Here I will add something previously unknown. Several months ago
the Lord called together the twelve apostles and sent them out into the
whole spiritual world just as they had been sent out before to the physical
world. Their assignment was to preach this gospel. Each apostle was
assigned a territory to cover. They are carrying out their assignment with
complete enthusiasm and energy.
These topics will be specifically covered in the last chapter of this
book on the close of the age, the Coming of the Lord, and the New
Church [§§ 753 – 791 ].
A Supplement
All the churches that existed before the Lord’s coming were symbolic 109
churches. They could see divine truths only in shadow. After the Lord’s
coming into the world a church was instituted by him that saw divine
truths—or rather was able to see divine truths—in full light. The differ-
ence between these churches is like the difference between evening and
morning. In fact, in the Word the state of the church before the Lord’s
coming is called “evening” and the state of the church after his coming is
called “morning.”
Before his coming into the world the Lord was of course present with
people in the church, but only indirectly through angels who represented
him. Since his coming he is now directly present with people in the
church. In the world he added on a divine physical form that enables
him to be present with people in the church.
The Lord’s process of glorification was a transformation of the
human nature that he took on in the world. The transformed human
nature of the Lord is the divine physical form. A proof of this is that the
Lord rose from the tomb with the whole body he had had in the world.
Nothing was left in the tomb. Therefore he took with him from the
tomb every aspect of his earthly human form. This is why after the resur-
rection he said to disciples who thought they were seeing a spirit, “See
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Feel me and see; for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24 : 37 , 39 ). From
these words it is clear that through the process of glorification his physi-
cal body became divine. Therefore Paul says, “All the fullness of divinity
dwells physically in Christ” (Colossians 2 : 9 ); and John says that the Son
of God, Jesus Christ, is the true God ( 1 John 5 : 20 ). From these teachings
§109 the lord the redeemer & redemption 145