The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained/Chapter20
XX.—Seeing and Knowing God.
One of the important and instructive spiritual laws revealed for the New Church, is, that every one sees or apprehends spiritual truth according to his own state or character. The higher and more heavenly is one's state, therefore, the higher and clearer are his apprehensions of heavenly truth. And in consequence of this law, the character and aspect of the Divine Being himself, are very different to different individuals—and to the same individual in different states of mind, or when contemplating the Divine from different principles. It is so even in heaven.
Swedenborg says that the angels do not all see God alike; that his appearance differs as their states differ. To those in the highest or celestial heaven, that is, to those whose love is most exalted, pure and fervent, He appears as a Sun, immeasurably more brilliant than the sun of this world; because such appearance corresponds to, and is one of the normal results of, the clear shining of his truth and love in their hearts. To the spiritual angels, or those in a lower state. He appears less brilliant—comparatively as a Moon. And to infernal spirits—those who are dominated by the passions and propensities of their lower nature—those whose souls are darkened by falsity, selfishness and sin, He appears as darkness and thick darkness according to the nature and degree of the evils in which they are immersed. For the great and eternal law of correspondence between the inner and the outer, is what determines the character of the whole phenomenal world in the Hereafter, even the appearance of the Lord Himself.
And not only so, but we are further told that God appears different to different persons in this life—to each one according to his real character or spiritual state. They who are nearest to Him, that is, who receive his unselfish love into their hearts in largest measure, and let it shine out most conspicuously in their lives—who are most like God in the spirit and temper of their minds—see Him most truly. They understand his nature and character, and therefore see Him (for to see, spiritually, is to understand) from the spirit and principles in themselves which are from Him. As we deny self, and encourage and strengthen in our hearts purity of motive, nobleness of purpose, and an unselfish desire to serve and thus promote the welfare of others, we receive more of God's own life, become more like Him, and so have a better understanding or clearer view of Him. As it is written: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." In confirmation of this statement, we cite the following from Swedenborg:
"That the Lord appears to every one according to his quality [or state], may be manifest from this consideration: that He appears to those in the inmost or third heaven as a sun from which proceeds ineffable light, because the inhabitants of that heaven are principled in the good of love to the Lord; and that He appears to those in the middle or second heaven as a moon, because the inhabitants of that heaven are more remotely or obscurely in love to Him, being principled in love towards their neighbor; but in the ultimate or first heaven, He does not appear as a sun nor yet as a moon, but only as light, which light far exceeds that of this world. And since the Lord appears to every one according to his quality, therefore He cannot appear to those in hell otherwise than as a dusky cloud and thick darkness. From these considerations it may be clearly seen that the Lord appears to every one according to his quality [or character], because according to reception." (A. C. n. 6832.)
"No one can see God otherwise than from such principles as are in himself; as he who is in hatred, sees Him from hatred, he who is in unmercifulness, sees Him from unmercifulness; and on the other hand, they who are in charity and mercy, see Him from and in these principles. The case herein is as with the rays of light, which, where they fall into ugly forms, are turned into ugly colors; but when they fall into beautiful forms, are then turned into beautiful colors." (Ibid., n. 8819.)
"The Lord appears to every individual according to each one's own character or quality,—to the celestial angels as a sun, to the spiritual angels as a moon, to all the good as a light of various delight and pleasantness; but to the wicked as smoke and a consuming fire. And as the Jews, when the law was promulgated, had nothing of charity, but were governed by self-love and the love of the world, consequently by evils and falsities, therefore He appeared to them [from Mount Sinai] as smoke and fire, when at the same moment He appeared to the angels us a sun, and as celestial light. That He appeared thus to the Jews by reason of their evil nature or quality, is plain from the following passasges (Ex. xxiv. 16, 17: xix. 18: Deut. iv. 11, 12: v. 23-25). The case would be the same if any other person who lives in hatred and its defilements, should see the Lord. He would only be able to see Him from the principle of hatred and its defilements, which, receiving the rays of goodness and truth from the Lord, would change them into such fire, smoke and darkness."