Acts 12:11-16 It is his angel

Acts 12:15 Artwork | Bible Art

¹¹ And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
¹² And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
¹³ And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
¹⁴ And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
¹⁵ And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. -Acts 12:11-16 King James Version (KJV)

It appears to me that when Peter was knocking at the gate they said "It is his angel" because they thought he must have been killed and was appearing in his angelic spirit body.

Emanuel Swedenborg

Emanuel Swedenborg spent roughly thirty years—from his spiritual awakening around 1741–1743 until his death in 1772—claiming he could consciously travel into the spirit world, heaven, and hell while his physical body remained in the natural world. [3, 4]

Key Aspects of Swedenborg's Spiritual Journey

• The Spiritual Awakening: In 1743–1744, at the age of 55, Swedenborg experienced a profound spiritual awakening. He claimed that the Lord opened his "spiritual eyes," allowing his consciousness to enter the afterlife while his physical body remained on Earth. [1]
• The Company of Angels: Swedenborg noted that his experience was unique because he didn't just have a brief glimpse of the afterlife like a modern near-death experience. Instead, he spent decades fully immersed in their realm, being guided by angels through the heavens, hells, and the intermediate "world of spirits" to document its exact structure. [1, 3]

"Almost all the people who arrive from this world are as astonished as they can be to find that they are alive and that they are just as human as ever, that they are seeing and hearing and talking, that their bodies are still endowed with the sense of touch, and that nothing at all has changed." Heaven and Hell §456 By Emanuel Swedenborg

Eighteenth-century spiritual teacher Emanuel Swedenborg describes the life-after-death process as an orderly, painless awakening into the spiritual world, where a person's core identity, memory, and consciousness remain completely intact. [1, 3, 4]

1. The Moment of Physical Death

• Separation: The spirit separates from the physical body immediately when the heart and lungs stop functioning. [1, 2]
• Continuation: The person does not lose consciousness or experience a void; instead, they wake up in a spiritual body that mirrors the shape and form of their human spirit. [1, 2]
• Sensory Reality: Sight, hearing, thought, and memory continue just as they were in the physical world, often causing newcomers not to realize initially that they have died. [1, 2, 3]

2. Arrival and Angelic Guidance

• Angelic Care: Heavenly angels from the highest sphere approach the newly transitioned spirit. They emit a sense of unconditional love, protection, and peace to shield the spirit from fear or confusion. [2, 3]
• Awakening the Mind: A second group of spiritual angels helps open the spirit's higher mental and sensory perceptions, assisting them in transitioning from natural-world thinking to spiritual thinking. [1, 2]
• Reunion: People are frequently greeted by loved ones who crossed over before them. [1]

3. The World of Spirits (The Midway State)

• The Middle Realm: Every person first enters the world of spirits, which is an intermediate state located between heaven and hell. It is a place of preparation and self-discovery. [1]

• Shedding Pretense: On Earth, people can hide their true character behind social masks. In the spiritual world, those external layers fall away. A person's face and outer demeanor gradually reflect their true inner affections, desires, and ruling love. [1, 2]
• Three Stages of Transition:
1. Outer State: Continuing to think and act much like they did on Earth.
2. Inner State: The real internal character, motivations, and hidden thoughts become exposed.
3. Preparation: The spirit aligns with what they truly love and value. [1, 2]

4. Final Destination (Heaven or Hell)

• By Attraction, Not Sentence: No external deity hands down a random or arbitrary judgment. Instead, every individual naturally gravitates toward the spiritual community or society that matches their ruling love—whether that leads toward heaven or hell.

• Self-Selection: Those governed by genuine love, charity, and service move into heavenly societies, while those consumed by destructive or malicious loves find resonance in hell.