this from the
earliest times, since which several thousands of years have elapsed.
All of these after death have gone into the other world, which is
called the spiritual world, and they are constantly going into it.
But how many of these have become or are becoming angels of heaven
cannot be told. This I have been told, that in ancient times the
number was very great, because men then thought more interiorly and
spiritually, and from such thought were in heavenly affection; but in
the following ages not so many, because in the process of time man
became more external and began to think more naturally, and from such
thought to be in earthly affection. All of this shows how great
heaven is even from the inhabitants of this earth alone.

416. The immensity of the heaven of the Lord is shown also by this,
that all children, whether born within the church or out of it, are
adopted by the Lord and become angels; and the number of these
amounts to a fourth or fifth part of the whole human race on the
earth. That every child, wherever born, whether within the church or
out of it, whether of pious or impious parents, is received by the
Lord when it dies, and is brought up in heaven, and is taught and
imbued with affections for good, and through these with knowledges of
truth, in accordance with Divine order, and as he becomes perfected
in intelligence and wisdom is brought into heaven and becomes an
angel, can be seen above (n. 329-345). From all this a conclusion may
be formed of the multitude of angels of heaven, derived from this
source alone, from the first creation to the present time.

417. Again, how immense the heaven of the Lord is can be seen from
this, that all the planets visible to the eye in our solar system are
earths, and moreover, that in the whole universe there are
innumerable earths, all of them full of inhabitants. These have been
treated of particularly in a small work on those earths from which I
will quote the following passage:

It is fully known in the other life that there are many earths
inhabited by men from which spirits and angels come; for everyone
there who desires from a love of truth and of use to do so is
permitted to talk with spirits of other earths, and thus be assured
that there is a plurality of worlds, and learn that the human race is
not from one earth alone, but from innumerable earths. I have
frequently talked about this with spirits of our earth, and was told
that any intelli