413. 21. The Lord provides there that the innocence of early childhood in them become an innocence of wisdom, and that the little children thus become angels. Many people may suppose that little children remain little children and become angels immediately after death. But it is intelligence and wisdom that make an angel. Consequently, as long as little children do not have that intelligence and wisdom, they are indeed among angels, but are not themselves angels. They become angels for the first time only when they have become intelligent and wise.

Little children are therefore led from the innocence of early childhood to the innocence of wisdom; that is, from an external innocence to an internal one. This latter innocence is the goal in all their instruction and advancement. Consequently, when they reach the innocence of wisdom, attached to it is the innocence of their early childhood, which in the meantime had served them as a foundation.

I once saw the nature of the innocence of early childhood represented by something woody, almost without life, but which becomes more alive as children acquire concepts of truth and affections for good. Then afterwards the nature of the innocence of wisdom was represented by a live and naked little child.

Angels of the third heaven are more than all others in a state of innocence from the Lord, and to the eyes of spirits who are below the heavens, they appear as naked little children. Being, moreover, wiser than the rest, they also are more alive. The reason is there is a correspondence between innocence and early childhood, and between innocence and nakedness. Therefore it is said of Adam and his wife, when they were in a state of innocence, that they were naked and not ashamed, but that after they lost their state of innocence, they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves (Genesis 2:25, 3:7-8, 10-11). In short, the wiser angels are, the more innocent they are.

What the innocence of wisdom is like can be seen in some measure from the innocence of early childhood described above in no. 395, provided that the Lord is substituted for the parents there as the Father by whom such people are guided and to whom they attribute all that they receive.

People who are truly in love know that marriage is one of the greatest blessings the Lord has given people. But, these days, there's a lot of confusion and doubt about marriage.

Let's take a look at what the Bible says about it, beginning at the very beginning. The very fact that the Lord has created us male and female (Genesis 1:27) seems to indicate that marriage is the intended condition for people.

In the Adam and Eve story, the Lord says, "It is not good that the man should be alone." (Genesis 2:18). Therefore, He creates Eve. It's a very ancient story that depicts marriage as part of His plan for people.

God's blessing on the first marriage makes this even more clear: "And God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply.'" (Genesis 1:28)

Not only does marriage have the Lord's blessing - it is also phrased as a commandment in this passage from the prophet Jeremiah: "Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel.... Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished.'" (Jeremiah 29:6)

King Solomon said, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has a telling response to the Pharisees who are quizzing him about divorce:

Jesus answered, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female', and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate'." (Matthew 19:4-6)

In the text of the Bible, there are also frequent references to a marriage between the Lord and His Church, where the church is made up of the people who love the Lord and follow his commandments. This is a different sort of marriage than the one between husband and wife, but some of the same ideals of love and reciprocity and conjunction are presented.

"As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5)

"Your Maker is your husband: The Lord of Hosts is His name." (Isaiah 54:5)

"'Turn, O backsliding children,' says the Lord, 'for I am married to you.'" (Jeremiah 3:14)

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7).

See also Jeremiah 31:32; Isaiah 49:18, 61:10; Jeremiah 2:32; Hosea 2:2, 2:19; Ezekiel 16; Matthew 22:2-9; 25:1-10; Luke 5:34; Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17, etc.

From all this, it's pretty clear that there's strong support in the Bible for marriage.

That said, there are also some passages that have led people in other directions. In some of Paul's letters, there are some things which can be taken to mean that marriage is less chaste than celibacy. And, in answering a question from the Saduccees, Jesus says that in heaven, they neither marry nor are given in marriage. What did he mean by that? It has a deeper meaning than appears on the surface, but it's often been misinterpreted. We will dig into these issues in separate topics, or in an extension to this one... but, overall, the Bible's pretty clear that marriage is part of the Lord's design for us, and that our physical, earthly marriages represent a spiritual marriage, too.