Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/232

the advent of heat which takes place its spring; because the heat then unites with light, the earth is softened, seeds sprout and bring forth fruit.

Such is the parallelism between the spiritual surroundings of man's spirit, and the natural surroundings of his body.

It is the same with the man of the church in the composite form, as it is with the individual man. Man in the composite form, is the church existent among many, while the individual man is the church existent in each one of those many.

It is written in many places that the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven: as in Matt. xxiv. 30; xxvi. 64; Mark xiv. 62; Luke xxi. 27; Rev. i. 7; xiv. 14; Dan. vii. 13. But as no one has hitherto known what is meant by the clouds of heaven, men have supposed that He would appear in them in Person.

Now since the Lord has opened to me the spiritual sense of the Word, and has granted me to be together with angels and spirits in their world as one of them, it is disclosed that the clouds of heaven mean the Word in its natural sense, and glory the Word in its spiritual sense; and that power means the Lord's power through the Word. That such is the signification of the clouds of heaven may be seen from many passages in the Word (see Isa. iv. 5; xix. 1; Ps. xviii. 10, 11; lxviii. 34).