The people of the Most Ancient Church had begun wanting to lead themselves and think from themselves instead of from the Lord. The Lord knew it would be their downfall, and sought to fulfill them through the spiritual gifts they already had in their celestial state.

Here we see the Lord showing them the presence in themselves (the ground) of all the beautiful things of their state: affections springing from love to the Lord (the beasts of the field), thoughts inspired by mutual love (fowl of the air) and all other spiritual activity filled with life from the Lord (living creatures). And theses things were gifts; the fact that the people were invited to name the animals means they were shown the nature of all those wonderful things.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 142, 143, 144, 145)

2125. The character of members of the Christian Church at the present day was demonstrated to me visually by means of representations. Enveloped by a dark cloud there appeared spirits so black that I shuddered. After that others not so terrifying made their appearance; and then it was indicated to me that I was about to witness something. First of all I saw children who were being combed by their mothers in so cruel a fashion that blood was running down. This represented the nature of young children's upbringing nowadays. Afterwards a tree appeared, which seemed to me to be the tree of knowledge. A large viper, the sort to strike terror, then seemed to climb up it. It appeared to extend up the whole length of the trunk. As the tree disappeared, along with the viper, a dog appeared, and at that point a door was opened into a room where there was a yellow light like that produced by coals burning. Two women were there. I perceived that it was a kitchen, but what I saw in it I am not allowed to mention. I was told that the tree which the viper climbed up represented the state of members of the Church as they are at the present time - that instead of love and charity they have deadly hatred that is hedged around by presences of honesty and by deceptions. They also have unmentionable thoughts about the things of faith. But what I saw in the kitchen represented that hatred and the nature of those thoughts in their further developments.