The sun in the Bible represents the Lord, with its heat representing His love and its light representing His wisdom. “Daytime,” then, represents a state in which we are turned toward the Lord, receiving His love and being enlightened by His truth. And “nighttime,” obviously, represents states in which we are turned away from the Lord, left cold and blind to the truth. The most common word used for it in the New Christian theology is “obscurity.” The darkness is not absolute, of course. The light of the moon represents the understanding we can have based on facts and our own intelligence. But while the moon reflects some of the sun's light, it offers almost no heat, so this kind of understanding is a cold one, without the warmth of love. And at its darkest and coldest, night represents a state of judgment. This happens when a person -- or a church -- becomes so mired in evil and falsity that there is no light or heat. The Lord can then step in, separate the good from the evil, consign the evil to hell and begin rebuilding based on the remnant that is still good. Drastic as that sounds, it is something that we all go through repeatedly in various aspects of our loves, so that we can be rid of what is evil and let the Lord rebuild us as angels.

8102. Further explanation of these matters can be dispensed with since they have been explained before, at Genesis 50:24-25, where similar words occur, see 6590, 6592.

8102a Verses 20-22 And they travelled from Succoth and encamped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And Jehovah went before them during the daytime in a pillar of cloud to lead them [along] the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and by night. The pillar of cloud during the daytime and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

'And they travelled from Succoth and encamped in Etham' means the second state after they were delivered. 'On the edge of the wilderness' means the first state of temptations. 'And Jehovah went before them' means the Lord's constant presence. 'During the daytime in a pillar of cloud' means that when there was a state of enlightenment, this was moderated by a dimming of truth. 'To lead them [along] the way' means Divine guidance. 'And by night in a pillar of fire to give them light' means that when there was a state of dimness, this was moderated by enlightenment from good. 'So as to go by day and by night' means thus life in both states. 'The pillar of cloud during the daytime and the pillar of fire by night, did not depart from before the people' means the Lord's presence, that it was unceasing.