46. It needs to be known that the Last Judgment took place on those who lived between the time of the Lord and the present day, not on those who lived before that date. For on this planet a last judgment has taken place twice before. One was described in the Word by the flood; the other was accomplished by the Lord Himself when He was in the world. This is meant by the Lord's words:
Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince of this world cast out. John 12:31.
also:
I have said this to you so that in Me you should have peace; be confident, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.
also these words in Isaiah:
Who is this who comes from Edom, striding out in the excess of his strength? Mighty [am I] to save. I have trodden the wine-press alone. Therefore I trod them down in my anger. Hence their victory is sprinkled over my clothing. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. Therefore he became a saviour. Isa. 63:1-8.
There are many other such passages. [2] The reason why there have been two previous last judgments on this planet is that every judgment occurs at the end of a church, as was shown above in the chapter on this subject [33-39]; and on this earth there have been two earlier churches, the first before the flood, the second after it. The church before the flood is described in the first chapters of Genesis by the new creation of heaven and earth, and by the garden [of Eden]. Its end was described by eating of the tree of knowledge, and the incidents which followed. Its last judgment was described by the flood. All of these were described by straight correspondences after the manner of the Word's style. In the internal or spiritual sense the creation of heaven and earth means the setting up of a new church (see the first chapter [1-5] above). The garden in Eden means the wisdom of that celestial church. The tree of knowledge means the factual knowledge which destroyed that church, and so does the serpent there. The flood means the last judgment on those who belonged to that church. [3] The second church, however, which came after the flood, is also described in several passages of the Word (such as Deut. 32:7-14 and elsewhere). This extended over much of the Asian continent, and was continued by the descendants of Jacob. It came to an end when the Lord came into the world. He then carried out a last judgment on all who had lived from the date on which that church was first set up, and at the same time on all the survivors of the first church. The Lord's purpose in coming into the world was to reduce to order everything in the heavens, and by their means everything on earth, and at the same time to make His human Divine. No one could have been saved if this had not been done. The existence of two churches on this earth before the Lord's coming was demonstrated in various passages of ARCANA CAELESTIA; a summary of these will be found in the notes at the end of this chapter.# It was also shown that the Lord came into the world to reduce to order everything in the heavens and by their means everything on earth, and to make His human Divine.##
The third church on this earth is the Christian. It was on this, and at the same time on all in the first heaven from the time of the Lord, that the last judgment now being described took place. # The first and most ancient church on this earth was that described in the first chapters of Genesis; this was above all a celestial church (AC 607, 895, 920, 1121-1124, 2896, 4493, 8891, 9942, 10545). The nature in heaven of those who come from that church (AC 1114-1125). They enjoy the strongest light (AC 1117). There were various churches after the flood, which are collectively called the Ancient church (AC 1125-1127, 1327, 10355). Through how many kingdoms in Asia the Ancient church spread (AC 1238, 2385). The nature of the people in the Ancient church (AC 609, 895). The Ancient church was a representative church (AC 519, 521, 2896). The nature of this church at the beginning of its decline (AC 1128). The difference between the Most Ancient and the Ancient church (AC 597, 607, 640, 641, 765, 784, 895, 4493). The church started by Eber, called the Hebrew church (AC 1238, 1241, 1343, 4516, 4517). The difference between the Ancient church and the Hebrew church (AC 1343, 4874). The church established among the descendants of Jacob or the Children of Israel (AC 4281, 4288, 4310, 4500, 4899, 4912, 6304, 7048, 9320, 10396, 10526, 10535, 10698). The rules, judgments and laws which were imposed on the Children of Israel were in part similar to those of the Ancient church (AC 4449). The differences in representative rituals in the church established among the Children of Israel and those of the Ancient church (AC 4288, 10149). In the Most Ancient church revelation was directly from heaven; in the Ancient church by means of correspondences; in the church among the Children of Israel by direct speech, and in the Christian church by means of the Word (AC 10355). The Lord was the God of the Most Ancient church and also the Ancient church, being called Jehovah (AC 1343, 6846). ## When the Lord was in the world, He reduced to order everything in the heavens and the hells (AC 4075, 4287, 9937). The Lord then set free the spiritual world from the people who lived before the flood (AC 1266). Their nature (AC 310, 311, 560, 562, 563, 570, 581, 586, 607, 660, 805, 808, 1034, 1120, 1265-1272). By temptations and victories over them the Lord subdued the hells and reduced everything to order, at the same time glorifying His human (AC 4287, 9937). The Lord did this of Himself, that is, by His own power (AC 1692, 9937). It was the Lord alone who fought (AC 8273). As a result the Lord alone became righteousness and merit (AC 1813, 2025-2027, 9715, 9809, 10019). The Lord thus united His human with the Divine (AC 1725, 1729, 1733, 1737, 3318, 3381, 3382, 4286). The passion on the cross was the last temptation and the complete victory by which He glorified Himself, that is, made His human Divine, and subdued the hells (AC 2776, 10655, 10659, 10828). The Lord could not be tempted in respect of the Divine itself (AC 2795, 2803, 2813, 2814). That was why He took upon Himself the human derived from His mother, and it was this which was subject to temptations (AC 1414, 1444, 1573, 5041, 5157, 7193, 9315). He cast out everything He inherited from His mother and stripped off the human He had from her, until He was at last no more her son, and He put on the Divine Human (AC 2159, 2574, 2649, 3036, 10830). By subduing the hells and glorifying His human the Lord saved mankind (AC 4180, 10019, 10152, 10655, 10659, 10828).