171. Then there was to seen a dark cloud towards the east coming down from on high; as it descended it changed gradually, becoming bright and taking human form, and finally becoming a flaming beam of light surrounded by small stars of the same colour. In this way the Lord manifested His presence with the spirits with whom I was conversing. At His presence all the spirits there gathered together from every direction; and on their arrival the good were separated from the wicked, the good going to the right and the wicked to the left, and this at once as if of their own accord. Those who went to the right were arranged to match the quality of the good, those to the left to match the quality of the evil among them. The good were left to form themselves into a heavenly community, but the wicked were thrown into hells.
[2] Afterwards I saw that flaming beam of light descend quite deep into the lower parts of the earth there. It then appeared at one time a flame colour tending to white, at another white tending to dark, at another dark. I was told by angels that this appearance was due to the way the truth coming from good and the falsity coming from evil were received by the inhabitants of the lower parts of that land; it was certainly not the flaming beam which underwent these various changes. They also said that the lower parts of that land were inhabited by both good and wicked people; but they were kept well apart, in order that the wicked could be controlled by the Lord by means of the good. They added that the good are from time to time lifted up by the Lord into heaven, and their place is taken by others; this continues all the time. As the flaming beam came down the good were likewise separated from the wicked, and all was restored to order. For the wicked had by various tricks and devices penetrated into the homes of the good and attacked them. This was the reason for that visitation.
[3] The cloud which as it came down gradually changed becoming bright and assuming human form, then becoming a flaming beam, was a community of angels with the Lord in their midst. This allowed me to know the meaning of the Lord's words about the Last Judgment reported in the Gospels, that He would come with angels in the clouds of heaven with glory and power [Matt. 24: 30; Mark 13: 26; Luke 21: 27].
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