Apocalypse Revealed # 468
468. And his feet like pillars of fire. This symbolizes the Lord's Divinity on the natural plane in respect to His Divine love, which sustains all things.
This, too, is apparent, from the explanation in no. 49 above, where it is said of the Son of Man that "His feet were like fine brass, as though fired in a furnace."
The angel's feet looked like pillars of fire because the Lord's Divinity on the natural plane - which fundamentally is the Divine humanity that He took on in the world - supports His Divinity from eternity, as the body does the soul, and likewise as the Word's natural meaning supports its spiritual and celestial meanings, on which subject see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 27-49. To be shown that feet symbolize something natural, see no. 49, and a pillar something that supports, no. 191.
Fire symbolizes love because spiritual fire is nothing else. Therefore it is customary in worship to pray that heavenly fire, that is to say, heavenly love, may kindle the worshipers' hearts. People know that there is a correspondence between fire and love from the fact that a person grows warm with love, and cold with its loss. Nothing else produces vital warmth but love, in both senses. The origin of these correspondences is owing to the existence of two suns, one in the heavens, which is pure love, and the other in the world, which is nothing but fire. This, too, is the reason for the correspondence between all spiritual and natural things.
[2] Since fire symbolizes Divine love, therefore on Mount Horeb Jehovah appeared to Moses in a bush on fire (Exodus 3:1-3). Moreover He descended upon Mount Sinai in fire (Deuteronomy 4:36). For this reason, too, the seven lamps of the lampstand in the Tabernacle were lit every evening, so as to burn before Jehovah (Leviticus 24:2-4). For the same reason fire burned continually on the altar and was not extinguished (Leviticus 6:13), and the priests took fire from the altar in their censers and burned incense (Leviticus 16:12-13).
Therefore Jehovah went before the children of Israel by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21-22). Fire from heaven consumed the burnt offerings on the altar, as a sign of His being well pleased (Leviticus 9:24, 1 Kings 18:38). The burnt offerings were called offerings by fire to Jehovah, and offerings by fire for a restful aroma to Jehovah (Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9-11; 3:5, 16; 4:35; 5:12; 7:30; 21:6; Numbers 28:2; Deuteronomy 18:1).
Therefore in the book of Revelation the Lord's eyes looked like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14; 2:18; 19:12, cf. Daniel 10:5-6). And seven lamps of fire burned before the throne (Revelation 4:5).
It is apparent from this what lamps containing oil and lamps without oil symbolize (Matthew 25:1-11). The oil means fire, and thus love.
And so on in many other places.
In an opposite sense fire symbolizes hellish love, and this is plain from so many passages in the Word that it would be impossible to cite them all because of their number. See something on the subject in the book Heaven and Hell, published in London, nos. 566-575.
Numbers 28
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Command the children of Israel, and tell them, 'My offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to me, you shall observe to offer to me in their due season.'
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You shall tell them, 'This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: male lambs a year old without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
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You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening;
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with the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
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It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
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Its drink offering shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb. You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place.
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The other lamb you shall offer at evening: as the meal offering of the morning, and as the drink offering of it, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
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"'On the Sabbath day two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, and the drink offering of it:
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this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
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"'In the beginnings of your months you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;
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and three tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;
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and a tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb; for a burnt offering of a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
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Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
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One male goat for a sin offering to Yahweh; it shall be offered besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
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"'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh's Passover.
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On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
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In the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work;
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but you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, and one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; they shall be to you without blemish;
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and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil: you shall offer three tenth parts for a bull, and two tenth parts for the ram.
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You shall offer a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
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You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.
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In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: it shall be offered besides the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering of it.
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On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work.
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"'Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your [feast of] weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work;
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but you shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
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and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth parts for each bull, two tenth parts for the one ram,
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a tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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one male goat, to make atonement for you.
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Besides the continual burnt offering, and the meal offering of it, you shall offer them (they shall be to you without blemish), and their drink offerings.
