1844. 'In a land that is not theirs' means where there will be a Church which does not so to speak consist of people in whom charity and faith are present. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as the Church, dealt with in 566, 662, 1066, 1068. At the present day people speak of doctrinal matters of faith, these alone, as the things which make the Church; and it is on the basis of these that they distinguish the Lord's Churches from one another. They are not concerned about the kind of life people lead, whether or not they foment inner hatred and like wild animals tear one another apart, violently rob one another, deprive one another of reputation, position, and wealth, and at heart deny whatever is holy. The Church however does not exist in any way with people who are like this but with those who love the Lord and their neighbour as themselves, who have conscience, and who turn away from the kinds of hatred that have been mentioned. When the latter with whom the Church in fact exists are among the others described above they are like 'strangers', and they are subjected by these others to every possible insult and persecution, or are regarded by them as being simple, insignificant, and worthless. This then is what is meant by 'your seed will be strangers in the land'.