4821. 'And she conceived and bore a son' means that from this came the falsity of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'conceiving and bearing' as acknowledging in faith and action, dealt with in 3905, 3915, 3919, and from the meaning of 'a son' as the truth of the Church, but in the contrary sense falsity, dealt with in 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373, 4257. Consequently 'she conceived and bore a son' here means that the Church among the tribe of Judah acknowledged falsity in faith and action. The reason this son means the falsity of the Church is that he was the firstborn, and in the Ancient Churches 'the firstborn' meant the truth of faith, 352, 3325, and so in the contrary sense falsity, which was also the meaning of the firstborn among men and the firstborn among beasts in Egypt, 3325. The fact that truth is not meant but falsity is evident from what follows shortly, for in verse 7 it says, 'Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah caused him to die'. Er, this son's name, also implies the particular nature of this falsity, even as Onan, his second son's name, implies the particular nature of that meant by him, namely what is wrong or evil.

2891. Those who have become spirits only recently torment themselves very much by trying to grasp the idea that no one is able to do good of himself, or to think what is true of himself, but that he does so from the Lord. For they believe that if that idea is true they would accordingly be like mere machines and have control of nothing at all; and that being so they would let hands hang down and allow themselves to be acted upon. But they are told that they ought by all means to think, to will, and to do good of themselves, and that in no other way could they have a heavenly proprium and heavenly freedom. But they are also told that they ought nevertheless to acknowledge that good and truth do not originate in themselves but in the Lord, and they are informed that such acknowledgement and indeed perception that this is so exists with all angels. And the more keenly they perceive that they are led by the Lord and so abide in Him the more they are in freedom.