Children in the After-Life

Selection from Conjugial Love ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Love of children remains after death, especially with women.

On first being raised up, which takes place immediately on death, little ones are taken up into heaven and entrusted to angels of the female sex who in the life of the body in the world had loved children and at the same time had feared God. Having loved all children with maternal tenderness, these women receive the children as their own, and in turn the children, from an implanted instinct, love them as their own mothers. Such mothers are entrusted with as many children as they desire from spiritual storge. The heaven where infants are, appears in front in the region of the forehead, in the line or radius along which angels look directly to the Lord. Their heaven is so situated because all infants are reared under the Lord's immediate auspices. There also flows in with them the heaven of innocence, which is the third heaven. When this first period comes to an end, the children are transferred to another heaven, where they receive instruction.

Under the Lord's auspices children are educated by these women,
and grow in stature and intelligence as in the world.

Children are educated in heaven as follows:

From their teacher they learn to speak. Their first speech is only an utterance of affection, in which however there is an initial something of thought, by which the human in utterance is distinguished from animal sounds. The speech gradually becomes more articulate as ideas enter the thought from affection. All their affections - these also grow - proceed from innocence. First such things are insinuated in them as appear before the eyes and delight them, into which, too, because they have a spiritual origin, there flow things of heaven by which the interiors of the minds are opened. Then, as the children are perfected in intelligence, they also increase in stature, and in this respect also, look more like adults. This is because intelligence and wisdom are spiritual nutriment itself; hence what nourishes their minds also nourishes their bodies there. But children do not grow up in heaven beyond early youth, stopping there and remaining at that age to eternity. On reaching that age they are given in marriage by the Lord's provision; the marriage is celebrated in the heaven where the young man is, who presently follows his wife into her heaven, or into her home if they are in the same society. That I might know for certain that children grow in stature as well as in intelligence, and become adult, I was permitted to speak with some while they were children and later when they had become adult; and as adults they seemed to be of a like stature with grown youths in the world.

Children are instructed especially by means of representatives adapted and suited to their natures, of such beauty and at the same time so replete with interior wisdom that the world can hardly credit it. I may cite two representations here from which others can be imagined. Teachers once represented the Lord's rising from the tomb, and at the same time the union of His human with the Divine. First they presented an idea of a tomb, but no idea at the same time of the Lord except a remote one, so that it was scarcely perceived that it was the Lord except as it were at a distance, for the reason that there is in the idea of a tomb something funereal which they thus removed. Afterwards they discreetly let into the tomb a certain atmospheric something, yet: appearing like a fine watery something, by which they signified, again in seemly remoteness, the spiritual life in baptism. Afterwards I saw them represent the Lord's descent to those who were bound, and His ascent with them into heaven. And what was childlike, they lowered slender cords, almost invisible and very delicate and soft, as if to aid the Lord in His ascent, always devoutly fearful lest anything in the representative might border on what had nothing heavenly in it. There are other representations besides by which children are borne into knowledges of truth and affections of good, as by games agreeable to their infant minds. Children are predisposed by the Lord to these and like representatives through the innocence which comes to them from the third heaven. Spiritual things are thus insinuated into their affections and hence into their tender thoughts in such a way that the children know no otherwise than that they make up and think up such things themselves, and as a result their understanding grows.

The Lord provides in heaven
that the INNOCENCE of INFANCY in children
shall become the INNOCENCE of WISDOM.

Many may fancy that children remain children and become angels immediately on death. But intelligence and wisdom make an angel. While children have none, therefore, they are indeed among angels, but are not angels. They first become angels when they become intelligent and wise. Children are led therefore out of the innocence of infancy into the innocence of wisdom, that is, out of external into internal innocence. This innocence is the goal of all their instruction and development.

When therefore they come into the innocence of wisdom, their childhood's innocence, which had served them meanwhile as a plane, is adjoined.

I saw the nature of childhood's innocence represented by something woody, almost devoid of life, which was vivified as they were imbued with knowledges of truth and affections of good. Afterwards the nature of the innocence of wisdom was represented by a living and naked child. The angels of the third heaven, who more than others are in a state of innocence from the Lord, appear to the eyes of spirits below the heavens as naked children, and being wiser than all others, they are also more alive. The reason is that innocence corresponds to infancy and also to nakedness. Adam and his wife in their state of innocence were therefore said to be naked and not ashamed; but after they lost that state of innocence it is said they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves (Genesis 2:25; 3:7, 10, 11).

In a word, the wiser an angel is, the more innocent he is. The nature of the innocence of wisdom may be seen in a measure from the innocence of childhood ... provided that in the place of the parents the Lord is put as Father, by whom they are led and to whom they ascribe all they receive.

I have spoken with angels at different times about innocence. They have said that innocence is the esse of every good, and that good is good as far as it has innocence in it; also that as wisdom is of the life and hence of good, wisdom is wisdom as far as it partakes of innocence. The same is true, they said, of love, and charity, and faith. Hence it is, too, that no one can enter heaven unless he has innocence, which is the meaning of the Lord's words:

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17).

In this, as in other passages in the Word, infants signify those who are in innocence. Good is good as far as it has innocence in it because all good is from the Lord, and innocence consists in being led by Him.

(Conjugial Love 410-414)

The Life of The Soul or Spirit

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

With regard to the general subject of the life of souls, that is, of novitiate spirits, after death, I may state that much experience has shown that when a man comes into the other life he is not aware that he is in that life, but supposes that he is still in this world, and even that he is still in the body. So much is this the case that when told he is a spirit, wonder and amazement possess him, both because he finds himself exactly like a man, in his senses, desires, and thoughts, and because during his life in this world he had not believed in the existence of the spirit, or, as is the case with some, that the spirit could be what he now finds it to be.

A second general fact is that a spirit enjoys much more excellent sensitive faculties, and far superior powers of thinking and speaking, than when living in the body, so that the two states scarcely admit of comparison, although spirits are not aware of this until gifted with reflection by the Lord.

Beware of the false notion that spirits do not possess far more exquisite sensations than during the life of the body. I know the contrary by experience repeated thousands of times. Should any be unwilling to believe this, in consequence of their preconceived ideas concerning the nature of spirit, let them learn it by their own experience when they come into the other life, where it will compel them to believe.

In the first place spirits have sight, for they live in the light, and good spirits, angelic spirits, and angels, in a light so great that the noonday light of this world can hardly be compared to it. The light in which they dwell, and by which they see.... Spirits also have hearing, hearing so exquisite that the hearing of the body cannot be compared to it. For years they have spoken to me almost continually.... They have also the sense of smell.... They have a most exquisite sense of touch, whence come the pains and torments endured in hell; for all sensations have relation to the touch, of which they are merely diversities and varieties. They have desires and affections to which those they had in the body cannot be compared.... Spirits think with much more clearness and distinctness than they had thought during their life in the body.

There are more things contained within a single idea of their thought than in a thousand of the ideas they had possessed in this world. They speak together with so much acuteness, subtlety, sagacity, and distinctness, that if a man could perceive anything of it, it would excite his astonishment. In short, they possess everything that men possess, but in a more perfect manner, except the flesh and bones and the attendant imperfections. They acknowledge and perceive that even while they lived in the body it was the spirit that sensated, and that although the faculty of sensation manifested itself in the body, still it was not of the body; and therefore that when the body is cast aside, the sensations are far more exquisite and perfect. Life consists in the exercise of sensation, for without it there is no life, and such as is the faculty of sensation, such is the life, a fact that anyone may observe.

(Arcana Coelestia 320-322)

Man's Entrance Into Eternal Life (Pt 2)

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Man's Entrance Into Eternal Life

After the use of light has been given to the resuscitated person, or soul, so that he can look about him, the spiritual angels previously spoken of render him all the kindly services he can in that state desire, and give him information about the things of the other life, but only so far as he is able to receive it. If he has been in faith, and desires it, they show him the wonderful and magnificent things of heaven.

But if the resuscitated person or soul is not of such a character as to be willing to be instructed, he then desires to be rid of the company of the angels, which they exquisitely perceive, for in the other life there is a communication of all the ideas of thought. Still, they do not leave him even then, but he dissociates himself from them. The angels love everyone, and desire nothing more than to render him kindly services, to instruct him, and to convey him to heaven. In this consists their highest delight.

When the soul thus dissociates himself, he is received by good spirits, who likewise render him all kind offices while he is in their company. If however his life in the world has been such that he cannot remain in the company of the good, he desires to be rid of these also, and this process is repeated again and again, until he associates himself with those who are in full agreement with his former life in the world, among whom he finds as it were his own life. And then, wonderful to say, he leads with them a life like that which he had lived when in the body. But after sinking back into such a life, he makes a new beginning of life; and some after a longer time, some after a shorter, are from this borne on toward hell; but such as have been in faith toward the Lord, are from that new beginning of life led step by step toward heaven.

Some however advance more slowly toward heaven, and others more quickly. I have seen some who were elevated to heaven immediately after death, of which I am permitted to mention only two instances.

A certain spirit came and discoursed with me, who, as was evident from certain signs, had only lately died. At first he knew not where he was, supposing himself still to be in the world; but when he became conscious that he was in the other life, and that he no longer possessed anything, such as house, wealth, and the like, being in another kingdom, where he was deprived of all he had possessed in the world, he was seized with anxiety, and knew not where to betake himself, or whither to go for a place of abode. He was then informed that the Lord alone provides for him and for all; and was left to himself, that his thoughts might take their wonted direction, as in the world. He now considered (for in the other life the thoughts of all may be plainly perceived) what he must do, being deprived of all means of subsistence; and while in this state of anxiety he was brought into association with some celestial spirits who belonged to the province of the heart, and who showed him every attention that he could desire. This being done, he was again left to himself, and began to think, from charity, how he might repay kindness so great, from which it was evident that while he had lived in the body he had been in the charity of faith, and he was therefore at once taken up into heaven.

I saw another also who was immediately translated into heaven by the angels, and was accepted by the Lord and shown the glory of heaven; not to mention much other experience respecting others who were conveyed to heaven after some lapse of time.

(Arcana Coelestia 314-319)