82. The Jews are especially notable for failing to know that they are in the spiritual world, believing themselves still to be in the natural world. The reason is that they are utterly external people, having no inward thoughts about their religious beliefs. They therefore speak about the Messiah in the same way as previously. They say, for instance, that He will come with David and glittering with jewels will go before them, leading them into the land of Canaan, drying up rivers for them to cross by raising his rod. They say that the Christians, whom they refer to among themselves as gentiles, will then catch hold of the skirts of their clothes, humbly begging to be allowed to accompany them; and they will accept the rich if they are well enough off, and these will actually be their servants. They do not want to know that in the Word the land of Canaan means the church, Jerusalem the church as regards its teaching, and so the Jews mean all who are to belong to the Lord's church. (See THE TEACHING ABOUT THE SACRED SCRIPTURE 51 for the meaning of the Jews in the Word.)

When asked whether they believe they will really reach the land of Canaan, they say they will then go down into it. When they are told that the land could not hold them all, they reply that it will then be enlarged. When told that they do not know where Bethlehem is, and who are of the stock of David, they reply that the Messiah who is to come knows that. When asked how the Messiah, the Son of Jehovah, can live with such wicked people, they deny that they are wicked. When told that Moses nonetheless so describes them in his song (Deut. 32), saying they are very wicked, they answer that Moses was then angry at their turning away*. But when they are told that Moses wrote that at Jehovah's orders, they keep quiet and go away to discuss it. When told that they are descended from a woman of Canaan and from Judah's fornication with his daughter-in-law (Gen. 38), they are angry, saying it is enough that they are descended from Abraham. When told that the Word inwardly contains a spiritual sense, which deals with nothing but Christ, they reply that this is untrue, but there is nothing inside the Word but gold, and much of the same sort besides. *Reading respondent...discederent for respondet...discederet.