—­Divine Providence, nn. 319, 338

It is an abiding truth that every man rises again after death into another life, and presents himself for judgment.  This judgment, however, is circumstanced as follows:  As soon as his bodily parts grow cold, which takes place after a few days, he is raised by the Lord at the hands of celestial angels who first are with him.  If he is such that he cannot be with them, he is received by spiritual angels, and in turn afterwards by good spirits.  For all who come into the other life, whoever they may be, are grateful and welcome new-comers.  But as every one’s desires follow him, he who has led a bad life cannot remain long with angels or good spirits, but in turn separates himself from them, until at length he comes to spirits of a life conforming with the life he had in the world.  Then it seems to him as if he were back in the life of the body; his present life being, in fact, a continuation of his past life.  With this life his judgment commences.  They who have led a bad life in process of time descend into hell; they who have led a good life, are by degrees raised by the Lord into heaven.

—­Arcana Coelestia, n. 2119

THE FIRST THREE STATES AFTER DEATH

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

—­Rev., XXII, 11

CONTINUATION OF THE OUTWARD LIFE

There are three states through which a man passes after death, before he enters either heaven or hell.  The first state is that of his outward nature and life; the second, that of his inward nature and life; and the third, one of preparation.  A man passes through these states in the world of spirits.

The first state of a man after death is like his state in the world, because he is then similarly in things outward.  His appearance is similar, and so are his speech, his mental habit, and his moral and civil life.  As a result he does not know but that he is still in the world, unless he pays attention to things that meet his eye, and to what the angels told him at his resuscitation, that now he is a spirit.  Thus one life is carried on into the other, and death is only the transition.

—­Heaven and Hell, nn. 491, 493

REVELATION OF THE INNER LIFE

After the first state is past, which is the state of the outward nature and life, a spirit is admitted into the state of his inward will and thought, in which, on being left to himself to think freely and unchecked, he had been in the world.  He slips unawares into this state, just as he did in the world.  When he is in this state, he is in himself, and in his very life; for to think freely from the affection properly one’s own, is the very life of man, and is the man.