1581. That 'separate yourself, now, from me' means that it cannot manifest itself unless that which does not accord is reduced to nothing is clear from what has now been stated, namely that the internal man wants that in the external which does not agree with the internal to separate itself. For until it has been separated the good which flows in constantly from the internal man, that is, from the Lord by way of the internal man, cannot manifest itself. With regard to the separation however it should be realized that it is not a separating but a dying down. In nobody with the exception of the Lord can evil that is in the external man be separated, for once a person has acquired something it stays with him. But it does seem to be separated when it dies down, for when it dies down it seems to be reduced to nothing. Moreover it is the Lord alone who is responsible for it so dying down as to be seemingly reduced to nothing. And when it does in this way die down, goods for the first time flow in from the Lord and move the external man. The state in which angels live is such as this. All they are conscious of is that evil has been separated from them, but in fact it is purely a withholding from evil and thus a dying down in such a way as to be seemingly reduced to nothing. Consequently it is an appearance, which angels also recognize when they reflect on the matter.

636. 'I will destroy them together with the earth' means that the human race would perish together with the Church. This is clear from the fact that here the phrase 'together with the earth' is used. In fact, as previously stated, 'earth' in a broad sense means love and so the celestial things of the Church. Here because no love, nor anything celestial, was left it means self-love and that which is contrary to the celestial aspect of the Church. Despite this the member of the Church still existed because he possessed doctrinal matters concerning faith. For as has been stated, love includes faith within itself, and faith includes cognitions of faith, just as the earth includes the ground, and the ground includes the field.