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Spirit of Swedenborg

by Emanuel Swedenborg

"Evolution is better than Revolution. New Thought Library's New Thought Archives encompass a full range of New Thought media from Abrahamic to Vedic reflecting the ongoing evolution of human thought. New Thought's unique inclusion of science, art and philosophy contrasts with 'old thought' Religion. Today's 'New Thought 3.0' teaches personal responsibility, self-development, human rights and compassionate action as essential spiritual paradigms." ~ Avalon de Rossett

Contents - Foreword - Gist of Swedenborg - Man - Warfare of Regeneration - Marriage - Sacred Scriptures - Life of Charity and Faith - Divine Providence - Death and the Resurrection - First Three States After Death - Heaven - Hell - Communication With the Spiritual World - The Church - Memorable Sayings

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Hell

"If I make my bed in hell; behold, Thou art there."

-- Psalm, CXXXIX, 8

Evil is Hell

Evil with man is hell with him; for it is the same thing whether we say evil or hell. And as a man is the cause of his own evil, therefore he, and not the Lord, also leads himself into hell. So far is the Lord from leading man into hell, that He delivers him from it as far as a man does not will and love to be in his own evil.

All a man's will and love remains with him after death. He who wills and loves evil in the world, wills and loves the same evil in the other life; and then he no longer suffers himself to be withdrawn from it. This is the reason that a man who is in evil is bound fast to hell and is actually there, too, in spirit, and after death he desires nothing more than to be where his evil is. After death, therefore, a man casts himself into hell, and not the Lord.

-- Heaven and Hell, n. 547

Evil and Punishment

All evil bears its punishment with it. Evil spirits are punished because the fear of punishment is the one means of subduing evils in this state. Exhortation no longer avails, nor instruction, nor fear of the law nor fear for one's reputation; for now the spirit acts from a nature which cannot be coerced or broken except by punishment.

-- Heaven and Hell, n. 509

It is a law in the other life that no one shall become worse than he had been in the world.

-- Arcana Coelestia, n. 6559

God Wills the Damnation of None

If men could be saved by immediate mercy, all would be saved, even those in hell; and indeed there would be no hell, because the Lord is mercy itself and good itself. Therefore it is contrary to His Divine Nature to say that He can save all immediately, and does not save them. We know from the Word that the Lord wills the salvation of all and the damnation of none.

-- Heaven and Hell, n. 524

Master Passions of Hell

Love of self and love of the world rule in the hells and also constitute them. Love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor rule in the heavens and also constitute them. These loves are diametrically opposite. Love of self consists in wishing well to oneself alone, and not to others except for the sake of oneself, not even to the Church, to one's country, or to any human society; also in doing good to them, but for the sake of one's reputation, honor and glory. Unless he sees these in the services he renders them, he says in his heart, "Of what use is it? Why should I do it? Of what advantage will it be to me?", and he leaves it undone. His delight is only that of self-love. And because the delight which springs from his love makes the life of a man, therefore his life is the life of self; and the life of self is life from man's proprium; and the proprium of man, viewed in itself, is nothing but evil. Love of self is of such a quality, too, that, as far as the reins are given it, it rushes on until at length it desires to rule not only over the whole earth, but over the whole heaven, too, and over the Divine Himself.

-- Heaven and Hell, nn. 554, 556, 559

"Our Name is Legion"

Men have believed hitherto that there is some one devil who is over the hells, and that he was created an angel of light; but that after he turned rebel, he was cast down with his crew into hell. Men have had this belief because the Devil is named in the Word, and Satan, and also Lucifer, and in these passages the Word has been understood according to the sense of the letter, when yet hell is meant in them by the Devil and Satan.... That there is no single Devil to whom the hells are subject, is also evident from this fact, that all who are in the hells, like all who are in the heavens, are from the human race; and that from the beginning of the creation to this time they amount to myriads of myriads, every one of whom is a devil of a sort according with his opposition to the Divine in the world.

-- Heaven and Hell, n. 544