76. (Verse 17) And when I saw him. That this signifies the presence of the Divine majesty, is evident from those things which precede concerning the Son of man, which all pertain to the Divine majesty, as is clear from the explanation of them in the internal sense. As, that He was clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle, by which is signified that Divine truth and Divine good proceed from Him; that His head and His hairs were white, as white wool, as snow, by which is signified the Divine in primaries and in ultimates; that His feet were like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace, by which is signified that His Human, even in ultimates, was full of Divine love; that His voice was as the voice of many waters, by which is signified that all Divine truth is from Him; that He had in His right hand seven stars, by which is signified that thence are all the goods and truths of heaven and of the church; that out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, by which is signified that by Him all falsities are dispersed; that His face was as the sun shineth in His power, by which is signified that from His Divine love were all things of heaven; that these things are Divine, and were seen full of Divine majesty, is clear.

[2] That to see, in this place, signifies the presence of those things, and now the inmost presence, is evident from its being also said before that he saw those things (verse 12), from which sight also they are described; and that now again it is said, I saw Him; and that from this vision he fell at His feet as dead. This is why by seeing is here signified the presence of the Divine majesty; this presence was granted to John, when he saw His face as the sun in his power, for therefrom he was enlightened and filled with astonishment on account of the Divine; for from the Lord, as a Sun, is all Divine light; and Divine light passes into the interiors; such therefore as is the Divine presence, such also is the impletion (as is evident from what is adduced in the work, Heaven and Hell, respecting the Lord as a sun, n. 116-225; respecting the light and heat thence in heaven, n. 126-140; and respecting turning to Him, n. 17, 123, 144, 145, 151, 255, 272, 510, 548, 561). Moreover it must be observed that man has two forms of seeing, one from thought-faith, and the other from love. Whilst he sees only from thought-faith, his seeing is without astonishment on account of the Divine majesty; but when the seeing is from love, then it is attended with astonishment at the Divine majesty; the reason being that it is then turned to Him, for love turns it, but thought-faith without love does not (as is evident from the passages above quoted concerning turning to the Lord, from the work, Heaven and Hell). That this is the case is very well known in the spiritual world. It is therefore clear that by "I saw him," the second time, is signified the presence of the Divine majesty.