Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8946

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8946. That thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it. That this signifies the idea of thought concerning them thus full of falsities, which idea will then be made manifest, is evident from the signification of "nakedness," as being that which is destitute of truths (see n. 5433), thus an idea of thought full of falsities; and from the signification of being "uncovered," as being to be made manifest. How the case herein is, has been explained just above (n. 8945), namely, that a man, a spirit, or an angel, when raised more interiorly into heaven, appears such as he is as to both his lives; as to the life of his thought with respect to truths, and as to the life of his will with respect to goods; for the more interior the advance into the heavens, the purer is the good, and the purer the truth. In order therefore that the falsities which are of the thought, and the evils which are of the will, should not appear, but be hidden, they are kept in lower parts, where they are in a comparatively obscure light. From all this also it can be seen what was meant by the saying that "no one can see Jehovah and live;" for Jehovah is pure love, and from Him is pure light, and to be seen in these is to perish. Therefore also the angels themselves in heaven are covered with a cloud (n. 6849); and all who are in hell are veiled in thick clouds (n. 3340, 8137, 8138, 8814, 8819); for clouds there are falsities.


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