31. Vanuit deze dingen kan vaststaan dat de Heer de hemel is, niet slechts in het algemeen bij allen daar, maar ook in het bijzonder bij eenieder daar; want iedere engel is een hemel in kleinste vorm. Vanuit zovele hemelen als er engelen zijn, is de hemel samengesteld, dat dit zo is, zie men in het werk ‘Hemel en Hel’, n. 51-58. Aangezien dit zo is, moet niet iemand die dwaling koesteren die bij velen in het eerste denken valt, dat de Heer in de hemel tussen de engelen is, of dat Hij bij hen is zoals een koning is in zijn rijk. Hij is boven hen, voor het gezicht, in de Zon daar, maar naar het leven van de liefde en wijsheid van hen, in hen.

34. 3. The more closely we are united to the Lord, the wiser we become. Since there are three levels of life in us from creation and therefore from birth (see 32 above), there are quite specifically three levels of wisdom in us as well. It is these levels that are opened for us in proportion to our union; they are opened in proportion to our love, that is, since love is union itself.

However, we sense this level-by-level ascent of love only dimly, while we sense an ascent of wisdom clearly if we know and see what wisdom is. The reason we are aware of levels of wisdom is that love enters our perceptions and thoughts through its desires, and our perceptions and thoughts stand out in the inner sight of our minds, the sight that answers to our outer, physical sight. This is why we can be conscious of our wisdom, but not so conscious of the desire of love that is giving rise to it. It is much the same as it is with the things that we do behaviorally. We notice how our bodies are doing things, but not how our souls are behaving. So too, we are aware of how we contemplate, perceive, and think, but not of the way the soul of these activities, the desire for what is good and true, is giving rise to them.

[2] There are, though, three levels of wisdom: earthly, spiritual, and heavenly. We are on the earthly level of wisdom while we are living in this world. This level can be brought to its height of perfection within us and still not cross the border to the spiritual level, because this level is not just an incremental extension of the earthly level. These two levels are united by their correspondence to each other. We arrive in the spiritual level of wisdom after death. This level too can be brought to the height of its perfection but still not cross the border to the heavenly level of wisdom. This latter level, again, is not just an incremental extension of the spiritual level, but is united to it by their mutual correspondence.

We may therefore conclude that wisdom can be raised up threefold, and that on each level it can be brought to a height of perfection by simple increment.

[3] Once we understand the ascent and perfection of these levels, we can to some extent understand what people say about angelic wisdom, namely, that it is inexpressible. It is so far beyond description that a thousand images of angels' thought, arising from their wisdom, can present only a single image to our thought, arising from our wisdom. The other nine hundred and ninety-nine images of angels' thought cannot find entrance because they transcend the material world. I have often been taught this by vivid experience.

However, as already noted [33], the only way to arrive at this indescribable angelic wisdom is through union with the Lord and in proportion to that union, since only the Lord opens the spiritual level and the heavenly level. This step is limited to people who are wise because of him, and we are wise because of the Lord when we cast the devil, or evil, away from ourselves.