5742. THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD HEAVEN AND EARTH. The vastation previously described lasted for many days; and at length there appeared as it were a hand stretched out by the Lord over the heavens, and then began that battle between Michael and the Dragon which is described in the Apocalypse.* On the western side, towards the north, there appeared as it were a combat, [reaching] from the elevation thence, towards the heavens which were above the middle-which were very numerous, and where were vast numbers of angels not known to me before. They could be counted by myriads. In that entrance, were dragonists; and they spoke with those [in these old heavens], and all then turned to them and listened to what they said. The heavenly doctrine, especially concerning the Lord, was then impugned by the Dragonists; and then everyone who heard was reduced to the state of his thought about the Lord, in which he was in the world; and it was then manifested, that most of them rejected the Lord's Divinity, saying that they did not wish to know anything about a visible God, but about the invisible. It was said to them that the Lord is also the invisible God; for He is one with the Father, and is in the sun [of heaven], and has been invisible in the world since His ascension from the sepulchre, and many more things from the Word. But they were all unwilling [to accept] this. Moreover, inquiry was made as to whether they placed anything of salvation in the life of faith; but they said, Nothing; only in faith: thus, in thinking alone, and nothing in willing and doing, that is, living. In a word, they were turned to all the quarters, and their quality searched out. And it was also said to them that they were dragonist spirits who urged these things, and to whom they give assent, and that the Lord teaches otherwise; but all in vain. This proceeded through all the heavens which had been gathered together since the Lord's advent, and all in them who were of such a quality as has been stated, were, after a tremendous battle, sentenced to be cast down; but, still, they insisted that they would remain there, because they have been there so long. * Chapter 12.