Foundations
One of our life tasks as human beings is to come to know how to tune into the spirit of love that is behind the whole of creation and in so doing find heavenly joy.
This is connected with the concept of life after death. Though many people doubt that humans can survive the death of their physical body, and many ask for proof before they believe, it is remarkable that the concept of life after death has persisted through most religions and most periods in human history. The New Church is founded on a belief in the validity of Emanuel Swedenborg’s revelations which include detailed descriptions of life after death. Here are some of the main things Swedenborg learned from his experiences:
- The human spirit survives the death of the body, and people retain everything essential, including their feelings, thoughts, intentions, personality and so on. The only thing they lose is the physical body and its relationship with the physical world.
- People enter spiritual life immediately after the death of the body.
- They retain their individuality and their sexuality. This means that marriages can continue after death, but only for those couples who truly love each other. Other marriages break up, and each person finds another partner.
- The life of heaven and the happiness of heaven come from serving others and being useful.
- There are levels of heaven, and which level a person goes to after death is determined by the quality of a person’s love.
- Heaven is not a reward and hell is not a punishment. They are states of mind and heart: for those who love God and love others, a state of happiness; for those totally wrapped up in themselves and in worldliness, a state of relative unhappiness.
- People choose their life after death, so in that sense they judge themselves.
- Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you." It can also be said that heaven is within us. After death we enter the heaven that has entered us while we are on earth.
- To grow old in heaven is to grow young.