He was a spiritual visionary,a brilliant man whose thoughts and ideas were centuries ahead of his time.
Emanuel Swedenborg, an enlightened theologian from Sweden spent many years of his life documenting wisdom obtained from his inner revelations.

His writings speak about the need to listen to God for guidance, the benefits of loving and extending our charity to others, and the nobility of a vegetarian lifestyle.

On today’s episode of Our Noble Lineage, we will explore the beliefs of the spiritual Swedenborgian Church, and visit the life and some of the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg who inspired its founding.

Emanuel Swedberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1688. Christianity was important to the Swedberg family, and even the names of most of the siblings were chosen from the Bible. The Biblical name “Emanuel” means “God with us.” This name proved to be a signpost for the young boy’s future.Even as a young boy, Emanuel Swedenborg was immersed with thoughts of God.

He showed a wisdom about spiritual matters that was well beyond his years. In a letter he wrote in 1769 to a friend, he recalls his youth, stating:

“From my fourth to my tenth year, I was constantly engaged in thought upon God, salvation, and the spiritual sufferings of men, and several times I revealed that at which my father and mother wondered... From my sixth to my twelfth year my delight was to discourse with clergymen concerning Faith—that the life thereof is love, and the love that gives life is the love of one’s neighbor.”

While attending university, Emanuel Swedenborg developed an interest in scientific theory and the laws of nature. He began to believe that the truth cannot be fabricated from knowledge alone, but must be capable of demonstration, a belief that later changed the way he viewed religion.

Upon graduating from University of Uppsala in 1709, Emanuel Swedenborg went to London, England to further his studies in science, with an emphasis on physics, astronomy, and natural sciences. He had a brilliant, inventive mind, far in advance of the world around him.

He documented his plans and mechanical drawings for both a submarine and a flying machine, ideas which would not become a reality on Earth for at least another 200 years.

Reverend David Brown from the Swedenborgian Wayfarer’s Chapel in Los Angeles, California, gives us more insights on Emanuel Swedenborg.