99. The state of the church was completely changed by the Lord’s becoming the Word even on the outermost level. All the churches before his Coming had been outward forms of a church, churches that could see divine truth only in the dark. However, after the Lord’s Coming into the world, a church was started by him that saw divine truth in the light. The difference is like the difference between evening and morning. In fact, the state of the church before his Coming is called evening, and the state of the church after his Coming is called morning.

Before his Coming into the world, the Lord was of course present with the people of the church, but indirectly, through heaven; whereas since his Coming into the world he is directly present with the people of the church. This is because he put on a divine earthly form in the world, the form in which he is present with us. The Lord’s “glorification” is the complete glorification of the human nature that he took on in the world, and the glorified human form of the Lord is the divine-earthly form.