Because the bible is made up in my opinion
I'd agree parts of the Bible have myths and tales, but I believe these stories as interpreted by Emanuel Swedenborg's understanding of Biblical mythologies have spiritual meanings or spiritual truths.
"Many of the world’s population believe that this book called the Bible is actually the Word of God. Whether you believe this or not, there's no denying the power of the Bible’s influence around the globe—in both good and bad ways. Emanuel Swedenborg’s spiritual experiences and resulting philosophies reveal deeper, spiritual messages contained within the Bible. Throughout his writings, Swedenborg takes what many consider to be a book of outdated moral lessons and turns them into modern, timeless messages of love and hope for people of all genders, races, and religions.
On our own we know nothing of heavenly and spiritual affairs, so we learn about them from divine revelation, which is the Word. —
Secrets of Heaven
There's biblical revelation of every era of humanity that Swedenborg described in his writings. From the beginning of the human race, which was very close to heaven and had direct communication with God, all the way to the eighteenth century, when Swedenborg was writing.
By that point in human history, much evil had been done in the name of God and religion. Swedenborg said the revelation for our modern era is a new understanding of the true meaning of scripture. As portrayed in this
animated excerpt from True Christianity, Swedenborg actually had a defining vision for a new spiritual mindset for humanity.
Immediately after experiencing this life-changing vision, Swedenborg then had an interaction with an angel who explained how he should
explore the hidden meanings of the Bible to learn and share the truths about the Lord.
From that point on it became Swedenborg’s mission to study the literal words within the Bible to uncover the internal sense of the Word of God.
Swedenborg became so passionate about his new mission that his first and largest title, called
Secrets of Heaven, was a verse-by-verse exposition on the books of Genesis and Exodus.
It is characteristic of the Word’s style that there is something holy in every statement, even in every word, even at times in the letters themselves; so the Word unites us to the Lord and opens heaven…The Word fills us with good desires that come from love and truths that lead to wisdom, provided we read it with the help of the Lord and not just on our own. It fills our will with good desires that come from love and fills our understanding with truths that lead to wisdom. As a result, we gain life by means of the Word
. —
Sacred Scripture
Swedenborg was so diligent in his explorations of the Bible that he discovered the many times things are paired together over and over again, and he even offered an
explanation for the dualities of the Bible.
Swedenborg says these things are paired together purposefully to symbolize the union of the heart (love) and the mind (wisdom) as one. It’s a powerful revelation that serves as the basis for Swedenborg’s theory about the Bible’s main message.
There are three different types of narratives Swedenborg described within each book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations:
Genesis 1-11: Fictional narratives that are full of symbolic lessons
Rest of Old Testament: Historical and prophetical content with meaning that’s both concealed and unconcealed
New Testament: Historical stories of Jesus’s life that have concealed internal meaning
Essentially, Swedenborg says that even through all the violent and vengeful words of the Bible, the hidden message is about love for the Lord and others. He says that even the Ten Commandments convey this internal meaning and significance
If God wanted to provide us with a printed form of communication to last for eternity, then why would he obscure its true meaning behind complex symbolism? Why wouldn’t the text just mean exactly what it says? Curtis Childs of the Swedenborg Foundation well-explains Swedenborg’s philosophy about how divine concepts require earthly containers like the Bible and introduces an
animated excerpt from Sacred Scripture to explain the concept further.
We can tell from this that in its literal meaning the Word is really the Word. There is spirit and life within; the spiritual meaning is its spirit and the heavenly meaning is its life. This is what the Lord said: “The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life” (
John 6:63). The Lord said his words to the world and said them in their earthly meaning. Apart from the earthly meaning, which is the literal meaning, the spiritual and heavenly meanings are not the Word; [without it] they are like a spirit and life without a body—and like a palace that has no foundation to rest on. —
Sacred Scripture 39
We can see an
example of Swedenborg’s philosophy about literal v. internal through his interpretation of the prophesy about Egypt, Israel, and Assyria becoming one. Swedenborg says that the prophesy represents scholarly study, rational thinking, and spirituality become one—and is the future of science and spirituality working together for the best of humanity.
The Word in Heaven
Indeed, without the Word no one would know anything about the Lord, about love and faith, redemption, or any of the other secrets of heavenly wisdom. In fact, without the Word there would not be a heaven, just as in the world there would not be a church without the Word —
The Word of the Lord 14
Swedenborg says the Bible does exist in heaven,
but the Word in the spiritual world or afterlife is not the same as the word in the physical world or earth. Spirits and angels have an almost immediate revelation or understanding of the deepest spiritual sense of the Word in heaven so there’s no need for historical narratives and metaphors. In fact, there are different levels of understanding the Word amongst angels depending on the level of heaven they occupy. Chara Daum, a translator for the New Century Edition, explains
how angels understand the Bible on different levels.
There are
five excerpts from Swedenborg’s writings shedding some more light on the differences between the literal and spiritual meanings of the Word. Throughout his writings, Swedenborg reveals how the Bible is more of a spiritual tour of heaven than a book of moral instructions.
The inner meaning gives the Lord’s Word life. That meaning is like a soul whose body is the superficial sense. The case resembles that with human beings; when our body dies—when we join the angels—our soul comes alive, and when our soul lives, we no longer know anything of bodily affairs. By the same token, we no longer know what the literal meaning of the Word is, only what its soul is.
—Secrets of Heaven 1143
Enlightenment
If you believe there’s both a literal and internal sense of the Word, you can gain access to the deeper level of understanding. According to Swedenborg, it’s possible to connect with the Word even if
you have never read the Bible, are not Christian, and have never followed his teachings on the internal sense.
Swedenborg says the way to connect with the Bible’s spiritual message is to live it—or practice what you preach.
You can be connected to the spiritual Word simply by living a life of love because love for the Lord and others is the core message of the Bible.
In his mercy the Lord accepts and saves anyone anywhere on the globe who has lived a good life, because goodness itself is what accepts truth. A good life is the actual soil in which seed, or truth, is planted. An evil life positively does not accept the seed.
—Secrets of Heaven 2590"
