Arcana Coelestia #59
59. The reason only edible and green plants are mentioned here as food for the natural man is this: While a person is being regenerated and becoming spiritual he is involved constantly in conflict, which is why the Lord's Church is called militant. For before regeneration started, evil desires were in control, since the whole person consisted entirely of evil desires and resulting falsities. During the process of regeneration his desires and falsities cannot be done away with instantly, since that would amount to destroying the whole person; indeed he has not acquired any other life for himself. So for a long time evil spirits are left with him to activate his desires, and so release them in countless ways. Indeed the spirits are left there to do this in order that those desires may be turned by the Lord towards something good, and in this way the person may be reformed. In the hour of conflict evil spirits are present who absolutely hate everything that is good and true, that is, every element of love and faith in the Lord - elements that alone are good and true because they contain eternal life. These evil spirits leave a person with no other food than that which is compared to edible and green plants. But the Lord gives him a food as well that is compared to the plant yielding seed and to the tree in which there is fruit. These are periods of peace and calm attended by their forms of delight and happiness. This cycle occurs repeatedly.
[2] If the Lord did not protect man moment by moment, and in every shortest instant, he would immediately perish, for there is such murderous hatred reigning in the world of spirits against all forms of love and faith in the Lord as to defy description. I can positively declare that this is so, because for several years now, although still in the [physical] body, I have also been in the next life in the company of spirits. I have been surrounded by evil spirits, even the worst of them, sometimes by thousands, who have been allowed to pour out their venom and molest me in every possible way, but who nevertheless could do no harm to the tiniest hair on my head, so well did the Lord protect me. From all these years of experience I have become thoroughly informed about the character of the world of spirits and also about the conflict which people who are being regenerated must inevitably undergo if they are to attain the happiness of eternal life. But because nobody from just a general description can be so well informed as to have a faith free from doubt, these matters in the Lord's Divine mercy will therefore be noted in greater detail later on.
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.
