1. The Sacred Scripture, or Word, Is Divine Truth Itself

Everyone says that the Word comes from God, is Divinely inspired, and so is holy. But even so, no one has known before this wherein the Divinity in it lies. For in its letter the Word appears as though written in the ordinary way, in a foreign style, neither as sublime or nor as lucid as writings of the present age seem to be.

As a result, a person who worships nature as God, or in preference to God, and so thinks prompted by self and his own self-interest, and not prompted by heaven in response to the Lord, may easily fall into error regarding the Word, and into scorning it, and when reading it, saying to himself, “What is this? What is that? Is this Divine? Can God, whose wisdom is infinite, speak so? Where is the holiness in it, and what makes it holy, other than some teaching of religion and so conviction?”

106. The greatest light is found in the middle where those Christians are who possess the Word, for light in the heavens is Divine truth emanating from the Lord as the sun there; and because the Word is that Divine truth, the greatest light is found where those people are who possess the Word.

From there as from its center, the light radiates out to all the surrounding areas, even to the outmost periphery. This is the source of the enlightenment of nations and peoples not in the church — also by means of the Word.

To be shown that the light in the heavens is Divine truth emanating from the Lord, and that the light makes possible the ability to understand, not only on the part of angels, but also on the part of people, see the book Heaven and Hell 126-140.