342. THAT IT IS GRANTED TO THE SOULS OF THE DEAD TO RECOGNIZE FROM MANY THINGS THAT GOD MESSIAH IS THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE The souls of the dead, who come amongst other souls, as the Mahomedans and others, who have inwardly doubted concerning God Messiah, for the reason that they have filled their natural mind with mere scandals, (concerning whom see above [n. 338]) are brought to the recognition of God Messiah as the Lord of the Universe, both by living instruction according to the apprehension of each, and also by this, that they are carried away into heavenly happiness according to their imaginations, so that they see most lovely paradises with great variety, by which they are so delighted that they decide they have come into the heavenly paradise; for this is insinuated in human minds. But they are afterwards taught that this is not the heavenly happiness; for which purpose it is also granted them to recognize the state of their inmost joy, until they at length confess that this inmost joy is imperceptible, and that no human sense could ever attain to it. They are then also borne into a state of peace, even to their inmost, in which they also confess that nothing of the kind is ever expressible. Finally, they are borne as to their inmost sense into a state of innocence, which is the inmost state, in order that thereby they might be able to know what is truly good, what is truly spiritual and heavenly, that is, what is Divine: for true happiness, true peace, true innocence are altogether Divine. They afterwards come into these states. This takes place with variety according to the life of each one; for in accordance with his nature, each one is led more and more towards heavenly things. 1747, Dec. 14.* Written as the heading of another paragraph, but crossed out: