The Inhabited Universe

by Frederick L. Schnarr

7. THE INHABITANTS OF OUR EARTH

In previous articles we have examined some of the things the Writings tell us about the inhabitants of the planets, moons and satellites in our solar system. We have also considered the teachings given about the peoples of various earths in the starry heaven. Now we would turn our attention to the nature and character of the peoples of our own earth, as these may be seen when set against the background provided by the other inhabitants of the universe.

First let us review some of the less desirable parts of our nature which so fully manifested themselves to spirits and angels in the worlds of spirits other than our own. Reference has already been made to various incidents witnessed by Swedenborg in which something of our character may be observed; but we would here gather them together so that a fuller picture may be seen.

Everywhere Swedenborg went he was greeted in the same manner. The spirits from other earths at first regarded him with suspicion, tried to avoid him, or actually fled from him. Such were the results of the dreadful reputation gained for the spirits of our earth by those of them who had previously visited spirits from other earths!

The Mercurians thought of us as being worldly and corporeal, and as caring only for material things. They said that most of us actually believed in no God whatsoever; although we had contracted the habit of professing with the mouth that we believe, when in fact we do not. (See EU 20, 38, 39)

The spirits from Jupiter thought that we were the worst of all possible people, and that our physical blemishes, diseases and deformities accorded perfectly with our interior states of life. They had had much contact with spirits from our earth, and had good reason to dislike and shun association with our spirits. Apart from laughing at some of their manners and customs, ridiculing and making fun of them, the spirits from our earth had endeavored to destroy their belief in the Lord; had subtly tried to entice them into forms of government which would have brought them under a cruel dominion; and had even introduced lascivious and filthy ideas concerning marriage whereby they thought to seduce them. They told Swedenborg that they thought our minds had been invaded completely by the lusts of possession and dominion. They said that we think one thing and speak another; and that dissimulation, hypocrisy, cunning and deceit, which we thought of as prudence, brought this about. They stated that they did not know any other people who were so prompt and ingenious in the contriving of evil, and who knew and thought so little about what is good. They regarded us as being so external as not even to have the ability to perceive what good is. Yet, even although we were so external, we had the ability to pervert their imagination and thought in such a manner that they seemed to themselves bound, as it were, and could not be extricated and set at liberty without Divine aid. (See EU 49, 52, 56, 61, 66)

The spirits from Mars were astonished that we did not even show any shame when we were endeavoring to infest others. (See AC 7746)

The spirits of Saturn consider us so steeped in evil as to be in insanity therefrom. Besides mocking and making fun of some of the manners and customs of the Saturnians, our spirits endeavored to abuse and insult them, and even to do them bodily harm. Showing a great conceit and a supposed superiority of intellect, our spirits asked them what God they worship, and what God rules the universe. The Saturnian spirits considered them insane for asking such questions, to say nothing of what they thought of the false assumption of intellectual superiority. (See EU 98, 99, 102)

Spirits from the fifth earth in the starry heaven, that is, in the Arcana series, complained that the spirits of our earth tried to confuse them concerning the nature of God. Earth spirits, they said, say that God is one, but obviously think that He is three. This endeavor to confuse the spirits of the fifth earth did not proceed from ignorance on the part of our spirits, but from deliberate intent. Swedenborg found out that many of these spirits from our earth had been monks, preachers and missionaries, and that they had no real idea of teaching any truths, but only the intent to secure gain and dominion. He was told by spirits of the sixth earth that "they [spirits from our earth] study by various arts first to captivate men's minds, but afterwards to subject them to themselves as slaves."' Swedenborg was allowed to speak to one of the monkish spirits who was endeavoring to infest the spirits of the sixth earth, and to ask him what he was doing there.

"He replied that he taught them concerning the Lord. I asked, what besides. He said, concerning heaven and hell. I asked, what further. He said, concerning a belief in all that he should say. I asked, what further. He said, concerning the power of remitting sins, and of opening and shutting heaven. He was then examined as to what he knew concerning the Lord, concerning the truth of faith, concerning the remission of sins, concerning man's salvation, and concerning heaven and hell; and it was discovered that he knew scarcely anything, and that he was in obscurity and falsity concerning all and each of them, and that he was possessed solely by the lust of gain and dominion which he had contracted in the world and brought with him thence. Wherefore he was told that, because he had traveled so far led by that lust, and was such as to doctrine, he must needs deprive the spirits of that earth of celestial light, and bring in the darkness of hell, and thus bring them under the dominion of hell, and not of the Lord. Moreover he was cunning in seducing, but stupid as to those things which are of heaven. Because he was such he was then cast into hell." (EU 172. Cf. SD 1435, 1532)

The Lord's Purpose in These Disclosures

These incidents and conversations are not recorded in the Writings merely to amuse us as fairy tales from some far-distant land. True, we find the nature of states of confirmed evil and falsity amply explained and illustrated in many sections of the Writings; as in the description of the Last Judgment and the states in our world of spirits preceding that judgment, the description of the hells, the uncovering of the nature of our inherited proprium, and the fall of the churches. But what is revealed in the teachings we have been examining provides, we believe, an even clearer picture of the power of evil and its insatiable desire to extend itself without limit. Here we see a picture of our hereditary evils once we have allowed them to become confirmed within us. Their activity is not mild. It is fraught with an inmost hatred and anger against all forms of order, beauty, decency, good and truth, and primarily against the source of these forms, namely, the Lord. Note how in every instance in which our spirits endeavor to infest and seduce spirits from other earths, they begin by questioning, then challenging, and then denying, any true idea of the Lord. The reason for this is clear, namely, that the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord as Divine Man is the chief and principal concept of every human quality that is good and true, orderly and beautiful. Evil spirits are well aware that if this concept can be destroyed through falsities there are then the means for them to gain control. As long as it stands, they do not have the slightest hope of making any inroads. Such is the importance of the cornerstone which the builders of Christian doctrine rejected.

Now it is true that Swedenborg's experiences and conversations with peoples from other earths, as recorded in the Writings, all occurred before the Last Judgment in 1757. They all took place when the world of spirits from our earth was in great disorder and confusion, its states largely dominated by falsity and evil. But what of this? Does this imply that because the world of spirits was ordered by the Last Judgment, and because the Lord has now made His second coming, the hereditary nature of the peoples of this earth has undergone some miraculous change? Does it imply that this nature is no longer so dire, so utterly opposed to the loves of heaven? That is not the implication of the Writings; it is the implication of our age, an age which much prefers the word "error" to the word "sin." It is, in fact, the very subtle influence of our selfish and perverted heredity which encourages the idea that all is not as bad as it seems; that the teachings concerning the dreadful nature of our hereditary loves perhaps no longer apply to our modern and humane society. Many supposed lovers of mankind, including some New Church men, find the teachings of the Writings about the state of our earth exaggerated and too harsh. "Where do we see all the evil influences the Writings say are about us and in us? Why, I know lots of good people, and I just cannot believe that so many people are evil." So it is said. Yet what we can, or cannot, believe or see depends on our understanding of Divine revelation, our wisdom, and our willingness to acknowledge evil as evil when we see it. Our concern should not be with how many people are evil, or who is evil, but that we may see the influence of evil and false loves present with us, and, seeing them, acknowledge that they do have the dreadful nature which Divine revelation teaches that they have. Thus, when we allow them so to influence us that we do or mediate evil, we should repent of this as a sin, and not think of it as merely an error of human judgment. This is an acknowledgment which Divine revelation requires of all the peoples of our earth, and it is the first and essential step in reformation and regeneration. It is the reason that the Writings dwell so extensively on the nature and power of evil, and that they explain and illustrate its consuming desire to extend itself over all else.

In showing us how the states of confirmed evil from our earth strive constantly to rule over the spirits from other earths, and in teaching us about the existence of evil and falsity among the inhabitants of other earths, the Writings present us with a new and deeper concept of the nature, power and influence of evil and falsity. This concept is in definite opposition to many of the opinions prevailing in our day.

We mentioned in a previous article that states of evil and falsity were found to exist everywhere Swedenborg went. Certainly each earth he visited, whether in our solar system or outside of it, had its own world of spirits and its own hell. He actually witnessed a judgment taking place in the world of spirits from the sixth earth. (See EU 170-172) But note this: we find no references to evil spirits of the worlds of spirits from other earths traveling around and causing the universal trouble that spirits from our earth make. Here is another indication of the distinct nature and genius of the peoples of our earth, and the influence they have in spreading evils and falsities. The reasons that our spirits have had such great power and influence are too complicated to enter into in detail here; but we would suggest that they include the following: 1) The love of earth's men for worldly, bodily, scientific and purely material things; 2) Their ability to use the written Word to support falsity and evil, which ability is not to be found elsewhere because that Word does not exist anywhere else; 3) The fact that the men of this earth have the two ultimates of power: the letter of the Word and the knowledge of natural scientifics. As we are taught that in ultimates there is all power, it may be concluded that this last is the reason for their ability to infest peoples of different character all over the universal spiritual world. (See AE 726: 5)

The Uses of Our Earth to Others

In describing the nature of the inhabitants of other earths and the contact of our spirits with theirs, the Writings not only give us a wider view of our states of evil and falsity; they also present us with a most inspiring and encouraging picture of the important use this earth is to perform in the future development of the entire universe. Where we find such power to pervert and destroy, we can also find the power to teach, inspire and build. If the cold and external states of the people of our earth need the encouragement of knowing that they can enter into uses which the Lord has provided - uses which will serve not just the people of our earth, but all people in the natural and spiritual universes - they will find such encouragement in the Writings. For, strangely enough, in spite of our fallen nature, the Lord has not only given us a unique and precious gift; He has prepared us to use that gift, if we will, to help others throughout His entire kingdom.

Something of the particular uses which the inhabitants of our earth perform is evident from our place in the Grand Man. We are said to relate to external things, to what is corporeal and worldly. We constitute the skin and membranes, and therefore discharge the functions of the exterior parts of the Grand Man. We have relation to the natural and external sense, which sense is the ultimate wherein the interiors of life close and rest, as in and on their common basis. That our representation pertains more to knowledge than to appetite and desire is evident from the fact that we are often called in the other world "sciences," because we correspond to sciences not abstracted from material things but conjoined with them. (See AC 9360; SA 1558a; AC 8630; SD 1741; EU 122; AC 9107)

To understand the orderly use we are to serve in the Grand Man, we must appreciate the importance of ultimates. All celestial and spiritual loves must be fixed in ultimate things in order to be permanent, and in order to operate and be effective. Before the Lord's first coming, the letter of the Word as known and understood by the minds of men served as the ultimate of order for the heavens from our earth. When that knowledge was falsified and perverted, the letter could no longer serve our heavens as their ultimate basis. This was one reason that the Lord assumed a Human on this earth, so that He Himself could become Divine truth in ultimates, and thus become the means for the heavens to have a resting place. But the Lord nevertheless works through human media, and the people of our earth are still a basis for the heavens from our earth; we are yet to discharge the functions of the skin and the external parts of the Grand Man. And the marvel of the Lord's first and second comings is that now spiritual truth can be introduced into and remain in our natural minds; and this in such a way that if our minds are ordered by heavenly loves, we ourselves serve as a basis or ultimate for our heavens, and this more fully than ever before; while in the other life we serve as a basis or ultimate for all the heavens.

Much is involved in this concept of the use of our earth's people that requires further study and reflection. However, we see something of its operation, even prior to the Last Judgment, in some of Swedenborg's experiences with spirits from other earths. Not only do we find Swedenborg instructing spirits and angels from other earths; we also find, sometimes, angels from our earth instructing others.

The spirits of Mercury wondered whether the inhabitants of our earth could possibly become angels since they were so external. They were told that "those become angels who have lived in the good of faith and charity, and that then they are no longer in external and material things, but in internal and spiritual; and when they come into that state, they are in a light superior to that in which the spirits from Mercury are." (EU 27) To show that this was the case, an angel from our heaven then spoke to them. Why should those who are more external come into a higher light than others? Recall what the Writings teach about the orderly use of all natural knowledge - that it is a means not only of confirming heavenly things but also of applying them with more wisdom. True wisdom lies in the knowledge, love and use of all scientifics that are in order - especially the truths of the Word, but also those of natural creation; and the Writings therefore refer to such scientifics as "spiritual riches." Where such wisdom exists, celestial and spiritual things can rest on and operate through ultimate things. Because of the written Word and the development of science, this is more the case with the inhabitants of our earth than of any other. (See EU 62)

In another experience the spirits from Mercury, who thought they knew all there was to know, were instructed by spirits and angels from our earth in the following manner:

"It was told them that they do not know many, but few things, and that the things which they do not know are respectively infinite, but that those things which they do not know, compared to the things they know, are like the waters of the largest ocean compared with the waters of a very small fountain; and further, that the first step to wisdom is to know, acknowledge and perceive that what is known is little and scarce anything in comparison with what is unknown. To convince them that this was the case, a certain angelic spirit [who was from our earth] was permitted to speak with them and to tell them in general what they knew and what they did not know, and that there were infinite things which they did not know, also that to eternity they could not even know the general things. . . . Another angel from our earth . . . enumerated many things which they did not know. When they heard these things, inasmuch as they had been in pride on account of their knowledges, they began to humble themselves." (EU 37)

Swedenborg often instructed both spirits and angels from other planets concerning the Lord, His Word, and other important matters of religion. The use of such instruction may be seen from the delight with which it was received by others, if not at first, then after a time. He taught angels from Jupiter to be careful to judge from the Lord and not from themselves, and he also instructed them in what it meant to be in the image and likeness of God. (See EU 62, 65, 81; AC 7811, 8543, 8546, 8547, 8632) The influence and power that the written Word can have on the spirits and angels from other earths is made evident by a number of incidents, including the following. "There were with me some spirits of the earth Jupiter while I was reading the seventeenth chapter in John concerning the Lord's love and concerning His glorification; and when they heard the things that are there, holiness filled them, and they confessed that all things therein were Divine." (EU 66) Other spirits from Jupiter were permitted to hear "choirs of angels from our earth, one after another, which with one voice and in harmony together glorified the Lord. Those choirs so greatly delighted the spirits from Jupiter who were with me that they seemed to themselves as if they were caught up into heaven." (EU 61)

How long the spirits from our earth had contact with the spirits from other earths before the Last Judgment is not stated in the Writings. It would seem that such contact began only ten or twenty years before the Last Judgment took place. In the work Heaven and Hell, written shortly after the Last Judgment, it is stated that scarcely any other earths know that the Lord took on the Human on our earth. (See HH 321) Certainly, if there had been a long period of contact, such knowledge would have been more common. But now that the Second Coming has taken place, it would appear that such contact is to become the means for the doctrine of the New Church to be spread throughout the universe. This is the wonderful work in which the people of this earth can serve the Lord to bring order and heavenly happiness to all parts of the natural and the spiritual universe.

That the doctrines of the New Church are to be spread and taught from the heavens and the world of spirits from our earth cannot be doubted. When those doctrines were first being revealed in the world of spirits it was said: "The Heavenly Doctrine should be propagated from these nations to spirits who are from various regions of this earth, and then to spirits of other earths." Another passage says that when "the heavenly doctrine concerning the Lord is known on one earth, the rest are thus able to know it when they become spirits and angels." Indeed they are not only able to know it, but "all who come into heaven from any earth in the universe are instructed in the Word." (SD 4780, 4781; AC 9356)

That the people of our earth are to be the ones to carry on the work of spreading the doctrines of the New Church abroad seems to be the definite teaching of the Writings, in spite of the passages which refer to the possible destruction of our earth - passages which will be considered in the next and final article. We read:

"Although such are the men upon this earth [external and corporeal], they have, however, from the Word, the knowledges of the truths of faith, which serve as it were for a ground in which the spiritual and celestial truths of faith can be inseminated, since without such a ground they could not easily be inseminated - and thus the truths of faith can grow; wherefore also such as possess the truths of faith implanted in knowledges enter more easily, after they have been divested or vastated of exterior things, into the interior and more interior heaven; and because some bring with them such knowledges from the life of the body, they also serve as ministering spirits to instruct others who do not possess such knowledges derived from Revelation; wherefore the Lord has loved our earth more than others; for, to the end that order may be perfect, celestial and spiritual truths ought to be enrooted in natural truths." (SD 1531)

Our Present Responsibility

Our earth is a mixture of sharply contrasted states and uses. On the one hand, we are the worst and the most external people in the universe; on the other, we are privileged to have a part in the highest and most important uses which the Lord can delegate to mortal man.  In revealing the truths concerning the inhabitants of other parts of the universe, the Lord has given us, we believe, an invaluable key to unlock the doors of ignorance and obscurity: the doors behind which lie countless secrets concerning the power and infinity of the Lord; the nature of heaven and the world of spirits; the dreadful influence and persuasiveness of the evils and falsities of hell; and especially the means whereby we may see our own nature and character more clearly, not only that we may see the extent of our fallen condition, but also that we may see the important and wonderful uses which can best be served by the people of our earth.

In the sight and acknowledgment of these uses by the people of our earth lie the wisdom and happiness not only of these people but also of the inhabitants of every earth in the universe and of the heavens therefrom. Why? Because here, on this earth, the Lord has placed His most precious treasure, the written Word - the written Word in which the Lord can be seen ever more fully to eternity as a Divinely Human God. That is why the Lord is said to love this earth more than all others in the universe: not because we are better than others - we are not, we are worse; but because here lies an eternal and unchangeable means of salvation for all peoples in the universe, whether they be in celestial or infernal order.

We do not need to be regenerated in order to start entering into the great uses the Lord has set before us. Even here on earth, and even though we are in the midst of evils and falsities and external things of all kinds, we nevertheless serve the Lord when we approach His Word for instruction in sincerity and affection. For such is the communication of heaven and earth through correspondences that when we read the Word, truths of faith are communicated to the angels from our earth, and in turn to angels of all the earths in the universal heaven. (See SD 4663)

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