Soul enters spiritual world immediately; heaven and hell as spiritual states
Swedenborg taught extensive doctrines regarding the afterlife based on his claimed visions of the spiritual world. At death, the soul immediately enters a spiritual realm corresponding to its spiritual state during life. Heaven and hell are not physical locations but states of consciousness—spiritual realities where one naturally gravitates based on one's dominant loves and character.
The soul retains human form and consciousness in the spiritual world, dwelling among like-minded spirits in communities reflecting their spiritual condition. There is opportunity for initial purification and growth, but eventually each soul settles into its natural home: heaven for those who have loved God and goodness, or hell for those who have loved self and evil. The state of the soul is not divinely imposed but the natural outcome of one's spiritual choices.
Key Distinctions
- Intermediate state:
- immediate entry into spiritual world after death; no sleep; one's true self is revealed
- Immortality type:
- spiritual immortality; the inner person is the real person
- Bodily resurrection:
- spiritual resurrection into the spiritual world; no re-animation of the physical body
Scripture References
Sources
- Emanuel Swedenborg, Heaven and Hell
- Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christianity