Week 1    Day 6

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Various Experiences Regarding the Lord in the Spiritual World

HH 6. There were certain spirits who while living in the world had professed to believe in the Father, but of the Lord they had the same idea as of any other man, and therefore did not believe Him to be the God of heaven. For this reason, they were permitted to wander around and inquire wherever they wished whether there were any other heaven than the heaven of the Lord. They searched for several days, but nowhere found any. These spirits were such as place the happiness of heaven in glory and dominion; and as they were unable to get what they desired, and were told that heaven does not consist in such things, they became indignant, and wished for a heaven where they could lord it over others and be eminent in glory like that in the world.

DSE 5600. ABOUT A CERTAIN CHRISTIAN AMONG MOHAMMEDANS

There was a report about the Mohammedans that they acknowledge the Lord, but only as a very great Prophet, and do not acknowledge His Divinity, for the reason that they have not been able to understand how the Divine could exist divided into three persons, consequently into three Gods, and that therefore, they have acknowledged one God, the Creator of the universe, but the Lord as a very great Prophet; and they have affirmed the Holy Spirit to be spirits and angels. That Christian wanted to know whether such was their doctrine and sentiment. He approached them at the western part, wishing to question them about that matter. They spoke as they thought from their religion.

But they asked the Christian what he believes about God, whether he believes that He is One. He said that he believed that God was One. But they examined the ideas of his thought, which easily takes place in the other life. They said that he does not believe that God is one, but that He is three, because in his thought he sets up three persons, and every one of them as God. They then said further that he says “one God,” but, in heart, in faith, or in thought, he believes in three, when, nevertheless, a Christian ought to speak as he thinks and believes and not differently.

Since he was unable to deny this, they then went on to say that it ought to be to the shame of Christians to think three gods, and that the very heathen are wiser, for their wise ones think that there is one God and do not have more in their idea, as the Christians do. Wherefore he went away and said that he would never return to them, for he was overwhelmed with shame. He wanted to say that the three were one through agreement, but still, he set up the idea of three Gods who were unanimous, when yet God is one.

EU 40. There were certain spirits who knew from heaven that once, a promise was made to spirits of the earth Mercury that they would see the Lord. Therefore they were asked by the spirits around me whether they recollected that promise. They said that they did recollect it, but they did not know whether it had been promised in such a way as to be beyond doubt. While they were thus talking together, the sun of heaven then appeared to them. The sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is seen only by those who are in the inmost or third heaven; others see the light from it. On seeing the sun, they said that this was not the Lord God, because they did not see a face. Meanwhile the spirits were talking with each other, but I did not hear what they said. But suddenly, the sun again appeared, and in the midst of it the Lord, encompassed with a solar circle. On seeing this, the spirits of Mercury humbled themselves profoundly and sank down. Then also the Lord, from that sun, appeared to spirits of this earth who, when they were men, saw Him in the world; and they all, one after another, and thus many in order, confessed that it was the Lord Himself. They made this confession before all the company. Then also the Lord, outside of the sun, appeared to the spirits of the planet Jupiter, who declared aloud that it was He Himself whom they had seen on their earth when the God of the universe appeared to them.

DSE 5880. THOSE WHO, SOLELY OWING TO BIRTHPLACE, ARE IN NO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD OR OF RELIGION.

There were some who appeared to me in sleep, sometimes like men, and again like a certain kind of birds, with whom also many as it were ludicrous things occurred, such as are characteristic of sleep, by confining those birds in a cage, and so forth. At length they appeared like men. When I awoke, it was shown me that they were men born in a certain island in the West Indies who had no knowledge of God whatever, consequently no religion, but still lived honestly and in a friendly way. It was said that in the other life, at first they appear as if not possessed of rationality, but that still, since they have not adopted any principles contrary to religion, inasmuch as they have been in ignorance, they are instructed in the other life almost like children, and gradually perfected, so that they become better than those who were born in a religion in which there are falsities, by which their good of life has been formed. It was shown that they were in such an affection of truth as is not surpassed anywhere else. This was shown by the fact that they wished to serve others; but reply was made that they were not able, because they did not understand anything. Some riches were then given them. These they presented to a teacher, but this was in order that he might take them as servants, and they might thus be instructed how to live.

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