Many people may be of the opinion that children remain children and become angels immediately after death. But it is intelligence and wisdom that make an angel; so long as children do not possess these, they are certainly among angels, but are not angels themselves. They become angels only when they have become intelligent and wise. Children are thus led from the innocence of childhood to that of wisdom, that is, from outward to inward innocence. This innocence is the aim of all their teaching and development. So when they reach the innocence of wisdom, they have the innocence of childhood attached to them,* which in the meanwhile had served them as a basis.

I saw the nature of the innocence of childhood pictured by a piece of wood virtually devoid of life, which comes to life as they absorb knowledge of truths and affections for good. Afterwards the nature of the innocence of wisdom was pictured by a live, naked child. The angels of the third heaven, who have from the Lord a higher degree of innocence than others, appear to eyes of spirits below the heavens like naked children, and because they excel others in wisdom, they are also alive. The reason is that innocence corresponds to childhood and also to nakedness. That is why it is said of Adam and his wife that, when they were in a state of innocence, they were naked and were not ashamed. But after losing their state of innocence, they were ashamed of their nakedness and hid themselves (Gen. 2:25; 3:7, 10, 11). In short, the wiser angels are, the more innocent they are. The nature of the innocence of wisdom can to some extent be seen from the innocence of childhood, as described above (395), provided for parents we substitute the Lord as Father, by whom they are guided and to whom they ascribe everything they have. * Possibly illi 'to it' should be read for illis 'to them'; but cf. HH 341:2.