169.  The natural man might think that he would be deprived of all thought if the ideas of time, space, and material things were taken away; for upon these all the thought of man rests.{1} But let him know that so far as thoughts partake of time, space, and matter they are limited and confined, but are unlimited and extended so far as they do not partake of these, since the mind is in that measure raised above bodily and worldly things.  This is the source of wisdom to the angels; and such wisdom as is called incomprehensible, because it does not fall into ideas that are wholly made up of what is material.

  {Footnote 1} Man does not think, as angels do, apart from the
  idea of time (n. 3404).

170.  XIX.  Representatives and appearances in heaven.

The man who thinks from natural light alone is unable to comprehend that there is any thing in heaven like what is in the world; and for the reason that from natural light he has previously thought, and established himself in the idea, that angels are nothing but minds, and that minds are like ethereal breaths, having no senses like those of men, thus no eyes, and if no eyes no objects of sight; and yet the angels have every sense that a man has, and far more exquisite senses; and the light by which angels see is far brighter than the light by which man sees.  That angels are men in the most complete form, and enjoy every sense, may be seen above (n. 73-77); and that the light in heaven is far brighter than the light in the world (n. 126-132).

171.  The nature of the objects that are visible to angels in heaven cannot be described in a few words.  For the most part they are like things on earth, but in form far more perfect, and in number more abundant.  That such things exist in the heavens is evident from things seen by the prophets,—­as by Ezekiel in relation to the new temple and the new earth (as described from chaps. 40 to 48); by Daniel (from chap. 7 to 12); by John (from the first chapter of the Apocalypse to the last); and by others, as described both in the historic and the prophetic part of the Word.  These things were seen by them when heaven was open to them, and heaven is said to be opened when the interior sight, which is the sight of man’s spirit, is opened.  For what is in the heavens cannot be seen by the eyes of a man’s body, but are seen by the eyes of his spirit; and when it seems good to the Lord these are opened, and man is then withdrawn from the natural light that he is in from the bodily senses and is raised up into spiritual light, which he is in from his spirit.  In that light the things in heaven have been seen by me.

172.  But although the things seen in heaven are in large part like those on the earth, in essence they are unlike them; for the things in heaven come forth from the sun of heaven, and those on the earth from the sun of the world.  The things that come forth from the sun of heaven are called spiritual; those that come forth from the sun of the world are called natural.