Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 126
167. As angels have no notion of time so they have an idea of
eternity different from that which men on the earth have.
Eternity means to the angels infinite state, not infinite time. 125
I was once thinking about eternity, and was able, with the idea
of time, to perceive what “to eternity” means, namely, without
end, but not what “from eternity” means, thus not what God
did from eternity before creation. When anxiety on this
account arose in my mind I was raised up into the sphere of
heaven, and thus into the perception that angels have in respect
to eternity; and it was then made clear to me that eternity must
be thought of, not from time but from state; and then the
meaning of “from eternity” can be seen. This then happened to
me.
168. When angels speak with men they never express
themselves in natural ideas proper to man, all of which are
from time, space, matter, and things analogous thereto, but in
spiritual ideas, all of which are from states and their various
changes within the angels and outside of them. Nevertheless,
when these angelic ideas, which are spiritual, flow into men,
they are turned in a moment and of themselves into natural
ideas proper to man, that correspond perfectly to the spiritual
ideas. Neither angels nor men know that this takes place; but
such is all influx of heaven into man. Certain angels were
permitted to enter more nearly into my thoughts, even into the
natural thoughts in which there were many things from time
and space; but as they then understood nothing they suddenly
withdrew; and after they had withdrawn I heard them talking,
and saying that they had been in darkness.
[2] It has been granted me to know by experience how
ignorant the angels are about time. There was a certain one
from heaven who was able to enter into natural ideas, such as
man has; and after he had done this I talked with him as man
125. Men have an idea of eternity associated with time, but angels apart
from time (n. 1382, 3404, 8325).