271. It has been predicted that at the end of this church darkness will arise again through ignorance that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth and through separation of faith from goodwill. Therefore to prevent the loss of a genuine understanding of the Word and a consequent loss of the church, the Lord has now chosen to reveal the spiritual meaning of the Word. He has chosen to reveal the fact that in this meaning, and from it in the earthly meaning, the Word contains countless things for restoring the church's light of truth, which has almost gone out.

Many passages in the Book of Revelation predict that at the end of this church the light of truth will almost go out. This is also the meaning of the following words of the Lord:

Immediately after the affliction of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Humankind coming in the clouds of heaven with glory and power. (Matthew 24:29-30)

"The sun" here means love for the Lord, "the moon" means faith in the Lord, and "the stars" mean concepts of what is good and true. The Son of Humankind means the Lord in his role as the Word. "The cloud" means the Word's literal meaning, and "the glory" means the Word's spiritual meaning and the way it shines through the literal meaning. "The powers" mean the Word's power.