40. There were certain spirits who knew from heaven, that on a time a promise was made to the spirits of the earth Mercury, that they should see the Lord; wherefore they were asked by the spirits about me whether they recollected that promise. They said that they did recollect it; but that they did not know whether it had been promised in such a way as to be beyond doubt. Whilst they were thus discoursing together, the sun of heaven then appeared to them. The sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is seen only by those who are in the inmost or third heaven; others see the light thence derived. On seeing the sun, they said that this was not the Lord God, because they did not see a face. Meanwhile the spirits discoursed with each other, but I did not hear what they said. But suddenly, the sun again appeared, and in the midst of it the Lord, encompassed with a solar circle: on seeing this the spirits of Mercury humbled themselves profoundly and subsided. Then also the Lord, from that sun, appeared to the spirits of this earth, who, when they were men, saw Him in the world; and they all, one after another, and thus many in order, confessed that it was the Lord Himself. This confession they made before all the company. Then also the Lord, out of the sun, appeared to the spirits of the planet Jupiter, who declared aloud that it was He Himself whom they had seen on their earth when the God of the universe appeared to them.# # The Lord is the sun of heaven, from whom is all light there (n. 1053, 3636, 4060). And the Lord thus appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom, where love to Him reigns (n. 1521, 1529-1531, 1837, 4696). He appears at a middle distance above the plane of the right eye (n. 4321, 7078). Therefore by "sun" in the word is signified the Lord as to Divine love (n. 2495, 4060, 7083). The sun of this world does not appear to spirits and angels, but in the place thereof there appears somewhat as it were darkish, not in front, but behind and opposite to the sun of heaven, or to the Lord (n. 9755).