541. And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well.- That this signifies that the light of truth from the Lord was made thick darkness by infernal falsities, is evident from the signification of the sun and the air being darkened, as denoting the light of truth from the Lord becoming thick darkness, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of by reason of the smoke of the well, which denotes by dense falsities from hell, thus by infernal falsities. That smoke signifies dense falsities, and that the well of the abyss signifies the hells where and whence they are, may be seen above (n. 536-539). The darkening of the sun and the air signifies the light of truth from the Lord becoming thick darkness, because the Lord in the angelic heaven is the Sun, and the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord as the Sun, produces all the light there, and enlightens both the sight and understanding of the angels; when therefore that Sun is obscured there, the light of truth from the Lord, becomes thick darkness; falsities from hell are what cause the obscuration. From the light of heaven turned to thick darkness by the falsities of evil, comes all denial of the Divine and of Divine things by those who are merely natural; for they look at Divine things in thick darkness, and therefore they see them as thick darkness, and deny them. When also the light of heaven flows into those who are in falsities of evil, it actually becomes thick darkness in the spiritual world. For this reason the evil not only do not see and understand spiritual things, that is, those things that are of heaven and the church, but they also in heart deny them. That the Lord in the angelic heaven appears as a sun, and that the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, causes all the light of heaven, thus all the intelligence and wisdom which the angels have, may be seen in Heaven and Hell (n.116-125, 125, and n. 126-140). It is said that the air also was obscured, because the light of truth is meant, for the air shines with light from the sun. The same is signified by skies in David:
"Thy mercy, O Jehovah, is in the heavens; and thy truth is even unto the skies" (Psalm xxxvi. 5; lvii. 10; cviii. 4).
Mercy signifies the Divine Good of the Divine Love, and truth the Divine Truth, and because Divine Truth is the light of heaven, as just stated, therefore it is said, "Thy truth is even unto the skies." Skies therefore in the plural signify the Divine Light even to the highest heaven, where it is in the highest degree. Similar things are signified by skies in Psalm lxxvii. 18; Psalm lxxviii. 23, 24.
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