none exist who have not been men upon the earth. The earth is the nursery-ground of heaven.
 Honoré de Balzac, Séraphîta (1834). copy citation

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Author Honoré de Balzac
Source Séraphîta
Topic heaven earth
Date 1834
Language English
Reference
Note Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley
Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1432/1432-h/1432-h.htm

Context

““After establishing mathematically that man lives eternally in spheres of either a lower or a higher grade, Swedenborg applies the term ‘Spiritual Angels’ to beings who in this world are prepared for heaven, where they become angels. According to him, God has not created angels; none exist who have not been men upon the earth. The earth is the nursery-ground of heaven. The Angels are therefore not Angels as such (‘Angelic Wisdom,’ 57) , they are transformed through their close conjunction with God; which conjunction God never refuses, because the essence of God is not negative, but essentially active.” source