem, deque caelo et de inferno, in vita corporis habuerunt, et hoc usque ad indignationem quod illi talia prorsus ignoraverint, et quoque quod ecclesia ignoret. Paene omnes cupiunt scire num in caelum venturi sint: plerique credunt quod in caelum, quia in mundo moralem et civilem vitam egerunt; non cogitantes quod mali ac boni similem vitam agant in externis, similiter aliis bona faciant, ac similiter frequentent templa, et auscultent praedicationes, et orent; prorsus non scientes quod externi actus et externa cultus nihil faciant, sed interna ex quibus externa procedunt. Ex aliquot mille vix unus scit quid interna, et quod in his sit caelum et ecclesia homini; et minus quod externi actus tales sint, quales sunt intentiones et cogitationes, et in his amor et fides, ex quibus sunt; et cum instruuntur, non capiunt quod cogitare et velle aliquid faciant, sed solum loqui et agere. Tales sunt plerique, qui hodie ex orbe Christiano in alteram vitam veniunt.