7. The first state is the state which precedes, both the state existing from earliest childhood onwards and that existing immediately before regeneration; and it is called a void, emptiness, and thick darkness. And the first movement, which is the Lord's mercy, is 'the Spirit of God hovering over the face ¹ of the waters'.

V:

6515. 'Saying, Behold, I am dying' means that it - the Church - has come to an end. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as existing no more, dealt with in 494, and as the final period of the Church when it breathes its last, 2908, 2917, 2923.