593. The symbolism of whom I created from the face of the ground as those who were descendants of the earliest church can be seen from several things. The first is that the text speaks of the human he created (that is, regenerated) and later of the human whom he made (that is, perfected, or in other words, regenerated to the point of becoming heavenly). The second is that it says from the face of the ground, the ground being the area where the church is, as shown earlier [§§566-567].

Another indication is that the discussion treats of those who merged the teachings of faith with their appetites. People who had no access to the doctrine of the true faith could not commit this offense. Those outside the bounds of the church live in ignorance about what is true and good, and people who live in ignorance can have a certain kind of innocence even when they say or do something that violates the truth and goodness of faith. They may be driven by a zeal for the worship that they grew up with and that they consequently consider true and good.

The case is completely different with those who have the doctrine of the [true] faith among them. These are capable of mingling truth with falsity, and holiness with profanation. Their lot in the other life is accordingly much worse than the lot of those called Gentiles, who will be discussed below, the Lord in his divine mercy willing. ¹

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1059. This is the sign of the pact that I am setting up between me and all flesh that is on the earth means that not only would people in the church have an indication that the Lord was present in charity but people outside the church would too. This meaning is visible from the symbolism of all flesh as every individual and consequently as the whole human race. The fact that it is the whole human race, both the portion inside the church and the portion outside it, can be seen not only from the mention of all flesh but also from the fact that the earlier phrase the living soul within all flesh is not repeated. The addition of the words that is on the earth makes it even clearer.

[2] The Lord is just as much present in charity among those who are outside the church, called Gentiles, as among those who are inside the church. (See what was said above in §§932, 1032.) In fact he is more closely present, because they have less cloud in their intellectual part than so-called Christians usually do. Non-Christians are ignorant of the Word and do not know who the Lord is, so they do not know the truth that the faith teaches. As a result they themselves cannot oppose the Lord or that truth, and therefore their clouds do not oppose the Lord or that truth. Clouds of this kind can be dispelled easily when such people are enlightened.

[3] Christians, though, are capable of having clouds that do block the Lord and the truth of the faith, and these clouds are dark enough to produce gloom. When hatred replaces neighborly love, pitch blackness results. The effect is intensified in those who profane the truth of the faith, which non-Christians cannot do, since they live in ignorance of that truth. None of us can profane a thing whose nature and existence we are unaware of.

This is why more non-Christians than Christians are saved, as the Lord also said in Luke 13:23, 28-29, 30. In addition, he said that all their little children belong to the Lord's kingdom, in Matthew 18:10, 14; 19:14; Luke 18:16. ¹

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