533. On hearing all this, the angels greatly rejoiced; but then, perceiving a sadness in me, they asked, "Whence is your sadness?" I said, "The arcana now revealed by the Lord, though in excellence and worth they surpass the knowledges hitherto made public, are yet esteemed on earth as of no value." Wondering at this, the angels besought the Lord that it might be allowed them to look down into the world. And they looked down and there, lo, mere darkness! They were then told to write those arcana upon a paper, and the paper would be let down upon the earth and they would see a portent. This was done. The paper on which those arcana had been written was let down from heaven, and lo, in its progress, while still in the spiritual world, it shone like a star; but as it fell into the natural world, the light disappeared and by degrees, as it went down, it was darkened. When it was let down by the angels into companies where were doctors and learned men of the clergy and laity, from many of these a murmur was heard, in which were the words: "What is this? Is it anything? What matters whether we know these things or not? Are they not offspring of the brain?" and it seemed as though some of them took the paper and folded and rolled and unrolled it with their fingers in order to obliterate the writing. It also seemed as though others would tear it to pieces, and as though still others wished to trample it under their feet. But from that criminal deed they were restrained by the Lord, and command was given to the angels to withdraw the paper and guard it. And because the angels were made sad and thought, "How long will this be?" it was said, "Until a time and times and half a time" (Rev. 12:14).