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Concerning
Emanuel Swedenborg



In reply to one of our readers.

"The Wisdom that is from Above is first pure"
(1 Corinthians 6:9).


by Tom Stewart


Dear _,

Katie and I (Tom) received your email today, and we also hope this reaches you before the Rapture. We have been happily married in the LORD for all of 24 years, with three grown children-- who also love the LORD.
"3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them" (Psalm 127:3-5).

Outside of the So Great Salvation
(Hebrews 2:3) purchased for us by the matchless "grace of our LORD Jesus Christ" (Romans 16:20), Katie and I agree that our marriage is the best thing that our LORD has done for both of us. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from Above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

We look forward to the day that we will see the LORD Jesus face to face at the Rapture
"for we shall see Him as He is" (1John 3:2). Jesus is truly the Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13). Deliverance from the "wrath to come" (1Thessalonians 1:10) during the Tribulation Week, as well as deliverance from the "wrath of Almighty God" (Revelation 19:15) in Eternity, make our soon departure so inviting. At this point, even the deliverance from the physical bodily infirmities of this life, is a bonus of our Rapture. "22 For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the Redemption of our body" (Romans 8:22-23).

In Heaven, we are assured by the Scriptures that there still will be sweet family ties. King David voiced this certainty when he realized that his infant son had just died-- as predicted by Nathan the prophet.
"But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2Samuel 12:23). Certainly, Katie and I will continue to have the privilege of loving one another in Heaven-- just as Christ will continue to love His Church. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25).

In answer to your question as to whether we have heard of a man called Emanuel Swedenborg... Yes, we are familiar with his work. We believe that the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg have an unnatural emphasis upon the necessity of human sexual pleasure, even though Swedenborg attempts to elevate that concept with his expression "conjugial love". Our opinion of Swedenborg is...
"3 Without natural affection... 4 ...lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2Timothy 3:3-5).

As you know, the LORD Jesus gave His explanation of Heaven, angels, and their lack of marriage, to the Sadducees, who denied the Resurrection and the existence of angels
(Acts 23:8). "35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection..." (Luke 20:35-36). Swedenborg's "heavenly" experiences negate the Words of the LORD Jesus and embarrass the propriety of the Body of Christ. Swedenborg wrote of three human spirits, who were three youths that were recently deceased: [Note: Quotes from Emanuel Swedenborg will be shown in blue ink.] "Hereupon the three human spirits questioned the two angelic spirits concerning heaven; and as two of the three were youths, and there darted from their eyes as it were a sparkling fire of lust for sex, the angelic spirit said, 'Possibly you have seen some females;' and they replied in the affirmative." Scripture's reply to Swedenborg's "heavenly" experience is: "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness" (2Timothy 2:22).

Not only are Swedenborg's teachings a negation of the LORD Jesus' Words, but they are unnecessary in light of the context of Luke 20. The context of Luke 20:36 explains the reason why there will be no need of marrying to produce a human offspring.
"Neither can they die any more" (20:36) explains to us that there will be no need of marrying to procreate children, to keep up a succession of men-- because no one will be dying in Heaven. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4). If no one dies in Heaven, then no one needs to be born in Heaven to continue the succession of men. Hence, physical marriage and procreation are unnecessary in Heaven.

Swedenborg argues that this "conjugial love" is not for the sake of offspring because marital sex is for the sake of gaining Wisdom. This is not the reasoning of a Godly man. Wisdom has never been gained from marital sex in this life-- or the next. Wisdom comes from heeding God's Word.
"1 My son, if thou wilt receive My Words, and hide My Commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto Wisdom, and apply thine heart to Understanding..." (Proverbs 2:1-2). Is it any wonder that Jesus, Whose "Name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13), is also known as the Wisdom of God (1Corinthians 1:24)? The more we learn of the LORD Jesus, the more we grow in Wisdom. "For the LORD giveth Wisdom: out of His mouth cometh Knowledge and Understanding" (Proverbs 2:6).

Wisdom and Understanding come from abiding with the Word of God, meditating upon the Word of God, and keeping the Word of God.
"98 Thou through Thy Commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. 99 I have more Understanding than all my teachers: for Thy Testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy Precepts... 104 Through Thy Precepts I get Understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:98-100,104).

The joy of Heaven is not to be found wanting.
"Oh how great is Thy Goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19). It will be so much more than any possible physical joy-- even more than a heightened pleasure of "conjugial love". "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1Corinthians 2:9). Jesus is the Joy of Heaven. "Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my Exceeding Joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God my God" (Psalm 43:4). This is the reason to desire to be in Heaven. "11 Thou wilt shew me the path of Life: in Thy Presence is fulness of joy; at Thy Right Hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).

Emanuel Swedenborg forgot the reason for marriage. It is not simply for sexual pleasure or simply to avoid the sin of fornication, but marriage is for the dual purpose of having a
"help meet" (Genesis 2:18) and producing a "Godly seed" to have Spiritual Dominion through Jesus Christ over this planet. "And did not He make one? Yet had He the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore one? That He might seek a Godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth" (Malachi 2:15). Though Adam was blessed by the physical union with Eve, their offspring represented the result of their Spiritual obedience to the Heavenly Father to "be fruitful, and multiply" (Genesis 1:28).

Whenever anyone begins to build their Spiritual walk upon an incorrect interpretation of Scripture, they are building a house upon the sand. As Jesus said,
"26 And every one that heareth these Sayings of Mine, and doeth Them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:26-27). You need to reconsider what Emanuel Swedenborg said-- solely, in light of the Word of God. "To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). Swedenborg built his house upon sand. Beware that you do not the same!

A Christian does not need physical sex to have the Wisdom of God or to be fulfilled. The Apostle Paul, the bachelor, gave the following advice on marriage.
"For I would that all men were even as I myself [single and the LORD's]" (1Corinthians 7:7). Katie and I believe that you have allowed an undue importance upon physical sex. Your remarks about sexual union to a spouse to achieve Godly Wisdom are unscriptural. All that you have been able to say about the gaining of Wisdom (Proverbs 1-4) and the shunning of adultery (Proverbs 5) only demonstrate that Wisdom shuns adultery-- not that marital sex is the means of gaining Wisdom.

We pray that the Word of God will have
"free course" (2Thessalonians 3:1) and give you Wisdom that you and your family "may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).

You will find enclosed a referenced html file that gives a Scriptural perspective on Emanuel Swedenborg, that you may have never seen before.

In Christian love,

Tom and Katie Stewart
WhatSaithTheScripture.com
"But the Wisdom that is from Above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).


Tom Stewart

Additional information:
Swendenborgianism ---New Window
An excerpt from "Heresies Exposed"
by William Hoste, B.A.



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