The Spiritual World: Talks for Children by George de Charms

1. How We Know 

In the days of Jehoram, King of Israel, the King of Syria came with a great army to capture the Holy Land. And there dwelt in the land at that time a prophet named Elisha, a man of God, to whom the Word of the Lord came.

The King of Syria sought to take the armies of Israel by stealth, coming upon them unawares. But Elisha, knowing from the Lord what he planned to do, went to the King of Israel and said: "Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. " And so the Israelites were always ready, and could not be surprised.

When the Syrian King saw this he thought that he was betrayed by one of his own soldiers, for only one in his own camp could know what he intended to do, and tell it to the Israelites. But someone told him that there was no traitor In the camp, but that Elisha, a man of God, knew all things from the Lord, and revealed the secrets of the Syrians to his king.

Then sent the King of Syria an army of soldiers with chariots and horses, to take the prophet. And they came by night to the mountain where he was, and surrounded it. And his servant rose up early in the morning, and looked forth. He beheld a great host that compassed the city with chariots and horses. And he said, "Alas, my master: How shall we do?" But the prophet answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." And Elisha prayed, and said: "Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire, round about Elisha."

Then the Lord smote the armies of the Syrians with blindness so that they wandered far away, and the prophet escaped without harm.

This story was written down in the Word of the Lord that men might know that there is another world. For the chariots and the horses of fire did not belong to the army of any earthly king. They were the hosts of the Lord. They were the angels of heaven, come down from on high to protect the man of God. He was not afraid because he knew that they were there. He saw them, and he perceived that they would not al low him to be injured by the men who came to take his life.

But the young man, his servant, did not see them. He could not see them until the Lord had opened his spiritual eyes. And then he too was unafraid, rejoicing in the mercy and the power of the Lord.

It was long, long ago when this happened. But the world in which those angels lived is still all about us. The armies of the Lord are still there, ready to guard us from every harm. We do not see them because our spiritual eyes are not opened. They come and stand near us, even as the angels of the story stood among the people of the valley. But there are mists that hide them from our eyes. We cannot see them with the eyes of our body because they are in another world - a world where the light of our sun does not shine; a world where there is another sun, brighter by far than ours. The Lord has given us eyes to see in the light of that sun. They are not the eyes of our body, but are the eyes of our mind. These eyes can be opened only by the Lord Himself, as is clear from what is said in the Word, namely, that Elisha prayed to the Lord that He would open the eyes of the young man. The Lord is the only one who can open our eyes to see the things of the other world, and He can do so only if we will listen to the teaching of His Word, even as the young man in the story hearkened to the speech of the prophet. Then the Lord will tell us about that glorious world which now we do not see. He will tell us how we also may come there after death. He will point out the road that leads to the top of the mountain, whence we will see the angel hosts protecting us.

There once lived a prophet, who, like Elisha, was a man of God. The Lord opened the eyes of his spirit that he might see into that other world and behold its wonders, even while he still lived on earth. He talked with the angels and spirits who were about him. He learned how they lived, what they thought, and what they loved. And all this he wrote down, as the Lord commanded, that men whose eyes had not been opened might also know, and might travel along the road leading to the mountain.

That prophet was Emanuel Swedenborg. Like the prophet of our story he brought down to earth a message from the Lord. Like Elisha, he looked down and saw the mist hiding the wondrous things of heaven from the eyes of people in our world. Like him, he loved people and longed to give to them the joy which a sure knowledge of the other world had brought to him. And so he wrote down those things from the Lord, which, shining with the light of the spiritual world, were able to part the clouds and bring the warm and beautiful sunshine of heaven once more into the minds of the human race.

There are not many in this darkened world who are willing to listen to the things he has come to tell. But to all who will draw near, the Lord's message will be given - not all at once, but slowly, until at last the mists roll away, and the bright light of the sun pours down upon them.

This is the greatest blessing in store for you children. Of all the things you are taught, this is the greatest, and all the rest are for the sake of this. Perhaps at first you will not understand; but be not like those who turned away. Draw near and listen, that the Lord Himself may teach you; that the Lord may open your eyes to see the things which are in heaven.

In this chapter, and those that follow, we are going to learn about that other world, that you may hear the message of the man of God, and feel the near presence of the angels all about you. Open your hearts with love to those things, and the Lord will give you joy. His peace and blessing will rest upon you, and His hand will guide you until you come, in after life, to see that mountain on which the hosts of angels dwell.

Lesson: 11 Kings 6: 6-23.

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