Heaven & Hell

Heaven and Hell (original Latin: De Caelo et Ejus Mirabilibus et de Inferno) is Emanuel Swedenborg’s seminal 1758 work, drawing from over a decade of purported visions and experiences in the spiritual realms. Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and mystic, claimed to have witnessed the afterlife, communicating with angels and spirits to deliver his descriptions of heaven, hell, and the spiritual world.[1][2][3]

Core Themes

1. The Nature of the Afterlife

Swedenborg presents heaven and hell as both real places and states of being. Rather than eternal destinations doled out by divine decree, they reflect the spiritual character of each individual.
The afterlife consists of three realms: heaven, hell, and an intermediate “world of spirits” where newly deceased souls determine their true nature and destination.

2. Free Will, Choice, and Divine Love

God is described as love itself, wishing all to enter heaven. However, individuals choose their eternal destination through the inclinations of their heart and spirit.
Hell is not a punishment from God but a place freely chosen by souls who are, by nature, selfish and resist divine love.

3. Correspondences

Swedenborg develops a complex system of “correspondence,” where everything in the natural world mirrors the spiritual world. Humanity is always in touch with both realms.[3]
Our bodily states and desires parallel the places we gravitate to after death: “every person has heaven and hell within them”.

4. Structure of Heaven and Hell

Heaven is described as multi-layered, divided into “celestial,” “spiritual,” and “natural” heavens—likened to the sun, moon, and stars respectively. Each represents increasing proximity to God and alignment with love.
Hell also has levels or “depths,” inhabited by those who embody various degrees of selfishness and separation from God.
In heaven, souls live in harmonious communities bound by love for God and others. In hell, souls are isolated, dwelling in environments that reflect their inner darkness and self-interest—but crucially, they are not tormented unless exposed to higher states of spiritual light or love.[6]

5. Role of Angels and Spirits

Swedenborg describes angels as former humans who have inwardly embraced love and wisdom. In the afterlife, spirits (souls) gradually find their way to their eternal home according to their most genuine loves.
Angels and devils influence people on earth, guiding actions toward good or evil.[4]

6. Uniqueness and Universality

Swedenborg claims that everyone is offered heaven, but those who find heavenly life uncomfortable choose hell instead. There is no eternal judgment or condemnation—just a persistent invitation to align one’s inner self with divine love.

Noteworthy Insights

Heaven and hell already reside in each person during life; one’s true nature is revealed and fixed upon death.
God is never angry; the biblical depictions of wrath are, for Swedenborg, teaching devices suited to spiritual maturity at the time, not ultimate truths about God’s nature.
The book features dramatic, mystical descriptions of spiritual landscapes, houses, communities, interactions, and even daily life in heaven and hell, intended to provide hope and clarity about the purpose of earthly existence.

Influence

Swedenborg’s distinctive vision of layered heavens is often compared to later religious movements, notably its parallel with the Latter Day Saint concept of multiple degrees of glory in the afterlife. His idea of spiritual correspondence influenced Romanticism, modern mysticism, and New Church movements.

Heaven and Hell remains a profound, vivid, and influential exploration of the afterlife, proposing that ultimate destiny is a matter of spiritual affinity and self-discovery, not divine punishment or arbitrary judgment.