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])

7533. “耶和华使法老的心坚硬” 表他们仍旧固执. 这从心 “坚硬”, “刚硬” 和 “发沉” 的含义清楚可知, 心 “坚硬”, “刚硬” 和 “发沉” 是指固执 (参看7272, 7300, 7305节). 当经上说 “耶和华使法老的心坚硬” 时, 内义上的意思不是说耶和华使他们的心坚硬, 而是他们自己使自己的心坚硬, 也就是说, 他们仍旧固执. 因为正在与人同在的邪恶使他坚硬, 或固执地反对神性. 这种邪恶出于人自己, 是从地狱, 而非天堂流入他的. 除了良善外, 没有什么东西从主经由天堂流入; 邪恶不可能从良善发出, 更不可能从良善本身发出. 邪恶从它自己的源头发出, 也就是说, 从爱神爱邻的对立面发出. 这种源头存在于人里面, 根本不存在于神里面. 由此明显可知, 当经上在圣言中说神使某种恶事发生时, 这话是照着表象说的. 关于这些问题的详情, 可参看前文 (2447, 6991, 6997节).