171. There is no way to describe briefly how things look to angels in the heavens. To a considerable extent, they look like the things we see on earth, but they are more perfect in form and also more abundant.

We may conclude that there are things like this in the heavens because of what the prophets saw - for example what Ezekiel saw of the new temple and the new earth as described in chapters 40-48 [of his book], what Daniel describes in his chapters 7-12, what John saw as described from the first through the last chapter of Revelation, along with other visions presented in both the historical and the prophetic books of the Word. They saw things like this when heaven was opened to them, and heaven is said to be opened when our inner sight, the sight of our spirit, is opened. For the things that exist in heaven cannot be seen with our physical eyes, but only with the eyes of our spirit; and when it pleases the Lord, these are opened. At such times we are led out of the natural light that our physical senses are in and raised into the spiritual light in which we dwell because of our spirit. This is the light in which I have seen the things that exist in the heavens.

1447. That 'He said, To your seed will I give this land' means that celestial things would be granted to those who had faith in Him is clear from the meaning of 'land' and from the meaning of 'land'. That 'seed' means faith in the Lord has been shown already in 255, 256, and that 'land' means celestial things has also been shown above at verse 1 of this chapter, and in 620, 636, 662, 1066. In the sense of the fetter 'the seed of Abram' is used to mean descendants through Jacob, and 'land' the land of Canaan itself which was to be given to them as a possession, for the reason that they might represent the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom and Church and that among them a representative Church might be established, and because the Lord was to be born in that land. But in the internal sense nothing else is meant by 'seed' then faith in the Lord, and by 'land' nothing else than celestial things, and here in particular that celestial things were to be granted to those who had faith in Him. What is meant by having faith in the Lord has been stated many times already.