The following summary draws and expands on the outline given in the “Summary Exposition of the Prophets and Psalms” (P&P).

Chapter One

“The word of the Lord came to Micah…” What was the message Micah was to hear and report? The Lord was about to make His advent. The descent of the Lord would be from heaven to earth. The Messiah’s message would be hard for the church of that day to hear because the state of the church had been totally falsified. The Lord came to tell them that the church’s falsity was so perverse that it had to be destroyed. Things were so bad on earth that “the state of heaven” was even being changed and affected. The mission of the Lord’s advent was restoration because “mourning” or spiritual disorder was touching even the highest celestial good. People were deprived of all truth.

Chapter Two

The church had become spiritually rigid and set in its spiritual errors. What brought about this spiritual condition? Their intention, as seen by the Lord, was to do evil. This intention was not only in their thoughts but also reigned in their hearts, their wills. The Lord cited this state as the main cause of the perversion of the church. “…there was no longer any use to teach” these things “except [to] those who obey.” When a church participates in evils of every kind, it will perish. The hearts of its people will not admit the light of truth to probe into their disorder. Only those who long to be part of the Lord’s new church will allow such light to “invade” their minds and hearts.

Chapter Three

A perverted church has to be destroyed. Why? Because it has destroyed all truths and goods even to the last things of the church. When that happens, the Lord does not hear its people and they do not hear the Lord. When the Word of the Lord and the doctrine from the Word are perverted, “sight” can no longer see or receive anything of truth and good.

As the church perverted all the truths and goods of the Word, its people deluded themselves with the belief that God was with them. Once again, the Lord revealed that this condition of mind and heart had to be destroyed.

Chapter Four

When the Lord makes His advent, a new church will be established. It will be formed out of the nations. There will be no falsity or evil in the new church. In place of falsity and evil, truths and goods “will flourish.” Those who were in externals from ignorance will be drawn into the church, and “truths and goods with them will grow.” The Lord promises that falsities will not enter and destroy His new church. Instead, falsities will be destroyed among those who steadfastly refused to obey.

Chapter Five

No matter how much hell wishes to oppose and infest the new church, the Lord who is “the God of the church…will gather the church together and teach those who are in it.” The Lord will utterly destroy reasonings from falsities. There will be salvation in the new church. In the church of the Jewish nation, there will be nothing but falsities of evil. This church will have no power over the Lord’s church. It will perish, and with it, all of its falsities and evils will be destroyed.

Chapter Six

The Lord offered every good to the Jewish church. He protected them. The church failed because they wanted to offer externals of worship. External worship was full of pomp and circumstance. That’s not what the Lord wanted. He wants internal worship. From internals, the life of truth and good is loved. The church had wandered off so far “they could not be brought back.” Punishments no longer worked. Therefore, this church “having been overthrown, should perish.”

Chapter Seven

We are given a summary of why the Jewish church was in the last time of its spiritual existence and what things would bring it to an end. First, there was total chaos going on in the church. Their falsities and evils were at war with one another. They also fought against the truths and goods of the Word. The Lord’s advent would establish a new church. That new church would be in the light of truth “from the Lord.” The old church would be destroyed. A new church will be established—gathered from every nation. It will be taught and led. Infernal things will be removed from it. The Divine compassion will be there (in the new church) as it was “from days of old,” as it was in the days of the Most Ancient Church. What was so special about the people of the Most Ancient Church? Their innocence, their complete trust in the Lord. They saw Him as the Divine Human; He walked and talked among them; everything within the garden spoke and testified of the value and validity of the Lord’s love and wisdom. In a nutshell, the Lord was visible and not invisible. What will be the hallmark of the Lord’s New Church? It will possess the gifts from the days of old!

To Introduction