Arcana Coelestia #59
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.
Genesis 10
1
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
2
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
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And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
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And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
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By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
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And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
7
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
8
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
10
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
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Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
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And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
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And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
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And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
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And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
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And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
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And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
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And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
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And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
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These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
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Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
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The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
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And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
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And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.
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And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
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And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazar-maveth, and Jerah,
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And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
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And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
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And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
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And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
31
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
