4809. When the Son of man shall come in His glory; signifies when the Divine truth shall appear in its light, which takes place with every man when he dies, for he then comes into the light of heaven, in which he can perceive what is true and good, and hence what is his quality. The "Son of man," in the internal sense of the Word, is the Lord as to Divine truth, thus is the Divine truth which is from the Lord. "Glory" is the intelligence and wisdom thence derived, which appear as light, and before the angels as the resplendence of light. This resplendence of light, in which are wisdom and intelligence derived from the Divine truth which is from the Lord, is what in the Word is called "glory." (That the "Son of man" in the internal sense is the Divine truth, may be seen n. 2159, 2803, 2813, 3704.) [2] And all the holy angels with Him;
signifies the angelic heaven. The "holy angels" are the truths which are from the Lord's Divine good; for by "angels" in the Word are not meant angels, but those things which are from the Lord (see n. 1925, 4085); for the angels are recipients of the life of truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine good, and insofar as they receive, so far they are angels. From this it is plain that "angels" are these truths. As the subject here treated of is the state of everyone after death, and the judgment of everyone according to his life, it is said that all the holy angels will be with Him; and by this is signified that the judgment will be effected by means of heaven; for all influx of Divine truth takes place through heaven, and immediate influx can be received by no one. [3] Then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; signifies the Judgment, for a "throne" is predicated of the Lord's royalty, and the Lord's royalty is the Divine truth (n. 1728, 2015, 3009, 3670), and the Divine truth is that from which and according to which is the Judgment. [4] And before Him shall be gathered all nations;
signifies that the goods and evils of all will be made manifest; for by "nations" in the internal sense of the Word are signified goods, and in the opposite sense evils (n. 1259, 1260, 1416, 2588, 4574); thus that goods and evils will appear in Divine light, that is, in light from the Divine truth, is signified by all nations being gathered before Him. [5] And He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats;
signifies the separation of good from evil; for the "sheep" are they who are in good, and the "goats" they who are in evil. They are properly called "sheep" who are in charity and thence in faith, and they "goats" who are in faith and not in charity-both being here treated of. That "sheep" are they who are in charity and thence in faith, may be seen above (n. 2088, 4169), and "goats" they who are in faith and not in charity (n. 4769). [6] And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left;
signifies separation according to truths from good, and according to falsities from evil. In the other life they who are in truths from good actually appear to the right, and they who are in falsities from evil to the left. Hence to be set on the right hand and on the left, is to be set in order according to the life.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church