TCR 161 - A Grinding Wheel and God's Grace; TCR 162 - Delusive Light, The Lord's Light, and to Falsify the Word

TCR 161 [1, 2]

. . . a mill, and grinding, signif(ies)
to search the Word for what is serviceable to doctrine.

. . . grace on God's part, as it is infinite, is also eternal.
On man's part it may be lost, if he does not accept it;
but if grace were to depart from God,
the whole of heaven as well
as the whole of mankind would perish.
Therefore, grace on God's part endures to eternity,
not only towards angels and men,
but even towards devils in hell.

TCR 162 [2-3, 6, 8]

"What is a delusive light?" they asked,
and they were informed it is a light
arising from the confirmation of falsity
and corresponding to the light of owls and bats,
to which darkness is light and light darkness.
Proof of this was the fact
that when they looked up towards heaven,
where is Light itself,
they saw darkness,
and when they looked down towards the abyss,
where they came from,
they saw light.

. . . presently a voice came to them
from the southern quarter saying:
"Come this way,
and you will see something still more wonderful."
So they went, and entered a room
whose walls shone like gold;
and they saw a table there also,
upon which the Word lay,
decorated all round with precious stones,
arranged in a heavenly design.
The angel attendant said:
"When the Word is opened,
a light of inexpressible brilliance shines from it;
and at the same time from the precious stones
there arises the appearance of a rainbow
over and around the Word.
When an angel from the third heaven approaches,
there appears over and around the Word
a rainbow on a red ground;
when an angel from the second heaven approaches
and looks at it, the rainbow appears on a blue ground;
when an angel from the lowest heaven
approaches and looks,
the rainbow appears on a white ground;
and when a good spirit approaches and looks,
there appears a light variegated like marble."
The truth of this was then demonstrated to them.
The angel attendant continued:
"Should any one approach who has falsified the Word,
the brightness first vanishes.
If he comes nearer and looks on the Word,
there arises the appearance of blood around it,
and he is then warned to depart,
because there is danger."

. . . to falsify the Word is to select truths from it
and apply them to the confirmation of what is false,
which is to separate them from the Word
and destroy them . . ..