872. 'The face ¹ of the ground' means those things that reside with the member of the Church, and the expression 'the ground' is used because it is the first stage at which man comes to be the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ground', dealt with already, as the member of the Church who is at that point called 'the ground' when the goods and truths of faith can be sown within him. Previously he is called 'the land', as in Genesis 1 where 'the land' refers to man prior to his becoming celestial, while Chapter 2, when he has become celestial, refers to him as 'the ground' and 'the field'. It is similar in the present chapter. The expression 'the land' and the expression 'the ground' are sufficient by themselves to enable someone to recognize what is meant in the internal sense, not only here but also anywhere else in the Word. 'The ground' in the universal sense means the Church, and as the Church is meant so too is the member of the Church for, as stated already, every member of the Church is the Church.

Footnotes:

Title: Waiting in the Grave for Jesus

Topic: Second Coming

Summary: We explore passages in Ecclesiastes and the rebellion of Korah in Numbers, and reflect on mortality and immortality, the Second Coming and life after death, and the spiritual and holographic nature of Scripture.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
Ecclesiastes 9:4; 1:1-2; 2:11; 12:8-14; 3:17; 11:9, 1-3; 7:19-20
James 4:13-16
John 9:4
Genesis 1:1
Jeremiah 4:22-23
Job 10:18-22; 14:1-end
Numbers 16
Isaiah 30:26
Hosea 6:1-2
Psalms 17