1154. “亚实基拿, 利法, 陀迦玛” 是具有这类敬拜的众多民族, 也表源于歌篾所具有的外在敬拜的众多教义, 也就是仪式. 这同样从提及这些民族的先知书清楚可知. 他们各方面都表教义或仪式, 通常具有两种意义, 有时具有正面意义, 有时具有反面意义. 如耶利米书提及的 “亚实基拿”:

要在地上竖立大旗, 在各族中吹角; 祝圣各族攻击巴比伦, 使亚拉腊, 米尼, 亚实基拿各国听到攻击她. (耶利米书 51:27)

这论及巴比伦的毁灭, “亚实基拿” 表它的偶像崇拜, 或毁灭巴比伦的脱离内在的外在敬拜. 它尤表虚假的教义, 因而具有反面意义. 以西结书提及的 “陀迦玛”:

雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人都与你交易人的灵魂, 他们用铜器兑换你的货物. 陀迦玛族用马和战马并骡子兑换你的货物. (以西结书 27:13-14)

这论及推罗, 推罗代表拥有对属天和属灵事物的认知之人. 和前面一样, “雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人” 表各种代表性或相应的仪式; “陀迦玛族” 也表这些. 前者的外在仪式涉及属天事物, 而后者的外在仪式则涉及属灵事物, 这从他们所交易货物的含义明显可知. 他们在此具有正面意义. 同一先知书:

歌篾人和他的全军, 北方极处的陀迦玛族和他的全军. (以西结书 38:6)

此处, 他们表歪曲的教义, 也就是 “北方极处” 所指的. 歌篾人和陀迦玛族在此具有反面意义.

8991. 'And he shall serve him forever' means into eternity. This is clear from the meaning of 'serving' as obeying, for slaves are those who obey and masters those who give orders (the fact that those represented by 'slaves' are those who did what was good from obedience, not from charitable affection, is clear from things stated previously); and from the meaning of 'forever' as into eternity. In the sense of the letter 'forever' here means servitude with his master to the end of his life; but in the internal or spiritual sense it means into eternity, because it refers to the state after death. The expression 'into eternity' is used because those who do what is good from faithful obedience and not from charitable affection, who were represented by 'slaves', cannot ever be brought in the next life to a state of good, that is, so that their actions spring from good; for everyone's life remains with them after death. What a person is like when he dies, so he continues to be, in keeping with the common saying, Where the tree falls, there it lies. Not that he continues to be what he is like around the time of death but what the whole course of his life has made him like when he dies. Therefore those who have learned during life in the world to do what is good solely from obedience, not from charity, remain the same into eternity. They are perfected in obedience, it is true, but they do not attain any degree of charity.