he wrote the Revelation, and also by the women in the Lord's
sepulchre, yea, from the Lord himself as seen by the disciples after his
resurrection. The reason of their being seen was, because the eyes of
the spirits of those who saw them were opened; and when the eyes of the
spirit are opened, angels appear in their proper form, which is the
human; but when the eyes of the spirit are closed, that is, when they
are veiled by the vision of the bodily eyes, which derive all their
impressions from the material world, then they do not appear.

31. It is however to be observed, that a man after death is not a
natural, but a spiritual man; nevertheless he still appears in all
respects like himself; and so much so, that he knows not but, that he is
still in the natural world: for he has a similar body, countenance,
speech, and senses; for he has a similar affection and thought, or will
and understanding. He is indeed actually not similar, because he is a
spiritual, and consequently an interior man; but the difference does not
appear to him, because he cannot compare his spiritual state with his
former natural state, having put off the latter, and being in the
former; therefore I have often heard such persons say, that they know
not but that they are in the former world, with this difference,
however, that they no longer see those whom they had left in that world;
but that they see those who had departed out of it, or were deceased.
The reason why they now see the latter and not the former, is, because
they are no longer natural men, but spiritual or substantial; and a
spiritual or substantial man sees a spiritual or substantial man, as a
natural or material man sees a natural or material man, but not _vice
versa_, on account of the difference between what is substantial and
what is material, which is like the difference between what is prior and
what is posterior; and what is prior, being in itself purer, cannot
appear to what is posterior, which in itself is grosser; nor can what is
posterior, being grosser, appear to what is prior, which in itself is
purer; consequently an angel cannot appear to a man of this world, nor a
man of this world to an angel. The reason why a man after death is a
spiritual or substantial man, is, because this spiritual or substantial
man lay inwardly concealed in the natural or material man; which natural
or material man was to it as a covering, or as a skin about to be cast
off; and when the coveri