23. All Humans without Exception Who Have Been Born and Have Died since the Beginning of Creation Are either in Heaven or in Hell
First of all, this follows from what was said and explained in the preceding chapter, namely, that heaven and hell come from humankind. Second, it follows from the fact that after life in the physical world everyone goes on living to eternity. Third, this means that every human who has ever been born and has died since the creation of the world is either in heaven or in hell. 1 Fourth, since everyone who is going to be born from now on is also going to enter the spiritual world, clearly that world is so extraordinary in both size and nature that this physical world, where people live on various planets, cannot be compared to it.
To give a better feel for this and a clearer view of it, I would like to present and develop these points one at a time.
Mga talababa:
1. The statement that every human who has died is either in heaven or in hell is only a partial summary of Swedenborg’s views. In other passages he makes clear that people who have died initially live in an area between heaven and hell called “the world of spirits.” However, this is only a temporary state. Once they have been in the world of spirits for the equivalent of anywhere from a few days to a few decades, all people then move on to their permanent home either in heaven or in hell. The point of Swedenborg’s absolute statement here is that no one who has died is waiting for some universal Last Judgment, nor is there some separately created race of angels and devils populating heaven and hell, but all people who have died, without exception, have already moved on to the spiritual world, where they collectively constitute the population both of heaven and of hell. For more on the world of spirits and the stages people go through after death before reaching their final home either in heaven or in hell, see Heaven and Hell 421-535. [LSW]
