a splendor that cannot be described; and I was
told that such is the appearance of the Lord as a sun to the angels
in their first state. Afterwards there appeared a great obscure belt
about the sun, and by this its first glow and brilliancy, which gave
it such splendor, began to be dulled, and I was told that such is the
appearance of the sun to them in their second state. Then the belt
seemed by degrees to grow darker, and the sun to appear less glowing,
and this by degrees until at length it took on a shining whiteness;
and I was told that such is the appearance of the sun to them in
their third state. After this, that shining whiteness was seen to
move to the left towards the moon of heaven, and to add itself to her
light; and in consequence the moon shone forth with unwonted
splendor; and I was told that such is the fourth state of those in
the celestial kingdom and the first state of those in the spiritual
kingdom, and that in both kingdoms changes of state have such
alternations; yet not in the whole kingdom at once, but in one
society after another. Furthermore, I was told that these
alternations are not fixed, but come upon them sooner or later
without their knowledge. And it was added that the sun in itself is
not thus changed or moved; but it takes on this appearance in accord
with their successive progressions of state, since the Lord appears
to everyone in accord with what his state is, thus glowing when one
is in intense love and less glowing and finally shining white as his
love subsides; and the quality of each one's state was represented by
the obscure belt that induced upon the sun these apparent variations
in its glow and light.

160. When angels are in the last of these states, which is when they
are in what is their own, they begin to be sad. I have talked with
them when they were in that state and have seen their sadness; but
they said that they hoped to return soon to their former state, and
thus into heaven again, as it were; for to them it is heaven to be
withheld from what is their own.

161. There are also changes of state in the hells, but these will be
described later when hell is treated of.

162. XVIII. TIME IN HEAVEN.

Although there is a succession and a progression of all things in
heaven, as in the world, yet angels have no notion or idea of time
and space; and this so completely that they do not even know at all
what time and space are. Time in heaven will here be conside