3143. 'And there is a place for the camels' means a state for all the things which were to serve Him. This is clear from the meaning of 'a place' as a state, dealt with in 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 2625, and from the meaning of 'the camels' as general facts, dealt with in 3048, 3071, which play a subservient role, see 1486, 3019, 3020. For everything that belongs to the natural man has no other use apart from that of serving the spiritual man. This also is why male servants, female servants, camels, and asses in the internal sense mean in particular things that belong to the natural man.

660. That 'a flood' means a deluge of evil and falsity is clear from what has been stated already about the descendants of the Most Ancient Church being possessed with filthy desires and immersing doctrinal matters concerning faith in them. This immersing led to false persuasions within them which annihilated all truth and good and simultaneously closed off the road for remnants and so made it impossible for them to do their work. It was inevitable therefore that these men would destroy themselves. When the road for remnants has been closed off a person is no longer human, for he can no longer be protected by angels but is wholly and completely possessed by evil spirits who long and desire to do nothing else but annihilate man. It was this that led to the death of the people who existed before the Flood, a death described by 'a flood' or utter deluge. Indeed the influx of delusions and desires from evil spirits is not unlike a flood. Consequently in various places in the Word that influx is called a flood or a deluge, as in the Lord's Divine mercy will be seen in the preliminary remarks to the next chapter. ¹

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