From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
The reason why the angels are not superior to men but are equal to them, and that therefore they are equally the Lord’s servants as men are, is because all the angels have been men born in the world, and none of them directly created, as can be established out of the things that have been written and demonstrated in the work concerning Heaven and Hell published at London, 1758. They indeed excel men in wisdom, but for the reason that they are in a spiritual state and consequently in the light of heaven, and not in a natural state and thus in the light of the world as are the men of the earth. But in so far as any angel excels in wisdom, so far he acknowledges that he is not above men, but similar to them. (Apocalypse Revealed 818)
What the wisdom of the angels is can be inferred from the fact that they are in the light of heaven, and the light of heaven in its essence is Divine truth or Divine wisdom; and this light enlightens at the same time their inner sight, or sight of the mind, and their outer sight, or sight of the eyes. The angels are also in heavenly heat, which in its essence is Divine good or Divine love, and from that they have an affection and longing to become wise. That the angels are in wisdom, even to the extent that they may be called wisdoms, follows from the fact that their thoughts and affections all flow in accordance with the heavenly form, and this form is the form of Divine wisdom; also that their interiors, which are recipients of wisdom, are arranged in that form…That the angels have such wisdom is in accord with the fact that all things that they behold with their eyes and perceive by their senses agree with their wisdom, since they are correspondences of it, and thus the objects perceived are representative forms of the things that constitute their wisdom. Furthermore, the thoughts of angels are not limited and contracted by ideas from space and time, as human thoughts are, for spaces and times belong to nature, and the things that belong to nature withdraw the mind from spiritual things, and deprive intellectual sight of its proper range. Again, the thoughts of angels are neither brought down to earthly and material things, nor interrupted by anxieties about the necessities of life; thus they are not withdrawn by such things from the delights of wisdom, as the thoughts of men in the world are; for all things come to them gratuitously from the Lord; they are clothed gratuitously, are fed gratuitously, are housed gratuitously, and besides this they receive delights and pleasures in the degree of their reception of wisdom from the Lord. (Heaven and Hell 266{1-3})
They are such as can be comprehended by angels, but only to some extent by men. For angels see the arcana of the Word in light that flows from the Lord; and in that light countless things are made visible which cannot be put into words, or even into mental pictures that a person could assimilate while living in the body. The reason for this is that with people in the world the light of heaven flows into the light of the world and so into such things there as either eliminate, reject, or darken and thereby weaken the light of heaven, such things being worldly and bodily cares, especially those that flow from self-love and love of the world. This is the reason why the perceptions belonging to angelic wisdom are for the most part beyond description and also beyond comprehension. However, a person enters into such wisdom after the body has been cast aside, that is, after death, but only the person who, when in the world, received the life of faith and charity from the Lord. The ability to receive that wisdom is held within the good of faith and charity. Much experience too has allowed me to know that the things which angels see and think about in the light of heaven are beyond description. When I have been raised into that light I have seemed to myself to understand everything the angels spoke there. But when I was brought down from there to the light of the external or natural man and in that light wished to recall the things I had heard there, I could not put them into words or even find ideas in my mind to embrace them, except for a few, and even these few in a dim manner. (Arcana Coelestia 9094{2})
Key Points From The Video
Living Wisdom of Angels: Angelic wisdom is dynamic and applied to their lives, enhancing spiritual development and the well-being of others.
Purely Abstracted Truths of Reason: Angels focus on abstract spiritual truths, aiming to improve their wills and intellects.
Freedom from Space and Time: Angels’ thoughts are free from the constraints of space and time, leading to superior mental light and perception of higher truths.
Superior Mental Light: Detached from material constraints, angels perceive truths beyond natural cognition.
Angels Communication: Angels uses immaterial ideas abstracted from natural properties and aligns with their mental state.
Spiritual Thought and Universal Language: Elevated spiritual thought leads to a universal language that transcends literal meanings. As such, the literal meaning of Holy Scripture disappears when its spiritual sense is revealed.
Heaven as Interior States of Mind: Heaven is an interior state of the will and intellect, characterised by spiritual harmony and integration.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What characterises angelic wisdom according to the Spiritual Christianity?
a) Speculative and theoretical
b) Literal and concrete
c) Conjectural and abstract
d) Living and dynamic
Answer: d)
2. What do angels’ thoughts focus on?
a) Concrete physical reality
b) Practical daily tasks
c) Purely abstracted truths of reason
d) Material possessions
Answer: c)
3. How are angels’ thoughts free from the constraints of space and time?
a) By focusing on earthly language
b) Through their natural cognition
c) Through material understanding
d) By looking to the improvement of the will and intellect so that they might serve others
Answer: d)
4. What is required to understand angelic communication?
a) Immaterial ideas
b) Material properties
c) Concrete concepts
d) Natural language
Answer: a)
5. How is heaven defined in Spiritual Christianity?
a) As an external place
b) As interior states of mind
c) By its physical magnitude
d) By material possessions
Answer: b)
Reflective Questions
1. How can you apply the concept of living wisdom to your daily life?
2. In what ways can freeing your thoughts from material world constraints enhance your spiritual understanding?
3. How does the idea of heaven as an interior state of mind influence your perception of spiritual growth?
Experiential Integration
Daily Spiritual Reflection:
- Morning Intention: Begin your day by setting an intention to focus on abstract spiritual truths.
- Throughout the Day: Take moments to detach from material concerns and reflect on higher spiritual principles.
- Evening Reflection: Reflect on how this practice influenced your thoughts and actions, and how it can enhance your spiritual development.
Further Exploration
The wisdom of the angels of the third or inmost heaven shall now be described, and also how far it surpasses the wisdom of the angels of the first or outmost heaven. The wisdom of the angels of the third or inmost heaven is incomprehensible even to those who are in the outmost heaven, for the reason that the interiors of the angels of the third heaven have been opened to the third degree, while the interiors of angels of the first heaven have been opened only to the first degree; and all wisdom increases towards interiors and is perfected as these are opened (n. 208, 267). Because the interiors of the angels of the third or inmost heaven have been opened to the third degree, Divine truths are as it were inscribed on them; for the interiors of the third degree are more in the form of heaven than the interiors of the second and first degrees, and the form of heaven is from the Divine truth, thus in accord with the Divine wisdom, and this is why the truth is as it were inscribed on these angels, or are as it were instinctive or inborn in them. Therefore as soon as these angels hear genuine Divine truths they instantly acknowledge and perceive them, and afterwards see them as it were inwardly in themselves. As the angels of that heaven are such they never reason about Divine truths, still less do they dispute about any truth whether it is so or not; nor do they know what it is to believe or to have faith. They say, “What is faith? for I perceive and see that a thing is so.” This they illustrate by comparisons; for example, that it would be as when any one with a companion, seeing a house and the various things in it and around it, should say to his companion that he ought to believe that these things exist, and that they are such as he sees them to be; or seeing a garden and trees and fruit in it, should say to his companion that he ought to have faith that there is a garden and trees and fruits, when yet he is seeing them clearly with his eyes. For this reason these angels never mention faith, and have no idea what it is; neither do they reason about Divine truths, still less do they dispute about any truth whether it is so or not. But the angels of the first or outmost heaven do not have Divine truths thus inscribed on their interiors, because with them only the first degree of life is opened; therefore they reason about truths, and those who reason see almost nothing beyond the fact of the matter about which they are reasoning, or go no farther beyond the subject than to confirm it by certain considerations, and having confirmed it they say that it must be a matter of faith and must be believed. I have talked with angels about this, and they said that the difference between the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven and the wisdom of the angels of the first heaven is like that between what is clear and what is obscure; and the former they compared to a magnificent palace full of all things for use, surrounded on all sides by parks, with magnificent things of many kinds round about them; and as these angels are in the truths of wisdom they can enter into the palace and behold all things, and wander about in the parks in every direction and delight in it all. But it is not so with those who reason about truths, especially with those who dispute about them, as such do not see truths from the light of truth, but accept truths either from others or from the sense of the letter of the Word, which they do not interiorly understand, declaring that truths must be believed, or that one must have faith, and are not willing to have any interior sight admitted into these things. The angels said that such are unable to reach the first threshold of the palace of wisdom, still less to enter into it and wander about in its grounds. (Heaven and Hell 270{2-4})
The heat of heaven, like the light of heaven, is everywhere different. It is different in the celestial kingdom from what it is in the spiritual kingdom, and it is different in each society therein. It differs both in degree and in quality. It is more intense and more pure in the Lord’s celestial kingdom, because the angels there receive more of Divine good; and it is less intense and pure in His spiritual kingdom, because the angels there receive more of Divine truth. Also in each society the heat differs in accordance with reception. (Heaven and Hell 134)