1. True Christianity

Containing a Comprehensive Theology of the New Heaven and the New Church

The Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church

THE faith of the new heaven and the new church is stated here in both universal and specific forms to serve as the face of the work that follows, the doorway that allows entry into the temple, and the summary that in one way or another contains all the details to follow. I say "the faith of the new heaven and the new church" because heaven, where there are angels, and the church, in which there are people, act together like the inner and the outer levels in a human being. People in the church who love what is good because they believe what is true and who believe what is true because they love what is good are angels of heaven with regard to the inner levels of their minds. After death they come into heaven, and enjoy happiness there according to the relationship between their love and their faith. It is important to know that the new heaven that the Lord is establishing today has this faith as its face, doorway, and summary.

828. Muslims in the Spiritual World

The Muslims in the spiritual world appear behind the Roman Catholics in the west; they form a kind of circle around them. The reason why they appear close behind the Christians is that they acknowledge our Lord as the greatest prophet and the wisest of people, who was sent into the world to teach people; some even acknowledge him as the Son of God.

In that world, the distance between where people live and the center, where Christians are, depends on the extent to which they believe in the Lord and in one God. This belief unites people's minds to heaven and determines their proximity to the eastern region, the region closest to the Lord.

492. To these points I will add the following memorable occurrence.

Several times I have heard words issuing forth from heaven about the good actions that come from goodwill. These words passed through the world of spirits and penetrated into hell, even to its greatest depth. Step by step the words turned into words that are directly opposed to the good actions that come from goodwill, and finally became expressions of hatred against the neighbor. This is an indication that everything that emanates from the Lord is good. It is the spirits in hell who turn that emanation into evil. A similar thing happened with some truths related to faith. As they went along they were turned into falsities opposed to those truths. The receiving form turns what is flowing in into something that harmonizes with itself.