Joys of Heaven and Eternal Happiness Examined and Shown
By Reverend Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 2: 5 | Matthew 8: 11; Luke 23: 43
Conjugial Love 4 1], 2].
By Reverend Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 2: 5 | Matthew 8: 11; Luke 23: 43
Conjugial Love 4 1], 2].
We have often heard it said that Emanuel Swedenborg witnessed things in both in heaven and in the world of spirits - the spiritual world - and that he was at the same time in both the spiritual world and the natural world where he was in a state of wakefulness and not in one of unconsciousness or of dreaming.
Today, we want to speak about a time that came after the Last Judgment had taken place in the spiritual world. At that time or state the Christian Church which was then on earth only understood the Word in its natural sense such as it mostly does today. Whether or not the Christian Church's today understands the Word any differently than then you and I do not know unless we have had the privilege of knowing what is taught - what their ministers, preachers, priests and theologians teach today - what their doctrine is.
Now, because the natural thoughts of man when taken from the natural sense of the Word and because the spiritual world is seen like the natural world when one arrives there, his surroundings appear as do those of this world. And, in fact, Emanuel Swedenborg has told us this in the Word of the Third Testament. Thus, in the book Conjugial Love we see Emanuel Swedenborg in the same way - standing 'as it were' on a hill in the world of spirits where he sees above him an angel flying, blowing a trumpet. The angel was announcing something that was going to happen in the world of spirits, for that's what the blowing of a trumpet means in the world of spirits and in heaven as anyone may learn in the book of Revelation.
In fact, the angel was calling together the most learned and those who had a reputation for wisdom of the Christian churches that had just recently come from the natural world into the spiritual world. They would assemble together there and would be examined as to their honest opinions of what they thought and understood in the natural world about heavenly joy and eternal happiness. As was said they were newly admitted into the world of spirits (remember, after the Last Judgment which had recently taken place, there were those who then were admitted into heaven who had worshipped the Lord the Divine Human) who probably also had the same ideas of heavenly joy and eternal happiness as did those who just arrive, for the fact they understood only the natural sense of the Word. As such an inquiring was in order which will be made clear later on why.
The Word of the Lord which is called Conjugial Love tells of this story of the examination of these Christian Church leaders. We learn from an internal sense of the Word that those being examined and coming from the north, and west were not in any real truth or good, not knowing genuine truths and goods were led into their ideas that they had of heaven while on earth and that after a while came to suffer because of that idea and wanted nothing more then to leave, to escape from such ideas of belief. Those who came from the south also had an idea of what heavenly joys and eternal happiness would be like, but here we do not see that they were brought into any weariness, but still they knew that it was not really heavenly joys and eternal happiness. You can read these stories in Conjugial Love 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
It's interesting to note that all these ideas came from the natural sense of the Word. So, anyone not knowing the Word has a spiritual or internal sense would not know any better. In fact, because they did not know what heavenly joy and eternal happiness truly were would not be keep from coming into heaven. What keeps anyone from entering heavenly joys and eternal happiness is their not glorifying the true God who is the Divine Human and this by bring forth fruits of love. These are doing one's occupation faithfully, honestly, and diligently, and to give worship to the one Lord who is that God. And, it is of those in the story in number ten in Conjugial Love that have such a belief about heavenly joy and happiness that actually prevents one from entering heaven. Those believe that heavenly joy and eternal happiness is by "simply admission into heaven, and (that) admission by Divine grace, thinking that then they would have joy, as people do in the world who are admitted by invitation into the courts of kings on days of celebration" (Conjugial Love 10.1]) But we come learn that these were allowed in, but with the case of one such he did not have on 'as it were' heavenly clothes, and was stripped and thrown out. We of the Lord's New Church know that by the clothes meant and required for heaven are the goods that one has done. Another who was allowed to enter heaven was seen as a monstrous bird and was presently taken out of heaven. We also lean that many think of heaven as a place and they are seized with numbness of mind and lose their reason, and even throw themselves on the ground being 'tormented by an inward pain.' Of course, heaven is not a place, but love and must be thought of in terms of love.
Here it is that we read that in the world of spirits those coming there are to be "first prepared, the good for heaven and the evil for hell" (Conjugial Love 10.6]).They then see paths opened to them leading to societies of people like themselves and there to remain for eternity. These paths lead in the direction of their love. What had been taught was that heavenly joy and eternal happiness was not a location but the state of a person's life. Heavenly life comes from love and wisdom, though this life is contained in useful service as we see it is the vessel of love and wisdom.
Nonetheless, in the spiritual world there are still locations like there are in the natural world; such as dwelling places for angels to stay, yet such places are appearances of these places each according to some state of love and wisdom or charity and faith. In this regard we see an angel carries his own love that belongs to his heaven. Isn't man from creation an image of a larger heaven? Aren't he when he comes into his own society a correspondence to himself and draws life as his own and his own life as life belonging to it?
It would seem that the lesson taught here has been completed and the subject ends. For we see that those who arrive from the natural world into the world of spirits are first to be taught before they are allowed entrance into heaven or hell and this has been taught. Yet we see that there is a continuance to be taught and learned. Here we must understand that this is continuance is for the New Church that was coming and is currently coming upon the earth. Of course, this knowledge is within the New Word of the Divine Human and may be available to anyone today if they so desire. Now it to be known that Emanuel Swedenborg was allowed to accompany them even as he had been able to observe the various people who were taken into the ideas of what they believed heavenly joy and eternal happiness would be like.
Those we learn ten were chosen in the continuing story and were taken into a particular heavenly society and were allowed to see many beautiful and splendid things far beyond any of their worldly imagination. What they were told was that such things "were fashioned by the Maker of the Universe and given as a gift to (the) prince (of that society). In truth the angels see these wonders as but only subsidiary adjuncts to the joys of their hearts. What they see in them is the Divine omnipotence and beneficence.
A garden was shown to them too, but at first sight it did not appear to them as a garden, but as a mere tree with gold fruit and silver leaves adorned with emeralds. Here, like a mere cursory reading of the Word there is much that is not seen and it will take a closer examination if you want to see its internal truth. Of course that also goes for the Word of the Third or Last Testament as well. What they had seen was that angelic society's 'tree of life' or the tree of their heaven. After the ten visitors from the world of spirits eyes were opened what they saw was trees loaded with different fruits covered with leafy vines. One may read of this event in Conjugial Love 13. 1],2] and 3]. There you will learn that the Lord had opened their eyes and because of that they believed they were in heaven. If their eyes were not opened the gardens they would have seen would be merely woodsy scenes.
Now because these ten people nor those who had been examined as to their beliefs about the joys and eternal happiness did not have the Word of the Divine Human, the Third Testament the angel explained and taught them what the things in the garden represented and symbolized. Because we in the New Church have the New Word we can learn these representatives here on earth even before we come into the world of spirits.
Next, in this story of the ten people who were prepared (for just three days in heaven) that they might learn the joys and eternal happiness of heaven, we see them being given garments of linen that they might be "allowed at the table of the prince - dressed in the garments of heaven" (Conjugial Love 14. 1]). Why is this? It is so the internal things are covered by truths of spiritual love and the Divine truth. Here, we know that the visitors were not just prepared in the world of spirits by angels so special care had to be taken, as we already saw what happened to one when they are not prepared to enter heaven.
Amen
Today, we want to speak about a time that came after the Last Judgment had taken place in the spiritual world. At that time or state the Christian Church which was then on earth only understood the Word in its natural sense such as it mostly does today. Whether or not the Christian Church's today understands the Word any differently than then you and I do not know unless we have had the privilege of knowing what is taught - what their ministers, preachers, priests and theologians teach today - what their doctrine is.
Now, because the natural thoughts of man when taken from the natural sense of the Word and because the spiritual world is seen like the natural world when one arrives there, his surroundings appear as do those of this world. And, in fact, Emanuel Swedenborg has told us this in the Word of the Third Testament. Thus, in the book Conjugial Love we see Emanuel Swedenborg in the same way - standing 'as it were' on a hill in the world of spirits where he sees above him an angel flying, blowing a trumpet. The angel was announcing something that was going to happen in the world of spirits, for that's what the blowing of a trumpet means in the world of spirits and in heaven as anyone may learn in the book of Revelation.
In fact, the angel was calling together the most learned and those who had a reputation for wisdom of the Christian churches that had just recently come from the natural world into the spiritual world. They would assemble together there and would be examined as to their honest opinions of what they thought and understood in the natural world about heavenly joy and eternal happiness. As was said they were newly admitted into the world of spirits (remember, after the Last Judgment which had recently taken place, there were those who then were admitted into heaven who had worshipped the Lord the Divine Human) who probably also had the same ideas of heavenly joy and eternal happiness as did those who just arrive, for the fact they understood only the natural sense of the Word. As such an inquiring was in order which will be made clear later on why.
The Word of the Lord which is called Conjugial Love tells of this story of the examination of these Christian Church leaders. We learn from an internal sense of the Word that those being examined and coming from the north, and west were not in any real truth or good, not knowing genuine truths and goods were led into their ideas that they had of heaven while on earth and that after a while came to suffer because of that idea and wanted nothing more then to leave, to escape from such ideas of belief. Those who came from the south also had an idea of what heavenly joys and eternal happiness would be like, but here we do not see that they were brought into any weariness, but still they knew that it was not really heavenly joys and eternal happiness. You can read these stories in Conjugial Love 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
It's interesting to note that all these ideas came from the natural sense of the Word. So, anyone not knowing the Word has a spiritual or internal sense would not know any better. In fact, because they did not know what heavenly joy and eternal happiness truly were would not be keep from coming into heaven. What keeps anyone from entering heavenly joys and eternal happiness is their not glorifying the true God who is the Divine Human and this by bring forth fruits of love. These are doing one's occupation faithfully, honestly, and diligently, and to give worship to the one Lord who is that God. And, it is of those in the story in number ten in Conjugial Love that have such a belief about heavenly joy and happiness that actually prevents one from entering heaven. Those believe that heavenly joy and eternal happiness is by "simply admission into heaven, and (that) admission by Divine grace, thinking that then they would have joy, as people do in the world who are admitted by invitation into the courts of kings on days of celebration" (Conjugial Love 10.1]) But we come learn that these were allowed in, but with the case of one such he did not have on 'as it were' heavenly clothes, and was stripped and thrown out. We of the Lord's New Church know that by the clothes meant and required for heaven are the goods that one has done. Another who was allowed to enter heaven was seen as a monstrous bird and was presently taken out of heaven. We also lean that many think of heaven as a place and they are seized with numbness of mind and lose their reason, and even throw themselves on the ground being 'tormented by an inward pain.' Of course, heaven is not a place, but love and must be thought of in terms of love.
Here it is that we read that in the world of spirits those coming there are to be "first prepared, the good for heaven and the evil for hell" (Conjugial Love 10.6]).They then see paths opened to them leading to societies of people like themselves and there to remain for eternity. These paths lead in the direction of their love. What had been taught was that heavenly joy and eternal happiness was not a location but the state of a person's life. Heavenly life comes from love and wisdom, though this life is contained in useful service as we see it is the vessel of love and wisdom.
Nonetheless, in the spiritual world there are still locations like there are in the natural world; such as dwelling places for angels to stay, yet such places are appearances of these places each according to some state of love and wisdom or charity and faith. In this regard we see an angel carries his own love that belongs to his heaven. Isn't man from creation an image of a larger heaven? Aren't he when he comes into his own society a correspondence to himself and draws life as his own and his own life as life belonging to it?
It would seem that the lesson taught here has been completed and the subject ends. For we see that those who arrive from the natural world into the world of spirits are first to be taught before they are allowed entrance into heaven or hell and this has been taught. Yet we see that there is a continuance to be taught and learned. Here we must understand that this is continuance is for the New Church that was coming and is currently coming upon the earth. Of course, this knowledge is within the New Word of the Divine Human and may be available to anyone today if they so desire. Now it to be known that Emanuel Swedenborg was allowed to accompany them even as he had been able to observe the various people who were taken into the ideas of what they believed heavenly joy and eternal happiness would be like.
Those we learn ten were chosen in the continuing story and were taken into a particular heavenly society and were allowed to see many beautiful and splendid things far beyond any of their worldly imagination. What they were told was that such things "were fashioned by the Maker of the Universe and given as a gift to (the) prince (of that society). In truth the angels see these wonders as but only subsidiary adjuncts to the joys of their hearts. What they see in them is the Divine omnipotence and beneficence.
A garden was shown to them too, but at first sight it did not appear to them as a garden, but as a mere tree with gold fruit and silver leaves adorned with emeralds. Here, like a mere cursory reading of the Word there is much that is not seen and it will take a closer examination if you want to see its internal truth. Of course that also goes for the Word of the Third or Last Testament as well. What they had seen was that angelic society's 'tree of life' or the tree of their heaven. After the ten visitors from the world of spirits eyes were opened what they saw was trees loaded with different fruits covered with leafy vines. One may read of this event in Conjugial Love 13. 1],2] and 3]. There you will learn that the Lord had opened their eyes and because of that they believed they were in heaven. If their eyes were not opened the gardens they would have seen would be merely woodsy scenes.
Now because these ten people nor those who had been examined as to their beliefs about the joys and eternal happiness did not have the Word of the Divine Human, the Third Testament the angel explained and taught them what the things in the garden represented and symbolized. Because we in the New Church have the New Word we can learn these representatives here on earth even before we come into the world of spirits.
Next, in this story of the ten people who were prepared (for just three days in heaven) that they might learn the joys and eternal happiness of heaven, we see them being given garments of linen that they might be "allowed at the table of the prince - dressed in the garments of heaven" (Conjugial Love 14. 1]). Why is this? It is so the internal things are covered by truths of spiritual love and the Divine truth. Here, we know that the visitors were not just prepared in the world of spirits by angels so special care had to be taken, as we already saw what happened to one when they are not prepared to enter heaven.
Amen
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