1111. Verse 5. For her sins have reached even unto heaven, signifies for their evils have closed up heaven. This is evident from the signification of "sins," as being the evils springing forth from the loves of self and of the world (as above, n. 1108); also from the signification of "reaching even unto heaven," as being to close up heaven, for evils close up heaven, and especially the evils from such a love of self as reigns with them; for their love of self is the love of ruling over the world, over the Word and the church, over heaven, and over the Lord Himself. "To reach even unto heaven" signifies to close up heaven, because evils when they reach to heaven close it up, for the angels because of the evils that are with those who are beneath heaven, come into a state either of sadness, or grief, or horror, or irritation; not that angels see those who are in evils, and thus know that the evils have this effect; but when falsities from evil reach unto heaven they produce this result, for in the heavens all are in goods from love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor, and evils from the love of self and the love of the world are direct opposites of these goods, and when one opposite acts against another, as here, that is, diabolical evil against celestial good, those who are in celestial good are either made sad, or are grieved, or horrified, or provoked, and when this takes place they turn themselves away, and thus heaven becomes closed. Nevertheless, the Lord provides that those who are in evils, especially those who are in the evils that are the worst of all, be removed afar off from heaven, that the angels may not be infested by them.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian faith and respecting the Lord)
[2] That there is in the Lord a trine, the Divine itself that is called the Father, the Divine Human that is called the Son, and the Divine proceeding that is called the Holy Spirit, can be seen from the Word, from the Divine essence, and from heaven. From the Word: Where the Lord Himself teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from Him and from the Father; also where the Lord teaches that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and that the Spirit of Truth, which is the Holy Spirit, does not speak from Himself but from the Lord; and again, from passages in the Old Word where the Lord is called "Jehovah," "Son of God," and "the Holy One of Israel." [3] From the Divine Essence: That one Divine by itself is not possible, but there must be a trine. This trine is being [esse], manifesting [existere], and proceeding [procedere], for being must necessarily be manifested, and when it is manifested it must proceed that it may produce. And this trine is one in essence and one in Person, and is God. This may be illustrated by a comparison. An angel of heaven is trinal and thus one; the being [esse] of an angel is what is called his soul, his manifesting [existere] is what is called his body, and the proceeding [procedere] from both is what is called the sphere of his life, without which an angel has neither existence nor being. By this trine an angel is an image of God, and is called a "son of God," and also an "heir," and even a "god;" nevertheless, an angel is not life from himself, but is a recipient of life; God alone is life from Himself. [4] From Heaven: The Divine trine, which is one in essence and in Person, is such in heaven. The Divine called the Father, and the Divine Human called the Son, appear in heaven before the angels as a sun, and the Divine that proceeds therefrom appears as light united to heat; the light is Divine truth, and the heat is Divine good. Thus the Divine called the Father is the Divine being [esse], the Divine Human called the Son is the Divine manifesting [existere] from that being [esse], and the Divine called the Holy Spirit is the Divine proceeding [procedere] from the Divine manifesting [existere] and from the Divine being [esse]. This trine is the Lord in heaven; His Divine love is what appears there as a sun.
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