Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 333
43
The Immensity of Heaven
415. The immensity of the heaven of the Lord is evident
from many things that have been said and shown in the
foregoing chapters, especially from this, that heaven is from the
human race (n. 311–317), both from those born within the
church and from those born out of it (n. 318–328); thus it
consists of all from the beginning of this earth that have lived a
good life. How great a multitude of men there is in this entire
world anyone who knows anything about the divisions, the
regions, and kingdoms of the earth may conclude. Whoever
goes into a calculation will find that several thousands of men
die every day, that is, some myriads of millions every year; and
this from the earliest times, since which several thousands of
years have elapsed. All of these after death have gone into the
other world, which is called the spiritual world, and they are
constantly going into it. But how many of these have become
or are becoming angels of heaven cannot be told. This I have
been told, that in ancient times the number was very great,
because men then thought more interiorly and spiritually, and
from such thought were in heavenly affection; but in the
following ages not so many, because in the process of time man
became more external and began to think more naturally, and
from such thought to be in earthly affection. All of this shows
how great heaven is even from the inhabitants of this earth
alone.
416. The immensity of the heaven of the Lord is shown also
by this, that all children, whether born within the church or
out of it, are adopted by the Lord and become angels; and the
number of these amounts to a fourth or fifth part of the whole