3655. The subject treated of in the preceding verses from the evangelist, was the first and second state of the church’s perversion. That the first state consisted in their beginning no longer to know what is good and what is true, and in disputing together about them, whence came falsities, may be seen above (n. 3354); and that the second state consisted in their despising what is good and true, and also in being averse thereto, and thus in the dying out of faith in the Lord, according to the degrees of the cessation of charity, may be seen above (n. 3487, 3488). So that the subject treated of in this preface is the third state of the church, which is its state of desolation in respect to good and truth.

660. That by the “flood” is signified an inundation of evil and falsity, is evident from what has been stated before concerning the posterity of the Most Ancient Church: that they were possessed with foul cupidities, and that they immersed the doctrinal things of faith in them, and in consequence had persuasions of falsity which extinguished all truth and good, and at the same time closed up the way for remains, so that they could not operate; and therefore it could not be otherwise than that they would destroy themselves. When the way for remains is closed, the man is no longer man, because he can no longer be protected by angels, but is totally possessed by evil spirits, whose sole study and desire it is to extinguish man. Hence came the death of the antediluvians, which is described by a flood, or total inundation. The influx of phantasies and cupidities from evil spirits is not unlike a kind of flood; and therefore it is called a “flood” or inundation in various places in the Word, as of the Lord’s Divine mercy will be seen in what is premised to the following chapter.