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Question 7: What is your relation to Islam and other religions?
Answer:
It is not my duty to evaluate or criticize Islam. I am sure that Mohammed was sent by God Himself and he was a Prophet. There is more similarity between Islam and Swedenborg’s Writings than between Islam and old Christian faith. I myself can feel the presence of angelic spirits when I am reading the Koran. If one compares Moslems’ religious life with our day’s Christians’ religious life, former is clearly on a higher level. Most of Moslems follow their religion whole-heartedly but for most of Christians religion is only a matter of formality.
About other religions I cannot say much. The New Church is the only one who has direct touch with heavens, but the other religions can have contact with good spirits in the spiritual world. Christian Faith (Catholic, Orthodox, Reformist etc.) have touch with evil spirits as has the Jewish religion. Old Christianity and Zionism are in infernal alliance with each other. The New Christian (Swedenborgian) Church is opposed to both of them and will annihilate both.
There are a lot of good people in countries not Christian, in Asia, in South America, and in Africa. There are primitive people in many parts of our planets who have their own religion which they follow and are contact with good spirits. These peoples are the potential for the New Church in future and from these perhaps a new human race will origin: Homo bonus. To bring forth a new human race is the holy commission of the New Church Clergy.
Question 8: Why has the New Church come into existence now and not before?
Answer:
The New Jerusalem is different from the earlier churches, the Adamic, the Noachian, the Israelitish and the Christian. These former churches have each had four changes of states: the first of which has been the Appearing of the Lord Jehovih and Redemption, and then was its Morning, or Rise; the second has been its Instruction, and then was Midday, or Progression; the third has been its Decline, and then was its Evening, or Vastation; the fourth has been its End, and then was its Night, or Consummation. But the New Jerusalem has not such states because it is an internal and eternal Church on this earth.
This New truly Christian Church, which is at this day being established by the Lord, will endure to eternity, as is proved from the Word of both Testaments; also it was foreseen from the creation of the world; and it will be the Crown of the four preceding Churches, because it will have true faith and true charity. In this New Church there will be spiritual peace, which is “glory”, and internal blessedness of life, as is also proved from the Word of both Testaments. These things will exist in this New Church, by reason of its conjunction with the Lord, and through Him with God the Father. An invitation addressed to this Church and to the whole Christian world; and an exhortation to worthily receive the Lord, who has Himself foretold that He would come into the world for the sake of this Church and to it. (Coronis, LII-LV).
That this New Church is an eternal union with the Lord, is described in Psalm 89: 3-5, 26-29; 35-37: “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: 4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ “Selah. 5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. 26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ 27 Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him. 29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: 36 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; 37 It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky.”
The whole Psalm 89 concerns this eternal Church, that is, the New Holy Jerusalem in the spiritual sense: Even if those who are of this Church should fail to obey the Law, there will still be eternal union with the Lord and this Church (30-37). The Jewish nation has destroyed conjunction with the Lord, because it has destroyed the Church (38-42). It has repudiated the Lord utterly (43-45). Without the Lord’s help no one will have eternal life (46-48). If the union with the Lord would not be effected, the hells would conquer (49-51). The Lord helps eternally (52).
In the spiritual-celestial sense of the Psalm 89, the verses 38-52 and the verse 23 of the Psalm 94 concern the combat of the New Holy Jerusalem with the Jewish religion and nation and the destruction of these. In the New Holy Jerusalem there are three periods or states. The first was when the Revelation came by Swedenborg and the Church began as an external church and with a few but truths and good in abundance (the Heavenly Doctrine). Nobody had celestial temptations which are necessary for the conjunction of the church and the heavens. Many had mild spiritual temptations which are not enough for a full conjunction.
The second period began when one married couple which represented this Church were permitted into celestial temptations and conjunction to heaven began. Most of the members of the Church were then under the domination of the Dragon and could not to be permitted into celestial temptations. A new church as a conjunction begins always through one married couple (Word Explained, 3239).
The third period which also is last and eternal began when this married couple was united with conjugial temptations into a new conjugial heaven. This period started after the temptations were fulfilled on the 25th of November, 2006. Just now it is possible for the New Holy Jerusalem from this married couple to extend and to increase to the whole world. The Lord has not permitted it earlier because of the Dragonists’ power in the Church.
This New Holy Jerusalem will not begin to expand or to increase among members of the old Christian Churches in Europe and in America because of the Dragonists and their alliance with Zionism. This New Church begins among Gentile people maybe in Asia, South America, or in Africa. The Lord Himself only knows where this Church begins as a heavenly organization on earth.
There are a lot of good people in countries outside the Christian world, in Asia, in South America and in Africa. There are primitive people in many parts of our planets who have their own religion which they follow and are contact with good spirits. These peoples are the potential for the New Holy Jerusalem in future, maybe not Christian world in Europe or in North America.
“I have had various conversations with angels, concerning the state of the church hereafter. They said that they know not things to come, for the knowledge of things to come belongs to the Lord alone; but they know that the slavery and captivity in which the man of the church was formerly, has been taken away, and that now, from restored freedom, he can better perceive interior truths, if he wills to perceive them; and thus be made more internal, if he wills to become so; but that still they have slender hope of the men of the Christian church, but much of some nation far distant from the Christian world, and therefore removed from infesters, which nation is such that it is capable of receiving spiritual light, and of being made a celestial-spiritual man, and they said, that at this day interior Divine truths are revealed in that nation, and are also received in spiritual faith, that is, in life and heart, and that they adore the Lord.” (Last Judgment, 74).
It must here mention that according to Swedenborg the hereditary evil from new-born parents is diminishing in the next generation and so after many generations the hereditary evil is diminishing more and more until it gives birth for a totally new human race – Homo bonus which is more intelligent than Homo sapiens and which will dominate this planet eternally according to Isaiah 65: 17-25.
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