29. Verses 11-12 And God said, Let the earth cause tender plants to spring up, seed-bearing plants, fruit trees bearing fruit, each according to its kind, in which is its seed, upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth tender herbs, seed-bearing plants, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit, in which is their seed, each according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Once the earth or the individual has been made ready in such a way that he can receive from the Lord heavenly seeds and produce some measure of good and truth, the Lord first of all causes something tender to spring up, which is: called 'a tender plant', then something more useful which reproduces itself and is called 'a seed-bearing plant', and finally something good which bears fruit and is called 'a tree bearing fruit' in which is its seed, 'each one according to its kind'. The person who is being regenerated is at first such as imagines that any good he does comes from himself, and that any truth he utters comes from himself; but the fact of the matter is that all good and all truth come from the Lord. Consequently anyone who imagines that these originate in himself does not as yet have the life that belongs to true faith, though he is able to receive it later on. Indeed he is not yet able to believe that they come from the Lord because his state is one of preparation for receiving the life inherent in faith. That state is represented in these verses by plant life, the subsequent state, when the life inherent in faith is present, by living creatures.

[2] The Lord Himself saw fit to tell us that He is 'the sower', that 'the seed' is His Word, and that 'the earth' is man, Matthew 13:19-24, 37-39; Mark 4:14-21; Luke 8:11-16. He describes the matter again in a similar way,

The kingdom of God is like a man casting seed into the ground, and sleeping and rising night and day, and the seed sprouts and springs up, he knows not how; for the earth bears fruit of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Mark 4:26-28.

In the universal sense, 'the kingdom of God' is used to mean the whole of heaven, in the less universal sense the Lord's true Church, and in particular every individual who has true faith, that is, who has been regenerated by means of the life that inheres in faith. For that reason the individual is also called 'heaven', for heaven is within him, and 'the kingdom of God', since that too is within him. This the Lord Himself teaches through Luke,

Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, When is the kingdom of God coming? He answered them and said, The kingdom of God is not coming with observation, nor will people say, Behold, here it is! or, Behold, there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21.

This is the third stage of a person's regeneration, a state when he is repentant. It is like passing from shadow into the light, or from evening to morning, and this is why it is said in Verse 13, And there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

10622. 'And He does not at all absolve' means allowing them to exist until they reach their closing stage. This is clear from the meaning of 'absolving' as forgiving sin; but when the words does or will not absolve are added ¹ , allowing the thing to exist is meant. The reason why until their closing stage is meant is that the Lord allows evil to exist until it has reached its closing stage or culmination. Various places throughout the Word use the expression 'the close of the age'; and in these places evil may be spoken of as having reached or not having reached its closing stage, at which stage visitation takes place. Since this is the meaning of the words 'He does (or will) not at all absolve' a brief statement must be made showing what to understand by this. In general the closing stage or the close means the end of the Church. And it reaches its end when neither charity nor faith exist any longer, because the Church has turned itself completely away from the Lord and no good at all reigns there any longer, only evil. This is called its close, at which stage visitation takes place. When it takes place all those ruled by evil are cast away, and all those governed by good are accepted. This visitation takes place in the next life, where all who have belonged to the Church from its beginning through to its end dwell together. The casting away of the evil into hell when it takes place and the saving of the good is what is called the last judgement.

[2] In particular the closing stage takes place with every individual person in a very similar manner. When anybody enters the next life, which happens immediately after death, he is allowed to exist among those who are good; even someone bad is allowed to do so. But after a while the person's interiors are opened. If these are evil he is borne away more and more into his own evil, until his will is taken over by his evil, and his understanding by the falsity which goes with that evil. Once this has happened that evil is said to have reached the closing stage in him, and he is cast away into hell. These are the things that should be understood by 'He will not at all absolve'. The like is meant by what Jehovah said to Moses,

Now, go! lead the people to what I have spoken of to you. Behold, My angel will go before you; and on the day of My visitation I will visit their sin upon them. Exodus 32:34.

[3] The fact that the close means the end of the Church is clear from the following places: In Jeremiah,

With Israel and with Judah I will not bring about the close ² , but I will not treat you as one who is at all innocent ³ , because there is no hope for your fracture; the wound is grievous. You have no restorative medicaments. Jeremiah 30:11-13; 46:28.

In the same prophet,

Your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, has been brought to a close. He will visit your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He will reveal your sins. Lamentations 4:22.

In Daniel,

Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people, to bring transgression to a close and to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity. At length upon the bird of abominations will come desolation; and until the close ... Daniel 9:24, 27.

In Matthew,

The harvest is the close of the age. As the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so will it be at the close of the age. Matthew 13:39-40.

In the same gospel,

The disciples said to Jesus, Tell us, what will be the sign of Your coming and of the close of the age? Matthew 24:3.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Behold I am with you at all times ⁴ even to the close of the age. Matthew 28:20.

Imibhalo yaphansi: