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.

4847. 'In case he also dies, like his brothers' means fear lest it should perish, that is to say, that the representative of the Church among those descended from Jacob, specifically among those descended from Jacob through Judah, should perish. This is clear from the meaning of 'in case he dies' as fear lest it may perish. As regards the perishing of the representative of the Church among those descended from Jacob if the internal things of a genuine representative Church were linked to it, this implies that among those descended from Jacob a representative Church was to have been established like that which had existed with the ancients. But the disposition of that nation was such that its only wish was to worship and adore external things; it had no wish to know anything at all about internal ones, since it was immersed in desires belonging to self-love and love of the world, and in falsities that resulted from these. It believed, more than gentiles did, that a number of gods existed, but that Jehovah was greater than the rest because He could perform greater miracles. This was why as soon as the miracles ended, or when - because they were of frequent and common occurrence - little importance was placed on them, that nation instantly turned to other gods, as one can see quite clearly from the historical and prophetical parts of the Word.

[2] Such being the nature of that nation, a representative Church like that which had existed among the ancients could not be established among it, only that which was a representative of the Church. Also, the Lord made provision so that through that representative of the Church some degree of communication with heaven might be established; for what is representative can exist even in people who are evil because one does not look at the person who represents, only at the reality represented by him. From this it is evident that in the case of that nation worship was nothing else than idolatrous, 4825, even though the representatives held holy and Divine realities within them. To that kind of worship - to idolatrous worship - what was internal could not be joined; for if what was internal had been linked to it, that is, if they had acknowledged internal things, they would have rendered holy things unholy. For a holy internal, if joined to an idolatrous external, is rendered unholy.

This explains why internal things were not disclosed to that nation, for if these had been disclosed to it, it would have perished.

[3] The inability of that nation to receive and acknowledge internal things, however fully these might have been revealed to them, is quite evident from members of it at the present day. At the present day they do, it is true, have a knowledge of internal things since they live among Christians; yet they reject these things and also deride them. Even the majority of those who have been converted do nothing else in their hearts. From these considerations it is clear that a Church representative of spiritual and celestial things did not exist among that nation, only a representative of the Church, that is, an external without an internal, which in itself is idolatrous. From them it may also be seen how mistaken is the thinking of those Christians who believe that when the Church reaches its end the Jewish nation will be converted, and will at that time be chosen in preference to Christians. Even more mistaken is the thinking of those who believe that at that time the Messiah or Lord is going to appear to them, when by means of a great prophet and great miracles He is going to lead them back into the land of Canaan. These are the errors that people fall into who take 'Judah', 'Israel', and 'the land of Canaan' in the prophetical parts of the Word to mean Judah, Israel, and the land of Canaan, and who consequently believe the literal sense alone and have no interest in any internal sense