468. 'And. His feet as pillars of fire' signifies the Lord's Natural Divine as to Divine Love, which supports all things. This also is plain from the things expounded above (n. 49) where it is said of the Son of Man that 'His feet were like burnished bronze as if burned in a furnace'. The reason that His feet were seen as pillars of fire is because the Lord's Natural Divine, which in itself is the Divine Human that He took on in the world, supports His Divine from eternity as the body supports the soul, and in like manner as the natural sense of the Word supports the spiritual and celestial senses thereof, concerning which THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE (n. 27-49) may be seen. That 'feet' signify the natural may be seen (n. 49), and a 'pillar' [signifies] a support (n. 191). 'Fire' signifies love, because spiritual fire is nothing else; and therefore it is customary in worship to pray that heavenly fire, that is, heavenly love may kindle the hearts [of the worshippers]. That there is a correspondence between fire and love may be recognised from the fact that a man grows warm as the result of love, and becomes cold as the result of the deprivation of it, there being nothing else that produces vital heat but love in either [a good or bad] sense. The origin of correspondences is derived from the two suns, the one in the which is pure love, and the other in the world, which is pure fire. Consequently there is also a correspondence of all spiritual and natural things. [2] Since 'fire' signifies Divine Love, therefore:-
Jehovah was seen by Moses upon Mount Horeb in a bush in fire Exod. iii 1-3.
And He came down upon Mount Sinai in fire Deut. iv 36.
And therefore:-
The seven lamps of the lampstand in the tabernacle used to be kindled every evening, that they might burn before Jehovah Lev. xxiv 2-4.
Also that the fire used to burn continually upon the altar, and was not extinguished Lev. vi 13.
And that they used to take fire from off the altar in censers, and offer incense Lev. xvi 12, 13; Num. xvi 46, 47 [H.B. xvii 11, 12].
That Jehovah went before the sons of Israel by night in a pillar of fire Exod. xiii 21, 22.
That over the dwelling there would be fire by night Exod. xl 38; Ps. cv 39; Isa. iv 5, 6.
That fire out of heaven consumed the burnt offerings upon the altar, as a token of good pleasure Lev. ix 24; x Kings xviii 38.
That the burnt offerings were called offerings mode by fire unto Jehovah, and offerings made by fire of an odour of rest unto Jehovah Exod. xxix 18; Lev. i 9, 13, 17; ii 2, 9, 10, 11; iii 5, 16; iv 31, 35; v 12; vii 30; xxi 6; Num. xxviii 2; Deut. xviii 1.
That the Lord's eyes were seen as aflame of fire Rev. i 14; ii 18; xix 12; Dan. x 5, 6.
That seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne Rev. iv 5.
Consequently it is plain what is signified by 'the lamps with oil and without oil' (Matt. xxv 1-11). By 'oil' is understood fire, and thus love; besides in many other places. That 'fire' in the opposite sense signifies infernal love is plain from so many places in the Word that it is needless to quote them on account of their abundance. Something may be seen about this in the work concerning HEAVEN AND HELL published at London (n. 566-575).
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