4226. Spirits recently arrived there who have been inwardly evil during their life in the world but who outwardly have tried to acquire an appearance of good by means of works which they had done to others for selfish and worldly reasons, have sometimes complained about not being allowed into heaven. For they had no other concept of heaven than of being allowed in 'by grace'. They have been told in reply sometimes that heaven is not denied to anyone and if they so desire they will be let in. Some of them have indeed been let into the heavenly communities situated nearest the entrance; but having entered those spirits realized that their breathing had stopped, in the way described above, and that they were seized with a hell-like pain and torment, all of which was due to the contrary and antagonistic nature of their life. So they reeled back from there, saying finally that to them heaven was hell, and that they would never have believed that heaven was what they now saw it to be like.