Heaven: A History, by Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang
In Heaven: A History (1995: Yale University Press) the authors, Drs. Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang, state that Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) had a pivotal role in bringing about a changed view of heaven, including the idea that angels are humans who have died and gone on to heaven, rather than a separate race of pre-created beings as mainstream Christianity had held for many centuries previously. See especially Chapter 7: “Swedenborg and the Emergence of a Modern Heaven.”
Swedenborg on humans becoming angels
Swedenborg based his teaching that all angels were once people primarily on his own experience of meeting and talking with them in the spiritual world. For example, he says in Heaven and Hell #311:
People in the Christian world are totally unaware that heaven and hell come from the human race. They actually believe that angels were created in the beginning and constitute heaven, and that the devil or Satan was an angel of light who became rebellious and was cast out together with his faction, and that this gave rise to hell.
Angels are utterly amazed that there can be this kind of belief in the Christian world, and even more so that people know absolutely nothing about heaven, even though this is a primary doctrine of the church. Knowing that this kind of ignorance is prevalent, they are profoundly delighted that it has now pleased the Lord to reveal to us so much about heaven—and about hell as well—and so as much as possible to dispel the darkness that is rising daily because this church is drawing to a close. So they want me to testify on their behalf that in all heaven there is not a single angel who was created as such in the beginning, nor is there in all hell a devil who was created as an angel of light and cast out. Rather, all the people in heaven and in hell are from the human race—in heaven the ones who have lived in heavenly love and faith, and in hell the ones who have lived in hellish love and faith.
The Bible on angels and people
Swedenborg also states, however, that this is the teaching of the Bible, if the Bible is properly understood. For a summary of the biblical arguments in favor of angels and devils as human beings who have died and gone on to the spiritual world, see the article “What is the Biblical Basis for Humans becoming Angels after they Die?”
Here are the basic points made in the article, accompanied by supporting references to the Bible:
- The Bible says nothing about angels being created.
- The Bible often refers to angels as “men.”
- Angels look like people.
- “Angel” means “messenger,” not a separate race of beings.
- Angels themselves reject the idea that they are superior beings.
- Jesus says that we become like angels after death.
For an introduction to Swedenborg’s teachings about angels, including a section on where angels come from, see “Who Are the Angels and How Do They Live?”
Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell has been translated from its original Latin into many languages, and has had a large circulation throughout the world since it was first published in 1758 in London, England. Outside of various statements in the Bible itself, it is the primary source of the common modern belief that people become angels after death.
Note, however, that Swedenborg did not say that angels have wings. Rather, he said that they are fully human in appearance.
(Note: This post is a slightly edited version of an answer I originally wrote and posted on Christianity StackExchange. You can see the original question on StackExchange here, and the StackExchange version of my answer here.)
For further reading:
- What is the Biblical Basis for Humans becoming Angels after they Die?
- Who Are the Angels and How Do They Live?
- What Happens To Us When We Die?
- The Afterlife: It’s Not as Different as you Think!
- Heaven and Hell, by Emanuel Swedenborg
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Lee Woofenden is an ordained minister, writer, editor, translator, and teacher. He enjoys taking spiritual insights from the Bible and the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and putting them into plain English as guides for everyday life.
Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life 
Do all of the deceased become messengers, or does god only select some of them to deliver his messages, like Michael and Gabriel?
Hi WorldQuestioner,
No, not all the deceased become messengers. Only a few whom God selects for that task. It’s just that the ones people on earth encounter are, of course, the ones God sent as messengers. So the word for “angel” in the Bible means “messenger.”
Hi Lee. What about Hebrews 2:7-9 where it talks about how God made mankind a little lower than the angels?
Hi Ray,
Thanks for stopping by, and for your comment and question.
Hebrews 2:7 is commonly quoted to support the idea that angels and humans are a separate order of creation. However, reading it in context tells a different story.
First, in Hebrews 2:6–7, the writer is quoting Psalm 8:4–5. If nothing else, this should clue us in that the passage is poetic, not literal.
Further, the word used in Psalm 8:5 is elohim, which is the common Hebrew word for “God.” It is traditionally translated as “angels” because that’s how the Septuagint translates it into Greek. But a more literal translation of the original verse would be, “You have made him a little lower than God.” This is how it is translated in some versions, such as the Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version.
Even looking at where this statement came from in the Old Testament, we see that the picture is not so simple. It is quite possible that the Psalm intended to say that God created humans a little lower than God, not a little lower than the angels.
However, even if we take it as meaning “a little lower than the angels,” it still doesn’t mean what traditional Christians commonly say it does. How do I know this? Because a few verses later, Hebrews says the very same thing about Jesus himself:
Because Jesus is obviously not lower than the angels, this is commonly translated as “was made for a little while lower than the angels.” But the wording is basically the same as what is said about humans a few verses earlier. And as a result of that, the earlier verse is also sometimes translated as humans being made for a little while lower than the angels. This is a perfectly legitimate translation of the Greek, though it doesn’t exactly reflect what the original Hebrew of Psalm 8 says.
I hope you’re beginning to see that Hebrews 2:7 is not the slam dunk that supporters of the theory that angels are a separate race of beings seem to think it is. If we humans are “a little lower than the angels,” then Jesus, too, is “a little lower than the angels.” But this is clearly a temporary situation, because Jesus was soon raised up to heights far higher than the angels, and “crowned with glory and honor.”
Similarly, during our lifetime on earth, we certainly are lower than the angels. Angels live in a higher realm than we do. Their earthly labors are over. They also have been “crowned with glory and honor,” though not at the level of Jesus.
In other words, the full context of Hebrews 2:7 suggests that we humans are only temporarily lower than the angels, whereas after our death, we are raised up to their level, just as Jesus was raised far above their level after his death and resurrection. As angels, we will then be “a little lower than God,” as the original Psalm suggested.
And once again, these are poetic statements. They are meant to be read metaphorically, not literally. Hebrews is making a point about the position of humans on earth in relation to God and the angels, to illustrate a greater point about the position of Jesus during his lifetime on earth in relation to God and the angels.
In short, this verse simply doesn’t support the idea that humans are forever lower than the angels. At most, it says that we are lower than the angels during our lifetime on earth. That’s just a simple fact. Our situation after death, however, is quite different, just as Jesus’ situation after his death and resurrection was very different than his situation during his lifetime here on earth.
Hi Lee. So, are you saying the original translation for Hebrews 2:7-9 is supposed to be God instead of angels?
Hi Ray,
No. The word in Hebrews 2:7 is the Greek word for “angel.” It’s the word in Psalm 8:4, which Hebrews is quoting, that uses the common Hebrew word for “God.” However, that word can also refer to heavenly beings or even powerful earthly beings, such as kings and princes.
The main point is that Hebrews 2:7 is nowhere near as clear as traditional Christians think it is in differentiating people from angels. The same passage in Hebrews also makes Jesus lower than the angels, which is obviously a temporary situation. This strongly suggests that humans being lower than angels is also a temporary situation.
Hi Lee. So why does Psalms use God and another Hebrews uses the angels? That just makes it easier for people to misunderstand certain passages.
Hi Ray,
Perhaps. But it also makes it harder for people to take the Bible literally, and miss its real message.
Once again, the Psalms are poetry. They are not meant to be read as if they were some sort of theological textbook. They are aimed at the heart as much as they are aimed at the head. Reading the Psalms as if they were some sort of intellectual theological exercise is missing all their depth and meaning.
The same goes for the Bible as a whole. The Bible is not some Medieval European Summa Theologica. It is not intended to teach us the intricacies of theological doctrines. Rather, it is intended to move us to reject evil, selfishness, and greed, and turn our lives around toward love for God and the neighbor. That’s why very little of the Bible is anything like doctrinal and theological teaching. Most of its stories, prophecies, and poetry, all designed to bypass the human brain and reach the human heart with its message of the need for repentance from evil and love for God and the neighbor.
If the Bible stated everything in clear doctrinal and theological language, as so many Christian theologians attempt to do, it would fail at its primary purpose, which is to turn us away from our selfish and greedy desires, and turn us toward God instead.
Yes, we can and should draw some theological conclusions from the Bible. But those who scour the Bible for passages to support this or that doctrine of their church are using the Bible for their own intellectual purposes. They are not allowing the Bible to reach their heart and change it.
The Bible is intentionally unclear and contradictory if it is read in a doggedly literal fashion. That’s because the Bible, and especially the New Testament, is always pushing us toward a deeper, more spiritual, and more heart-centered way of reading and understanding its words. For one example illustrating this, please see:
Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood