A New Perspective on Paul and the New Church Perspective on Paul

There has been a recent shift with Protestant theologians, in which there is a change on how to interpret the writings of Paul.  This is commonly known in Protestant circles as the "New Perspective on Paul," or NPP.  Historical researchers and theologians have discovered when Paul mentioned "works of the law" he was referring to the external Mosaic rituals of the Jews, and not to good works in general.

This is a big shift within Protestant theology. While NPP proponents agree on this point of definition of "works of the law," there is large disagreement among them on what it implies for Protestant views on faith, justification and salvation.  Much of Protestant theology on justification and salvation had rested on the premise that "works of the law" refers to good works, and that premise has turned out to be false.

So, while this has caused an internal debate within Protestant circles, this is seen as a positive development by not only the Catholic and the Orthodox churches, but also the New Church as well. In the New Church, there is nothing "new" in the New Perspective of Paul - this has been the exact position of the New Church for the last 250 years, and unlike the Protestant view the theology goes back to the early Christian church. So let's review the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) from a Protestant view, then we can carry this further with the New Church Perspective on Paul.

BACKGROUND ON THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL

So why the recent shift towards the New Perspective on Paul? In 1977 E. P. Sanders published Paul and Palestinian Judaism, in which he examined many primary Jewish sources from the period.  Sanders demonstrated that Judaism was not a "merit based" theology.  Instead, Jews believed that they were a covenant race by birth, and one stayed in the covenant by obeying the law, which he termed Covenantal nomism. Sanders focused on two aspects of Judaism: circumcision and dietary laws, which were "external badges" that one belonged to the covenant. This conclusion was not from any theological debate, but rather from factual historical research.

Next in 1982 James D. G. Dunn published The New Perspective on Paul, which is where the name originated:

Dunn states that Paul did not speak out against "merit based" works, but that external ritualistic works of the Mosaic law which indicated one was part of the Jewish covenant.  Moreover "works of the law" had nothing to do good works in general.

The conclusion of the New Perspective of Paul is that Protestants, including the early reformers have misunderstood the writings of Paul.  For if Paul was not talking about good works in general, this affects their theological understanding of faith, grace, justification and salvation.  While it may look minor to outsiders, this change in perspective requires not a minor adjustment but rather a complete paradigm shift.

FIRST PROTESTANT REACTION TO THE NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PAUL: BLINDLY ATTACK IT

As most do not question and thus do not willingly change their point of view, the first reaction from many Protestants is to not examine the New Perspective of Paul, but to immediately attack it.  One of the writers and proponents of the New Perspective of Paul is N.T. Wright, an Anglican Bishop, who was the brunt of many attacks.  From N.T. Wrights speech on the New Perspective of Paul he writes:

"Like America looking for a new scapegoat after the collapse of the Cold War, and seizing on the Islamic world as the obvious target, many conservative writers, having discovered themselves in possession of the Pauline field after the liberals got tired of it, have looked around for new enemies. Here is something called the New Perspective; it seems to be denying some of the things we have normally taught; very well, let us demonize it, lump its proponents together, and nuke them from a great height. That has not made a pretty sight. Speaking as one of those who is regularly thus carpet-bombed, what I find frustrating is the refusal of the traditionalists to do three things: first, to differentiate the quite separate types of New Perspective; second, to engage in the actual exegetical debates upon which the whole thing turns, instead of simply repeating a Lutheran or similar line as though that settled matters; and third, to recognise that some of us at least are brothers in Christ who have come to the positions we hold not because of some liberal, modernist or relativist agenda but as a result of prayerful and humble study of the text which is and remains our sole authority."

SECOND PROTESTANT REACTION TO THE NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PAUL: EXAMINE AND DEBATE

There are others who actually question what they have been taught and do the research themselves.  Historically, the Lutheran and Reformed traditions have stated that "works of the law" refer to any human effort to do good, and use passages to teach that any human effort to do good does not count as righteousness. According to the New Perspective on Paul, this is not true - by "works of the law" Paul was referring to the external Jewish rituals of the Mosaic law.

This means that the Protestant definition of faith as belief only is false, and that one is saved by faith separate from what one does is also false.  The typical reaction of Protestants is that the NPP view now espouses "salvation by works" and reject it offhand.  The problem is they have been taught the wrong definitions of the words that Paul used in his epistles, taken out of their historical context.  According to the NPP view, the word "faith" should be treated as "faithfulness" - that is, living by the faith. This of course means one can not have faith if one does not live by one's faith.

Next, the NPP view calls into question the Protestant definition of the word "grace" - as to traditional Protestant theology, grace is given the meaning of "unmerited favor" and that righteousness is somehow transferred to use through faith without works.  However internal evidence that grace simply means favor, and Protestants have used their own theological meaning (see The False Theological Definition of the word "Grace"

Finally, the NPP view calls into question the entire theology known as "penal substitution" or "vicarious atonement."  At this point however, there is very little agreement within the NPP proponents.  Its as if the entire Protestant theology has fallen apart like a stack of cards, and now NPP proponents disagree among themselves as to how exactly Jesus Christ effected salvation for humanity.  There are just about as many views here as NPP proponents, and they do not know which proper direction to take. N.T. Wright thus sought to distance himself from many of them, and effectively summed up the situation:

"I say all this to make it clear that there are probably almost as many ‘New Perspective’ positions as there are writers espousing it – and that I disagree with most of them."

This, of course, offers no help to those seeking guidance.

THE NEW CHURCH PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL

What most NPP proponents do not realize is that a change in view on "works of the law" in the epistles of Paul is not a minor change - it requires a complete paradigm shift on how they view Christianity. This diagram by Tim Gombis shows the dilemma:

Diagram from Tim Gombis on the New Perspective (and why it doesn't go far enough)

It is here where the theology of the New Church can help.  All of these matters have been discussed and explained in full in the doctrines revealed in visions to Emanuel Swedenborg, which he received from the Lord alone while reading scripture.  So lets go through it step by step:

THE NEW CHURCH PERSPECTIVE ON WORKS OF THE LAW, AND GOOD WORKS

The first problem to recognize is that the definition of "works" in the writings of Paul have different meanings, depending on context.  And Paul switches context without telling the reader, and this is why there is so much debate on the matter.  In the New Church, the qualification of one's action depends on one's intent.  There are three main definitions of the word "works" in scripture, especially in the writings of Paul:

1. The works of the external rituals of the Mosaic law 

2. Self meritorious works, or things done for sake of self credit 

3. Good works done out of love for others, with no thought of return.

New Church theology is in complete agreement with the New Perspective on Paul, that in the majority of cases by "works of the law" Paul was talking about the external Mosaic rituals (#1).  However there are some contexts where Paul does talk about self meritorious works as well (#2), and this is missed by NPP proponents. But the New Church and NPP view both completely agree that the Reformed tradition has completely missed good works done out of love, following God's commandments (#3). Most of the time when Paul mentions the word law, he is not talking about the 10 commandments.  In New Church doctrine the word law has slightly different meanings in scripture, depending on context:

1. The law in the most general sense refers to all things in the Word. 

2. The law, in a more narrow sense, refers to the Torah or first 5 books of Moses. 

3. In a more narrow sense, the law refers to the external rituals of the Mosaic law. 

4. In the most narrow sense, the law refers to the 10 commandments.

In most cases Paul is talking about #3 above when referring to the law, not the 10 commandments (#4).  That the NPP view is correct, can be shown from multiple quotes by Emanuel Swedenborg on the writings of Paul which show that "works of the law" refer to the external Mosaic rituals, and not good works in general:

"[Those who separate faith from charity] do not see that by the deeds of the law are meant the rituals described by Moses in his books, which are everywhere called the law in them; and that the precepts of the decalogue are not meant. Wherefore lest it should be thought that these are meant, Paul explains, by saying, Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law (verse 31, same chapter). They who from this saying have confirmed themselves in faith separate from charity, from gazing at this passage as at the sun, do not see where Paul enumerates the laws of faith as being the very works of charity; and what is faith without its laws? Nor do they see where he enumerates evil works, and says that they who do them cannot enter into heaven." (Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Providence, n. 115)

"That the works of the Mosaic law which was for the Jews were meant by Paul, we were further confirmed by this, that all the statutes for the Jews in Moses are called the law, and thus the works of the law" (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 417)

Faith must have works of charity - and to be faithful means obedience to the 10 commandments, for all of the 10 commandments are repeated as necessary in the New Testament, including the writings of Paul:

"That faith alone without works is dead, is clearly manifest in James ii. 17, 20; who also says, Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only; how ye deceive yourselves (i. 22, etc.). Paul says in like manner, Not the hearers of the law will be justified by God, but the doers of the law will be justified (Rom. ii. 13)." (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 828)

"Love toward the neighbor is the love of obeying the Lord's precepts, which are especially those contained in the second table of the Decalogue; and which are, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not testify falsely, Thou shalt not covet the things that are thy neighbor's. The man who will not do such things because they are sins, loves his neighbor. For he does not love his neighbor, who holds him in hatred, and from hatred wishes to kill him; he does not love the neighbor, who wishes to commit adultery with his wife; nor does he love his neighbor, who wishes to steal and plunder his goods: and so with the rest. This also Paul teaches in these words: He who loveth another hath fulfilled the law: for this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not be a false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is comprehended in this precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: charity is therefore the fulfilling of the law (Rom. xiii. 8-10)." (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 356)

Moreover, even Paul states that all will be judged according to their works at the last judgment:

"Paul says that in the day of judgment God will render unto every one according to his works (Rom. ii. 6; 2 Cor. v. 10). The works according to which it shall be rendered unto every one, are the life, for the life does the works, and they are according to the life." (Summary Exposition, n. 110)

So how have the Protestants and Reformed treated such passages when they see it?  In order to maintain consistency with their doctrine, many state that the will of the man is passive.  Works happen "spontaneously" as fruits of the Holy Spirit. Each person is a passive subject, in which the only requirement is to just believe.  To argue that each person has a passive will unable to do anything reminds me of the statue garden in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:

But this is a logical fallacy: can any work be done without participation of the will? Nothing happens spontaneously without one's free will involved.  If we were not involved, we would not be judged by those works, would we?

In the New Church, it is acknowledged that no one can do good from one self, and yet good is done as if it was from one self.  For all good comes from God alone.  And the New Church places emphasis on the word AS IF.  For many things that we do we think comes from our own self, but this is an appearance or illusion.  The full will must participate in the act, but with acknowledgment that all good within ourselves originates from God alone.  That there is a difference between the good one thinks one does from one self, and the good one does from the Lord, is explained in the following passage:

"That no one can do any good which is good, from himself, the Lord teaches in John: A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven (iii. 27). And again: He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing (xv. 5). He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, signifies that all good is from the Lord; fruit signifies good. Without Me ye can do nothing, signifies that no one can do good from himself. They who believe in the Lord and do good from Him, are called sons of light (John xii. 36; Luke xvi. 8); sons of the bridechamber (Mark ii. 19); sons of the resurrection (Luke xx. 36); sons of God (Luke xx. 36; John i. 12); born of God (John i. 13): it is also said that they shall see God (Matt. v. 8); that the Lord will make His abode with them (John xiv. 23); that they have the faith of God (Mark xx. 22); and that their works are done from God (John iii. 21). These are all summed up in the following words: As many as received Jesus, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John i. 12, 13). To believe in the name of the Son of God, is to believe the Word, and live according to it. The will of the flesh is the proprium of man's will, which in itself is evil; and the will of man is the proprium of his understanding, which in itself is falsity from evil. They who are born of these, are such as will and do, and think and speak, from the proprium; they who are born of God are those who do these things from the Lord. [And this means,] in brief, that what is from man is not good, but what is from the Lord is good." (Doctrine on Life, n. 17)

THE NEW CHURCH PERSPECTIVE ON ATONEMENT AND SALVATION

So, while there is agreement between the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), and the New Church Perspective on Paul, beyond that the NPP proponents do not have a consistent view of the theology of the atonement and salvation.  The problem is, once the definition of "works of the law" changed, and one is judged by their deeds, it was not clear how vicarious atonement or penal substitution fits in with one's salvation. This is of course a large subject, so I will simply summarize it here by quoting a passage from Paul, and explain the New Church theology behind it:

For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Col. 2:9-12)

By in Jesus Christ dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily meant that the fullness of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwells in Jesus as the soul, body and spirit of every man.  The circumcision of Christ means that when Jesus was born, His soul was Divine but he had inherited a frail human nature from the virgin Mary, by which he could be tempted.  This human nature was successively expelled and removed until his human was made Divine - he became a Divine human.

When we are tempted and repent, we are buried with him in baptism, for in repentance we die to our old nature, and we are cleansed by the Divine truth through the Holy Spirit in baptism - baptism being an external ritual signifying cleansing by the truth. When we repent, we are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, for we acknowledge only the Lord removes sins within us just as he had removed the sinful nature from his human body and made it Divine by resisting all temptation.  After repentance we live in good works through the Lord in a new spiritual will, which is signified by us being risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. For this is no faith without works, and although we do it ourselves we acknowledge that it is the operation of God.

In other words, there is no such thing as penal substitution or vicarious atonement.  But rather, the Lord atones for our sins by their removal through the process of repentance.  We will still be judged on how we live our lives. Since the Lord conquered all of sin and hell in His human flesh, so he conquers for us during the process of temptation and repentance.  We go through the same process Jesus went through, through repentance.  There is no salvation from belief alone. This New Church view of salvation is very similar to another theological development within some churches known as "Christus Victor."

So why is this true, or how does this salvation work?  Human free will originates from humans living in an intermediate material realm which stands between heaven and hell.  All of our thoughts and influences are not our own, but rather the good thoughts originate from angelic spirits on the one side, and evil thoughts from evil spirits on the other.  By the time Jesus came, hell had gained the ascendancy against heaven for all of humanity on this planet.  In his human he conquered hell, and restored the balance between heaven and hell.  Moreover, each person can now be regenerated through direct contact with the Lord Himself.  It is no longer necessary to depend on angels as intermediaries.

In other words, salvation is directly related to living in faith through good works, for good can only be effected from the Lord.  For the Lord alone is truly Man, and we are merely His images inasmuch as do good according to the truth. For the Lord alone is Good itself, or Love itself, as John declares:

He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

This is thus in summary the New Church Perspective on Paul, which is not only consistent with the New Perspective on Paul but much more comprehensive.  This doctrine of the New Church came not from men, but from the Lord alone while Swedenborg read scripture.

The True Spiritual Faith of the New Church

Whereas many religions emphasize just faith or belief, the central doctrine of the New Church is the Golden Rule.  The true church is not just people who believe the same thing, but rather it the church is made of any person who lives in love and charity.  The more a church is based on love, the closer it is to God and His truth.  In the present times most people emphasize "faith" -- and by faith most people assume it is mere belief of the memory.  But believing something is true, or a mere belief of knowledges in the memory, is not enough for a true spiritual life:

"...knowing is not believing, and that believing is internal; and that it cannot be given except in affection for good and truth, and accordingly to none but those who are in the good of charity toward the neighbor." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4319.2)

In other words, there can be no spirituality apart from love, for all spiritual life and truth originate from love.  And yet learning or knowledge is necessary as an introduction to spiritual life, for without learning, or a desire to know, the way cannot be opened to higher spiritual truths:

"The external man receives its life principally from the internal man, that is, from its spirit or soul. Thence is its very life in general; but this life cannot be received in its particulars, or distinctly, by the external man, unless its organic vessels are opened, which are to be the recipients of the particulars and the singulars of the internal man. These organic vessels, which are to be the recipients, are not opened except by means of the senses, especially those of hearing and sight; and as they are opened, the internal man can flow in with its particulars and singulars. They are opened by means of the senses, by learning and knowledges, as also by pleasures and enjoyments; those belonging to the understanding by learning and knowledges, and those belonging to the will by pleasures and enjoyments." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1563)

As an introduction to internal spiritual truths can only happen via external knowledges, derived from the senses and learning, invariably in the process of spiritual development one recognizes the falsehoods and opposing desires one has adopted the more one learns about spiritual truths.  When one reaches this stage, a "spiritual crisis" then develops, and one enters a period of temptation and struggles to remove these former falsehoods and evils:

"From these things it may be evident, that it must necessarily happen that learning and knowledges which cannot agree with spiritual truths, then insinuate themselves into the external man; and that pleasures and enjoyments insinuate themselves which cannot agree with celestial good things; as is the case with all those things which regard corporeal, worldly, and earthly things as ends; which, when regarded as ends, draw the external man outward and downward, and so remove it from the internal. Wherefore, unless such things are first dispersed, the internal man can by no means agree with the external; therefore before the internal man can agree with the external, such things must first be removed." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1563.2)

Removal of these things is effected by temptation and repentance.  But most do not suffer to go through temptation and repentance, they are satisfied in the mere knowledge of spiritual matters.  But mere knowledge, without entering one's life in how one lives, effects nothing.  It is how one lives which determines one's eternal life, not what one knows.  Knowledge only serves as an introduction, and those who remain stuck in researching things of knowledge and remain there, without examining their life, are very much deceived.  Those who equate faith with just belief are even more deceived, for they make it a matter of persuasion in their religion and ignore things that relate to life and charity.

Although there are many sources of spiritual truth, many are not prepared to distinguish between truth and falsehood in spiritual matters, so it is best to start by learning spiritual knowledge from scripture.  Jesus, as a boy, began this way as a means of becoming united with his Father:

"The external man is corporeal and sensual; nor does it receive anything celestial and spiritual unless knowledges are implanted in it, as in ground; celestial things can have in these their receiving vessels, but the knowledges must be from the Word. Knowledges from the Word are such that they are open from the Lord Himself; for the Word is itself from the Lord through heaven, and the Lord's life is in every single thing of the Word, although it does not so appear in the external form. Hence it may be evident that the Lord in boyhood was not willing to imbue Himself with any other knowledges than those of the Word; and this was open to Him, as was said, from Jehovah Himself, His Father, with Whom He was to be united and become one; and this the more, because nothing is said in the Word which does not in its inmosts look to Him, and which did not first come from Him; for the Human Essence was only an additament to His Divine Essence which was from eternity." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1461)

So what is the true spiritual faith of the New Church?  It is completely based on love towards the Lord, and love towards the neighbour.  This is the universal golden rule of the New Church, according to Jesus' commandment:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:36-40)

In teaching after teaching, the revelations of the New Church shows that love is primary, and faith or truth is secondary.  Yet many churches, especially the Protestant, make faith primary and charity or love of no account, or something that must be done for sake of civil morality.  But the truth is all truth leads to love, and any truth that does not becomes dissipated and forgotten, for the mind will only accept a truth or falsehood that fits how that person habitually lives. Those who are wise find the highest spirituality in living a moral life, not for sake of appearance, not for self honor, or fear of the law, but for the sake of love towards the Lord.

In the revelations of the New Church, it is shown how the entire Word is in fact based on the Golden Rule.  The Golden Rule can be divided into three spiritual levels of development:

1. Love towards the Lord, or the Divine Love.
2. Love towards the neighbour, or charity according to the good in others.
3. Learning and obedience from scripture, otherwise known as "the Law and the Prophets"

These are three levels of spiritual development, from highest to lowest - it is mentioned in many different ways throughout scripture, to see one of them see The Three Steps of Spiritual Development.  This begins to show in what way scripture is completely based on the Golden Rule. Although I have described the three levels from highest to lowest, one begins by going from lowest to highest.  Thus learning through knowledge of scripture, and obedience to it, is level 3 - the law and the prophets.  In the literal sense the law refers to the Torah, and the prophets to the second division of the Jewish canon.  But in the spiritual sense here the law relates to knowledge of how one should life, and the prophets refer to the truths of doctrine.  Once one learns these things, one begins to apply them - and this is done through love or charity to the neighbour, the second level.

The final ascension is when one sees that the good in others belong to the Divine good, and one's intention becomes a higher intention: that of love for the sake of love, and seeing that the good in each person is from the Lord himself, who is Divine good itself.

This is the true faith of the New Church, and the New Church belongs to all those who are in this good according to this truth, and who acknowledge that this Divine Love manifested itself among us in human form in Jesus Christ.

The Origin and Cause of Demoniac and Poltergeist Activity

Other than the Near Death Experience, where people have reported a wonderful world of light at the end of the tunnel after having been declared clinically dead, there is perhaps no better evidence of the afterlife than paranormal poltergeist phenomenon.  Although most scientists think this belongs among the superstitious beliefs of the medieval age, there have been modern studies of this phenomenon.  The Catholic Church is among the few churches that still have exorcists that are called upon.  Among those assisting the Catholic Church in this phenomenon were paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren, who would often be called upon to investigate before bringing in a priest for exorcism.  Poltergeists or spirits show a range of personality, from the helpful guides that spout off their own teaching, to the playful trickster, to a lost spirit trapped in limbo, all the way to the hostile demonic sort that shows venomous hatred toward the living.

In the time of Jesus, he encountered and healed many demoniacs.  Some evil spirits recognized Jesus for who he was and were in utter terror of him.  Back then, the phenomenon was more common, for at that time hell had begun to rise and gain power over heaven.  This was countered by the incarnation, whereby God could directly fight against them through temptations in His human.  Here is just one account from the gospels:

When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.  (Luke 8:27-33)

The work of paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren have been the subject of a number of books, and among them are The Demonologist and The Devil in Connecticut, the first of which gives some very useful information on their patterns of behaviour.  They belong to the Catholic Church, and had done this for over 50 years (Ed Warren passed away in 2006).  They were actually involved in the Amtyville Horror case, which was made into a movie in 1977.  Here is an excerpt of an interview with Ed and Lorraine Warren where they discuss the phenomenon itself:

Among the phenomenon of poltergeist activity, Ed Warren mentions an unnatural cold despite attempts to heat the house, footsteps, whisperings, apparitions - but one in particular is telepathic projection of images.  People may see blood on the wall, but when one goes to touch it, nothing would be there.  This is because the spirit would project this image directly into the mind, bypassing the external senses.  I mention this, as Jesus directly experienced these horrific images as masses of evil spirits tried to break him in the Garden of Gethsamane by doing just this, among other things - see The Last Temptations of Jesus: the accounts of Swedenborg and Emmerich.

These kinds of assaults are known as "spiritual temptations" in the works of Emanuel Swedenborg, but they are no longer common at this day due to lack of faith:

"But spiritual temptations are little known at this day. Nor are they permitted to such a degree as formerly, because man is not in real faith, and would therefore be overcome. In place of these temptations there are others, such as misfortunes, griefs, and anxieties, arising from natural and bodily causes, and also sicknesses and diseases of the body; which in a measure subdue and break up the life of a man's sensuous pleasures and lusts, and determine and elevate his thoughts to interior and religious subjects. But these are not spiritual temptations, which are experienced by those only who have received from the Lord a conscience of truth and good. Conscience is itself the plane of temptations, wherein they operate." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 762)

Among the more amazing things these poltergeists can do, is move and levitate objects.  Here is one video where Ed Warren caught some of their activity on tape:

I can show others, but they are of a more negative nature.  The above activity is mild compared to others.

More recently, a particularly bad case of poltergeist activity was made into a movie, The Conjuring (2013).  This involved the Perron family in Rhode Island, in the 1970s.  This was documented in the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, as well as the eldest daughter Andrea Perron who has written a multi-volume work entitled House of Darkness, House of Light.  The movie The Conjuring is scary enough, but according to Andrea Perron it was "toned down several notches" in order to make it more acceptable to the public audience. There were multiple family members involved, who kept quite about it for over 30 years.  Some of them describe the experience in this short clip:

They identified the main evil spirit as one Bathsheba Sherman, who had lived and died in the house in the 19th century and had been accused of murdering an infant child in her care. This evil spirit coveted - rather lusted after - Roger Perron, and thus directed its full hatred against the mother of the house, Carolyn Perron.  This is a particularly important detail which I will come back to later.

In the movie The Conjuring, Ed and Lorraine Warren are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga:

One can see a good lineup between the actors and the people who witnessed it here: The Conjuring True Story - History vs. Hollywood.  The actress Vera Farmiga grew up as a Catholic and became a nondenominational Christian.  Even more strange, when Vera Farmiga decided to take on the role in this film she experienced poltergeist activity herself.  Here is an interview with Lorraine Warren and Vera Farmiga:


Needless to say, going through such an experience is a harrowing one.  Andrea Perron describes it in that way, and yet she also had a positive outcome out of it - she realized there is life after death, and there is no need to fear death.  And not all the spirits were bad.  The phenomenon is not so well known, but it just so happens to be described among the waking visions of Emanuel Swedenborg.  And much of what Swedenborg says coincides with the many experiences and research of Ed and Lorraine Warren, as mainly described in the work The Demonologist.

When one understand this as a spiritual phenomenon, one can learn how to spiritually defend against it.  So below, lets cover some of the main points of poltergeists and demoniac activity, as explained in The Demonologist and compare that with revelations given to Emanuel Swedenborg on this topic.

HOW DOES POLTERGEIST ACTIVITY START? WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?

Most commonly, poltergeist activity occurs when the former occupant of a place has committed a heinous crime, such as murder, or committed suicide.  However, as described in The Demonologist, other poltergeist activity has been initiated by the people themselves.  This typically occurs when a member of the family attempts to make contact with the dead through occult means.  Opening the door to the spirit world in this way can be rather dangerous.  In ancient times it was more common for people to commune with spirits, but today it is generally not permitted on account of evil:

"it is granted to no one to speak as a spirit and angel with angels and spirits, unless he is such that he can be consociated with them as to faith and love; and he cannot be consociated unless he has faith in the Lord and love to the Lord, since a man is conjoined by faith in Him, and therefore by truths of doctrine and by love to Him, and when he is conjoined to Him he is secure against any assault of evil spirits who are from hell." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9438.2)

Swedenborg gives particular warning also about lower order spirits, who are very clever and will lie their way into an invitation.  As the Jews were not spiritual in nature at the time of Moses, direct interaction with spirits was strictly forbidden.  In the case of Swedenborg, he was allowed to interact with angels and spirits in the spiritual realms in order for people to know there is life after death, but all teachings he received direct from the Lord alone.

IDENTIFICATION OF SPIRITS

Not all spirits are bad, some are actually good, and others quite angelic.  Most of scripture has come to us from the dictation of angels.  There is actually a simple test to identify if a spirit is demonic or not: one only has to mention the name Jesus Christ.  Mentioning the name of Jesus can provoke an evil spirit into anger or retreat - as one of the videos from Ed Warren shows rather well.  Exorcists can confirm this, in fact, evil spirits cannot even mention the name of Jesus.  Why is this?  Swedenborg explains the hidden reason behind this:

"In the spiritual world it is not allowed any one to speak but as he thinks, otherwise he is openly heard as a hypocrite; and that therefore in hell no one can name Jesus, because Jesus signifies salvation." (Apocalypse Revealed, index V)

"In the spiritual world, where all are obliged to speak as they think, no one can even name Jesus but one who has lived in the world as a Christian; and this is from His Divine Providence, lest His Name should be profaned." (Divine Providence, n. 262)

In one particular case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the evil spirits attempted to convince a child to pray to them rather than Jesus.  The reason for this is Jesus is a threat to them: for not only in his life did he conquer all of hell, but continues to fight against hell with those who simply trust him and ask him to do so.

TELEPATHIC KNOWLEDGE OF ONE'S THOUGHTS

One thing that surprises many who encounter a poltergeist, or a demoniac possession: the spirits know your thoughts and can pick them up.  This catches many off guard.  A minister once told me he was performing an exorcism with another minister; the evil spirits possession the person then began to spout off a particular sexual sin of this other minister.  This, needless to say, took him by complete surprise.  He had not confessed or addressed this particular area of his life. Evil spirits can, and will, bring up private events in order to tear a person down.  There is a simple defense against this: simply confess one's sins to the Lord, and repent.  One cannot approach a poltergeist phenomenon without addressing one's sins.

Swedenborg confirms that in the spiritual world, everyone's thoughts are out in the open public, and this was initially upsetting even to Swedenborg:

"How difficult it is for man to believe that spirits know his thoughts, was made evident to me by this. Before I spoke with spirits, it happened that a certain spirit addressed me a few words on the subject of my thoughts. I was then amazed that a spirit should know what I was thinking about, because I supposed that such things were hidden and known to God alone. Afterward, when I began to speak with spirits, I was indignant that I could not think anything but what they knew, and because this might be troublesome to me. But after some days it became habitual and familiar to me. At length it was also known that spirits not only perceive all things of man's thought and will, but even many more things than the man himself; and that the angels perceive still more, namely, intentions and ends, from the first through the middle to the last; and that the Lord knows not only the quality of the whole man, but also what his quality will be to eternity. Thus it may be evident that nothing at all is hidden, but that what man inwardly thinks and devises is open to view in the other life, as in clear day." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 6214)

EVIL SPIRITS WHICH ATTACK PEOPLE WHILE SLEEPING

In case after case, poltergeists enjoy having their activity at night while people sleep, or at least attempt to sleep after they have wakened them.  Swedenborg confirms this is one of the enjoyments of evil spirits:

"Evil spirits most vehemently desire and burn to infest and attack man when he is sleeping, but man is then especially guarded by the Lord, for love does not sleep. The spirits who infest are miserably punished." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1983)

A SPIRITUAL ATTACK IS AN ATTACK ON THE CONSCIENCE

Once a hostile evil spirit is invited in, or has infested a house, it typically chooses one or more targets to psychologically wear them down. They will also employ tactics to cause fear.  But the adage is true: there is nothing to fear but the fear itself.  There is a method to the madness: by wearing down a person psychologically, they seek to gain possession of the person.  The mind, unable to deal with the stress, retreats and the evil spirit takes over.  In the case of The Conjuring, the target was the mother of the household. This is now known as "demoniac possession," but Swedenborg calls it something different - he uses the word "obsession" to describe this phenomenon:

"They [the evil spirits] study nothing more than to destroy the conscience; and when this is destroyed they get possession of men's interiors, and even obsess them, although the man does not know this. At this day there are not external obsessions as formerly, but there are internal, by spirits of this class. They who have no conscience are thus obsessed." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1983)

By "external obsessions" Swedenborg is talking about demoniac possession, which is not so common. What is more common now are internal conflicts and temptations, which people keep hidden from others.  Evil spirits will attack that which one loves, or what one regards as good, and destroy it, thus destroying the person:

"Those pernicious spirits try especially to loose all internal bonds, which are affections for what is good and true and for what is just and right, fear of the Divine law, and a sense of shame in doing harm to society and to one's country; and when these internal bonds are loosed, man is obsessed by such spirits." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4793.4)

A poltergeist manifestation can be a very dark period of one's life for those who have experienced it.  It is similar to the state of temptation, which is another kind of attack by evil spirits.  Again, evil spirits will try to attack what one loves, and what one regards as good, and this through a very perverted form of false reasoning:

"As few know how it is with temptations, it may here be briefly explained. Evil spirits never contend against other things than those which man loves; the more ardently he loves them, the more fiercely do they contend. They are evil genii that contend against whatever is of affection for good, and evil spirits that contend against whatever is of affection for truth. As soon as they notice even the smallest thing which a man loves, or perceive as it were by scent what is delightful and dear to him, they forthwith assault this, and endeavor to destroy it, and thus the whole man; for man's life consists in his loves. Nothing is more delightful to them than to destroy a man thus; nor do they desist, even to eternity, unless they are driven away by the Lord. They who are malignant and crafty, insinuate themselves into man's very loves by flattering them, and thus lead the man in among themselves; and presently, when they have led him in, they attempt to destroy his loves, and so to kill the man; and this in a thousand ways that cannot be comprehended.

"Nor do they contend simply by reasoning against things good and true; such combats are of no account; for if vanquished a thousand times they still persist; since reasonings against good and truth can never be wanting. But they pervert what is good and true, and inflame with a certain fire of desire and persuasion, so that the man does not know otherwise than that he is in similar desire and persuasion. They enkindle it at the same time with the enjoyment that they catch from the man's enjoyment from some other source, and thus they infect and infest most deceitfully; and this they do with such skill, by leading him on from one thing to another, that if the Lord did not bring help, the man would never know but that he is in such desire.

"They act in like manner against the affections of truth that make the conscience. As soon as they perceive any thing of conscience, of whatever kind, from the falsities and failings in the man they form to themselves an affection; and by means of this they overshadow the light of the truth, and so pervert it; or they induce anxiety and torture him. They also hold the thought persistently in one thing, and thus fill it with fantasies; and at the same time they then clandestinely enwrap the desires with the fantasies; besides innumerable other arts, which can not be described at all to the apprehension. These are a few of the means, and only the most general, by which they can make their way to man's conscience; for this, above all else, they find the greatest delight in destroying." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1820.2-4)

SALVATION FROM DEMONIAC POSSESSION

Although demoniac possession is rare today, it was one of the reasons Jesus came - to save the human race from such a fate.  For back then it was increasing, until he put it to an end by conquering all of hell in His human.  Demoniac possession (or "obsession" as Swedenborg terms it) is when one can only think from the thought of the spirit that has gained possession:

"They said also that if spirits were permitted to use the exterior memory, the human race would perish; for every man is governed by the Lord through angels and spirits; and that if spirits should flow into man from the exterior memory, he could not think from his own memory, but only from that of the spirit; thus man would come to be no longer in the enjoyment of his own life and his own freedom, but would be obsessed; and they added that the obsessions of former times were nothing else; besides other reasons."  (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2477.2)

Although this cannot be proven, the angels had told Swedenborg that if Jesus had not come, there would be no human alive on this earth.  If not this, something changed in the timeline of human history to effect the salvation of the human race.

PROTECTION FROM EVIL SPIRITS AND DEMONIAC POSSESSION

It is a simple spiritual law of order, that those who place their trust in Jesus, and live a good life according to the commandments, are protected from evil.  It is the nature of Divine good itself to afford protection from evil; this is salvation.  A sphere of light surrounds those who are in good, and this repels evil spirits.  This protects one from demoniac possession (or "obsession"):

"Such obsessions cannot be avoided, unless man is in affection for good, and hence in faith in the Lord." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 4793.4)

It is the Lord Himself who protects each person from the influence of evil spirits:

"That hell by its spirits continually injects evil and falsity, and that these pervert and extinguish truths and goods, and that the Lord by angels continually averts, removes, mitigates, and moderates these injections, has been made so familiar to me by the almost continual experience of many years, that I cannot even think of any doubt concerning it. But in order that the angels may be able to avert the influxes from hell, there must be truths of faith joined to good of life with man, into which they may flow. These must be a plane into which they may operate." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 6213)

From the gospels, Jesus mentions the practice of prayer and fasting as a means of exorcism for the particularly strong evil spirits (Mark 9:14-29).

DEMONS WHO POSSESS WERE FORMERLY CRUEL, OR ADULTERERS

In his waking visions Swedenborg was shown that all demons, spirits and angels lived a former human life: they were all from the human race.  Here is one thing I found very odd: Swedenborg states that the demons who desire most to possess man are those who formerly lived in adultery, or were in the enjoyment of adultery:

"There are very many spirits at this day who are desirous not only to flow into man's thoughts and affections, but also into his speech and acts, thus even into the things of his body, when yet the things of the body are exempt from the particular influx of spirits and angels and are governed by general influx. In other words, when what is thought is determined into speech, and what is willed is determined into acts, the determination and transition into the body is according to order and is not governed by any spirits in particular; for to flow into man's bodily parts is to possess him. The spirits who will and intend this, are those who in the life of the body had been adulterers, that is, who had perceived delight in adulteries and persuaded themselves that they were lawful, and also those who had been cruel. The reason is that both the former and the latter are corporeal and sensual above all others, and have rejected from themselves all thought concerning heaven, by attributing all things to nature and nothing to the Divine. Thus they have closed up interior things to themselves and have opened external things; and because in the world they were solely in the love of these, therefore in the other life they are in the desire of returning into them through man by possessing him." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5990.1-2)

In his waking visions, Swedenborg saw that not only do adulterers desire most to gain possession of men, but that most of them were originating from the western so-called Christian world:

"They who are eaten up with adulteries wish to get possession of men more than others do in the other life, and thus through them to return into the world; but they are kept back in hell by the Lord, lest they should come among the spirits who are with men. The most who are such are from the Christian world; rarely from elsewhere." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2752)

The interesting thing about the case of The Conjuring, is that the primary evil spirit was female, whom Andrea Perron described as "lusting" after her own father.  Swedenborg describes this particular kind of evil female spirit in particular:

[The female sirens are those] who in the life of the body studied to allure male companions to themselves by interior artifices; insinuating themselves by means of outward things, captivating the mind in every possible way, entering into each one's affections and enjoyments; but with an evil end, especially that of having absolute power. ...They study nothing more than to destroy the conscience; and when this is destroyed they get possession of men's interiors, and even obsess them, although the man does not know this. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1983)

Thus there may be some truth in the medieval legends of the succubus or incubus: this is the kind of behavior that often shows up in poltergeist activity.

SUMMARY

I have given here a very brief introduction to a spiritual phenomenon that is not well studied, and ignored by modern science which always seeks naturalistic explanations for all phenomenon.  However we now have more evidence that this phenomenon exists through documented cases and witnesses.  Moreover, I have received private questions concerning "demonic" or poltergeist phenomenon.  So I felt the need to express what it is, before talking about what it is not.  While exorcists probably understand it more than others, Swedenborg gives much insight on this spiritual phenomenon.

Demoniac possession, and poltergeist phenomenon, are rare.  More common now are internal temptations against one's conscience.  For the thought our minds receive are spiritual in origin - all thoughts either originate from good or evil spirits.  This balance plays out in our psychology in what we call "free will."  For "free will" is particularly human: it is the choice we constantly face between good and evil.

UPDATE: HOW TO DEAL WITH EVIL SPIRITS

Here is an interesting assessment, from a psychiatric care perspective, of how to deal with evil spirits or psychotic internal voices.  This type of problem is more common now, which Swedenborg calls "internal temptations" (psychosis, schizophrenia) as opposed to "external temptations" (poltergeist and demoniac possession phenomenon):



One interesting thing I found, is these internal negative voices absolutely hate Psalm 23, or the song "Amazing Grace."  One can also call upon one's guardian angels or Jesus to shut them up. Evil spirits constantly try to flood the mind with negative thoughts; and these can be countered or fought against from the truths of the Word.