Sermon on the Remains of the Most Ancient Church
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 1: 1,2; 2:1-3, 8,9; 6:3,4,9.
John 1: 1,3,4,9. Arcana Celestia 8, 19, 468.
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 1: 1,2; 2:1-3, 8,9; 6:3,4,9.
John 1: 1,3,4,9. Arcana Celestia 8, 19, 468.
And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not reprove man forever, for that he is flesh; and his days shall be a hundred and twenty. By "Jehovah's saying My spirit shall not always reprove man", is signified that man could not be so led any longer; "for that he is flesh," signifies because he had become corporeal; "and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years," signifies that he ought to have remains of faith. It is also a prediction concerning a future church. (Arcana Coelestia 572)
Before a man is regenerated he has nothing of good or of truth. We can see this in that he is called 'void and empty' as the Word in Genesis teaches when it is known that there is an internal sense to the Word, just as man himself is made natural, as well as spiritual and celestial. In fact, he is stupid and ignorant of the things of the Lord, thus of what is spiritual and Heavenly. Yet within man there are hidden and treasured up the things that are the Lord's. These things are not proper to man; they are separate, being the Lord's and not the man's. These things must all be learned and acknowledged; that is, the Lord insinuates them into man and man should act according to them. The process we are speaking of here is the six days or states of man's regeneration. In reality, they are, generally called 'cognitions of faith' of the Word and, are as such, are in man's internal, while it is the external that is proper to man. "And the earth (that man) was a void and emptiness, and darkness (that had no truth and good and was ignorant) was upon the faces of the deep" (Genesis 1:2).
Thus, the Lord God created us with the ability to know and to learn about Him. This learning and knowing is called 'faith'. This process in a man of the Celestial Church was seen in his ability to perceive, and was called perception; it enabled him to develop and have a memory. So, the things of God are true and good things, and in man they are called 'remains', a word that the Third Testament uses to express what is God's in man. It is in this regard that the six days of creation are the states that man is to progress through, so as to know the Lord God that he becomes made into an image and after His likeness. Those things of good and the truth of the Lord in man before his regeneration are called here the "faces of the water". 'Waters' most Christians and students of the Word know signify truths or in an opposite sense falsities. 'Face' is not easily understood, but if we think of what are meant by the 'faces' of God, then aren't they His mercy, peace, and, of course, His truth and good? It is God's mercy that moves over the 'good and truth' that lies hidden and treasured up within man. In other words, life is given and man is vivified. These are the things called remains. "And the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters" (Genesis 1:2e).
Now 'remains', those things of good and truth, are of and from the Lord and as we said are not proper to man. Good and truth are the Lord's and are from the Lord in man, which is meant man's intelligence. These things of the Lord in man called 'remains' are to come forth so that a man knows them - that is, the knowledge concerning the Lord - they are, also, the various states that a man must progress through towards becoming that image and likeness, which is to become, not only spiritual or intelligent, but celestial or wise which comes from God's wisdom. For a person to come into such a state where he acknowledges or lives in the spiritual and celestial, which are in all things of the Lord, it requires that those things proper to man - those things that are nothing of good and truth, which we learned were called 'void and empty' and of 'thick darkness' - be vastated or to end. This requires a man to go through temptations. In such states, then the Lord's good and His truth reign; man can be led in regeneration. Thus, it is that these states are also called 'remains'.
This beginning progression of a man, who was in a state of 'void' and 'emptiness' of any good and truth ends when he has become spiritual. There, then, ensures a combat between the man's spiritual life and his natural life and when the Lord's love finally rules or reigns in man, he then becomes a celestial man. From the second chapter of Genesis, when it is understood internally or spiritually, this process resulted in the establishment of the Most Ancient Church and, there, we can learn things about that Church in man that also apply to our life today. Among the things we learn is that man's love, his life and his intelligence, are received as an infant through perception. Thus, as an infant we have communication and conjunction with Heaven. Haven't we heard it said that angels speak to infants? In fact, as a celestial man, man was called 'a garden' and so he enjoys all things of good and thus, there, he was in delights as is depicted in Genesis 2: 8-15. We read, "From being dead a man has become spiritual, then from spiritual he became celestial. Intelligence is described by the 'garden' - trees pleasant to the sight are perceptions of truth and good for food are perceptions of good. These are of the internal man. The celestial man is such a 'garden'" (Arcana Coelestia 78).
It was also in the celestial Church, the Most Ancient Church, that we learn that man was not content to be led by Jehovah and that he desired to lead himself. Don't we all experience this state in our youth? Here is, then, when God granted man a proper 'proprium' or what is called his 'own' or what is of one's self. Thus, what is proper to man is seen to culminate in this proprium. While the remains are from God insinuated into man making him according to the goods and the truths that he receives.
By the 'love of self' is meant that 'faith' that comes through a man's natural senses, thus through natural and religious scientifics that he comes to acknowledge. In this way, we see that what had prior entered into a man that was through perception from within from Heaven and the Lord must now enter through his 'own' senses. "It is not good that man should be alone. Alone is signified that he is not content to be led by the Lord, but desired to be led by self and the world" (Arcana Coelestia 138). This - a man's love of self became dominant in the celestial man as it does in us today if we do not follow the truths of the Word, that is, follow the Lord. Now, man, to be made into the image and after the Lord's likeness is to be governed quite differently today than one who was unregenerate before the celestial Church was established. Today, no man is aware that the Lord, though the angels and spirits, governs him. However, it is by good spirits and angels that he can have communication and conjunction with Heaven and the Lord; otherwise he is conjoined with evils in hell. You can see that without such communication between man and angels or good spirits that a man would not have true life at all and his life would become distorted from evils.
This is what man did: he rejected that communication coming from God that come through the angels and good spirits. He turned himself away from Jehovah or chose to love his 'self' and, instead of the Lord's good and truth leading him to become made into His image and likeness, evil spirits began leading him and soon reigned over him; man was now governed through hell. Let us see how this happened. It is from the sensual and scientific things learned from one's love of self that evils arose in man. This is what is meant in the Word by the 'serpent'. Thus, the love of self eventually replaced the love of the Lord and love towards the neighbor. And, unless the Lord had not first loved us, mankind would have ceased. He loved us so much that in time He Himself came on earth in order to redeem and save us.
Thus, we see that the first prophecy of the Lord's Advent into the world was given during the time of man's fall from Paradise. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: He shall trample on thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). Also in that Church, we can see that the lowest natural things of man were destroyed by this evil - the love of self. We learn that when the celestial of man was shut off from Jehovah it was to prevent man from being totally destroyed. That is why remains - the goods and truths - insinuated into a man's celestial, which can be seen as his soul, that inmost will of God, are provided throughout all the Churches or within the Church in men. They are the means of true life hidden and treasured up that is to be used in their salvation. "A serpent can injure the lowest natural things, not the interior, still less the spiritual and least of all the celestial things which the Lord preserves and stores up in man without his knowledge" (Arcana Coelestia). Here, we understand the Lord as insinuating His love or goodness and His wisdom or truth into man, which is called remains.
Had the Lord not closed off the celestial life from man then the evil love of self would not have stopped until it had destroyed all spiritual and celestial things within man. However, a natural means through which a person could live from the Lord was provided, and that means became effective when the Lord Himself came into the world, and became a Man as we, defeated all the evils that had begun to infect all mankind. Thus, we begin to see the Most Ancient Church or the celestial man declining from their celestial state. Still, it is the 'remains' that constitute the true Church in a man and, of course, the true Church, - the Lord's New Church meant by the new Jerusalem in the book of Revelation - is now descending to earth. In this way, the Lord preserved the truths and the goods that make His true Church in man that is today being established on earth.
So, we can understand the Most Ancient Church ending and the Ancient Church then becoming established; the celestial Church ends and a new Church - a spiritual Church - is raised up in its place. It is the remains of the former that are the foundation of that new Church which was then raised up. You see, the remains are what can become regenerated and thus bring life again to man. And, it is by remains that a person can be enlightened and can possess the things of reason and the knowledge of the Lord that he again comes to love the Lord and has love toward the neighbor. Thus, he has faith and charity from the Lord.
The few goods and truths that did not die - the remains of the Most Ancient Church - were those that constituted that new risen Church, which is here called 'Noah' - the first of the Ancient Church. Here, we also see that a change took place with man. No longer did the man of the Church have perception. Now, such a man of the Church was of integrity and his doctrine was derived from the things of perception of the Most Ancient Church. Such a new Church man is then of a different genius than that of the Most Ancient Church. Now, because celestial men declined towards evil, the man that was raised up into becoming spiritual and became the Ancient Church in that it was established from those that had the remains - God's truths and goods. Man was now formed differently in order that he might also receive remains through a new way - an external way - through his senses. The Most Ancient Church had come to conceived direful persuasions and immersed goods and truths of faith into foul lusts; so much so, that there were hardly any remains left in them.
A man is able to know what is good and true and, so, can reflect on spiritual and ecclesiastial matters and can think and reason from these remains that are insinuated in him. Up to now, remains has been generally shown to mean the goods and the truths in the various states that a man comes into during his regeneration. These goods and truths are impressed upon the man's memory. The various states are innocence from one's infancy, states of love towards parents, brothers, friends, and states of charity towards the neighbor, and even pity for the poor and needy. You may understand these as being stored up in a man also as remains, since they are all from the Lord.
These states, along with goods and truths, as was stated, are impressed on one's memory. The Lord stores them up and preserves them in a man. Thus, these are stored, as it were, in a man's internal and are brought out 'as it were' when he is in the other life. In this way, they are completely separate from his proprium, which is nothing but evils and falsities, even though the Lord had quickened the proprium, that is, had given life to it that it might be acceptable to man. We might ask, how was man now formed that he might have remains, but that he would not conceive of such direful persuasions that those of the Most Ancient Church did, and thus, turn his faith into lusts and cause his consummation as we learned had happened to the Nephilium in the flood?
We find in Genesis 6: 3 "And Jehovah said My spirit (the same spirit that moved on the waters) shall not always reprove man forever; for that he is flesh, (or natural, sensual, and corporeal) and his days (the states) shall be a hundred and twenty years." It is obvious that the one hundred and twenty years do not mean a 120 literal years of natural life as it can be seen that the people who lived after the flood had lived well over the 120 years. So, it is also obvious that numbers in the Word have a secret meaning that became lost. I would say it is because of the fact that a celestial man had perception and, so, could understand and know the significance of the things that God created - the herbs, trees, fruits, animals, and all things as seen in Genesis and Arcana Coelestia - that these things all represent spiritual and celestial things concerning God, Heaven, and man. However, since the days and years signify times and states, even the various changes in their Church - the Most Ancient - then numbers, too, have a ecclesiastical meaning that may be known to those who come to enter the Lord's New Church who believe and love the Lord.
Then, the question is: after the Most Ancient Church ended and the Ancient Church began, 'what faith had remained?' And what remained is found explained in the 120 years that was given to man after the end of the celestial man or after that Church came to an end. We must also keep in mind that unless a man has remains, that is, has goods and truths, that he is not a man, but is as a brute or a beast. In the case of 120 there are two prime numbers - 10 and 12. I think, as New Church members, we can understand that the number 12 as meaning 'faith' in that we believe that the 12 disciples, the 12 sons of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel all signify the various and complete things of faith. They are, as such, truths or doctrine concerning the Lord descending from celestial to spiritual to natural - all the things of faith and charity in man. Of course, to accept this truth one needs to realize that there is more than just one's natural life, that we have spiritual and celestial life as well. And, to do so, one needs to have true faith, which he follows, wherein the Lord comes to dwell within him in charity.
Next, let us learn about the number 10. Here, the Ten Commandments come to mind. In them are all the truths included. Weren't the 10 virgins compared to the Kingdom of Heaven where all who are in good and truth live? And, again, remember that Jehovah had asked that man bring a tenth part of all the fruits of the earth to Him. So, you can begin to understand that by 10 or a tenth part is meant remains. "Bring ye the tithe (the tenth) into My treasure house, that there may be booty in My house, and let them prove. . ." (Malachi 3:10). The Lord insinuated, as by stealth or secretly and unknown to man, His goods and truths into man. So, we may understand why remains are here called 'booty'. And, isn't it by these remains that a man has blessings?
There, also, we learn that it is 'My house' or the Lord's house where goods and truths are stored in man. Where is His house? Isn't it within man and, therefore, in the internal and celestial of a man? For therein in one's spirit and soul are goods and truths laid up. Not only had the men of the Church now changed whereby the Lord's love and mercy was to protect and preserve so that mankind could not destroy himself as did the Nephilium, which was designated in the Word by the flood. The 120 years also was a prediction of the future Churches to come- the Spiritual, the Israelitish, the Christian, and even the Lord's New Church.
The point is the man of the Most Ancient Church life ended and his remains were closed and could not operate within and, as a result, they destroyed themselves. The angels could no longer protect them. Yet, the Lord saved some - those who chose the Lord's good and His truth - and these became the new or Ancient Church, and as said, the future Churches on earth. How did the Lord accomplish this? You may remember that celestial men had perception, but they lost that perception and so became ignorant as to doctrine, coming even worshipping idols, no longer knowing the spiritual and celestial meaning of the things of this world. We know from the Word in Arcana Coelestia that the doctrine of the Most Ancient Church was recorded for posterity, but they even come to loose these too - the Ancient Word - thus, the correspondence between Heaven and earth - and thus the Ancient Church man lost his doctrine of charity. If a man does not know doctrine, that is, truths, he cannot profane it and so, angels will remain with such a man who loves knowing and doing good. For, in such a man even today, some good and truth has been insinuated into him and, so, he has remains and can be raised up into a new Church. Thus, the Lord can lead and protect him, and thus, he is lead into Heaven.
Remains are all things of innocence, charity, and mercy, and, of course, along with goods and truths, these are insinuated into man when as an infant and, so, a man can learn anew; he can be reborn or become born again. All these prepare us for our redemption and for our salvation. They are the things of the understanding, the truths of faith, and the things of will, which are goods of charity.
So, it is through remains that the Lord's life and His love is in us, and 'as it were' is our life today. A new will and understanding is formed in us, and this is, now, through our conscience. Whereas, in the celestial man, remains were received through perception, now it is through conscience that the Lord insinuates the good of charity and the truths of faith in us. It is through these remains that a man has the faculty of reflecting and, eventually, he receives a new rational from the Lord. Thus, the Lord reigns in such a person on earth and, so He reigns in His entire Kingdom - Heaven and Earth.
Amen.
Thus, the Lord God created us with the ability to know and to learn about Him. This learning and knowing is called 'faith'. This process in a man of the Celestial Church was seen in his ability to perceive, and was called perception; it enabled him to develop and have a memory. So, the things of God are true and good things, and in man they are called 'remains', a word that the Third Testament uses to express what is God's in man. It is in this regard that the six days of creation are the states that man is to progress through, so as to know the Lord God that he becomes made into an image and after His likeness. Those things of good and the truth of the Lord in man before his regeneration are called here the "faces of the water". 'Waters' most Christians and students of the Word know signify truths or in an opposite sense falsities. 'Face' is not easily understood, but if we think of what are meant by the 'faces' of God, then aren't they His mercy, peace, and, of course, His truth and good? It is God's mercy that moves over the 'good and truth' that lies hidden and treasured up within man. In other words, life is given and man is vivified. These are the things called remains. "And the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters" (Genesis 1:2e).
Now 'remains', those things of good and truth, are of and from the Lord and as we said are not proper to man. Good and truth are the Lord's and are from the Lord in man, which is meant man's intelligence. These things of the Lord in man called 'remains' are to come forth so that a man knows them - that is, the knowledge concerning the Lord - they are, also, the various states that a man must progress through towards becoming that image and likeness, which is to become, not only spiritual or intelligent, but celestial or wise which comes from God's wisdom. For a person to come into such a state where he acknowledges or lives in the spiritual and celestial, which are in all things of the Lord, it requires that those things proper to man - those things that are nothing of good and truth, which we learned were called 'void and empty' and of 'thick darkness' - be vastated or to end. This requires a man to go through temptations. In such states, then the Lord's good and His truth reign; man can be led in regeneration. Thus, it is that these states are also called 'remains'.
This beginning progression of a man, who was in a state of 'void' and 'emptiness' of any good and truth ends when he has become spiritual. There, then, ensures a combat between the man's spiritual life and his natural life and when the Lord's love finally rules or reigns in man, he then becomes a celestial man. From the second chapter of Genesis, when it is understood internally or spiritually, this process resulted in the establishment of the Most Ancient Church and, there, we can learn things about that Church in man that also apply to our life today. Among the things we learn is that man's love, his life and his intelligence, are received as an infant through perception. Thus, as an infant we have communication and conjunction with Heaven. Haven't we heard it said that angels speak to infants? In fact, as a celestial man, man was called 'a garden' and so he enjoys all things of good and thus, there, he was in delights as is depicted in Genesis 2: 8-15. We read, "From being dead a man has become spiritual, then from spiritual he became celestial. Intelligence is described by the 'garden' - trees pleasant to the sight are perceptions of truth and good for food are perceptions of good. These are of the internal man. The celestial man is such a 'garden'" (Arcana Coelestia 78).
It was also in the celestial Church, the Most Ancient Church, that we learn that man was not content to be led by Jehovah and that he desired to lead himself. Don't we all experience this state in our youth? Here is, then, when God granted man a proper 'proprium' or what is called his 'own' or what is of one's self. Thus, what is proper to man is seen to culminate in this proprium. While the remains are from God insinuated into man making him according to the goods and the truths that he receives.
By the 'love of self' is meant that 'faith' that comes through a man's natural senses, thus through natural and religious scientifics that he comes to acknowledge. In this way, we see that what had prior entered into a man that was through perception from within from Heaven and the Lord must now enter through his 'own' senses. "It is not good that man should be alone. Alone is signified that he is not content to be led by the Lord, but desired to be led by self and the world" (Arcana Coelestia 138). This - a man's love of self became dominant in the celestial man as it does in us today if we do not follow the truths of the Word, that is, follow the Lord. Now, man, to be made into the image and after the Lord's likeness is to be governed quite differently today than one who was unregenerate before the celestial Church was established. Today, no man is aware that the Lord, though the angels and spirits, governs him. However, it is by good spirits and angels that he can have communication and conjunction with Heaven and the Lord; otherwise he is conjoined with evils in hell. You can see that without such communication between man and angels or good spirits that a man would not have true life at all and his life would become distorted from evils.
This is what man did: he rejected that communication coming from God that come through the angels and good spirits. He turned himself away from Jehovah or chose to love his 'self' and, instead of the Lord's good and truth leading him to become made into His image and likeness, evil spirits began leading him and soon reigned over him; man was now governed through hell. Let us see how this happened. It is from the sensual and scientific things learned from one's love of self that evils arose in man. This is what is meant in the Word by the 'serpent'. Thus, the love of self eventually replaced the love of the Lord and love towards the neighbor. And, unless the Lord had not first loved us, mankind would have ceased. He loved us so much that in time He Himself came on earth in order to redeem and save us.
Thus, we see that the first prophecy of the Lord's Advent into the world was given during the time of man's fall from Paradise. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: He shall trample on thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). Also in that Church, we can see that the lowest natural things of man were destroyed by this evil - the love of self. We learn that when the celestial of man was shut off from Jehovah it was to prevent man from being totally destroyed. That is why remains - the goods and truths - insinuated into a man's celestial, which can be seen as his soul, that inmost will of God, are provided throughout all the Churches or within the Church in men. They are the means of true life hidden and treasured up that is to be used in their salvation. "A serpent can injure the lowest natural things, not the interior, still less the spiritual and least of all the celestial things which the Lord preserves and stores up in man without his knowledge" (Arcana Coelestia). Here, we understand the Lord as insinuating His love or goodness and His wisdom or truth into man, which is called remains.
Had the Lord not closed off the celestial life from man then the evil love of self would not have stopped until it had destroyed all spiritual and celestial things within man. However, a natural means through which a person could live from the Lord was provided, and that means became effective when the Lord Himself came into the world, and became a Man as we, defeated all the evils that had begun to infect all mankind. Thus, we begin to see the Most Ancient Church or the celestial man declining from their celestial state. Still, it is the 'remains' that constitute the true Church in a man and, of course, the true Church, - the Lord's New Church meant by the new Jerusalem in the book of Revelation - is now descending to earth. In this way, the Lord preserved the truths and the goods that make His true Church in man that is today being established on earth.
So, we can understand the Most Ancient Church ending and the Ancient Church then becoming established; the celestial Church ends and a new Church - a spiritual Church - is raised up in its place. It is the remains of the former that are the foundation of that new Church which was then raised up. You see, the remains are what can become regenerated and thus bring life again to man. And, it is by remains that a person can be enlightened and can possess the things of reason and the knowledge of the Lord that he again comes to love the Lord and has love toward the neighbor. Thus, he has faith and charity from the Lord.
The few goods and truths that did not die - the remains of the Most Ancient Church - were those that constituted that new risen Church, which is here called 'Noah' - the first of the Ancient Church. Here, we also see that a change took place with man. No longer did the man of the Church have perception. Now, such a man of the Church was of integrity and his doctrine was derived from the things of perception of the Most Ancient Church. Such a new Church man is then of a different genius than that of the Most Ancient Church. Now, because celestial men declined towards evil, the man that was raised up into becoming spiritual and became the Ancient Church in that it was established from those that had the remains - God's truths and goods. Man was now formed differently in order that he might also receive remains through a new way - an external way - through his senses. The Most Ancient Church had come to conceived direful persuasions and immersed goods and truths of faith into foul lusts; so much so, that there were hardly any remains left in them.
A man is able to know what is good and true and, so, can reflect on spiritual and ecclesiastial matters and can think and reason from these remains that are insinuated in him. Up to now, remains has been generally shown to mean the goods and the truths in the various states that a man comes into during his regeneration. These goods and truths are impressed upon the man's memory. The various states are innocence from one's infancy, states of love towards parents, brothers, friends, and states of charity towards the neighbor, and even pity for the poor and needy. You may understand these as being stored up in a man also as remains, since they are all from the Lord.
These states, along with goods and truths, as was stated, are impressed on one's memory. The Lord stores them up and preserves them in a man. Thus, these are stored, as it were, in a man's internal and are brought out 'as it were' when he is in the other life. In this way, they are completely separate from his proprium, which is nothing but evils and falsities, even though the Lord had quickened the proprium, that is, had given life to it that it might be acceptable to man. We might ask, how was man now formed that he might have remains, but that he would not conceive of such direful persuasions that those of the Most Ancient Church did, and thus, turn his faith into lusts and cause his consummation as we learned had happened to the Nephilium in the flood?
We find in Genesis 6: 3 "And Jehovah said My spirit (the same spirit that moved on the waters) shall not always reprove man forever; for that he is flesh, (or natural, sensual, and corporeal) and his days (the states) shall be a hundred and twenty years." It is obvious that the one hundred and twenty years do not mean a 120 literal years of natural life as it can be seen that the people who lived after the flood had lived well over the 120 years. So, it is also obvious that numbers in the Word have a secret meaning that became lost. I would say it is because of the fact that a celestial man had perception and, so, could understand and know the significance of the things that God created - the herbs, trees, fruits, animals, and all things as seen in Genesis and Arcana Coelestia - that these things all represent spiritual and celestial things concerning God, Heaven, and man. However, since the days and years signify times and states, even the various changes in their Church - the Most Ancient - then numbers, too, have a ecclesiastical meaning that may be known to those who come to enter the Lord's New Church who believe and love the Lord.
Then, the question is: after the Most Ancient Church ended and the Ancient Church began, 'what faith had remained?' And what remained is found explained in the 120 years that was given to man after the end of the celestial man or after that Church came to an end. We must also keep in mind that unless a man has remains, that is, has goods and truths, that he is not a man, but is as a brute or a beast. In the case of 120 there are two prime numbers - 10 and 12. I think, as New Church members, we can understand that the number 12 as meaning 'faith' in that we believe that the 12 disciples, the 12 sons of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel all signify the various and complete things of faith. They are, as such, truths or doctrine concerning the Lord descending from celestial to spiritual to natural - all the things of faith and charity in man. Of course, to accept this truth one needs to realize that there is more than just one's natural life, that we have spiritual and celestial life as well. And, to do so, one needs to have true faith, which he follows, wherein the Lord comes to dwell within him in charity.
Next, let us learn about the number 10. Here, the Ten Commandments come to mind. In them are all the truths included. Weren't the 10 virgins compared to the Kingdom of Heaven where all who are in good and truth live? And, again, remember that Jehovah had asked that man bring a tenth part of all the fruits of the earth to Him. So, you can begin to understand that by 10 or a tenth part is meant remains. "Bring ye the tithe (the tenth) into My treasure house, that there may be booty in My house, and let them prove. . ." (Malachi 3:10). The Lord insinuated, as by stealth or secretly and unknown to man, His goods and truths into man. So, we may understand why remains are here called 'booty'. And, isn't it by these remains that a man has blessings?
There, also, we learn that it is 'My house' or the Lord's house where goods and truths are stored in man. Where is His house? Isn't it within man and, therefore, in the internal and celestial of a man? For therein in one's spirit and soul are goods and truths laid up. Not only had the men of the Church now changed whereby the Lord's love and mercy was to protect and preserve so that mankind could not destroy himself as did the Nephilium, which was designated in the Word by the flood. The 120 years also was a prediction of the future Churches to come- the Spiritual, the Israelitish, the Christian, and even the Lord's New Church.
The point is the man of the Most Ancient Church life ended and his remains were closed and could not operate within and, as a result, they destroyed themselves. The angels could no longer protect them. Yet, the Lord saved some - those who chose the Lord's good and His truth - and these became the new or Ancient Church, and as said, the future Churches on earth. How did the Lord accomplish this? You may remember that celestial men had perception, but they lost that perception and so became ignorant as to doctrine, coming even worshipping idols, no longer knowing the spiritual and celestial meaning of the things of this world. We know from the Word in Arcana Coelestia that the doctrine of the Most Ancient Church was recorded for posterity, but they even come to loose these too - the Ancient Word - thus, the correspondence between Heaven and earth - and thus the Ancient Church man lost his doctrine of charity. If a man does not know doctrine, that is, truths, he cannot profane it and so, angels will remain with such a man who loves knowing and doing good. For, in such a man even today, some good and truth has been insinuated into him and, so, he has remains and can be raised up into a new Church. Thus, the Lord can lead and protect him, and thus, he is lead into Heaven.
Remains are all things of innocence, charity, and mercy, and, of course, along with goods and truths, these are insinuated into man when as an infant and, so, a man can learn anew; he can be reborn or become born again. All these prepare us for our redemption and for our salvation. They are the things of the understanding, the truths of faith, and the things of will, which are goods of charity.
So, it is through remains that the Lord's life and His love is in us, and 'as it were' is our life today. A new will and understanding is formed in us, and this is, now, through our conscience. Whereas, in the celestial man, remains were received through perception, now it is through conscience that the Lord insinuates the good of charity and the truths of faith in us. It is through these remains that a man has the faculty of reflecting and, eventually, he receives a new rational from the Lord. Thus, the Lord reigns in such a person on earth and, so He reigns in His entire Kingdom - Heaven and Earth.
Amen.
| About |
| Doctrine
Site Content Copyright 2001 by The Lord's New Chapel All Rights Reserved
Site Concept and Creation Copyright 2001 by Stealth Media Solutions All Rights Reserved