8814. 'And a heavy cloud on the mountain' means the Divine state in relation to those about to receive. This is clear from the meaning of 'a cloud' as truth adjusted for those about to receive, that is, the Word in the letter, dealt with in 8443, 8781, at this point God's truth adjusted for the people descended from Jacob. Because they were in great darkness so far as God's truths were concerned, 'a heavy cloud' is spoken of here, 'in the thickness of a cloud' above in verse 9, and the smoke of the fire 'like the smoke of a furnace' in verse 18 below. How much darkness they were in may be recognized from what has been mentioned above regarding that nation in 8788, and also from the consideration that things involving the internal man were not revealed to them, only those involving the external. For they did not apprehend or have any wish to apprehend internal things, because these were contrary to their kinds of love, which were that they should be highest of all in the world and also richest of all, and that all nations elsewhere should be as nothing in comparison with themselves. Where these kinds of love prevail heavenly kinds cannot be received, for the former snuff out and smother the latter. This is the reason why Jehovah, that is, the Lord, appeared to them in a dense and heavy cloud. A similar situation exists in the next life, where those steeped in falsities arising from evil are surrounded by a dense, black cloud, how dense and black being determined by the nature and amount of the falsities. This sight appears before the eyes of everyone there; even so, the sun there is shining constantly. Regarding these matters, see what has been stated already in 6832, 8137, 8138. Ordinarily the Divine appears in the next life to everyone according to the nature of their faith and love.

8802. 'When there is a long sounding with the jobel'' means those who have a general perception of celestial good. This is clear from the meaning of 'when there is a long sounding with the jobel', or what amounts to the same thing, 'when the sound of the trumpet is heard', as a general perception of celestial good; for 'being heard' means perception, 5017, 8361, and 'the jobel' or 'the sound of the trumpet' means celestial good. The reason why 'the sound of the trumpet' or 'the jobel' means celestial good is that by virtue of the sounds they make musical instruments correspond to affections for truth or affections for good, stringed instruments corresponding to affections for truth, and wind to affections for good, 418 420, 4138, 8337. Being a wind instrument, a loud sounding one, the trumpet corresponded to an affection for celestial good, which also was why a jubilee, which represented the marriage of goodness and truth in the inmost heaven, took its name from it. So it is that 'a long sounding with the jobel' means those who have a general perception of celestial good.

[2] The words 'those who have a general perception of celestial good' are used to mean the intermediaries who are positioned between the Lord's celestial kingdom and His spiritual kingdom, and who are therefore those through whom influx, communication, and joining together are accomplished, see just above in 8787, 8796. They have extension all the way into celestial communities, meant by the words 'they shall go up into the mountain'. These intermediaries are represented by 'Moses', 8787, and also by 'Aaron', who were allowed to go up into the mountain, verse 24 below. What extension into the spheres of angelic communities is, and that the nature of each person's extension is determined by his good, see above in 8794. A general perception exists with those who are governed by spiritual good and are able to receive a general influx of good from a higher heaven, in this instance the inmost heaven. Such are meant by those who shall go up [into] the mountain when the jobel is heard.