THE REASONS WHY THE LORD WILLED TO BE BORN ON OUR EARTH, AND NOT ON ANY OTHER

113.  There are several reasons, about which I have received information from heaven, why it pleased the Lord to be born, and to assume the Human, on our Earth, and not on any other.  THE PRINCIPAL REASON was for the sake of the Word, that it might be written on our Earth; and when written might afterwards be published throughout the whole Earth; and that, once published, it might be preserved for all posterity; and that thus it might be made manifest, even to all in the other life, that God did become Man.

114. That the principal reason was for the sake of the Word, is because the Word is the Divine Truth itself, which teaches man that there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death; and which teaches, besides, how man ought to live and believe in order that he may come into heaven, and thus may be happy to eternity.  Without revelation, and thus, on this Earth, without the Word, all these things would have been entirely unknown; and yet man has been so created, that as to his interiors he cannot die[nn].

[Footnote nn:  By natural light (lumen) alone, nothing can be known concerning the Lord, heaven and hell, the life of man after death, and the Divine truths, by means of which man has spiritual and eternal life, nos. 8944, 10318-10320.  This may appear from the consideration that many, and amongst them the learned, do not believe these things, although they are born where the Word is, and where there is instruction by means of the Word concerning them, no. 10319.  Therefore it was necessary that there should be a revelation from heaven, because man was born for heaven, no. 1775.]

115. That the Word might be written on our Earth, is because the art of writing has existed here from the most ancient time, first on tablets, next on parchment, afterwards on paper, and lastly publication by printing.  This was provided by the Lord for the sake of the Word.

116. That the Word might afterwards be published throughout the whole of this Earth, is because here there is an intercourse of all nations, not only by journeys on land, but also by navigation to all parts of the entire globe; hence the Word, after it had once been written, could be conveyed from one nation to another, and be taught everywhere.

117. That the Word, after it had once been written, might be preserved for all posterity, consequently for thousands and thousands of years, and that it has also been so preserved, is known.

118. That thus it might he made manifest that God has become man; for this is the first and most essential purpose for which the Word was given; since no one can believe in a God, and love a God, whom he cannot comprehend under some form; wherefore, they who acknowledge an invisible and thus incomprehensible [principle], sink in thought into nature, and consequently believe in no God.  Wherefore, it pleased the Lord to be born on this Earth, and to make this manifest through the Word, so that it might not only be made known on this globe, but might also by this means be made manifest to spirits and angels from other earths, and likewise to the gentiles from our own[oo].