§316 heaven & hell from humans 173
e. There are as many levels of life in a human being as there are heavens, and these are opened
after death depending on how we have lived: 3747 , 9594. Heaven is within us: 3884. People who
are living lives of love and thoughtfulness have an angelic wisdom within them, but it is hidden;
and they come into the use of it after death: 2494. In the Word, anyone who accepts the good of
love and faith from the Lord is called an angel: 10528.
f. [Swedenborg’s note here refers the reader back to the note in § 304 above.]
We may conclude that heaven is from the human race from the fact 314
that angelic minds and our minds are very much alike. Both enjoy abili-
ties to understand, perceive, and intend. Both are formed for the accep-
tance of heaven. In fact, our minds are just as wise as angelic minds; but
they are not as wise in this world because we are in an earthly body, and
in an earthly body our spiritual mind thinks in a natural manner. It is
different, though, when it is freed from its tie to the body. Then we no
longer think naturally, but spiritually, and when we think spiritually, we
think thoughts that are incomprehensible and inexpressible to a natural
person. This means we are as wise as angels. We may gather from this that
our own inner person, what we call our spirit, is essentially an angel (see
above, § 57 ).e Once it is freed from the earthly body it is in a human form
just like that of an angel. (On angels being in perfect human form, see
§§ 73 – 77 above.) However, when our inner person has not been opened
upward but only downward, then we are in a human form after we are
freed from this body, but it is a frightening and diabolical form because it
cannot look upward toward heaven, only downward toward hell.
Once we have learned about the divine design, we can understand 315
that we were created to become angels because the ultimate boundary of
that design is found in us (§ 304 ), which means that in us the substance
of heavenly and angelic wisdom can take form and can be restored and
multiplied. The divine design never comes to rest part way, forming
something without a boundary: that is not the design in its fullness and
perfection. Rather, it presses on to its ultimate boundary,f and when it
has reached that limit it takes form; and then by means that it gathers on
that level it restores itself and produces more, which is accomplished by
procreation. This is why the seedbed of heaven is on this lowest level.
The reason the Lord rose not only in respect to his spirit but in respect 316
to his body as well is that when the Lord was in the world, he glorifi ed his
whole human nature—that is, he made it divine. In fact, his soul, which
he received from the Father, was essentially the Divine itself, and his body
became an image of that soul (that is, of the Father) and therefore also