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])

4788. “米甸人把约瑟卖到埃及” 表那些处于简单良善的某种真理之人请教记忆知识. 这从米甸人和约瑟的代表, 以及 “埃及” 和 “卖” 的含义清楚可知: 米甸人是指那些处于简单良善的真理之人 (3242, 4756节); “埃及” 是指记忆知识 (1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588, 4749节); “卖” 是指疏远 (4752, 4758节); 约瑟是指神性真理. 当说后者被那些处于简单良善的真理之人疏远或卖给 “埃及” 所表示的记忆知识时, 意思是他们请教这些记忆知识. 因为那些处于简单良善的真理之人很容易允许自己被感官幻觉或谬误, 因而被由此而来的记忆知识引走.

前面 (37:28) 经上说, 约瑟被米甸人从坑里拉上来, 却被卖给以实玛利人. 由此看来, 他似乎只可能在埃及被以实玛利人卖掉. 但他之所以被米甸人, 而非以实玛利人卖掉, 是因为以实玛利人代表那些处于简单良善的人 (4747节), 而米甸人代表那些处于该良善的真理之人. 约瑟或神性真理不可能被那些处于良善的人卖掉, 只能被那些处于真理的人卖掉; 因为那些处于良善的人出于良善知道何为神性真理, 而那些处于真理的人却不知道.

教会成员分为两类, 即: 那些处于良善的人和那些处于真理的人. 那些处于良善的人被称为属天的, 而那些处于真理的人被称为属灵的. 这两类人之间有很大的差别. 那些处于良善的人被一种为了良善而行善, 不求回报的情感所驱动. 对他们来说, 被允许行善本身就是回报, 因为行善赋予他们喜乐的感觉. 而那些处于真理的人则被一种行善的情感驱动却不是为行善本身的缘故; 确切地说, 他们这样做是因为他们被如此吩咐的. 这些人大多数情况下会思想回报; 他们的喜乐由此, 以及由夸耀而来.

由此明显可知, 那些出于良善行善的人出于内在情感行善; 而那些出于真理行善的人则出于某种外在情感行善. 这二者之间的差别由此变得显而易见, 即: 前者是内在人, 后者是外在人. 因此, 那些系内在人的人不可能去 “卖”, 也就是疏远 “约瑟” 所代表的神性真理, 因为他们出于良善觉知真理. 感官幻觉或谬误, 因而记忆知识不会将他们引走. 但那些系外在人的人却能卖或疏远它, 因为他们不是出于良善觉知真理, 仅从教义和老师那里知道它. 他们若请教记忆知识, 就很容易允许自己被幻觉或谬误引走, 因为他们没有内在指示. 正因如此, 约瑟被米甸人, 而非以实玛利人卖掉.