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])

1044. “这就可作我与地立约的记号了” 表主以仁爱临在的标志, “地” 在此指人的自我中心. 这从前面所述清楚可知. “地” 表人的自我中心, 这一点从内义和整个思路清楚可知. 前面说到, “这是在我与你们之间, 并同你们一起的一切活的灵魂之间立约的记号” 表凡已重生之物; 而此处经上的措辞不同: “这就可作为我与地立约的记号了”. 从这里, 并从 “立约的记号” 这句话的重复明显可知, 此处表示不同的事物. 事实上, “地” 表凡不重生和无法重生之物, 也就是人自我中心的意愿部分.

当人重生后, 就其心智的觉知部分而言, 他属于主, 但就其心智的意愿部分而言, 他属于他自己. 这两个部分在属灵之人里面是彼此对立的. 不过, 尽管人自我中心的意愿部分是对立的, 但它的持续存在仍是不可避免的. 事实上, 觉知中的一切昏暗, 即云层的一切厚度皆源于此. 它不断从那里流入, 并且随着它的流注, 其觉知部分中的云层变厚; 不过, 随着它被移走, 这云层变薄. 这就是为何 “地” 在此表人的自我中心. 前面已说明, “地” 表人的身体部分, 也表很多其它事物.

意愿和觉知之间的关系就象这样的两个部分: 它们先通过友谊的盟约结合在一起 (如上古教会成员的意愿和觉知的情形), 然后友谊破裂, 敌意产生, 如人完全败坏他的意愿部分时所发生的情况; 之后, 当重新立约时, 敌对部分呈现出来, 仿佛圣约与它同在, 但圣约不是与它立的, 因为它是完全对立和相反的, 圣约是与从它那里所流入之物立的 (如前所述), 即与自我中心的觉知部分立的. 立约的标志或记号乃是这样: 主在自我中心的觉知部分临在的程度, 就是它的意愿部分被移除的程度. 这二者的关系恰似天堂和地狱. 重生之人的觉知部分凭着主所临在的仁爱而成为天堂, 而他的意愿部分则是地狱. 主在这天堂临在的程度, 就是这地狱被移除的程度. 因为人靠自己存活, 就是在地狱, 而靠主存活, 则在天堂. 人不断从地狱被提升天堂, 并且他被提升到什么程度, 其地狱就被移除到什么程度. 所以, 主临在的记号或标志在于人自己的意愿部分正在被移除. 这种移除只有藉着试探和很多其它重生的手段才有可能实现.