642. 14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man. This symbolizes the Lord in relation to the Word.

A cloud symbolizes the Word in its literal sense, and a white cloud the Word in its literal sense as to what it is like interiorly. And the Son of Man means the Lord in relation to the Word. Therefore we are told that on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man.

That a cloud symbolizes the Word in respect to its literal sense may be seen in nos. 24, 513 above. A white cloud symbolizes the literal sense of the Word as to what it is like interiorly because whiteness is predicated of truths in a state of light (nos. 167, 367), and the literal sense has interiorly within it spiritual truths, which appear in the light of heaven. That the Son of Man means the Lord in relation to the Word may be seen in no. 44 above, and confirmed by numerous proofs in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 19-28.

[2] The Lord often said that His disciples would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. He said this in Matthew 24:30; 26:64, Mark 14:61-62, Luke 21:27, and no one knows that this symbolically means anything else than that when He comes to execute judgment He will appear on clouds in the sky. But this is not what it means. Rather it means that when He comes to judge, He will appear in the literal sense of the Word; and because He has now come, He has appeared therefore in the Word by revealing the existence of a spiritual meaning in every particular of the Word's literal sense, having the Lord alone in it as its subject, teaching that He alone is God of heaven and earth.

This is what is meant by the Lord's coming on the clouds of heaven.

That every particular of the Word's literal sense has in it a spiritual meaning, that this has the Lord alone in it as its subject, and that He alone is God of heaven and earth, is something we have shown in two Doctrines of the New Jerusalem - The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, and The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture.

[3] Because the Lord's coming on the clouds of heaven means His coming in His Word, at a time when He is ready to execute judgment, and because this is the subject of the book of Revelation, therefore we are told there, "Behold, He is coming with clouds" (Revelation 1:7). And in the present verse, "I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man."

Moreover, in The Acts of the Apostles we are told:

...while they watched, (Jesus) was taken up (into heaven), and a cloud received Him out of their sight... And... two men... in white apparel... said, ."..This same Jesus, who was taken up... into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts of the Apostles 1:9-11)

A cloud symbolizes the Word's literal sense because that sense is natural, and in the sight of angels, whose light is a spiritual light, Divine truth in natural light appears as a cloud - as a white cloud in the case of people who possess genuine truths from the Word's literal sense, as a dark cloud in the case of people who lack genuine truths, as a black cloud in the case of people caught up in falsities, and as a black cloud combined with fire in the case of people caught up in a faith divorced from charity, because they are engaged in evil practices. I have witnessed it.

97. It should be known, moreover, that the Word’s literal sense is a protection for the genuine truths that lie concealed within. The literal sense is a protection in that it can be turned this way and that and explained in accord with a person’s comprehension, and yet without the inner meaning’s being harmed or violated. For it does no harm if the Word’s literal sense is interpreted in one way by one person, and in another way by another person. But it does do harm if the Divine truths that lie concealed within are perverted; for this does violence to the Word.

This is guarded against by the literal sense. And it is guarded against among people who, owing to their religion, are caught up in falsities, but do not affirm those falsities, for they do not do any violence.

[2] This protection is symbolized by cherubim in the Word, and described by them, too.

It is symbolized by the cherubim that were placed at the entrance to the garden of Eden after Adam and his wife were cast out, about which we read the following:

(When Jehovah God) drove out the man..., He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword turning hither and thither, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23-24)

The cherubim symbolize protection. The way to the tree of life symbolizes an entryway to the Lord, which people have through the Word. The flaming sword turning hither and thither symbolizes Divine truth in outmost expressions, which, like the literal sense of the Word, can be turned in this way.

[3] Protection is likewise meant by the cherubim of gold placed at the two ends of the mercy seat on top of the ark in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-21). Because this is what the cherubim symbolized, therefore the Lord spoke with Moses from between them (Exodus 25:22, 30:6, 33:9, Numbers 7:89). It may be seen in nos. 37-49 above that the Lord speaks with a person only in fullness, and that the Word in its literal sense is Divine truth in its fullness; thus the Lord accordingly spoke with Moses from between cherubim.

Nor is anything else symbolized by the cherubim on the curtains and veil of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1, 31). For the curtains and veil of the Tabernacle represented the outmost constituents of heaven and the church, and so also those of the Word (see no. 46 above).

Nor is anything else symbolized by the cherubim inside the Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:23-28). And by the cherubim carved on the walls and doors of the Temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35). Likewise by the cherubim in the new temple (Ezekiel 41:18-20). (See also no. 47 above.)

[4] Since cherubim symbolize a protection to keep the Lord, heaven, and the Divine truth contained in the Word from being approached directly, so that they must be approached indirectly through outmost expressions, therefore we are told regarding the king of Tyre the following:

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering.... You, O cherub, spread out a covering.... I destroyed you, O covering cherub, in the midst of stones of fire. (Ezekiel 28:12-14, 16)

Tyre symbolizes the church with respect to its concepts of truth and goodness, and its king accordingly symbolizes the Word which contains and is the source of those concepts. It is apparent that the Word here is symbolized as it is in its outmost expression, namely its literal sense, and its protection by a cherub; for the text says, “You were the seal of perfection, ” “every precious stone was your covering, ” and “You, O cherub, spread out a covering, ” including as well the phrase, “O covering cherub.” The precious stones listed here also mean truths in the Word’s literal sense, as may be seen in no. 45 above.

Since cherubim symbolize the outmost expression of Divine truth set as a protection, therefore we are told in the Psalms of David,

He bowed the heavens and came down..., and He rode upon a cherub.... (Psalms 18:9-10)

O Shepherd of Israel..., You who sit upon the cherubim, shine forth! (Psalms 80:1)

Jehovah...is seated upon the cherubim. (Psalms 99:1)

To ride upon cherubim, to sit on them and be seated on them, is to do so on the outmost sense of the Word.

[5] Divine truth and its character are described in the Word by cherubim in the first and ninth chapters in Ezekiel, and in the tenth. But because no one can know what the particulars in the description of them symbolize, unless he is someone for whom the spiritual sense has been laid open, therefore I have had disclosed to me what everything said about the cherubim in the first chapter in Ezekiel symbolizes, which in brief is as follows:

Verse 4: The Divine atmosphere surrounding the Word is described.

Verse 5: This represented as having the likeness of a man.

Verse 6: Its conjunction with spiritual and celestial elements.

Verse 7: The nature of the natural component of the Word.

Verses 8-9: The spiritual and celestial components of the Word conjoined with its natural one; their character.

Verses 10-11: The Divine love accompanying the celestial, spiritual and natural goodness and truth present in the Word, separately and together.

Verse 12: They look in one direction.

Verses 13-14: The atmosphere of the Word emanating from the Lord’s Divine goodness and Divine truth, which give the Word life.

Verses 15-21: The doctrine of goodness and truth found in the Word and emanating from the Word.

Verses 22-23: The Divinity of the Lord above the Word and in it.

Verses 24-25: And emanating from it.

Verse 26: The Lord’s being above the heavens.

Verses 27-28: And His possessing Divine love and Divine wisdom.

I have, moreover, compared these summaries with the Word in heaven and found them to be in conformity with it.