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])

5071. 左边的之所以被称为 “咒诅的人”, 对他们的惩罚是 “永火”, 如以下经文所说: “王又要向那左边的说, 你们这被咒诅的人, 离开我, 进入那为魔鬼和他的使者所预备的永火里去”, 以及 “这些人, 要往永刑里去”, 是因为他们转离良善与真理, 转向邪恶与虚假. 就圣言的内义而言, “咒诅” 表示一种转离 (245, 379, 1423, 3530, 3584节). 他们要离开所进入的 “永火” 不是属世之火, 也不是良心的折磨, 而是对邪恶的贪欲. 因为在人里面, 像这样的贪欲就是属灵之火; 这火在他活在肉身期间就吞噬他, 在来世则折磨他. 由于这些火在他们里面燃烧, 所以地狱居民利用可怕的手段彼此折磨.

显然, “永火” 不是属世之火; 它之所以不是良心的折磨, 是因为凡陷入邪恶的人都没有良心, 那些活在肉身期间就没有良心的人在来世也不可能有任何良心. 不过, 它之所以是一种贪欲, 是因为人里面的一切生命之火皆由他的爱所点燃; 天堂之火由对良善与真理的爱点燃, 地狱之火由对邪恶与虚假的爱点燃; 或也可说, 天堂之火由对主之爱和对邻之爱点燃, 地狱之火由自我之爱和尘世之爱点燃. 若注意这个问题, 谁都能看出, 人里面所燃烧的一切火或热都是被他的爱所点燃的. 这也解释了为何爱被称为属灵之热, “火” 与 “热” 在圣言中并没有其它含义 (934, 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446, 4906节). 恶人里面的生命之火具有这样的性质: 当他们感觉到非常强的欲望时, 也有一种火在他们里面燃烧, 这火激起他们折磨他人的强烈而又狂怒的渴望. 但善人里面的生命之火具有这样的性质: 当更高层次的情感存在于他们里面时, 一种火也在他们里面燃烧. 但这火却激起他们向别人行善的一种爱和热情.