Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

4551. “和他们耳朵上的耳环” 表落实在行为中. 这从 “耳环” 的含义清楚可知, “耳环” 是代表顺从的象征, 因为 “耳朵” 表示顺从 (2542, 3869节); 顺从的行为就是落实在行为中; 事实上, 顺从含有付诸行动的意思. 此处 “落实在行为中” 是指要弃绝虚假. 至于弃绝虚假, 也就是此处内义上的主题, 即落实在行为中, 有必要用几句话说明一下. 人在通过被主重生抵达良善, 并出于良善实践真理之前, 拥有众多与真理混杂的虚假. 事实上, 他藉由信之真理被引入重生; 在其第一个年龄段, 对于信之真理, 他只有幼儿和童年时所获知的概念. 这些概念都是从世上的外在事物和肉体感官经验形成的, 故只会是幻觉, 因而是虚假. 这些也被落实在行为中, 因为人会将他所信的付诸实践. 这些虚假就是此处所指的. 它们与人同在, 直到他重生, 也就是直到他出于良善行事. 一旦他出于良善行事, 良善, 也就是藉由良善的主, 就会把那时为止他所学到的真理纳入次序; 当这一切完成时, 虚假就从真理被分离出去, 并被去除. 人对这一切一无所知; 然而, 对虚假的这种去除和弃绝却从他童年初期一直持续到其生命的最后阶段. 这种活动在每个人里面进行, 但在正经历重生的人里面以特殊方式进行. 类似活动也发生在未经历重生的人里面, 因为当他成长为一个成年人, 并且他的判断力趋于成熟时, 他觉得其童年的判断很愚笨和荒谬, 因而与他现在的想法相去甚远. 不过, 重生之人与未重生之人的区别在于: 重生之人觉得那些不符合信与仁之良善的事和他的想法相去甚远; 而未重生之人则觉得那些不符合他所在的爱之快乐的事和他的想法相去甚远. 因此, 未重生之人视真理为虚假, 视虚假为真理. 至于耳环, 它们有两种, 就是戴在鼻子到前额的和戴在耳朵上的. 戴在鼻子到前额的, 是代表良善的象征, 叫鼻环 (参看3103节); 戴在耳朵上的是代表顺从的象征, 叫耳环. 但在原文, 鼻环和耳环是用同一个词来表述的.