642. Verse 14. And I saw, and, behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like unto the Son of man, signifies the Lord as to the Word. By "a cloud" is signified the Word in the sense of the letter, and by "a white cloud" the Word in the sense of the letter such as it is interiorly; and by "the Son of man" is meant the Lord as to the Word; therefore it is said, "on the cloud One sitting like the Son of man." That by "a cloud" the Word is signified as to the sense of the letter, see above (n. 24, 513). The reason why "white cloud" signifies the sense of the letter of the Word such as it is interiorly, is because "white" is predicated of truths in the light (n. 167, 367), and interiorly in the sense of the letter there are spiritual truths, which are in the light of heaven. That by "the Son of man" is meant the Lord as to the Word, see above (n. 44). The same is also abundantly proved in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord (n. 19-28).* [2] The Lord frequently said:
That they should see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven (as in Matt. 16:27; 24:30; 26:64; Mark 14:61-62; Luke 21:27; 22:69).
And no one knows that it has any other signification than that when He comes to judgment, He will appear in the clouds of heaven; but this is not meant, for the meaning is that when He comes to judgment, He will appear in the sense of the letter of the Word. And because He has come now, He has therefore appeared in the Word by revealing that there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the literal sense of the Word; that in it He alone is treated of; and that He alone is the God of heaven and earth. These are the things that are meant by His coming in the clouds of heaven. That there is a spiritual sense in every particular of the sense of the letter of the Word, and that in it the Lord alone is treated of, and that He alone is the God of heaven and earth, is shown in the two Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, one concerning the Lord, and the other concerning the Sacred Scripture. [3] Since by "the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven" is meant His coming in His Word, and this at the time when He is to execute judgment, and this being what Revelation treats of, therefore it is said:
Behold, He cometh with clouds (Rev. 1:7).
And here:
I saw, and, behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sitting like the Son of man (Rev. 14:14).
And in the Acts of the Apostles:
While they beheld, Jesus was taken up into heaven, and a cloud received Him from their eyes; and two men in white raiment said, This Jesus, who is taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him going into heaven (Acts 1:9, 11).
By "a cloud" is signified the sense of the letter of the Word, because that sense is natural, and Divine truth in natural light appears as a cloud before the eyes of angels who are in spiritual light; as a white cloud with those who are in genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, as a dark cloud with those who are not in genuine truths, as a black cloud with those who are in falsities, and as a black cloud mingled with fire with those who are in faith separated from charity, because in evils of life. I have seen it.
* The original Latin has "Scripture."