Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 59
but what he is seeing them with his bodily eyes. Thus were
angels seen by Abraham, Lot, Manoah, and the prophets; and
thus, too, the Lord was seen by the disciples after the
resurrection; and in the same way angels have been seen by me.
Because the prophets saw in this way they were called “seers,”
and were said “to have their eyes opened” (1 Sam. 9:9; Num.
24:3); and enabling them to see thus was called “opening their
eyes,” as with Elisha’s servant, of whom we read:
Elisha prayed and said, Jehovah, I pray Thee open his eyes
that he may see; and Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man
and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and
chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).
77. Good spirits, with whom I have spoken about this
matter, have been deeply grieved at such ignorance in the
church about the condition of heaven and of spirits and angels;
and in their displeasure they charged me to declare positively
that they are not formless minds nor ethereal breaths, but are
men in very form, and see, hear, and feel equally with those
who are in this world. 71
71. Inasmuch as each angel is a recipient of Divine order from the Lord,
he is in a human form, perfect and beautiful in the measure of his reception
(n. 322, 1880, 1881, 3633, 3804, 4622, 4735, 4797, 4985, 5199, 5530,
6054, 9879, 10177, 10594).
It is by means of Divine truth that order exists; and Divine good is the
essential of order (n. 2451, 3166, 4390, 4409, 5232, 7256, 10122, 10555).