The seven heavens
F.I. Andersen / R.H. Charles (composite) · Public domain / scholarly composite. Reproduced for educational and religious commentary.
1In the first heaven they showed me a great sea — the sea of the upper waters. I saw the rulers of the stars and the storehouses of the snow, the ice, the dew. The angels guard them; they release them by command.
2In the second heaven they showed me the prison of the fallen angels — those who turned away with their prince Satanail and were cast down. They are bound; they wait for the great judgment. They asked me to pray for them; I did not.
3In the third heaven I saw paradise. Paradise is in the middle of the third heaven. It is a most beautiful place — trees flowering, fruits ripe, springs of milk and honey, four rivers gently flowing. There the righteous dwell after their deaths. There Adam was set, before he sinned. There the souls of the holy go.
4Yet in the third heaven, on the north side, I also saw the place of darkness. There is a place reserved for those who do not honour God, who do not worship, who do murder and theft and slander, who blaspheme. The angels of darkness are there, and the souls of the wicked.
5In the fourth heaven I saw the courses of the sun and the moon, and the gates through which they enter and depart. I saw the angels who steer the chariot of the sun. The sun has a fiery character; the moon has a watery character.
6In the fifth heaven I saw the Watchers — the Grigori — like men, only larger. Their faces were withered. Their lips were silent. Their hearts were sad. They had broken the law of God; they had descended in the days of Yared. Now they were standing in mourning.
7In the sixth heaven I saw seven bands of angels, very bright and beautiful. They are the angels who govern the courses of the stars, the seasons, the years, the rivers, the oceans, the fruits of the earth. They are pure and merry. They sing without ceasing.
8In the seventh heaven I saw a great light. There all the heavenly bands and the cherubim and the seraphim and the many-eyed wheels, and the throne of the Lord. The Lord was on the throne; his face was glorious; the angels worshipped him. I fell on my face. The angels lifted me up, and brought me before the Lord.