The Third Church - Part 5
the Israelitish and Jewish Church
By Rev. Paul Booth
the Israelitish and Jewish Church
By Rev. Paul Booth
Like the Most Ancient Church and the Ancient Church, this Church, also, turned away from God and turned to the love of self and the love of worldly things. In the Word we see this state as the evening state in their turning aside from true representative worship into idolatry. This, of course, led to their vastation. We see this revealed in Exodus 32: 7-14. There we see the people corrupted themselves. They were lacking sincerity in their worship. They went back to their prior ways of worshipping and as we saw made a molten calf. In other words, their worship was in agreement with the delights and their loves. Thus, their worship became idolatry and was no more a representative worship.
Now, we have said that correspondences and representatives were lost, yet this Church did receive some communication from God. This was possible because it was a representative of a Church. Thus, such a Church could be instituted with them. Because of this, the Word was written, which a man can accept or reject as communication from God. The external with them was represented in their interior; thus there was communication. It is internal worship, that is, worship of the soul, which is truly representative, and the body is only the consequent of external worship. So, this Church, as we said, become a representative of a Church. Their worship was merely external; still, we see God communicating to them and in their sincerity and in following His instructions they could be saved.
We are talking about the beginning of the state of their vastation. Reading Exodus 32:15-20, "There is a voice of man in the camp." There was an assault on the truth and the good of Heaven and the Church by falsities and evils from hell. The interior state of this Third Church was, now, opposed to truth and good. They rejected both that Church and Heaven. This is confirmed in that the Sadduces did not believe in an after life. One can see here the love for one's self taking over just as it did in both the Celestial and Spiritual Churches. What we understand, here, is that the love of self and of the world rules man. And, the means, in this case, is their worship of wealth, riches. Thus, it is that we can understand why man's internal was closed, for, if it was not, then man's worship turns into idolatry as it happened here as is signified by that Church worshipping the golden calf. Thus, representing hell and not Heaven. They would have profaned the Word, that is, falsified it.
Their internal was closed, as was the internal of the Celestial Church after it turned from God and as well the Spiritual Church. We are to remember that had their internals not been closed there would not have been conjunction of man with Heaven, and, thus, man could not be saved. Also, they could not profane the holy things of the Church when internals are closed. What we gleam from this we use to understand why the internal truth is not known today by them and by any of the first Christian Churches today that grew out of the Apostolic Church, which was established by the Lord Himself. This is why there is very little understood of Heaven and life after death by man, except he receives the doctrine of the New Church.
I hope that you can see that where a Church or a person is in such a state of vastation or in the time of evening; that in time, there eventually comes the night and, so, consummation or the end of that Church. For, such, truths and goods, when natural, turn totally away from what is Divine and to worshipping ends, which is the love of self. This is because that in this state the Lord, His good and truth, are not conjoined with man. The consummation we know happened when the Lord came into the World. For, we see that Church the Israelitish and Jewish Church rejecting Him and the Lord establishing a new Church called the Christian Church.
Now, there is in the Hebrew Word the books of the Israelitish and Jewish Church revealed that the Lord was to come. This is found in the book of Daniel, chapter 9:24. There the end of the Church of the Israelites is seen because their worship no longer represents the Lord and Heaven, so that there is no longer connection with Heaven with them. Finally, in Exodus 32:30 we read Moses saying to the people, "Ye have sinned a great sin." That great sin is a total alienation and turning away from God. And, in Isaiah, the prophet says of the Third Church, "Hearing here ye, but understanding not, and seeing see ye, but not knowing." We now know why the Lord says of the Israelites and the Jews that they cannot understand lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should be converted and be healed. That is, they would profane the Word, the Church, and Worship.
Thus, it is that the Israelitish and the Jewish Church was an external Church, and were not to have the Church within. Since, they could not be elevated above the external, they were to only represent or be a representative of a Church. It needs to be noted that we learn this is before they entered the land of Canaan. Canaan, of course, signifies the Church, for that is where the Ancient Church dwelled. Again, they represent the Church because the natural and the spiritual were closed to them. I point out here that a true Church with man is in his spiritual or internal. And, that the evils and falsities in man's natural must be removed 'as it were' before the Lord can come and live in a man's natural state and thus, to have a new will and understanding.
Finally, in ending, I am speaking of the Church in man and about its development within him. That in everyone there is the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural, which, until the Lord comes to, is nothing by evils and falsities. We all turn away from God and are no longer in innocence and are not willing to be led by even the Word. So, while the history of the Israelitish and Jewish Church may depict a people whom so easily fell away from Jehovah, it is because of their love of self and for worldly things, which every man and women today comes into. From an internal sense, we all are like them, that is, we all come into a such a state in which evils and sins needs removed and, in fact, needs to end, before the Lord can come into our heart and mind, which is, into us in a new will and understanding. End.
Now, we have said that correspondences and representatives were lost, yet this Church did receive some communication from God. This was possible because it was a representative of a Church. Thus, such a Church could be instituted with them. Because of this, the Word was written, which a man can accept or reject as communication from God. The external with them was represented in their interior; thus there was communication. It is internal worship, that is, worship of the soul, which is truly representative, and the body is only the consequent of external worship. So, this Church, as we said, become a representative of a Church. Their worship was merely external; still, we see God communicating to them and in their sincerity and in following His instructions they could be saved.
We are talking about the beginning of the state of their vastation. Reading Exodus 32:15-20, "There is a voice of man in the camp." There was an assault on the truth and the good of Heaven and the Church by falsities and evils from hell. The interior state of this Third Church was, now, opposed to truth and good. They rejected both that Church and Heaven. This is confirmed in that the Sadduces did not believe in an after life. One can see here the love for one's self taking over just as it did in both the Celestial and Spiritual Churches. What we understand, here, is that the love of self and of the world rules man. And, the means, in this case, is their worship of wealth, riches. Thus, it is that we can understand why man's internal was closed, for, if it was not, then man's worship turns into idolatry as it happened here as is signified by that Church worshipping the golden calf. Thus, representing hell and not Heaven. They would have profaned the Word, that is, falsified it.
Their internal was closed, as was the internal of the Celestial Church after it turned from God and as well the Spiritual Church. We are to remember that had their internals not been closed there would not have been conjunction of man with Heaven, and, thus, man could not be saved. Also, they could not profane the holy things of the Church when internals are closed. What we gleam from this we use to understand why the internal truth is not known today by them and by any of the first Christian Churches today that grew out of the Apostolic Church, which was established by the Lord Himself. This is why there is very little understood of Heaven and life after death by man, except he receives the doctrine of the New Church.
I hope that you can see that where a Church or a person is in such a state of vastation or in the time of evening; that in time, there eventually comes the night and, so, consummation or the end of that Church. For, such, truths and goods, when natural, turn totally away from what is Divine and to worshipping ends, which is the love of self. This is because that in this state the Lord, His good and truth, are not conjoined with man. The consummation we know happened when the Lord came into the World. For, we see that Church the Israelitish and Jewish Church rejecting Him and the Lord establishing a new Church called the Christian Church.
Now, there is in the Hebrew Word the books of the Israelitish and Jewish Church revealed that the Lord was to come. This is found in the book of Daniel, chapter 9:24. There the end of the Church of the Israelites is seen because their worship no longer represents the Lord and Heaven, so that there is no longer connection with Heaven with them. Finally, in Exodus 32:30 we read Moses saying to the people, "Ye have sinned a great sin." That great sin is a total alienation and turning away from God. And, in Isaiah, the prophet says of the Third Church, "Hearing here ye, but understanding not, and seeing see ye, but not knowing." We now know why the Lord says of the Israelites and the Jews that they cannot understand lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should be converted and be healed. That is, they would profane the Word, the Church, and Worship.
Thus, it is that the Israelitish and the Jewish Church was an external Church, and were not to have the Church within. Since, they could not be elevated above the external, they were to only represent or be a representative of a Church. It needs to be noted that we learn this is before they entered the land of Canaan. Canaan, of course, signifies the Church, for that is where the Ancient Church dwelled. Again, they represent the Church because the natural and the spiritual were closed to them. I point out here that a true Church with man is in his spiritual or internal. And, that the evils and falsities in man's natural must be removed 'as it were' before the Lord can come and live in a man's natural state and thus, to have a new will and understanding.
Finally, in ending, I am speaking of the Church in man and about its development within him. That in everyone there is the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural, which, until the Lord comes to, is nothing by evils and falsities. We all turn away from God and are no longer in innocence and are not willing to be led by even the Word. So, while the history of the Israelitish and Jewish Church may depict a people whom so easily fell away from Jehovah, it is because of their love of self and for worldly things, which every man and women today comes into. From an internal sense, we all are like them, that is, we all come into a such a state in which evils and sins needs removed and, in fact, needs to end, before the Lord can come into our heart and mind, which is, into us in a new will and understanding. End.