When the people of the Most Ancient Church began using the evidence of their senses and their rational thinking to investigate the Lord, the Lord "opened their eyes" to the real truth, which is that without love and goodness from Him they would be, of themselves, evil and insane.

This is represent by nakedness because clothing represents true ideas about external things. At the end of Chapter Two the man and woman were naked and not ashamed because they were in a state of love to the Lord and perceived what was true from that love; they had no need of external truth, and the love represented by their bodies were good ones. Now, however, the love represented by their bodies is the love of self; they had put themselves above the Lord. Seeing this evil, they were ashamed.

So they grabbed what they could to cover themselves. Figs represent natural good, or the desire for good on an external level. Leaves represent individual true ideas in external form. Fig leaves, then, represent basic, external ideas about how to be good in an external way.

(Referenties: Arcana Coelestia 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216)

254. The seed of the serpent' is used to mean all faithlessness. This is clear from the meaning of 'a serpent' as evil of every kind. Seed is something which brings forth and is brought forth, or which begets and is begotten. And because the subject here is the Church, 'seed' means faithlessness. When in Isaiah the subject is the corrupted Jewish Church it is called 'the seed of evil ones', 'the seed of the adulterer', 'the seed of deceit',

Woe to a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil ones, perverted sons! They have forsaken Jehovah, they have challenged the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backwards. Isaiah 1:4.

Also,

Draw nearer, sons of the sorceress, seed of the adulterer. Are you not those born of transgression, the seed of deceit? Isaiah 57:3-4.

And,

You are cast out from your sepulchre like an abominable branch, for you have corrupted your land, slain your people. The seed of the evil ones will not be named forever. Isaiah 14:19-20.

This refers to the serpent or dragon, which in this chapter is called Lucifer. ¹

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