69. Verse 15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace, signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. This is evident from the signification of "feet," as being the natural (See Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952); therefore, in reference to the Lord, as meaning the ultimate of Divine order, because that is the natural; also from the signification of "burnished brass," or brass polished, as being natural good (of which presently); and from the signification of "glowing," as being, in reference to the Lord, what is from Divine love (See n. 10055). It is said, "as if glowing in a furnace," in order that the Divine love in the greatest degree and in its fullness may be represented, for the Divine is in its fullness when it is in its ultimate, and the ultimate is the natural (See above, n. 66).

From this it is clear that by "His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace," is signified the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. These things, as well as the preceding, are described by comparisons; as that "His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow," and that "His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace;" but it is to be noted, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences in like manner as the things themselves (See Arcana Coelestia 3579, 4599, 8989).

[2] In reference to the Lord, "feet" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the Lord's Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex represents one man; and as there are three heavens, that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes the highest heaven is called the celestial Divine, but the Divine that makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the Lord is here described in respect to His Divine Human, which is the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only as regards His garments, but also as to His head, breast, and feet. (That the Son of man is the Lord as to His Divine Human, see above, n. 63; and that the "lampstands" are heaven, see n. 62, 63. But since these things are arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be comprehended, the particulars have been explained specifically in the work on Heaven and Hell; as

That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq.;

That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77;

That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. Heaven and Hell 29-40.)

When this is understood it can be seen what is signified in the Word by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," namely, the ultimate of Divine order, or the natural; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word is the ultimate of Divine order in the church, and is the natural, this is specifically signified by "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord."

[3] Because of this signification of "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord," therefore when the Lord was seen as an Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner.

Thus by Daniel:

I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was like the tarshish stone, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like the brightness of polished brass (Daniel 10:5-6).

In like manner the cherubs, by which is meant the Lord in respect to providence and protection (See Arcana Coelestia 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by Ezekiel:

Their feet sparkled like the brightness of polished brass (Ezekiel 1:7).

The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described further on in Revelation:

I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire (Revelation 10:1).

As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, therefore under His feet there was seen by some of the sons of Israel:

As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of heaven for clearness (Exodus 24:10).

Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but "under the feet," because they were not in, but under, the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248).

[4] Since "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord" signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this specifically is the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, therefore this external is called in the Word "His footstool," as in Isaiah:

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; I will make the place of My feet honorable. And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (Isaiah 60:13-14).

In the same:

Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1).

In Jeremiah:

God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger (Lamentations 2:1).

In David:

Worship Jehovah at His footstool (Psalms 99:5).

We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool (Psalms 132:7).

In Nahum:

Of Jehovah, the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

"Cloud" is the external of the Word, or the Word in respect to the letter (See above, n. 36). Because "cloud" is the external of the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship; for the church and worship are from the Word. "Clouds" are called "dust of His feet," because those things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear scattered.

933. 'Cold and heat' means the state of the person who is being regenerated, which, as regards reception of faith and charity, resembles cold and heat, 'cold' meaning when faith and charity do not exist, 'heat' however when they do. This is clear from the meaning of 'cold and heat' in the Word where the two apply either to a person who is to be regenerated, or to one who has been regenerated, or to the Church. This matter is also clear from the train of thought, that is to say, from what comes before and after, for the subject is the Church. The previous verse dealt with the fact that man would no longer be able to destroy himself in that way, the present verse with the fact that some Church will always be emergent. First of all the situation when the Church comes into being is described, that is, when a person is being regenerated so that he may become the Church, and then the character of the now regenerate person is described. In this way the entire state of the member of the Church is dealt with.

[2] The state of a person when he is being regenerated resembles 'cold and heat', that is, a point when faith and charity do not exist and then when they do. This does not become readily clear to anyone except from experience, and indeed through reflecting on experience. Now because those who are being regenerated are few, and of these, few if any reflect, or are capable of reflecting, on the state of their regeneration, let a brief consideration be given to the subject. When someone is being regenerated he is receiving life from the Lord, for he cannot be said to have been living prior to that. The life that belongs to the world and to the body is not life; celestial and spiritual life alone is life. Through regeneration a person receives life itself from the Lord, and because he had no life previously he alternates between no life and life itself, that is, between no faith and charity and some faith and charity. Here no faith and charity is meant by 'cold', some faith and charity by 'heat'.

[3] The implications of this are as follows: Every time a person is engrossed in his own bodily and worldly interests faith and charity do not exist, that is, it is a period of 'cold'. For at such times it is bodily and worldly interests that are active, consequently things which are his own. And as long as a person is engrossed in these he is absent or far removed from faith and charity, with the result that he does not even think about celestial and spiritual things. The reason is that it is by no means possible with anyone for heavenly interests and bodily to exist side by side, for his will has been utterly corrupted. When however the bodily interests in a person and those of his will are inactive and quiescent, the Lord acts by way of his internal man and at that point faith and charity are present with him, which here is called 'heat'. When he reverts to the body he is again living in 'cold', and when the body, or what belongs to the body, is quiescent and so to speak non-existent, he is living in 'heat'. These two states come and go in turn. Man's condition is such that with him celestial and spiritual things cannot co-exist with his bodily and worldly interests, but come and go in turn. This is the experience of everyone who is to be regenerated, and it continues for as long as his state is one of being regenerated. For in no other way can a person be regenerated, that is, from being a dead man become one who is alive, the reason being, as has been stated, that his will is utterly corrupted and therefore completely separated from the new will he receives from the Lord, a will which is the Lord's and not the person's own. From these considerations it now becomes clear what 'cold and heat' means here.

[4] The truth of this every regenerate person can know from experience. That is to say, when engrossed in bodily and worldly interests he is absent and far removed from things of an internal nature, and as a result he not only gives no thought to them, but also feels so to speak cold at even the thought of them. But when bodily and worldly interests are quiescent faith and charity are present with him. Experience can also teach that these states alternate with each other. This is why when bodily and worldly interests start to abound and seek to have dominion, he enters into distress and temptation, which persist until he has been brought back into that kind of state where the external man is conformable and subservient to the internal. The external man can never be subservient until it is quiescent and so to speak non-existent. The final descendants of the Most Ancient Church were unable to be regenerated, because, as has been stated, things of the understanding and those of the will with them constituted one single mind. Consequently things of the understanding were inseparable from those of their will, and so they were incapable of being engrossed by turns in celestial and spiritual interests and then in bodily and worldly. For them it was continual cold as regards heavenly things, and continual heat as regards evil desires, and so with them no alternation was possible.