The Final Judgment

by Emanuel Swedenborg

This work is a combination of five "The Final Judgment", "The Final Judgment Continued", "The White Horse", "Earths in the Universe", and "Summary Exposition." The first volume, "The Final Judgment", describes how the last or final judgment occurs not on earth, but rather in the spiritual world upon those who have died and have not yet entered heaven or hell. The resurrection is not a literal rising in a physical body, but rather a new life in a spiritual body in the other world. These judgments have occurred in the past, and generally mark the beginning a a new age and a new church which will replace the former. This work reveals that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is not a second coming in person, but a revelation of the spiritual sense of the Word or sacred scripture. This is symbolized by the white horse in the Apocalypse or book of Revelation, and this is explained in detail in the third volume, "The White Horse". The second volume, "Continuation concerning the Final Judgment", describes in detail the various societies in the spiritual world which were affected by the final judgment, based on the author's visions. The fourth volume, "Earths in the Universe", is a description of spirits encountered from other planets by the author in his visions. The fifth volume, "Summary Exposition", is a summary of beliefs of the Catholic and Protestant how they are similar, how they have fallen into error, and how they differ with the doctrines of the New Church which will be formed after them in the future. This work has been formatted for digital it includes hyperlinked table of contents, references, footnotes, and topical indexes. This is volume 22 of the multi-volume work, "The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem," which contains the published theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg. An expanded edition also includes the work, "Apocalypse Explained." ABOUT THE Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He journeyed to England, Holland, France, and Germany to study and work with leading scientists in western Europe. Upon his return he apprenticed as an engineer under the brilliant Swedish inventor Christopher Polhem (1661-1751). King Charles XII of Sweden gave him a salaried position as an overseer of Sweden's mining industry (1716-1747). After the death of the King, Emanuel was ennobled by Queen Ulrika Eleonora. This gave him a seat in the Swedish House of Nobles, where he remained an active participant in the Swedish government throughout his life. A member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, he devoted himself to scientific studies and philosophical reflections that culminated in a number of scientific publications, mainly concerning minerology and physiology, where he had made several discoveries. From 1743 to 1745 he entered a transitional phase that resulted in a shift of his main focus from science and philosophy to theology. Throughout the rest of his life he maintained that this shift was brought about by Jesus Christ, who appeared to him, called him to a new mission, and opened his perception to a permanent dual consciousness of this life and the spiritual world of heaven and hell. Although he at first published his theological works anonymously, he became more well known to the public when he had a clairvoyant experience where he could describe a fire in Stockholm in 1759, over 400 km away. This was investigated by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who confirmed the event, and it was also noted by Carl Jung who borrowed from Swedenborg for many of his ideas in psychology. At other times Swedenborg demonstrated his clairvoyant abilities to multiple witnesses, including John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Zen master D.T. Suzuki called Swedenborg the "Buddha of the North.

861 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1961

About the author

Emanuel Swedenborg (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8, 1688–March 29, 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian. Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. At the age of fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase in which he experienced dreams and visions. This culminated in a spiritual awakening, where he claimed he was appointed by the Lord to write a heavenly doctrine to reform Christianity. He claimed that the Lord had opened his eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell, and talk with angels, demons, and other spirits. For the remaining 28 years of his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell (1758), and several unpublished theological works.

Swedenborg explicitly rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said was not taught in the early Christian Church. Instead he explained in his theological writings how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Swedenborg also rejected the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, since he considered both faith and charity necessary for salvation, not one without the other. The purpose of faith, according to Swedenborg, is to lead a person to a life according to the truths of faith, which is charity.

Swedenborg's theological writings have elicited a range of responses. Toward the end of Swedenborg's life, small reading groups formed in England and Sweden to study the truth they saw in his teachings and several writers were influenced by him, including William Blake (though he ended up renouncing him), Elizabeth Barrett Browning, August Strindberg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, William Butler Yeats, Sheridan Le Fanu, Jorge Luis Borges and Carl Jung. The theologian Henry James Sr. was also a follower of his teachings, as were Johnny Appleseed and Helen Keller.

In contrast, one of the most prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henrik Kellgren, called Swedenborg "nothing but a fool". A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg's writings and two men who promoted these ideas.

In the two centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of Swedenborg's theology have been made (see: Swedenborgian Church), and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies.

Reviews

[Erlinda Attwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to help clarify and set the record straight as to what the badly misunderstood by all churches Last Judgement is.