I have been given to know from much personal experience that the Word opens heaven to a person. That is to say, when a person reads the Word or speaks from it, communication with heaven is effected. I once read through the prophetic Word from Isaiah to Malachi, and I was given to see that every chapter-indeed, every verse-was perceived in some heavenly society. And because the spiritual meaning is communicated, and not the literal meaning, therefore the angels in the society did not know their perceptions were coming from some person. It seemed to them as if they were thinking spontaneously, of themselves, about such things as are contained within the Word.

[2] Another time I had with me African spirits, from Ethiopia. One day their ears were opened so that they heard people singing one of the Psalms of David in a temple in this world. The spirits were moved with such delight by this that they began to sing along with them. But presently their ears were closed again and they no longer heard anything from there; and then they were affected with a still greater delight, because it was a spiritual delight. And at the same time they were filled with intelligence, because the Psalm in its spiritual meaning had to do with the Lord and redemption by Him. The increase in their delight and joy of heart occurred as a result of their communication with a certain heavenly society from the Christian world, and by that communication they came into a similar state. It was apparent from this that a communication with the whole of heaven takes place by means of the Word.

[3] I omit a thousand other experiences which have confirmed for me that the literal meaning of our Word produces this effect; indeed, that the spiritual meaning without its accompanying natural meaning does not communicate with heaven. 'The reason is that the Lord flows in from first things through last things, thus from Himself into the natural meaning of the Word; and then from this He draws forth or unfolds its spiritual and celestial meanings so as to enlighten, teach and lead the angels. That is why in the Word the Lord is called the first and the last.*

[4] It is apparent from the above that unless the doctrine of the church has been taken from and verified by the literal meaning of the Word, it is without power, because it does not communicate [with heaven]. It is otherwise in the case of doctrine taken from the literal meaning and coupled with it. * See Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12; Revelation 1:11, 17, 2:8, 22:13.