162. Internal Meaning of Ezekiel, Chapter 39

1-6 Those who are in the mere sense of the letter and in external worship, will come into the church, but will perish. These are meant by Gog. (2)

7-8 This will take place when the Lord comes and establishes the church. (3, 1)

9-10 This church will then disperse all the evils and falsities of such, (3)

11-16 and will wholly destroy them. (3, 16)

17-22 The new church that will be established by the Lord will be imbued with goods of all kinds, (11)

23-24 and the former church will be destroyed because of evils and falsities. (3)

25-29 The Lord will then gather together a church from all nations. (11)

2325. 'And Lot saw' means [their] conscience - that is to say, the conscience of those with whom the good of charity exists but whose worship is external. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'seeing'. 'Seeing' in the Word means understanding, see 897, 1584, 1806, 1807, 2150. In the internal sense however 'seeing' means having faith, a meaning which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed at Genesis 29:32. The reason why conscience is meant here is that people who have faith have conscience as well. Conscience is inseparable from faith, so inseparable in fact that it makes no difference whether you speak of faith or of conscience. By faith is meant faith through which charity comes, and which derives from charity. This being so, it is charity itself, for faith without charity is not faith at all. And just as faith is not possible without charity, neither is conscience possible without it.