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])

2089. “他必生十二个族长” 表属于仁之信的最初和最重要的诫命. 这从 “十二” 和 “族长” 的含义清楚可知: “十二” 是指属于信的一切事物; “族长 (prince或译首领, 使臣)” 是指最初和最重要的事物. “君王” (King) 和 “首领 (或译族长, 使臣)” 在圣言的各个部分都有所提及, 但就内义而言, 他们从来就不是指君王或首领 (或译族长, 使臣), 而是指当下所论及主题的最初和最重要的事物. “君王” 表作为一个整体的真理, 这在前面早已说明 (2015节); “首领” (或译族长, 使臣) 则表真理最初和最重要的方面, 也就是诫命 (1482节). 为此, 天使, 尤其属灵天使被称为 “执政的”, 因为他们由真理主导. “首领” (或译族长, 使臣) 与伴随仁爱的真理有关, 因为如前所述 (2088节), 属灵之人凭借他们看似真理的真理从主接受仁爱, 并通过这仁爱接受良知.

这个世界至今不知 “十二” 表信的一切事物. 然而, 每当数字 “十二” 出现在圣言中, 无论历史部分还是预言部分时, 它都没有其它含义. 雅各的 “十二个儿子”, 以及因此由他们所命名的 “十二支派” 也没有其它含义. 这同样适用于主的十二使徒. 雅各的每个儿子和十二使徒中的每一个都代表信的某个本质和主要方面. 至于雅各的每个儿子和每个支派分别代表什么, 蒙主怜悯, 这要等到论述雅各的众子时 (创世记 29, 30章) 再予以告知.