Changing Lives: "The Scriptures began to take on a renewed and greater meaning for me."
I came across the name of Emanuel Swedenborg quite by chance… or so it seemed. I know now that nothing is by chance.
My local library was having a book sale, and paperbacks marked twenty cents filled a large bin. Glancing through the chaotic pile, a rather curious title caught my eye: The Presence of Other Worlds by Wilson Van Dusen. Being a firm believer in life on other planets, I perused the content. Surprisingly, the book’s author was not presenting his personal theory of alien life forms. This was an account of one man’s journey into spiritual realms of the mind. That man was Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth-century scientist and visionary.
The inside back cover contained a faded stamp: New Church, Baltimore, MD and a telephone number. So began my adventure that quickly became a quest for truth that would change my life and understanding of and to eternity.
The following day I called the number. Pastor Fred Chapin answered. “I’m calling for information,” I said, mentioning the book I had discovered. “I’d like to know more about this man Emanuel Swedenborg. The library shows two biographies have been written about him, but they own no copies.”
Pastor Chapin was most willing to answer my questions. He invited me to visit the church the following day, saying, “I have a copy of one of the biographies here. You’re welcome to borrow it and perhaps some additional material that might be of interest.”
The next day, I drove to the New Church. The absence of a cross on the building struck me as odd. “What church doesn’t have a cross?” I thought. But then, who speaks of and writes about multiple visits to the Heavens, exchanging conversations with angels, describing hell, and--most presumptuous-- offering spiritual meaning on Old Testament stories gleaned from these visits? How could this be believed?
Clearly, more research was needed here. After all, I was baptized and raised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, believed in God, memorized the Lord’s Prayer, the Nicene Creed (both in Greek and English) even played the church organ and sang in the choir. As with many young people, I wavered at times but eventually married in the Church, baptized our son, and again embraced the comfort of my religion. Most of it, that is, with the exception of some sticky doctrine I managed to dismiss: How could Mary be an everlasting virgin in light of Matthew 1:24-25?
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. (NKJV)
”Till... till… till....” I couldn’t get that little word out of my head. Since my own church did not conduct regular Bible studies, I would often engage in studies with various other churches. This may have improved my knowledge of Scripture but it did little to satisfy my seeking mind, especially with questions regarding death and eternity. Even the Scriptures confused these issues for me. Do our bones really remain in the ground waiting to be raised again? Will all people who do not know the Lord be excluded from heaven? Do death bed confessions and prayers for spiritual redemption guarantee a life in heaven? “Who knows these things?” I constantly asked myself. It’s beyond understanding. This all changed for me with Swedenborg.
I set to work reading as much of the Writings as I could manage. Much of the style and wording was unlike any I had previously encountered but the content was gripping. Of particular interest were his works True Christianity, Married Love, Heaven and Hell, and Heavenly Secrets. Almost none of these works could be found in my local library.
The Scriptures immediately began to take on a renewed and greater meaning for me, especially the knowledge of and trust in the Lord’s presence in every detail of my life. His desire for me to allow my spiritual faith to be constantly opened and to celebrate every moment in the joy of what awaits in the spiritual world has changed my life in the natural world. I have a better understanding of the importance of my choices, actions and thoughts. A greater calm and peace have settled into all aspects of my life, particularly my marriage. The worldly issues of mankind no longer threaten my joy.
There have been moments when reading from Swedenborg’s Writings, particularly Heaven and Hell, when I am compelled to close the book and give thanks to the Lord, so great is the overwhelming feeling of joy and love that seems to swell inside of me.
I know now that there is no spoken declaration from mankind that reserves a place for us in heaven or that if refused, assures an eternity in hell. “Heaven is such that all who have lived well, of whatever religion, have a place there” (Divine Providence 330).
There is no question in my mind of the Lord’s presence with me in the library that day. My life has been restored, and I accept the consequences of only those actions I can control: my own. Although the choices of others may affect my life, they will never direct my life. This allows me a greater capacity to love and be loved while anticipating the joy that awaits to eternity.
