919. 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. This symbolically means that people of the New Church will not be caught up in self-love and their own intelligence and so possess a natural sight only, but from the Word's Divine truth will possess a spiritual light from the Lord alone.

The sun here symbolizes natural love divorced from spiritual love, which is self-love. And the moon symbolizes a natural intelligence and faith divorced from a spiritual intelligence and faith, which is one's native intelligence and a self-made faith. This is the love and the intelligence and faith symbolized by the sun and moon here, which people of the Lord's New Church will have no need of to light their sight.

The glory of God which illumines the city symbolizes the Word's Divine truth (no. 629), and because that illumination or enlightenment comes from the Lord, we are told as well that the Lamb is its lamp.

The symbolism here is similar to that found in the following verses in Isaiah:

You shall call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but Jehovah will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon wane; for Jehovah will be your everlasting light... Your people shall all be righteous. (Isaiah 60:18-21)

The sun and moon that will no longer give light mean self-love and one's native intelligence. And the sun and moon that will no longer go down mean love from the Lord for the Lord, and an intelligence and faith from Him. That Jehovah will be an everlasting light has the same symbolic meaning as what is said here, that the glory of God will illumine the city and the Lamb be its lamp.

That the sun symbolizes love for the Lord, and in an opposite sense self-love, may be seen in nos. 53 and 414 above. And that the moon symbolizes intelligence from the Lord and faith from Him, in nos. 332, 413, 414. Thus the moon in an opposite sense symbolizes one's native intelligence and a self-made faith.

Since the sun in an opposite sense symbolizes self-love, and the moon one's native intelligence and a self-made faith, therefore it was an abomination to worship the sun, moon and stars, as may be seen in Jeremiah 8:1-2.

2356. That 'Lot went out to them to the door (janua)' means that he acted cautiously is clear from the interior sense of 'the door' and of 'going out to the door'. 'A door' in the Word means that which introduces or leads the way either towards truth, or towards good, or towards the Lord. Consequently 'a door' in addition means truth itself, also good itself, as well as the Lord Himself, for truth leads to good, and good leads to the Lord. Such things were represented by the door and the veils of the Tent of Meeting, and also of the Temple, see 2145, 2152, 2576.

[2] That this is the meaning of 'a door' is evident from the Lord's words in John,

He who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens. I am the door of the sheep; if anyone enters through Me he will be saved. John 10:1-3, 7, 9.

Here 'door' stands for truth and good, and so for the Lord who is truth itself and good itself. This shows what is meant by being let in through the door into heaven, and therefore what is meant by 'the keys' which unlock it.

[3] Here however 'a door' means a particular type of good that was suited to the disposition of those who besieged the house, for a distinction is made here between 'a door' (janua) and 'a door' (ostium). The former was on the outside of the house, as is evident from the fact that Lot went out and closed the door (ostium) behind him. This type of good was blessedness of life, as is clear from what follows shortly where he persuaded those who were immersed in falsity and evil. For such people do not allow themselves to be persuaded by actual good itself; indeed they reject it. From these considerations it is evident that here 'going out to the door' means that he acted cautiously.