Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 4886

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4886. It was then also shown that there were, in the first entrance to heaven, some who were so thoroughly worldly that they sought after nothing else but offices, for the sake of honor. Several thousands of them were together, and wished to institute a similar government as on earth - everyone with the aim of being super-eminent over others and not from an end of doing good. Hence were begun, as in the world, enmities, craftiness, hypocrisies and the like; and, at length, the enmities were so great that they wished to fight each other. These, when they perceived that devil there, believed that he was able to grant them such offices and to distribute honors; wherefore, they attached and betook themselves to him, from that threshold of heaven, in crowds. This then appeared like what is said in the Apocalypse about the dragon, that his tail should draw down from heaven a third part of the stars.


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