THE NEW JERUSALEM AND ITS HEAVENLY DOCTRINE
ACCORDING TO WHAT HAS BEEN HEARD FROM HEAVEN
WITH AN INTRODUCTION CONCERNING THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
Arcana Coelestia #4492
4492. 'All who went out of the gate of his city' means that they departed from the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'going out' here as departing from, and from the meaning of 'the gate of the city' as doctrine, dealt with in 2943, 4477, here the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients, since it was the gate of 'his', that is, Shechem's, city. For 'Shechem' represents the truth of the Church among the Ancients, 4454, the phrase 'the Church among the Ancients' being used to mean that which descended from the Most Ancient Church, as also stated already. The implications of this will be evident from what follows next.
