624. It is clear that a state which is not a state of the Church is the subject here from the fact that in this verse and those that follow in chapter the name God is used, whereas in previous verses it was Jehovah. When the Church does not exist the name God is used, but when it does exist, it is Jehovah; for example in Genesis 1, when the Church did not exist, He was called God, but in the next chapter when it did, He was called Jehovah God. 'Jehovah' is the holiest of names, and belongs to the Church alone. Not so 'God', for no nation was without gods. Consequently the same holiness was not attached to the name God. Nobody was allowed to utter the name Jehovah except him who had knowledge of the true faith; but anyone was allowed to utter the name God.

2955. 'I will bury my dead' means that they would emerge from night and be made alive. This is clear from the meaning of 'burying' and of 'one who is dead', dealt with above in 2917, 2923, 2925, 2931, 2948. They are spoken of here as being made alive because they are on their way to receiving faith; for it is from faith, that is to say, from the good that is the fruit of it, that they receive life. That life has no other source. A further reason why 'I will bury my dead' means emerging from spiritual night and being made alive is that once the previous Church has died, a new one is established by the Lord to take its place, and so life is imparted to take the place of death, and morning to take the place of night. And there is the further reason still that with everyone who is being reformed and becoming spiritual, that which has died in him is so to speak buried, and that which is new and made alive rises up, so that instead of the night with him, that is, instead of darkness and cold, morning breaks, bringing its light and warmth. This explains why with angels, who have the Lord's life in them, in place of men's idea of burial of the dead there is the idea of resurrection and of new life. This is indeed so, for some Church always exists on earth, and when the old Church breathes its last and night has fallen, a new one rises up somewhere else, and morning breaks.