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])

4874. “他玛说, 你的印” 表同意的信物. 这从 “印” 的含义清楚可知, “印” 是指同意的信物. “印” 之所以是同意的信物, 是因为古时, 法令通过一枚印章得到验证, 因此严格来说, “印” 表示对事情真相的验证本身和见证. 他玛要他的印, 带子和杖作为一只母山羊羔被送来的一种保证, 只是后来他玛并未接受这只母山羊羔; 他玛的这种要求含有一个奥秘; 若没有内义, 这个奥秘绝无可能为人所知. 此奥秘是这样: 一只母山羊羔表示属于纯正婚姻之物, 因而表示一切内在之物, 因为一切纯正之物同时也是某种内在之物. 但就犹大而言, 像这样的事物根本就不存在, 因此从下文明显可知, 他玛并未接受这只母山羊羔, 取而代之的是取了一个能与 “他玛” 所表教会的内在结合的外在. 印, 带子和杖表示教会的外在; “印” 表示同意本身, “带子” 表示外在真理, “杖” 表示这种真理的能力. 此外, 这些事物是确保与外在人或属世人结合的保证.

内在真理与某种外在事物, 也就是与犹太民族的宗教表象的结合, 由他玛与犹大以尽丈夫弟兄本分为名如儿媳与公公那样的结合来代表. 但犹太民族的宗教表象与教会内在的结合, 则由犹大如与一个妓女那样与他玛的结合来代表. 此外, 这正是这些结合的性质; 要解释清楚它们的性质却不那么容易. 然而, 对天使和善灵来说, 它们的性质却是显而易见的, 因为它在天堂之光中摆在他们面前. 在天堂之光中, 圣言的奥秘可以说如在朗朗晴日下那样敞开, 与它们在人看见所凭借的尘世之光中的表象迥然不同. 简言之: 建在雅各后代当中的代表与存在于古教会当中的代表并不完全一样. 因为它们大部分很像希伯所建的教会, 也就是所谓的希伯来教会中的代表. 该教会有许多新的敬拜形式, 如古教会闻所未闻的燔祭, 献祭, 以及其它敬拜形式. 但教会的内在不是以与古教会的代表结合的方式来与这些代表结合的. 他玛与犹大以尽丈夫弟兄本分为名如儿媳与公公那样的结合, 以及犹大如与一个妓女那样与他玛的结合, 在内义上就描述了教会的内在与犹太民族当中的代表结合, 以及这些代表与这种内在结合的方式. 关于希伯来教会, 可参看前文 (1238, 1241, 1327, 1343, 3031, 4516, 4517节); 关于该教会的献祭在古教会并不存在 (参看923, 1128, 1343, 2180, 2818节).