The beginning of John 1 illustrated how divine truth – which is the ultimate expression of the Lord’s love – is the actual creative force of the universe and of reality itself. That idea is reinforced here: "him" refers to Jesus, who was the physical embodiment of divine truth, which indeed made the world.

This verse offers another level, though. "World" represents the church, which is defined in the Writings as "where the Lord is known and where the Word is." By that definition a "church" can be as small as one person, or as large as billions of people worshiping through a wide variety of denominations. And the Writings tell us that the Lord has made sure that such a church always existed, from prehistoric times when the Lord offered "the Word" – His truth – to people directly up through today, when we have the Word in the form of the Bible.

But the world did not know him. At the time the Lord came among us as Jesus, people had turned away from the deeper meanings of the Word (which they then had in the form of the Old Testament), and had little to no concern for knowing the Lord. His church – the church among the Children of Israel – had turned away.

This might seem like a merely historic idea, something that happened then but has little to do with us now. But each one of us is a "church," and each one of us can know the Lord and the Word, or turn away. We all go through states when we are like the church at the time the Lord was born, and He can rebuild us now even as He rebuilt the church then. For that to happen, though, we need to turn to the Word – the Bible – and know the Lord.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 1093; Canons of the New Church 9; The Apocalypse Explained 294 [16])

15. 13. From Daniel and the Prophets.

The Lord was represented before Daniel in a form almost like that in which He was presented before John (Revelation 1:14-15).

Before Daniel (Daniel 10:5-6), and then almost like things happened (12:6-7).

In that day, butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:21-22, 25). The Church of the Lord.

(Jehovah of hosts, Him shall ye sanctify, for let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense, for a gin and a snare for the inhabitant of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:13-14; Matthew 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18).)

(The people walking in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Unto us a Boy is born, unto us a Son is given, whose name is Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, the Father of Eternity, the Prince of Peace; to establish the Kingdom in judgment and justice from henceforth to eternity (Isaiah 9:1, 5-6).)

In that day the remnant of Israel shall no more stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth (Isaiah 10:20-22). Wherefore the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, etc. They shall not do hurt in all the mountain of holiness, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah. It shall surely come to pass in that day that the Lord shall again recover the remnant of His people (Isaiah 11:6-9, 11-16).