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])

9938. “这圣物是以色列人在一切的圣礼物上所分别为圣的” 表代表除罪的敬拜行为. 这从 “礼物” 或 “供物” 的含义清楚可知. 在以色列和犹太民族当中,

“礼物” 或 “供物” 主要是燔祭, 祭物和素祭; 它们是指敬拜行为的内层事物, 因为这些内层事物就是这些敬拜行为所代表的. 敬拜的内层事物就是爱与信的事物, 因此是罪的赦免, 也就是除罪, 因为罪通过信和爱被主除去. 事实上, 爱与信的良善进入到何等程度, 或也可说, 天堂进入到何等程度, 罪就在何等程度上被除去, 也就是说, 地狱在何等程度上被除去, 包括在人里面的地狱, 以及在人外面的地狱. 由此明显可知他们所分别为圣, 也就是献上的礼物表示什么. 礼物被称为圣, 并且给予或献上它们被称为将它们 “分别为圣”, 是因为它们代表圣物. 事实上, 献上它们是为了给百姓赎罪, 因而为了给他们除罪, 这一切通过从主所获得的对主之信和爱实现.

它们被称为献给耶和华的礼物和供物, 尽管耶和华, 就是主不接受任何礼物或供物, 而是将它们白白地赐给每个人. 即便如此, 祂的意愿是, 这些事物要来自人, 如同来自他自己, 只要他承认它们并非真的来自他自己, 而是来自主. 因为主赐下出于爱而对实行良善的情感, 出于信而对讲述真理的情感; 但这种情感本身是从主流入的, 然而却看似天生就在此人里面, 因而看似从此人流出. 事实上, 凡一个人出于属爱的情感所行的, 都是出于他的生命而行的, 因为爱就是那构成每个人生命的东西. 由此明显可知, 被称为一个人献给耶和华的礼物和供物的东西, 本质上是主赐给一个人的礼物和供物; 它们被称为 “礼物和供物” 是由于表象. 凡心里有智慧的人都能认识到这种表象, 但简单人则不然. 然而, 他们的礼物和供物仍是可悦纳的, 只要它们是出于含有纯真在里面的无知而献上的. 纯真就是对神之爱的良善, 住在无知里面, 尤其与心有智慧者同住. 那些心里有智慧的人知道并发觉, 他们自己里面没有丝毫源于他们自己的智慧; 相反, 一切智慧都归于主, 或说来自主, 也就是说, 一切爱之良善和一切信之真理都归于主, 或说来自主; 因此, 即便与智慧人同在的纯真也住在无知之中. 由此明显可知, 承认, 尤其察觉这一事实构成智慧的纯真.

犹太教会中所献上的礼物主要是燔祭, 祭物和素祭, 它们也被称为 “赎罪祭”, 因为它们是为了罪得赦免, 也就是除罪而献上的. 属犹太教会的人也以为他们的罪通过这些供物而得赦免; 事实上完全被除去; 因为经上说, 他们献上这些东西后,

“必蒙赦免” (参看利未记 4:26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 18; 9:7; 15:15, 30). 但他们没有意识到这个事实: 这些供物代表内层事物, 因而代表诸如一个人出于从主所获得的爱和信所行的那类事; 这些才是赎罪, 也就是除罪的东西; 它们被除去后, 就看似完全被除去或逐出了, 如本段和前一段所示. 这个民族的敬拜是代表性的, 因而是缺乏任何内在之物的外在之物; 在那个时代, 天堂正是通过这种敬拜而与人类联结的 (参看9320节的末尾,9380节所提到的地方).