3539. What the life of the evil is like
The affectional life, or life of the will, of the evil, is like the fire of a fireplace, a wax candle, or of sulphur, for into such a life, consisting of passions, the Lord's life of love and mercy is turned. The life of their intellect is like the dim glow emanating from that fire, which does not extend to any distance, without going off into darkness and becoming nothing. But at the approach of heavenly love, even at a considerable distance, as is the case in the world at the dawning of sunlight, the fire is extinguished, is reduced first to nothing, then turns into cold, being contrary to true love. The difference in the degree of cold is proportionate to the nearness and quality of love, i.e. how much it derives from mutual love, from marital, from parental, how much it has of mercy, and how much of peace and innocence. But at the approach of truth, which is the light of understanding, their fiery glow grows dim, and finally turns into darkness - likewise proportionately to the distance and quality of the light, the varieties of which are countless. This shows what kinds of rainbows these are, consisting of feelings, and consisting of truths, or pertaining to the will and pertaining to the understanding.
3539. WHAT THE QUALITY OF THE LIFE OF THE EVIL IS.
The life of the affections or of the will of the evil is like the fire of a torch, or of a wax candle, or of sulfur; for into such a life, which is one of cupidities, is the life of the Lord's love and mercy turned. The life of their understanding is as a dim lumen thence, which extends to a considerable distance, but yet verges to obscurity or goes out altogether. But when true celestial love approaches and spreads to a distance, as when the light of the sun dawns upon the world, it is extinguished. The fiery part first dies away, and is afterwards turned to cold because contrary to true love. The difference in the degree of cold is according to the nearness and quantity of the love, that is, according to the measure of mutual love, of conjugial love, of parental love, as also of mercy, peace, and innocence that there is in it. But at the approach of truth, which is intellectual light, their fiery lumen begins to grow dim, and at length turns into darkness, and that too according to the distance and quality of the light, the degrees of which are indefinite. Hence we may learn the nature of the rainbows, which correspond to affections and truths, or to will and understanding.
3539. Qualis vita malorum
Vita affectionum seu voluntatis malorum est sicut ignis foci, candelae seu cerae, aut sulphuris, nam in talem vitam, quae est cupiditatum, vertitur vita amoris et misericordiae Domini; vita intellectus eorum est sicut lumen inde, quod obscurum, et ad nullam distantiam se extendit, quin in obscurum abeat, et prorsus nulla fit; at vero appropinquante amore coelesti, etiam ad multam distantiam, sicut solet in mundo intrante luce solis, exstinguitur igneum, fit primum nullum, dein vertitur in frigus, quia contrarius est amori vero, frigoris differentia est sicut amoris approximatio et qualitas, quantum ex amore mutuo, ex conjugiali, storge, quantum misericordiae, et quantum pacis et innocentiae inest: ad approximationem vero veritatis, quae est lux intellectualis, igneum lumen eorum obscurescit, et tandem fiunt tenebrae, similiter secundum distantiam, et qualitatem lucis, quae indefinita. Inde constare potest, quales irides, quae dantur affectionum, et dantur veritatum, seu voluntatis et intellectus.