255# 我曾在灵界与若干人交谈；彼等生活于数百年前，且曾确认其宗教之伪谬。我由此察知，他们至今仍恒久停留于同一伪谬之中。又曾与那里若干人交谈；彼等虽属同一宗教，亦曾如前者一般思想，却未在自己里面确认其伪谬。我察知，此等人受天使教导之后，遂弃绝伪谬而接受真理，并得救；前者则不然。
人死后，人人皆受天使教导；凡能看见真理，并由真理看见伪谬者，皆被接纳。然唯有未曾在伪谬中确认自己者，能看见真理；至于已确认自己者，则不愿看见真理；即或看见，亦转身背之，继而或嗤笑之，或加以歪曲。
其真实原因在于：确认进入意志；而意志即人之自身，并能按其指意支配理智。至于赤裸知识，则仅进入理智；理智对意志并无权柄，故此知识并非真在人的里面；不过如人立于庭前或门口，尚未入屋而已。
255# 在灵界，我与一些生活在许多世纪以前，确认其宗教虚假的人交谈过；我发现，他们仍坚定地持守它们。我也与那里一些属于同一宗教，并以同样的方式思考，但没有确认宗教虚假的人交谈过；我发现，经天使教导后，他们弃绝了虚假，接受了真理；这些人得救了，而前者没有得救。死后，每个人都会被天使教导，那些看到真理，并出于真理看到虚假的人被接受，即被接到天堂。然而，只有那些没有确认虚假的人才能看到真理；而那些已经确认的人不愿看到真理，或即便看到真理，他们也会转身离开，要么嘲笑它们，要么歪曲它们。真正的原因在于，确认进入意愿，而意愿才是这个人自己，并随意支配理解力；而纯粹的知识只进入理解力，对意愿没有影响或权力，在人里面只是像一个站在门厅或门口，还没有进到屋里的人。
255. In the spiritual world I have spoken with people who lived hundreds of years ago who had become adamantly devoted to false ideas in their religion. I learned that these people still consistently maintain these ideas. I have also spoken with people in the spiritual world who had belonged to the same religion and had had the same thoughts as these others but who had not become adamant about these false ideas inside themselves. I learned that when the latter people were taught by angels they rejected these false ideas and embraced true ones. They were saved, but the others were not.
After we die we are all taught by angels. If we can see truths, and can see falsities in contrast to truths, we are accepted [into heaven]. The only people who are able to see truths, however, are those who have not reinforced false ideas in themselves. Those who have reinforced false ideas are unwilling to see truths. If they see truths, they turn away and either laugh at what they have seen or falsify it. The real reason for this is that becoming adamant enters the will, and the will is the real person. The will controls the intellect as it wishes. Merely knowing something enters only the intellect, and the intellect has no jurisdiction over the will. Knowledge, therefore, is not really inside us, just as someone who is standing on a porch or in an entrance is not really inside the house.
255. I have spoken with people in the spiritual world who lived many centuries ago and convinced themselves of the falsities taught by their religion; and I learned that they still steadfastly remain convinced of them. I have also spoken with some there who belonged to the same religion and thought just as the others, but had not confirmed the falsities in their minds; and I learned that these under instruction by angels have rejected the falsities and accepted truths. These people have been saved, but not the others.
After death everyone is instructed by angels, and those are accepted who see truths, and falsities in the light of truths. But the only ones to see truths are those who have not convinced themselves of falsities; those who have are unwilling to see truths, and if they do, they turn away, and then either laugh at them or turn them into falsities. The real cause of this is that confirmation enters into the will, and the will is the very essence of the person, and has the understanding at its beck and call. But bare knowledge only enters the understanding, and this has no control over the will; so it is no more inside the person than someone who stands in the forecourt or at the door, and has not yet been admitted to the house.
255. I have talked with some in the spiritual world who lived many centuries ago and who had confirmed themselves in the falsities of their religion; and I found that they still continued steadfastly in them. I have also talked with some there who had been of the same religion and had thought in the same way, but had not confirmed in themselves its falsities; and I found that after having been taught by the angels they rejected the falsities and accepted truths; and that such were saved, while the former were not. Everyone is instructed after death by angels, and those are received who see truths and from truths see falsities; but truths are seen only by those who have not confirmed themselves in falsities. Those who have confirmed themselves are unwilling to see truths, or if they see them they turn themselves away and either ridicule or falsify them. The real cause of this is that confirmation enters the will, and the will is the man himself and disposes the understanding at its pleasure. But bare knowledge enters the understanding only, and this has no authority over the will, but is in man only as one who stands in the hall or doorway and is not yet in the house.
255. I have conversed in the spiritual world with some who lived many ages ago, and who had confirmed themselves in the falsities of their religion, and I found that they still firmly adhered to them. I have also conversed with some in that world who had been of the same religion and had entertained the same ideas as the others, but had not confirmed themselves in its falsities; and I learned that they, after being instructed by the angels, had rejected the falsities and accepted truths. These had been saved, but the others were not. Every man after death is instructed by angels, and those are received into heaven who perceive truths and, from truths, falsities. Only those, however, perceive truths who have not confirmed themselves in falsities; but those who have so confirmed themselves do not wish to see truths; and if they are presented to them, they turn away, and either ridicule or falsify them. The reason is that confirmation enters the will, and as the will is the man, it disposes the understanding as it pleases; whereas mere knowledge simply enters the understanding, and has no influence over the will; consequently such knowledge is not in the man, but is like one standing in the entrance hall or portal who is not yet in the house.
255. Loquutus sum cum quibusdam in Mundo spirituali, qui ante plura Saecula vixerunt, et se confirmaverunt in falsis Religionis suae, et compertus sum, quod in iisdem adhuc constanter manerent: et quoque loquutus sum cum quibusdam ibi, qui in eadem Religione fuerunt, et cogitaverunt sicut illi, sed non confirmaverunt falsa ejus apud se, et compertus sum, quod instructi ab Angelis falsa rejecerint, et vera receperint, et quod hi salvati sint, non autem illi. Unusquisque homo post mortem instruitur ab Angelis, et recipiuntur illi qui vera vident, et ex veris falsa; sed modo illi vident vera, qui se non confirmaverunt in falsis, sed qui se confirmaverunt, illi non volunt videre vera, et si vident, se retro vertunt, et tunc vel ad illa rident, vel illa falsificant; genuina causa est, quod Confirmatio intret voluntatem, ac voluntas est ipse homo, et disponit intellectum ad nutum; at nuda cognitio modo intrat intellectum, et hic non aliquod jus in voluntatem habet, ita non est in homine, aliter quam sicut qui stat in atrio aut in porta, et non adhuc in domo.