The Third Church - Part 3
the Israelitish and Jewish Church
By Rev. Paul Booth
the Israelitish and Jewish Church
By Rev. Paul Booth
One can see what was the first state of this Church. Like the man in the prior Churches before he became regenerated and brought into a state where he or she is in some sort of communication and conjunction with God, albeit, was in falsities and evils and lived in his external or out side of any communion with God. Nonetheless, it is God who works within a person calling him or her out of such a life of falsities and evils into a life of good and truths. It is the Lord's appearance to man according to his understanding, which is now, only an external understanding and is without any knowledge of genuine good or truth. This Church the Third Church established on earth did not have the knowledge of correspondences of Heavenly things and, therefore, it was not able to become even a Representative Church, as was the Ancient. It could only become a representative of a Church. This, then, is the morning of the Third or Israelitish and Jewish Church; it is their first state and a state when Jehovah called them. It is also a man's state when he is called to become a Church.
A Church, as with a man, has to be instructed and, then, eventually introduced into the Lord's presence as we have seen was that a person of the Most Ancient Church when he was put into the garden of Eden and entered into a state of rest and peace after being regenerated. We learned that Noah planting a vineyard described the Ancient Church. This, we learned signifies the Word, and its Truth taught to them from the doctrine of the Most Ancient Church and, thus, was through correspondences. Now, how is it taught in this Church the Third Church since these doctrines were lost to all mankind? Well, we can see that it was also through the Word. And, the first thing that we see is God's Ten Commandments being written. So, this Church, too, is instructed as to how to live a life that God Himself teaches. It was through the Israelites that the Old Testament was written. Natural history teaches us this.
Instruction came to this Church through the Lord's Word to them and the Word that was with them had to be accommodated to their state. The Word of the Ancient Church was written in representative and significations. These were taught and learned from the Most Ancient Church, thus the science of correspondences was written down for their use. However, we can see that the Hebrew Word, the Old Testament, does not teach or contain these correspondences. As such, a man cannot be raised into the spiritual state unless he is again enlightened. So, mankind must live only in the natural or external state, which unless man is instructed he will only turn further away from God. We have seen that before the Lord Himself came in His incarnation and first Advent that angels represented Him. From this, you might understand how external and natural men were, but not only that, but that they could not become rational neither spiritual until the Lord's Coming and His glorification, that is, until He made His Human Divine. In this, God became Man and Man God. In the state that the Israelitish Church was the Lord could not enter in with his Divine Celestial or Spiritual Human into them unless these were vastated, for if He did, man would be consumed as wood is when thrown in fire. So there needs to be instruction through man's senses, that is, through the natural until the Lord could be conjoined with man, which was when He could put on the natural human and could make His Human Divine and, so, could overcame the evils and their falsities.
I would like to point out here that the state in which the Israelitish and Jewish Church was, which was an external or natural state without an internal and without any connection or communication with God, is the state in which mankind, today, comes into as he falls away from the innocence of infancy and childhood. However, it is a state in which man must come into before he can be regenerated and therefore be saved. Later, we will find out why.
So, we see that one is call to the Church and must be instructed in doctrine and precepts according to the state in which the person is. And, we saw that this was when the Commandments were given on Mount Sinai with the Israelitish and Jewish Church. So, the love of the Lord was taught and is seen in one's faith towards God and fidelity towards the neighbor. Not only were the Ten Commandment given, but there were laws or judgments and statutes concerning the Sabbath and feast days, sacrifices, even the priesthood and many more things, such as marriages and divorces. All these, of course, are seen in the four last books of Moses and are nothing but instructions for that Church.
Though, in them, in the internal sense there is taught the Lord. Thus, a man can begin to see that there, is indeed, an internal sense within the Word.
This can be compared to the flood in which Noah, as the Spiritual or Second Church, went through. Thus, the Third Church was instructed first in the wilderness and then introduced into the land of Canaan as when Noah and his Sons found dry land after the flood. After, when they the Israelites and Jews - were in Canaan, the prophets of the books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, enriched the precepts that were given by Moses. So, you can understand that this is the second state of that Church. To help us understand these two states first, the appearing, the calling, and the covenanting, and second the instruction and introduction into the Church, we look to Hosea and 2 Samuel and Deuteronomy which speaks of the these two states. We read, "Jehovah, after two days, will quicken us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him. . . Jehovah, His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the later rain He shall water the earth" (Hosea 6: 2,3). By Jehovah is meant the Lord and therefore His Human. To 'quicken' is to make alive spiritually, for the body is but covering and only acts from the spirit within it. And, in an internal sense, 'two' is in respect to the time and state proceeding their judgment, and the 'third day' signifies the end of man's preparation for reception into the Church. Therefore, by the words to 'raise us up' is to bring man into the spiritual. So, what is being described here is that first state of a church and is called in the Word its 'morning' "Rain' then, because by water is meant truths, is a blessing and is the Lord's influx of His truths and goods into man. And, when truths come into man in such a state as a man is in, which is an external state there then commences temptations. This is the second state of that church. From this you can see that 'latter rain' is meant spiritual truth. One can understand, here, that the Fourth Church on earth, the Christian, is also prophetically spoken of, for we have learn that this third state of the Church with man cannot receive the Lord, for without the Lord having a natural human, He could not enter into man. Remember, in man's soul and in his spirit the Lord dwells, for He at that time had both a celestial and spiritual Human, but no natural Human. Yet, we see that these the celestial and spiritual of man were closed because of sins. He had rejected God's truth and His good to lead him. From this, you can see the two states that this Church went through the morning state and state of day or light. You should understand that these two states of the Church were from the Lord and are confirmed from the Word written in 2 Samuel 23: 3,4. "The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me. . . . He is as the light of the morning. . . . a morning without clouds." This is the Lord, who is the Truth of the Israelitish and Jewish Church. Since, the Church is within man, then, what we may understand from this is that the two prior Churches the celestial and spiritual represent the two states that a man goes through infancy and childhood and youth. The first has to with the presence of God within a man, within his soul; the second has to with learning instruction to live from God, that is, that life comes from God. The first is celestial; the second is spiritual. Both these are represented by the Most Ancient and the Ancient Churches.
A Church, as with a man, has to be instructed and, then, eventually introduced into the Lord's presence as we have seen was that a person of the Most Ancient Church when he was put into the garden of Eden and entered into a state of rest and peace after being regenerated. We learned that Noah planting a vineyard described the Ancient Church. This, we learned signifies the Word, and its Truth taught to them from the doctrine of the Most Ancient Church and, thus, was through correspondences. Now, how is it taught in this Church the Third Church since these doctrines were lost to all mankind? Well, we can see that it was also through the Word. And, the first thing that we see is God's Ten Commandments being written. So, this Church, too, is instructed as to how to live a life that God Himself teaches. It was through the Israelites that the Old Testament was written. Natural history teaches us this.
Instruction came to this Church through the Lord's Word to them and the Word that was with them had to be accommodated to their state. The Word of the Ancient Church was written in representative and significations. These were taught and learned from the Most Ancient Church, thus the science of correspondences was written down for their use. However, we can see that the Hebrew Word, the Old Testament, does not teach or contain these correspondences. As such, a man cannot be raised into the spiritual state unless he is again enlightened. So, mankind must live only in the natural or external state, which unless man is instructed he will only turn further away from God. We have seen that before the Lord Himself came in His incarnation and first Advent that angels represented Him. From this, you might understand how external and natural men were, but not only that, but that they could not become rational neither spiritual until the Lord's Coming and His glorification, that is, until He made His Human Divine. In this, God became Man and Man God. In the state that the Israelitish Church was the Lord could not enter in with his Divine Celestial or Spiritual Human into them unless these were vastated, for if He did, man would be consumed as wood is when thrown in fire. So there needs to be instruction through man's senses, that is, through the natural until the Lord could be conjoined with man, which was when He could put on the natural human and could make His Human Divine and, so, could overcame the evils and their falsities.
I would like to point out here that the state in which the Israelitish and Jewish Church was, which was an external or natural state without an internal and without any connection or communication with God, is the state in which mankind, today, comes into as he falls away from the innocence of infancy and childhood. However, it is a state in which man must come into before he can be regenerated and therefore be saved. Later, we will find out why.
So, we see that one is call to the Church and must be instructed in doctrine and precepts according to the state in which the person is. And, we saw that this was when the Commandments were given on Mount Sinai with the Israelitish and Jewish Church. So, the love of the Lord was taught and is seen in one's faith towards God and fidelity towards the neighbor. Not only were the Ten Commandment given, but there were laws or judgments and statutes concerning the Sabbath and feast days, sacrifices, even the priesthood and many more things, such as marriages and divorces. All these, of course, are seen in the four last books of Moses and are nothing but instructions for that Church.
Though, in them, in the internal sense there is taught the Lord. Thus, a man can begin to see that there, is indeed, an internal sense within the Word.
This can be compared to the flood in which Noah, as the Spiritual or Second Church, went through. Thus, the Third Church was instructed first in the wilderness and then introduced into the land of Canaan as when Noah and his Sons found dry land after the flood. After, when they the Israelites and Jews - were in Canaan, the prophets of the books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, enriched the precepts that were given by Moses. So, you can understand that this is the second state of that Church. To help us understand these two states first, the appearing, the calling, and the covenanting, and second the instruction and introduction into the Church, we look to Hosea and 2 Samuel and Deuteronomy which speaks of the these two states. We read, "Jehovah, after two days, will quicken us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him. . . Jehovah, His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the later rain He shall water the earth" (Hosea 6: 2,3). By Jehovah is meant the Lord and therefore His Human. To 'quicken' is to make alive spiritually, for the body is but covering and only acts from the spirit within it. And, in an internal sense, 'two' is in respect to the time and state proceeding their judgment, and the 'third day' signifies the end of man's preparation for reception into the Church. Therefore, by the words to 'raise us up' is to bring man into the spiritual. So, what is being described here is that first state of a church and is called in the Word its 'morning' "Rain' then, because by water is meant truths, is a blessing and is the Lord's influx of His truths and goods into man. And, when truths come into man in such a state as a man is in, which is an external state there then commences temptations. This is the second state of that church. From this you can see that 'latter rain' is meant spiritual truth. One can understand, here, that the Fourth Church on earth, the Christian, is also prophetically spoken of, for we have learn that this third state of the Church with man cannot receive the Lord, for without the Lord having a natural human, He could not enter into man. Remember, in man's soul and in his spirit the Lord dwells, for He at that time had both a celestial and spiritual Human, but no natural Human. Yet, we see that these the celestial and spiritual of man were closed because of sins. He had rejected God's truth and His good to lead him. From this, you can see the two states that this Church went through the morning state and state of day or light. You should understand that these two states of the Church were from the Lord and are confirmed from the Word written in 2 Samuel 23: 3,4. "The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me. . . . He is as the light of the morning. . . . a morning without clouds." This is the Lord, who is the Truth of the Israelitish and Jewish Church. Since, the Church is within man, then, what we may understand from this is that the two prior Churches the celestial and spiritual represent the two states that a man goes through infancy and childhood and youth. The first has to with the presence of God within a man, within his soul; the second has to with learning instruction to live from God, that is, that life comes from God. The first is celestial; the second is spiritual. Both these are represented by the Most Ancient and the Ancient Churches.