Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4533

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4533. Included among the wonders that occur in the next life is this: When the angels of heaven look at evil spirits these spirits appear altogether different to them from how the spirits appear to one another. Among themselves and in their own false light, which is like that emitted from a coal fire, as has been stated, evil spirits and genii appear to themselves to exist in human form, which in keeping with their own delusions is not unattractive. But when the same spirits are looked at by the angels of heaven that dim light is immediately dispelled and they acquire an altogether different facial appearance, each spirit now having a face that expresses his particular disposition. Some are swarthy and dark like devils; some have ghastly faces like those of dead bodies; some have almost no face at all but instead something covered in hair; some are all teeth, looking like a crate; others like skeletons. Even more amazing than this, some look like monsters, the deceitful like serpents, and the very deceitful like vipers; and there are others with different faces again. But as soon as the angels cease to look at them those spirits appear in the form which they possessed previously in their own dim light. The angels take a look at the evil as often as they realize that they are endeavouring to leave their hells for the world of spirits with the intention of doing harm to others. As a consequence they are found out and turned back. The reason why angelic sight is so efficient is that there is a correspondence between the sight of the understanding and that of the eye; their sight possesses an acuteness which dispels the light of hell, and then the true nature of the evil spirits' form and disposition is visible.


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