70. The reason why the feet are said to be like unto fine brass is, that by fine brass is meant brass polished and shining, like something fiery; and brass in the Word signifies natural good. Metals, like all other things in the Word, are significative. Gold in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; silver signifies its truth, which is spiritual good; brass natural good, which is ultimate good, and iron its truth, which is natural truth. That such things are signified by metals, is from correspondence; for many things are seen in heaven shining like gold and silver, and also many things shining like brass and iron. And it is there known, that by those things are signified the above-mentioned kinds of good and truth; this is why the ancients, who were in the knowledge of correspondences, named the ages after those metals. The first age they called the golden age, because innocence, love and wisdom therefrom, then reigned; but the second age they called the silver age, because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom, then reigned; the third age they called the brazen, or copper, age, because only natural good, which is what is just and sincere pertaining to moral life, then reigned; but the last age they called the iron age, because only truth without good then reigned, and when that reigns, then also falsity reigns. The reason why the ages were thus distinguished, was from the spiritual signification of those metals.

[2] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, seen in his dream,

"whose head was of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (Dan. 2:32, 33).

The state of the church from its first time to its last as to good and truth, is here signified; its last time was when the Lord came into the world.

When it is known that gold signifies celestial good, silver spiritual good, brass natural good, and iron natural truth, many arcana in the Word where those metals are mentioned can be known. For example, what is signified by these words in Isaiah:

"For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice" (60:17).

[3] But as the signification of brass is what is here treated of, as being natural good, it is necessary only to adduce a few passages where brass is mentioned and signifies that good. Thus in Moses:

"Asher acceptable to his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil; iron and brass thy shoe, and as thy day, thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

Asher, as one of the tribes, signifies the happiness of life, and the delight of the affections (see Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408); to dip the foot in oil signifies natural delight (that oil denotes delight, see n. 9954, and that the foot denotes the Natural, see above, n. 69); the shoe being iron and brass signifies the lowest Natural derived from truth and good, shoe denoting the lowest Natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844); iron is its truth, and brass its good, as above. Again,

"Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a rich land; a land out of whose stones thou shalt cut iron, and out of whose mountains brass" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9).

And in Jeremiah:

"I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee, and not prevail over thee" (15:20).

And in Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, they were thy merchants; with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave thy merchandise" (27:13).

In this chapter the merchandises of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth. By the names Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, are signified those things that pertain to good and truth, to which the knowledges relate; the soul of man denotes the truth of life; vessels of brass denote scientifics of natural good.

[4] (What is signified by Tyre, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1201; what by merchandises, n. 2967, 4453; what by Tubal and Mesech, n. 1151; what by Javan, n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the soul of man, n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by vessels, n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.)

Again, in the same prophet:

The feet of the cherubs "shone like the appearance of polished brass" (1:7).

(What the cherubs and the feet signify, may be seen above, n. 69.) And in the same prophet:

"I saw, and, lo, a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a thread of flax in his hands; he stood in the gate" (40:3).

Because the angel here mentioned measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, his appearance was seen to be the appearance of brass.

He who knows that brass signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, may in some measure understand why the altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the gate round it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exodus 27:1-4), also why the great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47). He who knows what brass signifies, can also enter into the arcanum why a serpent of brass was commanded to be set up for the people to look at, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

"Jehovah sent serpents among the people, which bit the people. And he said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he hath looked upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that when a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers 21:6, 8, 9).

That the Lord was signified by that serpent, He himself teaches in John:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3:14, 15).

By the serpent is signified the ultimate of life in man, which is called the external Sensual, which is natural. To represent this ultimate, which in the Lord was Divine, among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative, a serpent of brass was made; and the signification was, that, if they looked to the Divine Human of the Lord, they would revive, that is, if they believed in Him, they should have eternal life, as the Lord himself also teaches. (That to see in the spiritual sense is to believe, may be seen above, n. 37, 68; and that a serpent denotes the external Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man, see Arcana Coelestia 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That brass and iron in the Word also signify what is hard, as in Isaiah 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and other places, will be seen in the following pages.

36. (Verse 7) Behold, he cometh with clouds. That this signifies, that the Lord is about to reveal Himself in the Word by means of the internal sense, is evident from the signification of coming, when (spoken) of the Lord, as being to reveal Himself; and from the signification of clouds, as being Divine truths in ultimates, thus the Word in the letter; for the Word as to the literal sense, is Divine truth in ultimates; and because everything there contains an internal or spiritual sense, to come with clouds, denotes that the Lord will reveal Himself by means of that sense. That clouds signify Divine truths in ultimate, is from appearances in the spiritual world. There, clouds appear in varied light; in the inmost or third heaven in flaming light, in the middle or second heaven white light, and in the ultimate or first heaven in a somewhat duller light. Every one there knows that clouds signify Divine truth from the Lord passing through the angels; for when the Divine truth going forth from the Lord, which is itself the light of heaven, passes through the angels, it appears as a cloud, rarer or denser according to their intelligence. I have frequently seen such clouds, and I also perceived what they signified. This is why clouds, such as those seen by men in the world, signify Divine truth in ultimates; and because the Word in the letter is Divine truth in ultimates, such is the signification of clouds.

[2] He who does not know that clouds have this signification, may suppose that the Lord will come for the Last Judgment in clouds, and appear in glory, according to His words in the Evangelists, where He says:

"Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and much glory" (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).

The consummation of the age, which is the subject there treated of, is the last time of the church; and the coming of the Lord at that time is the revelation of Himself, and of the Divine Truth which is from Him, in the Word, by means of the internal sense. The Lord reveals Himself only in the Word, and by means of the internal sense. Power and glory also signify the Word in the internal sense. (That this is fulfilled at this day, namely, that the age is consummated, and the Last Judgment accomplished; and also that the Lord has come in the clouds of heaven, that is, has revealed the internal sense of the Word, may be seen in the small work, The Last Judgment, from the beginning to the end; and also in the work, Heaven and Hell 1; as well as in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 249-266. That the consummation of the age signifies the last time of the church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 4535, 10622. That the coming of the Lord is the revelation of Divine truth by means of the internal sense, see n. 3900, 4060; that clouds signify the sense of the letter of the Word, see n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574; that glory signifies Divine truth in heaven, thus the internal sense, because this is Divine truth in heaven, see n. 5922, 9429, 10574. The reason why the Lord is said to come in power is, because all power belongs to Divine truth which is from the Lord, see the work, Heaven and Hell 228-233, 539.) The same is meant by the words of the Lord to the chief priest:

"Jesus said" to the chief priest, "Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62).

The Son of man is the Lord as to Divine truth. To sit at the right hand of power, denotes His omnipotence; to come in the clouds of heaven, denotes revelation of Divine truth concerning Himself in the Word; for He has revealed Himself, and has also fulfilled all things that are contained in the internal sense, which treats especially of the glorification of His Human.

[3] The same is signified by clouds in the following passages. In Daniel:

"I saw in the visions of the night, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven" (7:13).

In the Apocalypse: "I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a crown" (14:14, 16).

In Isaiah: "Behold, Jehovah sitting upon a light cloud" (19:1).

In David: "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name, extol him that rideth upon the clouds" (Psalm 68:4).

And again: "Jehovah maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 104:3).

Who cannot see that these things are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, namely, that Jehovah sits on a cloud, that He rides upon the clouds, and that He makes the clouds His chariot? He who thinks spiritually may know that Jehovah is in His Divine truth, for this proceeds from Him, consequently that this is meant there by clouds; therefore it is said, that Jehovah makes the clouds His chariot; for by chariot is signified the doctrine of truth (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2762, 5321, 8215).

[4] Similarly in the following places:

In Isaiah: "Drop down ye heavens from above, and ye higher clouds [pour out] justice" (45:8).

In Nahum: "The way of Jehovah is with cloud and storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet" (1:3).

In David: "Ascribe ye strength unto God; his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the higher clouds" (Psalm 68:34).

In Moses: "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, riding in the heaven in thy help, and in his magnificence upon the clouds" (Deuteronomy 33:26).

And in David: "A faithful witness in the clouds" (Psalm 89:37).

From these things it is evident what is signified where it is said that the cloud filled the inner court (Ezekiel 10:3, 4); and that the cloud rested upon the tent, of which frequent mention is made in Moses. Likewise, that when Jesus was transfigured, He was seen in glory, and a cloud covered His three disciples, and it was said to them out of the cloud,

"This is my beloved Son" (Matthew 17:1-10; Mark. 9:1-11; Luke 9:28-36).

(See also what is said concerning the Lord being seen in the midst of angels in a cloud, in the small work, The Earths in the Universe 171.)