To "meet" someone can be positive or negative: it can be a welcoming and greeting, or it can be "meeting" them in battle. Both meanings are reflected in the internal sense of the Bible. In positive meetings between people, "meeting" represents a joining and communication between the spiritual states the people represent. In negative ones, however -- and especially in cases where the Lord is pictured as meeting someone -- it stands for opposition between the states. It's worth noting here that according to the Writings the Lord never actually opposes anyone. The Lord is love itself, and He is continually loving everyone and willing them to be good and move toward heaven. But when people reject His love and move away, it creates the appearance that He is opposing them, despite the fact that His attitude and stance toward all of us never changes.

In Genesis 14:17, this signifies to submit oneself. (Arcana Coelestia 1721)

In Genesis 19:1, this signifies acknowledgment, and also the effect that love for others has. (Arcana Coelestia 2326)

In Genesis 24:65, this signifies for the purpose of union. (Arcana Coelestia 3205)

In Genesis 29:13, this signifies agreement which unites. (Arcana Coelestia 3806)

In Genesis 32:6, this signifies that the good of love flowing into truth. (Arcana Coelestia 4247)

In Exodus 4:14, this signifies reception or to come prepared to receive divine truth. (Arcana Coelestia 7000)

1521. CHAPTER 13

THE LIGHT IN WHICH ANGELS ARE LIVING

Many experiences have made it quite clear to me that spirits and angels possess all of the senses except taste, and that these are far keener and more perfect than man's ever are. Not only do angels see and form relationships with one another, experiencing as they do so supreme happiness resulting from mutual love; there are also more things which they see in their world than man can ever believe. The world of spirits and the heavens are full of representative phenomena like those seen by the prophets, and so many in number that if a person's sight were opened to behold them just for a few hours he would inevitably be dumbfounded. The light in heaven is such as to be unbelievably superior to the light in the physical world at midday. Yet no light from this world reaches those who are in heaven since they are above or within the sphere where that light shines; instead they have Light from the Lord, who is their Sun. To angels even the midday light of the world is like pitch darkness, and when they are allowed to peer at the light, it is as though they were peering into sheer darkness, as I have been given to know from experience. From this it becomes clear how different the light of heaven is from the light of the world.