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])

To 'redeem' something is to save it or buy it back. With regard to the Lord, it was the work of salvation for all people. Without the Lord, our Redeemer, none of us could be regenerated and saved. At the time when God came to earth as Jesus, hell had become so powerful that people had lost their spiritual freedom. The Lord’s main work was redemption so that people could freely choose to go to heaven. His life here was a series of steps that He took in His great love to redeem us all. See True Christian Religion 124 for a beautiful, clear description of this.

What were the steps of redemption that saved us from evil and falsity so we could freely choose good and truth?

In Coronis 21, we learn about the meaning of redemption and the steps the Lord took for us all. The Lord subjugated the hells, separated them from the heavens, and put them back in their place. Then He arranged the heavens into order again close to Himself and away from the evil. This prepared the way for a new church, the Christian Church with truths to more clearly separate good people from evil. Through the truths of His Word, He could regenerate all who freely follow them and live by them.

Our salvation is possible because we are redeemed, as we work on changing our lives, doing the things that the Lord wants us to do. We can now all choose to let the Lord regenerate us so we can find our eternal home in heaven.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 9937 [3]; True Christian Religion 118)