NJHD - The New Earth

NJHD 5

By "the New Earth" is meant
the New Church on the earth;
for when a former church ceases to exist,
then a new one is established by the Lord.
For it is provided by the Lord
that there should always be a church on earth,
since by means of the church
there is a conjunction of the Lord
with the human race,
and of heaven with the world;
for there the Lord is known,
and there are the Divine truths
by which a person is conjoined to Him.
. . . The reason why a New Church
is meant by "the New Earth"
arises from the spiritual sense of the Word;
for in that sense,
by the "earth" no particular country is meant,
but the nation dwelling there,
and its Divine worship;
this, in the spiritual sense,
being what answers to earth in the natural sense.

Moreover, by "earth" in the Word,
when there is no name of any particular country
affixed to the term,
is meant the land of Canaan;
and in the land of Canaan
a church had existed from the most ancient times;
in consequence of which,
all the places therein,
and in the adjacent countries,
with the mountains and rivers,
which are mentioned in the Word,
became representative and significative
of the things which are the internals of the church,
and which are called its spiritual things.
So it is, as was said, that "earth" in the Word,
because it means the land of Canaan,
signifies the church;
in like manner here by "the New Earth";
from this comes the custom in the church
to speak of the heavenly Canaan,
by which is meant heaven.