5786. THOSE WHO ARE CAST DOWN OUT OF THE HEAVENS: BABYLON. THE FORMER HEAVEN. The casting down out of the heavens lasted a long while; and those cast down reached to myriads. All those were cast down who were in the love of self. They were explored by being turned to lower places, because they then wanted to lead all whom they saw; for this takes place in the other life in another way than in the world, for thoughts are connected there, and one leads another, by means of thoughts, in a wonderful manner. They are able to deprive him of his thoughts and to introduce their own, and thus to place themselves in him, and in this way to drive him whithersoever they will. They are likewise able to introduce various things, and compel him to think such things and to will such things as are altogether foreign to him. All those who are in the love of self, want nothing else than to mount to the higher places, and look down into those within reach, and thus infest them. These never submit themselves to the Lord; they believe that they do all things from themselves and not at all from the Divine. When they look upon anyone who worships the Lord, they become as it were mad, and endeavor to destroy him more assiduously than any others: they cannot bear his sphere. All such ones, on being turned towards me, became such, and held in hatred all things which have been written about the Lord.
5786a. At length, those also were cast down who did not acknowledge the Lord as God, but only the Father. Their sphere was felt with me. All these, also, who are from the Christian world, do not worship any God, neither do they care for the life, only for reputation. They do not know what it is to be led by the Divine; for they have not any idea about God the Father. These, too, were cast down.
5786b. They sometimes stand and operate into each other. Some know, from art, many ways in which they may thus injure others, cast them into the marshes beyond the boundary, bringing them into darkness, and through phantasies lead them into ways and streets and many other places, in order that [the victim] may lose his way, so that he may finally come to some cavern, or to the infernals; and how to do many more things thus. I saw that some in this way deprived another of life; so that he lay as it were like one dead. They also inflict pains, anxieties, fears, and thus rule over others; wherefore, they go upon mountains and rocks, in order that they may see the lower places far and wide, and thus infest. Most of the cities, there, are on the slopes of a mountain or rock. Those who are congregated in society, go forth thence and act thus. These are their pleasures: in fact, to rule and hurt others is their inmost joy, for those who are in the love of self do not love the neighbor, but hold him in hatred. This appears manifestly in the other life, because there they act according to their interiors. Some who are of such a character speak with the evil below; and they know how to bind the minds of these to themselves so that they cannot be released. Hence there were consociations of such ones with the hells; wherefore, they were cast down. There were such ones in the cities, and they were bound by the evil; but such are easily known afterwards, for the evil have them bound to them; - which fact betrays itself to others * * .* * The asterisks clearly indicate that no. 5789 is to be read consecutively with the conclusion of 5786b. It is, therefore, placed accordingly. -TR.
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