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And yet miracles themselves do not a real prophet of God make, as the case of William Branham examples, but it conformity with Scripture in word and in power that attested to the veracity of their claims. With Borg types, the Bereans would have to rely upon Roy Masters-type esoteric revelation in order to see how Paul was indeed of God.

True. The preaching that the Apostles did with signs confirming DID have their authority proved by conformity with Old Testament scriptures. Like you mentioned, the Bereans were praised because they heard the message AND made sure the teachings were authenticated by the revealed Word of God (for them, the Old Testament Messianic prophecies). When I read the Swedenborg doctrine about Salvation from your post:

Remission of sins is nothing more than their removal after repentance.[72] This is the other point where the New Church differs from the older Christian churches. "The belief that the passion of the cross was redemption itself is a fundamental error of the church; and that error, together with the error concerning three Divine persons from eternity, has perverted the whole church, so that nothing spiritual is left in it."

I can see immediately that it doesn't comport with revealed Scripture - neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament. In fact, even though the written explanations of the doctrine taught by Swedenborg claim to hold certain books of the Bible as "inspired", what is said directly CONTRADICTS those very books. Explaining the discrepancy by appealing to "internal" meanings versus the literal is inadequate to account for the disconnect. It is almost as if he rewrites the whole Bible to his own preferences. To say that the passion of the cross was redemption itself is a fundamental error of the church, denies the very PURPOSE of the cross as well as rewriting Jesus' OWN words on that point. Jesus said:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Paul also said:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-25)

I can certainly understand why Swedenborg would want to discount the Epistles - seeing as they are the most clarifying of all the Scriptures concerning the person and work of Christ. However, his claims to believe in the inspiration of the Gospels because they contain Jesus' own words, is shown to be false when he comes out with doctrine totally at odds with Jesus' own words. I honestly don't understand how a serious seeker of truth could possibly fall for this heresy. I have a hard time believing they even crack open their Bibles for "Bible Study".