171.  There was then seen a dark cloud towards the east descending from on high, which in its descent appeared by degrees full of light and in the human form.  At length this [human form] appeared in a flaming radiance, encompassed with small stars of the same colour.  Thus the Lord presented Himself before the spirits with whom I was conversing.  At His presence all the spirits who were there were instantly gathered together from every side; and when they were come, they were separated, the good from the evil, the good to the right and the evil to the left, and this in an instant as of their own accord.  Those on the right were arranged in order according to the quality of the good, and those on the left according to the quality of the evil, with them:  they who were good remained to form among themselves a heavenly society; but the evil were cast into the hells.  Afterwards I saw that that flaming radiance descended to the lower parts of the earth there to a considerable depth, and then it appeared at one time in a flaming [lustre] verging to luminosity, at another time in a luminosity verging into obscurity, and at another in obscurity:  and I was told by the angels that that appearance is according to the reception of truth from good, and of falsity from evil, with those who inhabit the lower parts of that earth, and that the flaming radiance itself was subject to no such variations.  They also said, that the lower parts of that earth were inhabited both by the good and by the evil; but that they were thoroughly separated, to the end that the evil might be ruled by the Lord through the good.  They added, that the good are by turns elevated thence into heaven by the Lord, and that others succeed in their place, and so on perpetually.  In that descent, the good were separated from the evil in like manner, and all things were reduced to order; for the evil, by various arts and cunning contrivances, had intruded themselves into the dwellings of the good there, and had infested them; and this was the cause of the present visitation.  That cloud, which in descending appeared by degrees full of light and in the human form, and afterwards as a flaming radiance, was an angelic society, in whose midst the Lord was.  From this it was given me to know what is meant by the Lord’s words in the Gospels, where, speaking of the Last Judgment, He says, “That He would come with the angels in the clouds of heaven, with glory and power” [(Matt. xxiv. 30; Mark xiii. 26; Luke xxi. 27)].

172.  After this were seen some monkish spirits, those, namely, who have already been spoken of as having been travelling monks or missionaries in the world; and there was also seen a crowd of spirits who were from that earth, most of them evil, whom they had drawn over to their side, and led astray.  These were seen on the eastern quarter of that earth, from whence they had driven away the good, who betook themselves to the northern side of the earth, and of whom we have spoken above.  That crowd, together