Arcana Coelestia # 637
637. The implications of 'I will destroy them together with the earth' meaning that the human race would perish together with the Church are as follows: If the Lord's Church had been completely wiped out on earth, the human race could not have remained in being at all, for all without exception would have perished. As previously stated, the Church is as the heart. As long as the heart is alive, surrounding organs and limbs are able to live as well. But the moment the heart dies, everything else dies as well. The Lord's Church on earth is as the heart, and from it the human race, even that part of it lying outside of the Church, has life. The reason why is totally unknown to anybody. But so that something of this may be known, let it be said that the whole human race on earth is like the body and all its parts, with the Church resembling the heart. And if there were no Church, with which as a kind of heart the Lord might unite Himself by way of heaven and the world of spirits, there would be a severance; and once the human race was severed from the Lord it would perish instantly. This is the reason why since man was first created there has always been some Church in existence; and as often as the Church has begun to perish it has nevertheless remained with certain people.
[2] This was also the reason why the Lord came into the world. Unless, in His Divine mercy, He had come, the whole human race on this planet would have perished, for at that time the Church was nearing its end, and scarcely any good or truth was surviving. The reason the human race cannot possibly live unless it is joined to the Lord by way of heaven and the world of spirits is that regarded in himself man is even lower than animals. Left to himself he would rush to ruin himself and everybody else, for he has no other desire than to destroy himself and everybody else. His order ought to be as one person loving another as he does himself, but at present everyone loves himself more than others and so hates everybody else. Dumb animals are quite different however, for theirs is an order which they do live according to; and so they live wholly according to the order that is theirs, whereas man lives altogether contrary to order. Consequently unless the Lord had taken pity on man and by means of angels joined him to Himself he could not possibly live for a single moment. Of this man has no knowledge.
Genesis 5
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This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
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Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
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And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
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And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
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And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
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And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
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And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
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And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
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And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
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And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
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And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
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And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
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And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
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And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
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And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
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And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
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And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
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And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
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And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
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And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
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And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
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And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
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And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
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And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
