37. And every eye shall see Him, signifies that all will acknowledge Him who are in truths from good. This is evident from the signification of "seeing," as being to understand, to perceive, and to acknowledge (See Arcana Coelestia 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 3869, 4723, 10705); and from the signification of "eye," as being understanding and faith (See Arcana Coelestia 2701, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569); thus such as are in truths from good, for these are in faith and thence in understanding. That the "eye" signifies understanding and faith, is from correspondence; for understanding is internal sight, and it is internal sight that sees by means of the eye, for that sight determines the eye to objects and disposes its interior parts, which are many, for reception. It is in consequence of this that the iris and pupil seem now dilated, now contracted, now obscure, now bright and sometimes sparkling, altogether in agreement with the desire and want of the understanding. Therefore, to some extent, the affection of the thought can be seen from the eyes. It is from this correspondence that the eye signifies the understanding. The eye also signifies faith, because truths of faith have no other abode than the understanding; truths that do not abide there are not in the man (See Doctrine of the New Jerusalem,n. 28-36). The "eye" is, in the spiritual sense, faith, also because of the angels looking to the Lord; for angels turn their faces continually to the Lord, and see Him by faith and understanding. (On which turning, see the work on Heaven and Hell 123, 142, 143, 145, 151, 153, 255, 272, 510)

8781. 'Behold, I am coming to you in the thickness of a cloud' means that it will be made in a form utterly natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming to you' - when said by Jehovah to Moses, who represents the truth from God which the spiritual Church possesses, 8760 - as revelation; and from the meaning of 'the thickness of a cloud' as in a form utterly natural, like that in which the Old Testament Word exists in the letter. For the meaning of 'a cloud' as the Word in the letter, see preface to Genesis 18, and 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343 (end), 6752, 8106, 8443. 'Thickness' means dimness, such as that of a person's thought when it is lit solely by the inferior light of the senses, that is, by wholly natural light. It was in dimness such as this that the descendants of Jacob at that time thought about the Divine, and also that the Jews at the present day think about Him; for the Divine cannot be seen by anyone except in ways that are in keeping with his state of life and consequent discernment. So it is that heavenly light cannot be seen by those ruled by self-love and love of the world, which that nation more than others was ruled by, except as 'the thickness of a cloud'. The letter of the Word, especially the prophetical part, is nothing else in contrast to its internal sense. In its internal sense light exists such as may be compared to the light of the sun on top of clouds, the light which in the Word is called 'the glory'. This also explains why the Word says that Jehovah is carried on top of the clouds, rides above the clouds, flies above them, has His triclinium ¹ above them, that the Lord is going to come in the clouds of heaven, and many more statements like these, which would never have been made to describe Jehovah, that is, the Lord, unless they had meant the bright light of truth in which He is present in heaven, and 'clouds' had meant a shadowy light of truth in which those below heaven see.

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