66.  The spirits that are beneath heaven are greatly astonished when they hear that heaven is not only above but below, for they have a like faith and opinion as men in the world, that heaven is nowhere but above, for they do not know that the arrangement of the heavens is like the arrangement of the members, organs, and viscera in man, some of which are above and some below; or like the arrangement of the parts in each of the members, organs, and viscera, some of which are within and some without.  Hence their confused notions about heaven.

67.  These things about heaven as the Greatest Man are set forth, because what follows in regard to heaven cannot be at all comprehended until these things are known, neither can there be any clear idea of the form of heaven, of the conjunction of the Lord with heaven, of the conjunction of heaven with man, of the influx of the spiritual world into the natural, or any idea at all of correspondence-subjects to be treated of in their proper order in what now follows.  To throw some light on these subjects, therefore, the above has been premised.

68.  IX.  Each society in heaven reflects A single man.

I have frequently been permitted to see that each society of heaven reflects a single man, and is in the likeness of a man.  There was a society into which several had insinuated themselves who knew how to counterfeit angels of light.  These were hypocrites.  When these were being separated from the angels I saw that the entire society appeared at first like a single indistinct body, then by degrees in a human form, but still indistinctly, and at last clearly as a man.  Those that were in that man and made up the man were such as were in the good of that society; the others who were not in the man and did not make up the man were hypocrites; these were cast out and the former were retained; and thus a separation was effected.  Hypocrites are such as talk well and also do well, but have regard to themselves in everything.  They talk as angels do about the Lord, heaven, love, and heavenly life, and also act rightly, so that they may appear to be what they profess to be.  But their thinking is different; they believe nothing; and they wish good to none but themselves.  Their doing good is for the sake of self, or if for the sake of others it is only for the appearance, and thus still for the sake of self.

69.  I have also been permitted to see that an entire angelic society, where the Lord is visibly present, appears as a one in the human form.  There appeared on high towards the east something like a cloud, from glowing white becoming red, and with little stars round about, which was descending; and as it gradually descended it became brighter, and at last appeared in a perfect human form.  The little stars round about the cloud were angels, who so appeared by virtue of light from the Lord.