Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 83“Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetical Word;“a bright cloud overshadowed them,” because “a bright cloud”signifies the Word in the letter within which is the internal sense;“a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved son, in whom Iam well pleased, hear ye him,” because “a voice out of the cloud”signifies Divine truth out of the Word, and “beloved son,” theLord’s Divine human. And because Divine truth is from him, andthence all truth of the church, it was said out of the cloud, “inwhom I am well pleased, hear ye him.”[3] It was plainly the Divine human of the Lord that was thusseen, for the Divine itself cannot be seen by anyone, except throughthe Divine human. This the Lord also teaches in John:No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten son, whichis in the bosom of the Father, he hath brought him forth to view (John1:18).Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seenhis shape (John 5:37).(That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists,can be seen in Arcana Coelestia where the particulars are madeknown, namely, that by “Peter,” “James,” and “John,” in theWord, are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n.3750, and above, n. 8–9; by “high mountain” is signified heaven,n. 8327, 8805, 9420, 9422, 9434, 10608; by “face,” the interiorswhich are of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102,9306, 9546; and by “the face of the Lord,” mercy, peace, and everygood, n. 222, 223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; by “the sun,” DivineLove, n. 2495, 4060, 7083; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 116–125;by “garments,” when the Lord is treated of, Divine truth, n. 9212,9216; and the like by “light,” n. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399,9548, 9684; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 126–140. That “Mosesand Elias” signify the Word; “Moses,” see Arcana Coelestia, n.5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372,10234; and “Elias,” see n. 2762, 5247. That “clouds” signify theWord in the letter, see above, n. 36; that “beloved Son” is theDivine human of the Lord is evident.) From the fact that the