The Spiritual World: Talks for Children by George de Charms

13.  Writing in Heaven

Just as there is speech in the other world among the angels, so also there is writing. That this is so is clear from what is said in the Word. There it is described how the Prophet Ezekiel - when he was taken into the spiritual world by the Lord - saw an angel with "a roll of a book" in his hand, which he unrolled before his eyes. (Ezekiel 2:9) It was written both within and without; that is, on the front and an the back. So also John the Evangelist saw in the right hand of the Lord - as He sat upon the throne - a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

In neither place in the Word are we told anything further about this writing. But when Swedenborg went into the other world he also saw writing there, and books; and he describes for us what they were like. He says that writing in heaven is very much more wonderful than it is on earth. Especially is this true of the angels of the highest heaven, whose writing is altogether different from ours. They have no alphabet nor any letters. But they write in curves, each curve having a wonderful meaning, so that with a few lines they can express what would require several pages of our own writing. In the lower heavens they do not write in this way; nor can they understand what the celestial angels have written. They use letters, as we do; but still each letter has a meaning, as it does with us. And so they also - although they write with letters - can express much more in a few words than we can.

Not only do the angels write, but even the Lord Himself is said to write. When Moses went up into the mount to receive the Ten Commandments, we are told that the Lord wrote them with His finger on the two tables of stone. And again, He said to John - as related in the Book of Revelation, concerning everyone who continues throughout their life to love the Lord and to obey His Word - "I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God .... and I will write upon him my new name." (Rev. 3:12)

Why do you suppose there is writing in heaven? Perhaps it has never occurred to you how important writing is. Have you ever thought why it is that we have writing?

We write things down in order to remember them. You keep notebooks so that what you hear in class you will be able to read afterwards, and learn it, so that you can answer questions about it. All through your life you will find a need for putting things down in writing, so that you will not forget them. Not only are you able to refer to such things again, but you will be better able to remember them - even without looking at what you have written - because you will have impressed them upon your mind by writing them, and when they are so impressed they stay in your memory, and you can recall them much more easily.

Not only do we write things down so that we ourselves may remember them, but so that others may also remember them. That which is written down and kept, remains, and others can read it. We have books in our library that were written hundreds of years ago. The people who wrote them have long since gone to the other world. They are no longer here to tell us what they thought, or what they did. But by going to their books we may learn about them, and through their books they can speak to us today, just as they did so long ago to the people who lived at that time. By these books they are remembered by others.

Now the most important thing in the world is to remember the Lord. In most ancient times when people could see the Lord, and speak with Him, they did not need writing in order to remember Him. But when they could no longer see Him, then writing was given in order that what He said might be known and remembered. This was the reason why writing was invented;, and it has always been its greatest use. It was invented for the sake of the Word. And even where it is used for other purposes than the writing of the Word - where it is used to preserve the sayings of people, and their deeds, that those who come after may know and remember them - still its main purpose is that the Lord might be remembered. For from the writings of people - in all time - we derive history, by the study of which we are able to see what happened in the world long before we were born. But these things that happened were brought about by the Lord. And so when we read about them and come to understand them, we are able to see in them the Lord's Providence, and we can then understand how great has been His mercy and His care in all that He has done for people. If we do not come to understand this from what is written, we do not get their real message. And so all writing is for the sake of the Lord - that He may be known, remembered, and worshiped.

For this reason it is most important to learn how to write and how to read. If we could not read nor write there are millions of things that we could never come to know - things about this world, and things about the other world; and especially things concerning the Lord.

But writing, like language, is of no value in itself. It is merely a set of signs that represent ideas by which we may become wise. While at first we must be very careful to notice even the letters - how they are formed and made, and must practice until we can make them well ourselves; and while we must later notice the words and how they are put together to form sentences in order that we may use them correctly, that their meaning may be clear and distinct - yet, after we have done this we should forget the letters and the words, and think only of the ideas, for it is in these that there is wisdom. You should remember this in all your reading. Try to get the idea that is expressed by the writer, and do not merely read words without understanding, as at first you are apt to do. You can be sure that he or she has written more than words, and that some idea worth passing on to you is contained within them.

Especially is this important in the reading of the Word. For the Word is not like any other writing. It is the Lord's writing, and it contains all the wisdom of heaven. While you are reading it, and understanding just a little, the angels who are with you are also reading it, and understanding very, very much more. And if you will continually look for the meaning that is hidden in it, you will grow wiser and wiser, so that more of that hidden meaning will become clear to you, and the wonderful things that the angels understand in it will appear. It is in order that you might receive this wisdom, and might come to know and understand these heavenly ideas, and by them come to know and love the Lord, and continually remember Him, that the Word has been written.

Lesson: Revelation 5: 1-10.

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