For Swedenborgian Readers: Did God Reveal a New Spiritual Meaning of the Bible?

Truth has nothing to fear from honest examination.

Thank you for taking the time to read this page.

You may identify yourself as:

• Swedenborgian
• New Church Christian
• A member of the Church of the New Jerusalem
• A reader of Emanuel Swedenborg
• A Christian influenced by Swedenborg’s spiritual writings

You may believe that Emanuel Swedenborg was permitted by God to experience the spiritual world consciously while still living in this world.

You may believe that he:

• Spoke with angels and spirits
• Observed communities in Heaven and Hell
• Learned what happens immediately after death
• Discovered the spiritual meaning within Scripture
• Explained the relationship between the natural and spiritual worlds
• Received insight into the true nature of God and the Trinity
• Announced the beginning of a New Church

You may understand the Bible as containing several levels of meaning.

Its literal words may describe earthly people, events, objects, and places while simultaneously corresponding to spiritual realities.

You may believe that:

• Light corresponds to truth.
• Heat corresponds to love.
• Water corresponds to truth that cleanses or gives life.
• Egypt, Assyria, Israel, Jerusalem, animals, plants, numbers, directions, and physical objects may carry inner meanings.
• Many difficult biblical passages become spiritually coherent when their correspondences are understood.

You may believe that Jesus Christ is the one God of Heaven and earth.

You may reject the idea of three separate divine persons and instead understand:

• The Father as the divine soul or originating love
• The Son as the divine human manifestation or truth
• The Holy Spirit as the divine activity or proceeding power

You may believe that these form one Trinity within the one person of the Lord Jesus Christ, somewhat as a human being possesses:

• Soul
• Body
• Activity

You may believe that Jesus gradually united His humanity with His divinity through temptations and victories, ultimately making His humanity fully divine.

You may reject the traditional Christian teaching that the Father punished the Son in humanity’s place.

You may believe that redemption involved Jesus:

• Entering the world
• Confronting the powers of Hell
• Overcoming temptation
• Restoring spiritual order
• Glorifying His humanity
• Opening a renewed path of freedom and regeneration

You may believe that salvation does not come through faith alone.

You may emphasize:

• Repentance
• Turning away from evil because it is sin against God
• Learning truth
• Practicing charity
• Performing useful service
• Cooperating with the Lord’s regenerating work
• Developing a heavenly ruling love

You may believe that people enter Heaven or Hell according to the dominant love they freely form.

You may believe that God does not arbitrarily cast people into Hell.

Instead, people who love evil freely choose a life compatible with Hell, while people who love God and their neighbors become suited to Heaven.

You may also believe that people from many religions can enter Heaven when they sincerely live according to the truth and goodness available to them.

These teachings raise several essential questions:

Did God appoint Emanuel Swedenborg to disclose the hidden spiritual meaning of the Bible?

Can Swedenborg’s visions be independently tested?

Does an impressive supernatural experience prove divine authority?

Did the apostles teach that Scripture’s true meaning would remain concealed until the eighteenth century?

Does the literal and historical meaning of Scripture remain authoritative?

Can correspondences become so flexible that an interpreter can assign meanings the text itself never establishes?

Is the Father personally distinct from the Son—or merely the divine soul within Jesus?

Did the Father love and send the Son before the incarnation?

Was Jesus always fully divine—or did His humanity progressively become divine?

Did Jesus bear the penalty of our sins?

Does salvation depend upon Christ’s completed work—or upon our successful regeneration?

Can useful and charitable living remove guilt?

Do people enter Heaven because their dominant love becomes heavenly—or because Christ justifies and transforms them?

Is Hell only the freely chosen condition of evil love—or also the righteous judgment of God?

Has God given one complete apostolic gospel—or a later revelation necessary to understand it correctly?

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV

Who Was Emanuel Swedenborg?

Emanuel Swedenborg was an eighteenth-century Swedish scholar, inventor, civil servant, scientific thinker, biblical interpreter, and religious writer.

During the later portion of his life, he claimed that God opened his spiritual sight.

He wrote extensively about:

• Heaven
• Hell
• Angels
• Spirits
• Life after death
• The inner meaning of Scripture
• Divine providence
• Marriage
• Regeneration
• Jesus Christ
• The New Jerusalem

Important writings associated with his theology include:

• Heaven and Hell
• Arcana Coelestia, or Secrets of Heaven
• True Christian Religion
• Divine Love and Wisdom
• Divine Providence
• Apocalypse Revealed
• The Doctrine of the Lord
• The Doctrine of Sacred Scripture
• Conjugial Love

His followers eventually formed several related New Church organizations.

They do not all agree upon every detail, but they share substantial respect for Swedenborg’s theological writings.

Important Areas of Agreement

Swedenborgian and traditional biblical Christians may share several important convictions.

Both may affirm that:

• There is one God.
• Jesus Christ is divine.
• The Bible is holy and spiritually important.
• Heaven and Hell are real.
• Angels and spirits exist.
• Human life continues after death.
• Faith without transformed living is empty.
• Repentance is necessary.
• Love for God and one’s neighbor matters.
• Good works should flow from genuine faith.
• God desires to regenerate human beings.
• Religious hypocrisy is dangerous.
• External ritual without inward change cannot save.

The Bible teaches one God:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
— Deuteronomy 6:4, KJV

It teaches Jesus’ deity:

“The Word was God.”
— John 1:1, KJV

It teaches that faith should produce good works:

“Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
— James 2:17, KJV

It commands love:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…”
— Matthew 22:37, KJV

And:

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
— Matthew 22:39, KJV

These agreements are meaningful.

The decisive questions concern revelation, biblical interpretation, God’s nature, Christ’s atonement, justification, regeneration, and judgment.

Does the Bible Contain Symbolism?

Yes.

Scripture contains:

• Symbols
• Types
• Parables
• Visions
• Poetry
• Prophetic imagery
• Historical patterns

Jesus is called:

• The Lamb of God
• The Door
• The Bread of Life
• The Light of the World
• The True Vine

These expressions carry meanings beyond a woodenly literal interpretation.

Revelation uses:

• Beasts
• Horns
• Stars
• Lampstands
• A dragon
• A city adorned as a bride

Biblical interpretation must therefore recognize figurative language.

Does Every Biblical Detail Contain a Hidden Correspondence?

The Bible does not teach that readers must discover an invisible symbolic meaning behind every historical detail.

Symbols should be identified through:

• The immediate context
• The literary form
• The author’s explanation
• Other biblical passages
• The historical setting

An interpretation becomes dangerous when its meaning depends primarily upon an external system supplied by one later teacher.

Paul warned:

“Not to think of men above that which is written…”
— 1 Corinthians 4:6, KJV

Does the Spiritual Meaning Cancel the Historical Meaning?

No.

The Bible’s spiritual lessons frequently depend upon real history.

For example:

• God truly created the world.
• Israel truly left Egypt.
• David truly reigned.
• Jesus was truly born.
• Jesus truly performed works in history.
• Jesus truly died.
• Jesus’ actual body truly rose.

Paul says of Christ:

“He was buried, and… he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:4, KJV

The gospel is not merely an inward allegory of spiritual development.

It rests upon events that occurred in public history.

Can an Allegorical Method Become Uncontrolled?

Yes.

If an interpreter may assign spiritual meanings without clear textual controls, almost any passage can be made to support almost any idea.

One person may say a river represents truth.

Another may say it represents divine life.

Another may say it represents doctrine, purification, spiritual intelligence, or communication between levels of reality.

Some of these may be appropriate in particular contexts.

But the text and context must govern the interpretation.

The interpreter must not govern the text.

Were the Scriptures Understandable Before Swedenborg?

Yes.

The central saving message was proclaimed clearly from the beginning.

Peter preached publicly:

“Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
— Acts 2:21, KJV

Paul summarized the gospel:

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, KJV

The apostles never said that believers must wait many centuries for a scientist and visionary to disclose Scripture’s true internal sense.

Did Jesus Promise a Later Interpreter Who Would Unlock Scripture?

Jesus promised the Holy Ghost to His apostles.

“He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
— John 14:26, KJV

The apostles then proclaimed and recorded Christ’s teaching.

Jesus did not say:

• The apostles would misunderstand His gospel.
• The church would lack essential truth for seventeen centuries.
• A later visionary would reveal the only reliable system of correspondences.
• A new set of theological volumes would be necessary to recover Christianity.

Is the Bible Sufficient to Teach Salvation?

Yes.

Paul told Timothy:

“The holy scriptures… are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
— 2 Timothy 3:15, KJV

He continued:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16–17, KJV

Scripture can make a person wise unto salvation and thoroughly equip God’s servant.

It does not require Swedenborg’s visions to become spiritually sufficient.

Can God Give Visions?

Yes.

The Bible records visions given to:

• Abraham
• Jacob
• Isaiah
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• Peter
• Paul
• John

Christians should not claim that every supernatural experience is impossible.

But Scripture also warns that visions may come from:

• The human imagination
• Deception
• False spirits
• Misinterpretation

Every vision must be tested.

Does a Detailed Vision Prove Divine Authority?

No.

A spiritual experience may feel:

• Vivid
• Consistent
• Beautiful
• Intelligent
• Emotionally powerful
• Morally serious

without proving that its interpretation comes from God.

Paul warned:

“Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14, KJV

John commanded:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God…”
— 1 John 4:1, KJV

How Should Swedenborg’s Visions Be Tested?

They should be tested by asking:

• Do they agree with Scripture’s clear teaching?
• Do they preserve the apostolic gospel?
• Do they elevate a later revelation above the Bible’s ordinary meaning?
• Do they contradict the personal distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?
• Do they redefine Christ’s atonement?
• Do they alter salvation by grace through faith?
• Do they claim knowledge God did not authorize?

Paul warned that even an impressive spiritual messenger must not alter the gospel:

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
— Galatians 1:8, KJV

Can an Angel Teach a Different Gospel?

A claimed angelic source does not make a doctrine safe.

The message must agree with the gospel already delivered.

Paul’s standard is remarkable:

Even if an angelic being appears, the apostolic gospel remains the test.

The angel does not test Scripture.

Scripture tests the angel.

Was a New Church Predicted?

The Bible speaks of the New Jerusalem descending from Heaven.

But Revelation identifies it as:

“The bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
— Revelation 21:9, KJV

It describes the final perfected people and dwelling of God.

The passage does not state that the New Jerusalem would begin through Swedenborg’s eighteenth-century publication of an inner scriptural meaning.

Such an identification must be brought to the passage rather than read directly from it.

Is There One God?

Yes.

Traditional Christianity and New Church Christianity agree that God is one.

“There is none other God but one.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:4, KJV

The disagreement concerns whether the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are eternally and personally distinguished within the one God.

Is Jesus Christ Fully God?

Yes.

John writes:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
— John 1:1, KJV

Thomas addressed Jesus:

“My Lord and my God.”
— John 20:28, KJV

Paul writes:

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
— Colossians 2:9, KJV

Traditional Christians do not believe Jesus is one-third of God.

He possesses the complete divine nature.

Is Jesus Personally the Father?

No.

Jesus said:

“I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.”
— John 8:16, KJV

He also said:

“I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”
— John 16:28, KJV

The Father and Son share the one divine nature.

They are nevertheless personally distinguished.

Was the Word Merely God’s Divine Truth Within Himself?

John says both:

“The Word was with God.”

and:

“The Word was God.”

The Word possesses full deity while also existing in personal relationship with God.

John continues:

“The same was in the beginning with God.”
— John 1:2, KJV

This is more than an impersonal truth, plan, or divine principle.

Did the Father Love the Son Before Creation?

Yes.

Jesus prayed:

“Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
— John 17:24, KJV

The Father loved the Son before:

• The world existed
• Jesus was conceived in Mary
• A physical human body existed

This reveals an eternal relationship—not merely love directed toward a future human manifestation.

Did the Son Share Glory With the Father Before the World Existed?

Yes.

Jesus prayed:

“O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
— John 17:5, KJV

The Son personally shared glory with the Father before creation.

A humanity that did not yet exist could not possess conscious glory with God.

Did Jesus Gradually Become Divine?

Jesus grew physically and humanly:

“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature…”
— Luke 2:52, KJV

He genuinely experienced temptation, suffering, obedience, and death.

But the eternal Son did not gradually become God.

Before the incarnation:

• He was God.
• He possessed divine glory.
• He created all things.

John says:

“All things were made by him…”
— John 1:3, KJV

The incarnation did not transform a nondivine being into God.

The eternal divine Son assumed genuine humanity.

Did Jesus Have a Genuine Human Nature?

Yes.

Jesus:

• Was born
• Grew
• Hungered
• Thirsted
• Became weary
• Suffered
• Died

He was fully human while remaining fully divine.

Paul writes:

“God was manifest in the flesh…”
— 1 Timothy 3:16, KJV

His humanity was real, not merely an outward covering.

Who Spoke From Heaven at Jesus’ Baptism?

At Jesus’ baptism:

• The Son stood in the water.
• The Holy Ghost descended like a dove.
• The Father spoke from Heaven.

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
— Matthew 3:17, KJV

The Father did not say:

“This is the bodily manifestation of My own solitary person.”

He testified concerning His beloved Son.

Is the Holy Ghost Merely God’s Proceeding Activity?

The Holy Ghost carries out divine activity, but Scripture presents Him personally.

He speaks:

“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
— Acts 13:2, KJV

He wills:

“Dividing to every man severally as he will.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:11, KJV

He can be grieved:

“Grieve not the holy Spirit of God…”
— Ephesians 4:30, KJV

Jesus called Him:

“Another Comforter.”
— John 14:16, KJV

The Holy Ghost is not an impersonal influence comparable merely to the activity proceeding from a human soul and body.

Does the Trinity Teach Three Gods?

No.

The biblical doctrine teaches:

• There is one God.
• The Father is God.
• The Son is God.
• The Holy Ghost is God.
• The Father is not personally the Son.
• The Son is not personally the Holy Ghost.
• The Holy Ghost is not personally the Father.

The divine nature is not divided into three portions.

The one God eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Why Did Jesus Come?

Jesus came to defeat the powers of darkness.

He also came to:

• Reveal the Father
• Fulfill prophecy
• Live without sin
• Bear human guilt
• Die as a ransom
• Rise bodily
• Reconcile sinners to God

Jesus said:

“The Son of man came… to give his life a ransom for many.”
— Mark 10:45, KJV

His work cannot be reduced to restoring spiritual equilibrium or modeling victorious regeneration.

Did Jesus Fight and Defeat the Powers of Hell?

Yes.

Paul writes that Christ:

“Spoiled principalities and powers… triumphing over them in it.”
— Colossians 2:15, KJV

Hebrews says He acted:

“That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
— Hebrews 2:14, KJV

Christ’s victory over evil is thoroughly biblical.

But Scripture also teaches that He bore our sins.

These truths belong together.

Did Jesus Bear the Penalty of Our Sins?

Yes.

Isaiah prophesied:

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…”
— Isaiah 53:5, KJV

And:

“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
— Isaiah 53:6, KJV

Peter writes:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…”
— 1 Peter 2:24, KJV

Paul says:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”
— Galatians 3:13, KJV

Jesus did more than overcome Hell’s influence.

He bore the judgment deserved by sinners.

Did an Angry Father Punish an Unwilling Son?

No.

The biblical atonement does not portray the Father as hateful and the Son as reluctant.

The Father loved the world:

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”
— John 3:16, KJV

The Son willingly gave Himself:

“I lay down my life… No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.”
— John 10:17–18, KJV

The Father and Son acted together in love to satisfy divine justice and rescue sinners.

Why Was a Sacrifice Necessary?

Because God is perfectly loving and perfectly just.

Love does not require God to call evil harmless.

Justice does not permit Him simply to pretend guilt never occurred.

At the cross:

• Sin was condemned.
• Justice was satisfied.
• God’s love was displayed.
• Forgiveness became available.

Paul says God is:

“Just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
— Romans 3:26, KJV

Did Jesus Completely Accomplish Atonement?

Yes.

From the cross, Jesus declared:

“It is finished.”
— John 19:30, KJV

Hebrews says:

“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
— Hebrews 10:14, KJV

Regeneration does not complete an unfinished atonement.

Regeneration is the transforming result of Christ’s completed saving work.

What Is Regeneration?

Regeneration is biblical.

Jesus said:

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:3, KJV

God changes believers from within and increasingly conforms them to Christ.

This includes:

• Repentance
• Renewed desires
• Growth in holiness
• Love
• Obedience
• Useful service
• Victory over sin

The disagreement concerns whether regeneration is the basis upon which God accepts us—or the result of having been accepted through Christ.

Does a Person Regenerate Himself?

No.

A person responds, repents, believes, obeys, and cooperates with God’s work.

But spiritual life originates with God.

John says believers are born:

“Not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
— John 1:13, KJV

Paul writes:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
— Philippians 2:13, KJV

We do not generate spiritual life through disciplined useful living.

God first makes us alive.

How Is a Person Justified Before God?

Through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Romans 5:1, KJV

And:

“A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
— Romans 3:28, KJV

Justification is God’s declaration that a sinner is righteous because of Christ.

Regeneration is God’s ongoing transformation of that justified person.

These truths belong together but should not be confused.

Does “Faith Alone” Mean Mere Mental Belief?

No.

Saving faith is not merely agreeing that certain statements are true.

It includes:

• Trust in Jesus
• Repentance
• Dependence upon His mercy
• Surrender to His lordship

Genuine faith produces works.

But works demonstrate living faith; they do not become the payment for justification.

How Do Paul and James Agree?

Paul teaches that works cannot earn justification:

“To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
— Romans 4:5, KJV

James teaches that a claimed faith producing no obedience is dead:

“Faith without works is dead.”
— James 2:26, KJV

Paul rejects works as the root of salvation.

James requires works as the fruit of salvation.

They do not contradict each other.

Can Charity and Useful Living Remove Guilt?

No.

Helping others is good.

Jesus commands love and service.

But a later good deed does not erase an earlier sin.

Generosity does not cancel dishonesty.

Service does not remove pride.

Charity cannot pay the penalty of rebellion against God.

Only Christ’s sacrifice provides atonement.

Does Grace Make Useful Living Unnecessary?

No.

Paul writes:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith… Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV

He immediately continues:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…”
— Ephesians 2:10, KJV

The biblical order is:

1. God saves by grace.
2. God creates new spiritual life.
3. The saved person begins performing good works.

We are not saved by good works.

We are saved for good works.

What Determines Whether Someone Enters Heaven?

The Bible does not teach that people enter Heaven because they successfully develop a heavenly dominant love.

People enter eternal life because they belong to Jesus Christ.

John writes:

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
— 1 John 5:12, KJV

Those who belong to Jesus are transformed.

Their desires and conduct increasingly change.

But transformation demonstrates Christ’s saving presence; it does not replace Him as the basis of acceptance.

Can People From Other Religions Be Saved?

God judges every person with perfect knowledge and justice.

Christians should never claim to know every detail of how God deals with those who lacked meaningful access to the gospel.

But Scripture clearly states that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ:

“Neither is there salvation in any other…”
— Acts 4:12, KJV

Jesus said:

“No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
— John 14:6, KJV

No person is saved because another religion independently provides an equally valid road to God.

Anyone who is saved is saved through Christ’s grace.

Can Sincere Goodness Save Someone Without Conscious Faith in Jesus?

Sincerity does not remove sin.

People may be sincere and mistaken.

They may also perform admirable works while still failing to love God perfectly.

Scripture says:

“There is none righteous, no, not one.”
— Romans 3:10, KJV

Salvation is mercy for guilty people—not Heaven’s recognition that naturally good people have earned entrance.

What Happens Immediately After Death?

The Bible teaches conscious existence beyond death.

Paul desired:

“To depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.”
— Philippians 1:23, KJV

He also wrote:

“To be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:8, KJV

But Scripture does not authorize us to construct extensive maps and social descriptions of the spiritual world from one later person’s private experiences.

God has revealed what we need in order to prepare for eternity.

Do Human Beings Become Angels?

No.

The Bible distinguishes between:

• Human beings
• Angels

Angels existed before many human events and serve as a distinct order of created beings.

Hebrews says:

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
— Hebrews 1:14, KJV

Believers may become like angels in certain respects, such as no longer marrying after resurrection.

That does not mean deceased humans become angels by nature.

Is Marriage Eternal?

Marriage is a profound earthly covenant and picture of Christ’s relationship with His church.

But Jesus said concerning the resurrection:

“They neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
— Matthew 22:30, KJV

This does not mean love disappears.

It means earthly marriage does not continue in exactly the same covenantal form after resurrection.

Jesus’ statement must govern any later vision concerning heavenly marriage.

Is Hell Merely a State People Freely Prefer?

People do choose evil and may resist God because they love darkness.

Jesus said:

“Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
— John 3:19, KJV

But Hell is not only a self-selected spiritual neighborhood.

It is also God’s righteous judgment.

Jesus said:

“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire…”
— Matthew 25:41, KJV

Human choice and divine judgment are both present.

Does God Send Anyone to Judgment?

Yes.

God does not delight in human destruction.

He calls people to repent.

Yet He remains the Judge.

Revelation describes the dead standing before God:

“And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
— Revelation 20:12, KJV

Judgment is not merely discovering the environment one’s inner love naturally prefers.

It is a judicial act of the holy Creator.

Will Everyone Be Bodily Raised?

Yes.

Jesus said:

“The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth…”
— John 5:28–29, KJV

The Christian hope is not merely continued spiritual consciousness after death.

It is bodily resurrection.

Did Jesus Bodily Rise?

Yes.

Jesus said:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
— John 2:19, KJV

John explains:

“But he spake of the temple of his body.”
— John 2:21, KJV

After rising, Jesus said:

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see…”
— Luke 24:39, KJV

His resurrection was not merely the full spiritualization or glorification of an inward divine humanity.

The actual body placed in the tomb rose transformed.

Why Does Bodily Resurrection Matter?

It proves that:

• Jesus defeated death.
• The physical creation is not disposable.
• Personal identity continues.
• God will redeem the whole person.
• Jesus possesses authority to judge.
• Believers will also be raised.

Paul writes:

“If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:17, KJV

Was the Last Judgment an Invisible Spiritual Event?

The Bible presents Christ’s return and final judgment as future, public, and climactic.

Jesus will return visibly:

“Every eye shall see him…”
— Revelation 1:7, KJV

Angels told the disciples:

“This same Jesus… shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
— Acts 1:11, KJV

The final resurrection and judgment cannot be reduced to an unseen event occurring only within the spiritual world and known through one visionary.

Will Christ Personally Return?

Yes.

Jesus said:

“I will come again…”
— John 14:3, KJV

Paul writes:

“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout…”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV

His promised return is not merely a new understanding of Scripture or the appearance of a new church age.

The same Jesus who ascended will return.

Can You Know That You Have Eternal Life?

Yes.

Assurance does not require evaluating whether your regeneration has advanced far enough or whether your ruling love has become sufficiently heavenly.

John writes:

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…”
— 1 John 5:13, KJV

Assurance rests upon:

• Christ’s completed sacrifice
• His bodily resurrection
• His promise
• The Holy Ghost’s transforming presence

Growth in holiness strengthens assurance, but perfection of character is not the foundation.

What If Swedenborg’s Teachings Helped You?

You do not need to deny every benefit in order to examine his claims.

His writings may have helped you:

• Take spiritual reality seriously
• Think deeply about Scripture
• Value love and useful service
• Reject empty profession of faith
• See moral choices as eternally significant
• Believe that God desires inward transformation
• View Jesus as divine
• Think about Heaven with hope

Those benefits may be meaningful.

But the decisive question is not merely:

“Did Swedenborg’s writings help me spiritually?”

It is:

“Do his visions and interpretations agree with the complete teaching of Scripture and the gospel delivered by Christ’s apostles?”

What If Traditional Churches Emphasize Faith Without Charity?

Some churches have wrongly reduced salvation to:

• Repeating a prayer
• Agreeing with doctrine
• Attending services
• Claiming eternal security while living in rebellion

That distortion should be rejected.

Jesus said:

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
— Luke 6:46, KJV

But the misuse of justification by faith does not make justification by faith false.

True faith produces love and obedience.

What If Traditional Christian Teaching Makes God Seem Cruel?

Some explanations of judgment and atonement have been careless or harsh.

God is not:

• Arbitrarily cruel
• Delighted by suffering
• Separated from the Son in purpose
• Unwilling to forgive

The Father sent the Son because of love.

The Son willingly gave Himself.

The Holy Ghost applies Christ’s saving work.

Divine justice and divine love act together.

What Must You Do?

1. Keep Testing Every Spiritual Claim

Do not accept a vision merely because it is detailed, beautiful, or spiritually impressive.

“Try the spirits whether they are of God…”
— 1 John 4:1, KJV

2. Let Scripture Interpret Scripture

Recognize symbolism where the text supports it.

Do not make a later system of correspondences the controlling key to God’s Word.

3. Trust the Sufficiency of the Apostolic Gospel

The Scriptures can make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ.

“The holy scriptures… are able to make thee wise unto salvation…”
— 2 Timothy 3:15, KJV

4. Receive Everything Scripture Reveals About God

Continue affirming one God and Jesus’ full deity.

Also recognize the eternal personal relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

5. Recognize That Jesus Was Always Divine

The eternal Word did not become God through progressive glorification.

“The Word was God.”
— John 1:1, KJV

6. Believe That Jesus Bore Your Guilt

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…”
— 1 Peter 2:24, KJV

7. Stop Trusting in Successful Regeneration

You must be regenerated, but your progress cannot become the basis of your acceptance before God.

Trust Jesus’ righteousness and completed sacrifice.

8. Repent

Turn from sin, self-righteousness, reliance upon private revelation, and every teaching that changes the apostolic gospel.

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”
— Acts 3:19, KJV

9. Believe the Gospel

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, KJV

10. Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…”
— John 1:12, KJV

11. Trust Him Completely

Do not rest your eternal hope in:

• Emanuel Swedenborg
• Visions of the spiritual world
• A system of correspondences
• Membership in the New Church
• Charity
• Useful living
• Your progress in regeneration
• The quality of your ruling love

Rest entirely in the crucified and risen Jesus.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
— Acts 16:31, KJV

12. Live a Life of Love and Usefulness as the Fruit of Salvation

Rejecting Swedenborg’s authority does not mean rejecting:

• Charity
• Service
• Repentance
• Spiritual growth
• Moral responsibility
• Love for one’s neighbor

Those whom Jesus saves should live useful, loving, obedient lives.

But these works flow from salvation already received.

A Prayer From an Honest Heart

Repeating a prayer cannot save you. Jesus Christ saves. But you may express sincere repentance and faith in words such as these:

One true and living God, I want to know You exactly as You have revealed Yourself. Thank You for every truth that has taught me to value love, repentance, charity, usefulness, spiritual reality, and Jesus Christ. I confess that I have sinned and cannot save myself through religious knowledge, visions, correspondences, good works, charity, or successful regeneration. I believe the Holy Bible is sufficient to make me wise unto salvation. I believe that the Father sent the eternal Son, that the Word was with God and was God, and that the Holy Ghost is a divine Person who gives new life. I believe Jesus Christ became truly human, lived without sin, bore my guilt, died in my place, and bodily rose from the grave. I believe His sacrifice completely paid for sin. I turn from every private revelation or interpretation that changes the apostolic gospel. I place my complete trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord, my God, my righteousness, my High Priest, and my only Savior. Forgive me, give me new birth, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and produce in me genuine love, holiness, charity, humility, obedience, and useful service. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The saving power is not in repeating these exact words.

The question is whether your confidence rests completely in Jesus Christ rather than in spiritual knowledge, visions, or your own regeneration.

What If Your Family or Friends Are Swedenborgian?

Continue loving and respecting them.

Do not mock:

• Their spiritual questions
• Their concern for charity
• Their belief in Heaven
• Their symbolic reading of Scripture
• Their appreciation for Swedenborg
• Their desire to live usefully

Do not become unloving, idle, or morally careless after claiming to defend salvation by grace.

Your own life should increasingly demonstrate:

• Faith in Jesus
• Love
• Charity
• Humility
• Useful service
• Holiness
• Dependence upon the Holy Ghost
• Submission to Scripture

You may explain gently:

“I remain grateful for the emphasis upon Jesus Christ, spiritual reality, repentance, love, charity, and useful living. But I now believe Scripture’s saving message did not remain hidden until Emanuel Swedenborg. I believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are eternally and personally distinguished within the one God, that Jesus bore the penalty of my sins, and that my acceptance before God rests upon Christ’s completed work rather than my progress in regeneration.”

“Be ready always to give an answer… with meekness and fear.”
— 1 Peter 3:15, KJV

What Should You Read Next?

Begin with the Gospel of John.

As you read, ask:

Was the Word personally with God before creation?

Did the Father love the Son before the world existed?

Did the Son share glory with the Father before creation?

Who sent the Son?

Why did Jesus call the Holy Ghost another Comforter?

Did Jesus describe His death as a ransom?

Did His actual body rise?

Does eternal life come through successful regeneration—or through believing in the Son?

Continue with:

• Genesis 1–3
• Psalm 2, 22, 32, 45, 51, and 110
• Isaiah 9, 40–46, and 53
• Matthew 3, 22, 25, and 28
• Mark 10
• Luke 22–24
• The Gospel of John
• Acts 1–5, 10, 13, and 17
• Romans 1–8
• 1 Corinthians 1–4, 12–15
• 2 Corinthians 4–5 and 11
• Galatians 1–5
• Ephesians 1–5
• Philippians 1–3
• Colossians 1–3
• 1 Timothy 3
• 2 Timothy 3–4
• Titus 2–3
• Hebrews 1–10
• James 1–2
• 1 Peter 1–3
• 1 John
• Revelation 1 and 19–22

As you study, ask:

Does Scripture teach that its saving meaning would remain hidden for centuries?

Did Jesus promise Emanuel Swedenborg or an equivalent later interpreter?

Can private visions override the Bible’s historical and literal teaching?

Does the Father’s love for the Son predate the incarnation?

Was Jesus already God before He became flesh?

Does the Holy Ghost speak and will personally?

Did Jesus bear our sins?

Did He completely finish the atonement?

Are good works the basis of salvation—or its fruit?

Will Jesus visibly return and bodily raise the dead?

Our Purpose

Our purpose is not to insult Swedenborgians, deny every symbolic meaning in Scripture, dismiss spiritual reality, minimize charity, or defend Christians whose claimed faith produces no love or obedience.

Many professing traditional Christians trust in:

• A doctrinal statement
• Church membership
• A prayer once repeated
• Religious tradition
• Intellectual belief without obedience

rather than Jesus Christ.

Many spiritually interested people trust in:

• Visions
• Angelic messages
• Hidden meanings
• A favored teacher
• Good works
• Personal spiritual development

rather than Jesus Christ.

Every person must examine the foundation:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5, KJV

There is one God.

Jesus Christ is fully divine.

The Bible contains rich symbolism.

Heaven and Hell are real.

Angels and spirits exist.

Repentance matters.

Regeneration matters.

Charity matters.

Useful service matters.

Faith without works is dead.

But Scripture’s saving message did not remain hidden until Emanuel Swedenborg.

No private visionary experience can become a new controlling key to the Bible.

Correspondences must not replace the text’s historical and grammatical meaning.

Every vision must be tested by the apostolic gospel.

Even an angel must be rejected if its message changes that gospel.

The Father is not merely the divine soul within Jesus.

The Father loved the Son before the world existed.

The Son shared glory with the Father before creation.

The Father sent the Son.

The Son returned to the Father.

The Father and Son sent the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost speaks, wills, teaches, guides, and can be grieved.

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not three gods.

They are eternally distinguished within the one God.

Jesus did not gradually become God.

The Word was God before becoming flesh.

Jesus defeated the powers of Hell.

Jesus also bore the penalty of our sins.

He was wounded for our transgressions.

Our iniquities were laid upon Him.

He willingly gave His life as a ransom.

He declared, “It is finished.”

His actual body rose from the grave.

His sacrifice completely accomplished atonement.

Regeneration does not complete His payment.

God justifies believers through faith in Christ.

That living faith produces charity, obedience, holiness, and useful works.

Good works are the fruit of salvation—not its purchase price.

Hell involves both sinful human choice and God’s righteous judgment.

Jesus will visibly return.

He will bodily raise the dead.

He will judge the world.

He alone gives everlasting life.

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you… let him be accursed.”
— Galatians 1:8, KJV

“The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
— John 1:1, KJV

“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
— Isaiah 53:6, KJV

“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
— Hebrews 10:14, KJV

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Romans 5:1, KJV

“Neither is there salvation in any other…”
— Acts 4:12, KJV

Do not rest your eternal hope in Emanuel Swedenborg, visions of angels and spirits, a system of hidden correspondences, membership in the New Church, charity, useful service, or your progress in regeneration. Place your complete confidence in Jesus Christ—the eternal Son who was with the Father, God manifested in flesh, bearer of your guilt, victor over Hell, bodily risen Lord, coming Judge, and only giver of everlasting life.