In many cases, the spiritual meaning of "own," both as a verb and as an adjective, is relatively literal. When people are described as the "Lord's own," however, it specifically means those people who know Him and have His Word. This has taken various forms since the dawn of humanity; in the prehistoric church known as the "Most Ancient Church" the Lord's truth -- the direct expression of His love -- flowed into people directly. In the Ancient Church the Lord's Word was recognized in nature and in the form of deeply representative stories, some of which were passed on to us in the early chapters of Genesis. Among the Children of Israel the Lord's Word was expressed through the Ten Commandments, the laws of Moses, the very history of the nation of Israel and the various psalms and prophecies. The early Christians had those stories along with the teaching and inspiration of Jesus himself. We now have the whole Bible, including the teachings of Jesus, and can understand the Bible's true meaning. Each of these churches, then, was at some point the Lord's own.

860. Those bought from the earth, signifies those who having been instructed have received that acknowledgment in the world. This is evident from the signification of "those bought," that is, redeemed by the Lord, as being those who receive instruction from the Word, especially respecting the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (See above, n. 29, 304, 697, 741, 742, 752); consequently "those bought from the earth" signify those who, having been instructed, have received in the church, and thus in the world, what the Lord has taught in the Word. It is to be known that only those who have acknowledged and confessed the Lord in the world can confess and acknowledge Him in the other life; for what a man is in regard to acknowledgment and confession therefrom in the world, such he remains after death. Some believe that those who have not had faith in the world will nevertheless receive faith in the other life when they hear from others and themselves see that it is so, as that there is a God, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that the Word is holy, and the like; but I can testify that those who have not had faith in the world cannot have faith after death, even when they both hear from the angels and see with their own eyes that it is so. I have seen this tried with many who had not believed, that they might be induced to believe, but in vain; which made clear that what a man is when he dies such he remains to eternity. And this is what is meant by the five foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps, but who wished to get oil for themselves; but when they had bought it and had come to the house of the wedding feast they were not admitted. "To buy oil" signifies to acquire the good of love for oneself after death. There are many such who acquire for themselves something after death, when they have become spirits; but this does not remain, because it has not been interiorly rooted, as it is with those who acquire those things for themselves in the world.

[2] "Those bought from the earth" signify those who, having been instructed, have received the acknowledgment of the Lord in the world, because "to buy" signifies to acquire for oneself the knowledges of truth and good, which is done by instruction; thus "those bought" signify here those who having been instructed receive. That "to buy and to sell" signify to acquire for oneself the knowledges of truth and good and to communicate them to others, may be seen above n. 840. Those who having been instructed have received the faith of God are called by the Lord "bought," because those who have been estranged by falsities are called "sold;" and for this reason those who have been led from falsities to truths, thus who have been delivered by the Lord from hell and have been led to heaven are called "the redeemed," and the Lord is called "the Redeemer." "To redeem" signifies in reference to the Lord to deliver from evils and to liberate from falsities, that is, from hell, and thus it signifies to reform and regenerate (as may be seen above, n. 328. "To redeem by His blood" signifies conjunction with the Divine through the acknowledgment of the Lord, and through reception of the Divine truth from Him (See n. 328, 329). The Lord is called "the Redeemer" as to the Divine Human (See also above, n. 328).