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])

8029. 从数次所提到的关于人死后状态的事清楚可知, 很少有人一进入来世就直接进入天堂; 相反, 人们会在天堂下面停留一段时间, 好叫他们从世界所带来的尘世和肉体之爱的污秽能被抹除, 他们以这种方式可以做好预备, 并能融入到天使当中. 所有星球的人都有这种经历; 也就是说, 他们首先在天堂之下的灵人当中; 后来, 当做好预备时, 他们就变成天使. 当木星灵正在变成天使时, 我蒙允许看见所发生的事. 像火一样明亮的马出现了, 他们就像以利亚一样被这些马接走. 像火一样的马表示一种被启示或光照的理解力. 在圣言中, “马” 表示理解力 (参看2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6534节). 接走以利亚的 “火马火车” 表示对圣言内在内容的理解 (2762节).