A Suburb of Tokyo
The Spirit World Not Necessarily Safe and Peaceful
Near-death experiences seem to be experienced or reported by many, probably more than millions of people, nowadays since Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Raymond Moody, etc. launched studies on states of death, dying, near-death experiences, etc. in 1960's and 1970's.
There is also another notion in the Gospels, which is that Satan with evil spirits attacks Christ Jesus and His followers. So, there is a sense of the war between the God or Christ Jesus and Satan.
And as Satan is also a spiritual entity, the war between Christ Jesus with His followers and Satan continues in the spirit world. There are may evil spirits in the spirit world as even Swedenborg wrote.
There are also some people who claim that they have the ability to communicate with various spirits in the spirit world and earn money by giving services with the ability to those who want to make communications with spirits of their deceased relatives. Some people have gained popularity like entertainers on TV. But, such spiritual business must be dangerous, since there are Satan and evil spirits in the spirit world.
One of main features of Swedenborg lies in this point. He gave warning against evil spirits who was trying to attack and destroy human beings. He wrote that malicious intentions of these evil spirits are so strong that human beings would be destroyed by them without protection by the God. In this context, it can be well understood that the Vatican authorizes some exorcists who are specialized in fighting against evil spirits that haunt human beings.
Indeed, Swedenborg wrote that if human beings saw various spirits and the spirit world while living in this world, they might go mad. (Swedenborg himself was guided by the spirit of Christ Jesus to see the spirit world.) So, spirits and the spirit world are usually hidden from eyes of human beings. The spirit world is not safe and peaceful as some people with spiritual ability say. And those who had near-death experiences mostly say that they saw only peaceful states of the spirt world. But what they saw should be just entrance to the spirit world. If they had really died, they should have seen evil spirits in addition to spirits of their deceased relatives.
One of the reasons why we can trust Swedenborg is that he gave warnings against Satan and evil spirits in his books. Anyway, we should not forget that Christ Jesus, as a man, was killed on the cross by those who were brainwashed and controlled by Satan and evil spirits. We need help from the God or Christ Jesus when we handle spiritual entities and the spirt world. And, it is recommended for people who had near-death experiences or others to read Swedenborg's books.
Acts 10, King James Version
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.