46. That 'beasts' means affections residing with man - evil affections in evil men and good affections in good men - becomes clear from many examples in the Word, as in Ezekiel,

Behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, so that you will be tilled and sown; and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be multiplied and be fruitful, and I will resettle you ¹ to be as in your ancient times. Ezekiel 36:9-11.

This refers to regeneration. In Joel,

Fear not, you beasts of My field, for the dwelling-places of the wilderness have been made green. Joel 2:22.

In David,

I was stupid, a beast ² was I with God. Psalms 73:12.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast, and I will watch over them to build and to plant. Jeremiah 31:27-28.

This refers to regeneration.

[2] 'Wild animals' (fera) has a similar meaning, as in Hosea,

I will make for them a covenant on that day, with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, ³ and with the creeping things of the earth. Hosea 2:18.

In Job,

You will not fear the wild animals of the earth, for your covenant will be with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you. Job 5:22-23.

In Ezekiel,

I will make with them ⁴ a covenant of peace, and I will banish the evil wild animal from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness. Ezekiel 34:25.

In Isaiah,

The wild animals of the field will honour me, for I have given water in the desert. Isaiah 43:20.

In Ezekiel,

In its branches all the birds of the air ³ made their nests and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to Assyria, which means the spiritual man and is compared to the Garden of Eden. In David,

Praise Jehovah, all his angels, praise Him from the earth, sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, and all beasts, creeping things, and flying birds! Psalms 148:2-4, 7, 9-10.

Here the list is precisely the same - sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds. Unless they all mean things that are alive in human beings, they cannot possibly be referred to as praising Jehovah.

[3] A careful distinction is made in the Prophets between beasts and wild animals of the earth, and between beasts and wild animals of the field. The practice of calling goods 'beasts' extends to calling people in heaven who are nearest to the Lord 'living creatures', both in Ezekiel and in John,

All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God. ⁵ Revelation 7:11; 19:4.

The expression 'creatures' is also used of people who are to have the gospel preached to them because they are to be created anew, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15.

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911. ¹ As regards 'creeping thing that creeps' meaning corresponding things of a like nature residing with his external man, with a regenerate person external things correspond to internal, that is, they are conformable and subservient to them. External things are rendered subservient when a person is being regenerated, at which point he becomes an image of heaven. But before he has been regenerated external things have dominion over internal; and during that time he is an image of hell. Order entails celestial things governing spiritual things first, then natural things by means of spiritual, and lastly bodily things by means of natural. But when bodily and natural things have dominion over spiritual and celestial, order is destroyed. Once order is destroyed, man is an image of hell, and therefore through regeneration the Lord brings about the restoration of order; and once this has been restored a man becomes an image of heaven. In this way the Lord draws a person out of hell and bears him up to heaven.

[2] To make known the way in which the external man corresponds to the internal, let a brief explanation be given. Every regenerate person is a miniature heaven, that is, a replica or image of the whole of heaven, which also is why in the Word his internal man is called heaven. In heaven order is such that the Lord governs spiritual things by means of celestial, and natural things by means of spiritual. In this manner He governs the whole of heaven as one human being, and therefore heaven is called the Grand Man. Furthermore this same order exists with every individual in heaven. And when the same applies to man too, he likewise is a miniature heaven, or what amounts to the same, is the Lord's kingdom, for the Lord's kingdom is within him. In his case external things correspond to internal, that is to say, they are obedient to them, just as they are in heaven. For there are three heavens which are interrelated as one man - spirits constitute the external man, angelic spirits the interior, and angels the inmost, 459.

[3] It is quite the reverse with people who make life consist solely in bodily things, that is, in the desires, pleasures, appetites, and sensations of the body; with people, that is, who take no delight in anything other than that which accompanies self-love and love of the world, that is, which goes with hatred towards everyone who shows them no favour and does not serve them. Because with these people bodily and natural things have dominion over spiritual and celestial, not only is there no correspondence or obedience on the part of external things, but the total reverse exists, so that order is completely destroyed. And because order is thus destroyed they cannot be anything other than images of hell.

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