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.

3146. 'And gave straw and fodder to the camels' means instruction in truths and goods. This is clear from the meaning of 'straw' as the truths present in the natural man, and from the meaning of 'fodder' as the goods there, dealt with above in 3114. Since these things are meant by 'straw and fodder' it therefore follows that 'giving straw and fodder' is giving instruction in truths and goods. The purpose of that freedom is this: Possessing the affection for truth and being stirred by that affection, a person may become instructed in such a way that truths are implanted deep within him - within the spiritual man or the soul - where they are joined to good, as may be seen from what has been shown regarding freedom in 2870-2893.

[2] This is the way in which faith - that is, truth which is the truth of faith made to take root; and unless it is coupled to good in the rational the truth of faith never receives any life, nor does any fruit develop from it. For everything called the fruit of faith is the fruit of that good which is the good of love and charity coming by way of truth which is the truth of faith. Unless spiritual warmth, which is the good of love, is actively present in spiritual light, which is the truth of faith, man would be like ground frozen stiff, as in wintertime, when nothing grows, let alone bears any fruit. For just as light devoid of warmth is totally unproductive, so is faith devoid of love.