93. I have spoken with some in the spiritual world who lived many centuries ago and confirmed themselves in the falsities of their religion, and I found that they remained steadfastly caught up in them.

I have also spoken with some there who were adherents of the same religion and thought as those others did, but who inwardly did not affirm its falsities, and I found that on being instructed by angels, they rejected the falsities and learned truths, and were saved, unlike the others.

Every person after death is instructed by angels, and those who see truths, and falsities in the light of those truths, are accepted. For everyone is given the ability after death to see truths spiritually. Those who have not confirmed themselves in falsities see truths, whereas those who have so confirmed themselves are unwilling to see truths, and if they do see them, they turn their backs on them, and then either deride them or falsify them.

53. 2. Doctrine must be drawn from the Word’s literal sense and verified by it. That is because there and nowhere else is the Lord present with a person so as to enlighten him and teach him the church’s truths. The Lord also never does anything except in fullness, and the Word is in its fullness in its literal sense, as we showed above. It is because of this that doctrine must be drawn from the literal sense.