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])

4293. 就内在历史意义而言, “因为作为君王, 你与神与人较力, 都得了胜” 表由于他们的恶欲和幻想中的顽固不化. 这从 “神” 和 “人” 的含义清楚可知: “神” 和 “人” 是指真理与良善 (参看4287节). 此处这些话也有一个反面意义, 因为就内在历史意义而言, 它们论及雅各的后代, 如前所述, 他们内在没有真理与良善, 只有邪恶与虚假. 虚假就是错误的幻想, 因为它们就是这类幻想的产物; 邪恶是恶欲, 因为它们就是这类欲望的产物.

这个民族坚持作代表, 也就是说, 他们坚持认为他们应该优先于全世界所有民族来构成教会 (参看4290节). 此处所指的就是这一事实: 他们被允许这样做, 是因为他们的幻想和恶欲中的顽固不化. 若非在来世与他们有所接触, 没有人能了解其幻想和恶欲的性质. 为叫我了解这一点, 我被恩准有过这类接触, 因为我曾在那里与他们数次交谈. 他们比其他所有人都要爱自己和世上的财富, 也比其他所有人都要害怕丧失地位和名利. 因此, 他们现在和以前一样, 与自己相比藐视其他所有人; 同样一心追求财富, 而且充满恐惧, 胆怯. 由于这个民族自古以来就是这样, 所以比起其他人, 他们能更好地被保持在没有内在神圣的外在神圣中, 从而能以外在形式代表构成教会的事物. 正是这些幻想和恶欲促成了这种顽固不化.

这也可从圣言的历史中有关他们所记载的许多事明显看出来. 在受到惩罚后, 他们能表现出其他民族所表现不出来的外在谦卑, 因为他们能终日俯伏在地, 在土里打滚, 直到第三天才起来. 他们还能捶胸顿足哀号多日, 穿着麻布和撕裂的衣服行走, 往头上撒灰或土; 又能持续禁食数天, 同时痛哭流涕. 但他们做这些事仅仅是出于肉体和尘世之爱, 还出于对丧失优越地位和世俗财富的恐惧. 事实上, 没有任何内在事物能打动他们, 因为他们根本不知道, 甚至也不想知道何为内在事物, 如死后生命, 或永恒救赎的事.

由此可见, 他们因具有这样的性质, 故必须被剥夺一切内在神圣, 因为这种神圣绝无法与刚才所描述的这种外在神圣相一致; 事实上, 这二者彼此完全相反. 由此还可以看出, 比起其他人, 他们能更好地扮演教会代表的角色, 或更好地充当教会的代表, 也就是说, 能以外在形式代表神圣事物, 却没有一切内在神圣; 因而通过这个民族就有可能与天堂建立某种联系 (参看4288节).