AC 8443 - The Lord's Truth is SO MUCH

AC 8443

Truth Divine is not of one degree, but of many.
Truth Divine in the first degree,
and also in the second,
is that which proceeds immediately from the Lord;
this is above the angelic understanding.
But truth Divine in the third degree
is such as is in the inmost or third heaven;
this is such that it cannot in the least
be apprehended by a person.
Truth Divine in the fourth degree
is such as is in the middle or second heaven;
neither is this intelligible to a person.
But truth Divine in the fifth degree
is such as is in the ultimate or first heaven;
this can be perceived
in some small measure by a person
provided he is enlightened;
but still it is such that a great part of it
cannot be expressed by human words;
and when it falls into the ideas,
it produces the faculty of perceiving
and also of believing that the case is so.
But truth Divine in the sixth degree
is such as is with a person,
accommodated to his perception;
thus it is the sense of the letter of the Word.
This sense, or this truth,
is represented by the cloud,
and the interior truths
are represented by the glory in the cloud.
This is the reason why Jehovah (that is, the Lord)
so often appeared to Moses
and to the sons of Israel in a cloud
(see Exodus 24:15, 16; 40:34, 35; 1 Kings 8:10, 11;
Matthew 24:30; and other places).
The appearing of the Lord is by means of Divine truth,
and moreover is Divine truth.
That a "cloud" denotes truth
accommodated to the perception,
is from the representatives in the other life,
where angelic speech of the higher heavens
appears to those who are beneath as light,
and also as the brightness from light;
whereas the speech of the angels of a lower heaven
appears as a bright cloud,
in form various, and in density or rarity
 according to the quality of the truths.
From all this it can be seen
that by "the glory of Jehovah seen in the cloud"
is meant the presence of the Lord in truth
accommodated to the perception.