December
20

Isaiah 60:17. “Instead of the bronze, I will bring gold; and instead of the iron, I will bring silver; and instead of the wood, bronze; and instead of the stones, iron; and I will set thine overseers for peace, and thy taskmasters for justice.”

For the children from Isaiah 9

6. For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; and the principality shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father Everlasting, Prince of Peace.

7. Of the multiplying of [His] principality and peace [there shall be] no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish her, and to sustain her, in judgment and in justice, from now and even to eternity; the zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.

8. The Lord has sent a word into Jacob, and it has fallen in Israel.

9. And all the people shall know, Ephraim, and he who dwells in Samaria, with pride and magnifying the heart, saying,

10. The bricks have fallen, but we will build with hewn [stone]; the sycamores are hewn down, but we will change [them for] cedars.

Readings from the Heavenly Doctrine

AE 35:44. This chapter [Isaiah 60] treats of the Lord’s coming and a new heaven and new church at that time. And these words mean that there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, that is, those who are conjoined with the Lord by the good of love; and that there shall no longer be a separation between the internal or spiritual man and the external or natural.

That there are to be those who are spiritual, and not natural as before, is signified by "for bronze I will bring gold, for iron silver, and for stones iron;" "bronze," "iron," and "stones" signifying natural things, and "gold," "silver," and "iron" in place of them signifying spiritual things. "Gold"signifies spiritual good, "silver" the truth of that good, and "iron" spiritual-natural truth. That the Lord is to rule by the good of love is signified by, "I will make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice," "government" signifying kingdom, "peace" the Lord, and "justice" good from Him.

AE 176. "Iron" signifies truths in the natural man, because metals, as well as the other things of the earth, by correspondence signify things spiritual and celestial, all of which have reference to truths and goods. "Gold" signifies the good of the internal man; "silver" its truth; "copper" or "bronze" the good of the external or natural man; "iron" its truth. For this reason the ages were called by the ancients after the names of the metals, namely, Golden, Silver, Copper, and Iron. The Golden Age was named from the most ancient men, who lived in the good of love; the Silver Age, from the ancients after them who lived in truths from that good; the Copper Age, from their posterity who were in external or natural good; the Iron Age, from the posterity of these who were in natural truth alone without good. Natural truth is truth in the memory, not in the life; truth of life is good.

AE 176:3. Like things are signified by "gold," "silver," "bronze," and "iron," in these words in Isaiah:

For bronze I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for woods bronze, and for stones iron (Isa. 60:17).

"To bring gold for bronze" means celestial good for natural good. "Silver for iron" means celestial truth for natural truth. "Bronze for woods, and iron for stones," means natural good and truth in great abundance like that of woods and stones. Here the state of the celestial church is treated of.

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