Verse 1. But now the corrupted understanding, perceiving that, from Divine Good, the spiritual man has conjunction with the Lord, ceases to pervert the truth by making it appear as falsity, and is led interiorly to contemplate the rejection of all truth.

1262. From this it now becomes clear that 'the earth' here also means the Church; for when the earth is mentioned, one's only perception is of the nation or people there, and when a nation or people is envisaged one's only perception is of their character. Consequently 'the earth' means nothing other than the Church, as shown already in 662, 1066.