6. From the Lord spring three levels of reality — the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural — one after another.

The level termed celestial is one that springs from the Lord’s Divine love, and is Divine goodness.

The level termed spiritual is one that springs from His Divine wisdom, and is Divine truth.

The level termed natural is one that springs from these two. It is a composite of them on the lowest level.

Angels of the Lord’s celestial kingdom, who make up the third or highest heaven, are surrounded by the Divinity emanating from the Lord that we call celestial. For they are prompted by the goodness of love received from the Lord.

Angels of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, who make up the second or middle heaven, are surrounded by the Divinity emanating from the Lord that we call spiritual. For they are prompted by the truths of wisdom received from the Lord. ¹

And in the church in the world people are surrounded by the natural Divinity that also emanates from the Lord.

[2] It follows from this that the Divinity emanating from the Lord to its lowest level descends through three degrees, and is termed celestial, spiritual, and natural.

The Divinity that descends from the Lord to humankind does so through these three degrees, and when it has descended, it contains these three degrees within it.

Everything Divine is of such a character. When it is in its lowest degree, therefore, it exists in its fullness.

Such is the Word. In its lowest or outmost sense it is natural. In its interior sense it is spiritual, in its inmost sense celestial, and in every sense Divine.

That the Word is of such a character is not apparent in its literal, natural sense, and that is because people in the world have previously known nothing of the heavens, and so nothing of the spiritual and celestial levels, thus nothing of the difference between these levels and the natural one.

Footnotes:

38. We find in heaven and in the world sequential order and concurrent order. In sequential order one element follows and succeeds another, from the highest of them to the lowest. In concurrent order, however, one element is adjacent to another, from the inmost of them to the outmost.

Sequential order is like a column with vertical elements from highest to lowest, while concurrent order is like a coherent whole with concentric rings from the center to the surface.

We will now say how sequential order becomes, in the lowest element, concurrent order. It happens in this way: The highest elements in sequential order become the inmost ones in concurrent order, and the lowest elements in sequential order become the outmost ones in concurrent order. It is comparatively like a sinking column of vertical elements becoming a unified mass on a single plane.

[2] In this way concurrent order is formed from a sequential one, and this is the case in each and every constituent of the natural world, and in each and every constituent of the spiritual world. For everywhere we find a first element, an intermediate element, and a final element. And the first element proceeds and progresses through the intermediate element to its final element.

Now in application to the Word: Its celestial, spiritual and natural constituents emanate from the Lord in sequential order, and in the final ones are present in concurrent order. Thus the Word’s celestial and spiritual senses are then present at the same time in its natural sense.

When this is understood, it can be seen how the Word’s natural sense, namely its literal sense, is the foundation, containing vessel, and buttress of its spiritual and celestial senses. It can be seen, too, how Divine goodness and Divine truth are present in the Word’s literal sense in their fullness, in their holiness, and in their power.