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])

7710. “你向天伸手” 表在天上行使神之真理的能力. 这从 “伸手” 和 “天” 的含义, 以及摩西的代表清楚可知: “伸手” 是指能力的行使, 如前所述 (7673节); 将要伸手的摩西是指神的真理 (参看6723, 6752, 7010, 7014, 7382节); “天” 是指天使天堂. 至于在天上行使神之真理的能力会在侵扰者当中产生一个新状态, 该状态由 “幽暗” 来表示, 是怎么回事, 这从前面所示 (7643, 7679节) 明显看出来, 即: 主不断重整天堂, 使之归入秩序, 并将属天和属灵的良善赋予那些在天堂里的人和新来者. 这种重新整理, 归入秩序的结果是, 恶人逐渐经历荒凉; 因为重新整理之后, 这良善从更接近处于对立面的恶人的位置流入. 从神来的流注一直持续到对立面, 并以这种方式将地狱保持在联结和拘役中. 由于恶人将一切良善变为邪恶, 所以他们将从更近位置流入的良善变成更大的邪恶. 他们越是这样做, 就越强烈地抵制真理和良善, 也就是说, 对真理和良善的侵扰就越激烈. 正因如此, 他们所经历的荒凉是分阶段逐渐进行的, 直到最终他们被投入地狱, 这是荒凉的最后阶段. 由此可见, 除了良善外, 没有什么东西从主发出, 祂不使恶人荒凉, 更不会将他们投入地狱, 这一切都是他们自己造成的.