4236. “雅各看见他们就说, 这是神的军营” 表天堂. “神的军营” 表示天堂, 因为 “军队” 表示真理和良善 (3448节), 真理和良善被主按天上的次序来排列. 因此, 天上的次序本身, 也就是天堂, 就由 “军营” 来表示. 这种 “军营” 或次序具有这样的性质: 地狱绝无法拆散它, 尽管地狱不断努力这样做. 这也是为何这种次序, 或天堂被称作 “军营”, 又为何按这种次序被排列的真理与良善, 也就是天使被称作 “军队” (或译军旅等). 由此明显可知, “神的军营” 为何表示天堂. 以色列人在旷野的营地就代表这种实际的次序, 因而代表天堂本身; 他们在旷野照各支派的共同居住被称作 “营地”. 而会幕在中央, 他们则在会幕周围扎营, 这会幕就代表主自己. 关于以色列人以这种方式扎营, 可参看民数记 (民数记 1, 33:2-56); 关于他们照各支派在会幕周围扎营, 如在东边安营的是犹大, 以萨迦和西布伦等支派; 在南边安营的是流便, 西缅和迦得等支派; 在西边安营的是以法莲, 玛拿西和便雅悯等支派; 在北边安营的是但, 亚设和拿弗他利等支派; 利未支派在中间, 靠近会幕 (民数记 2:2-34).

各支派表示作为整体的一切良善与真理 (参看3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4060节). 正因如此, 当巴兰见以色列人照着支派居住, 神的灵临到他身上时, 他便题起诗歌说:

雅各啊, 你的帐棚何等华美! 以色列啊, 你的帐幕何其华丽! 如接连的山谷, 如河旁的园子. (民数记 24:5-6)

很明显, 这个预言不是指以雅各和以色列所命名的人民, 而是指这是所代表的主的天堂. 由于同样的原因, 在圣言的其它经文中, 他们在旷野的这种有序的定居点, 或照各支派扎营被称作 “营地”; 在这些经文中, “营地” 在内义上表示天堂的次序, “安营” (或扎营) 表示照着这种次序的排列, 也就是说, 照着良善与真理存在于天堂所在的次序的排列 (如利未记 4:12; 8:17; 13:46; 14:8; 16:26, 28; 24:14, 23; 民数记 2; 4:5-33; 5:2-4; 9:17至末尾; 10:1-10, 28; 11:31, 32; 12:14, 15; 31:19-24; 申命记 23:9-14).

“神的营” 表示天堂, 这一点也可见于约珥书:

在祂面前, 地震动, 天摇撼, 日月昏暗, 星辰收回其光辉. 耶和华在祂军旅前发声, 祂的营兵甚多; 遵行祂话的是强盛的. (约珥书 2:10-11)

撒迦利亚书:

我必在我家四围驻扎军队, 不让任何人来回经过, 压迫者也不再经过. (撒迦利亚书 9:8)

启示录:

歌革和玛各上到地的宽阔处, 围住圣徒的营与蒙爱的城, 就有火由神那里降下, 烧灭了他们. (启示录 20: 9)

“歌革和玛各” 表示那些处于脱离内在的外在敬拜之人, 这种敬拜已沦为偶像崇拜 (1151节). “地的宽阔处” 表示教会的真理, “宽阔处” (或平原,plain) 表示构成教义教导的真理 (参看2450节); “地” 表示教会 (556, 662, 1066, 1067, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355节). “圣徒的营” 表示天堂或主在地上的国度, 也就是教会.

由于在圣言中, 绝多数事物都具有一个反面意义, 所以 “营地” 也是, 在这种情况下, 它表示邪恶与虚假, 因而表示地狱. 如诗篇:

虽有邪恶军营驻扎攻击我, 我的心也不害怕. (诗篇 27:3)

又:

神把那安营攻击我之人的骨头散开了. 你使他们蒙羞, 因为神弃绝了他们. (诗篇 53:5)

耶和华的使者在亚述营中杀了十八万五千人 (以赛亚书 37:36), 其中亚述营没有别的含义; 埃及人的营地 (出埃及记 14:20) 也是.

6426. 'From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel' means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the spiritual kingdom possesses. This is clear from the meaning of 'the shepherd' as one who leads to the good of charity by means of the truth of faith, dealt with in 343, 3795, 6044 (here in the highest sense, since it has reference to the Lord, goodness and truth themselves are meant); from the meaning of 'the stone' as truth, dealt with in 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798; and from the representation of 'Israel' as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 3305, 4286, for 'Israel' is spiritual good or the good of truth, 4286, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833. And since the good of truth is the essential element of the spiritual Church, 'Israel' means the spiritual Church, and in the highest sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom. From all this it is evident that 'from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel' means that from this springs all the goodness and truth which the Lord's spiritual kingdom possesses.

[2] The reason why in the highest sense 'the stone of Israel' means the Lord with respect to the truth that His spiritual kingdom possesses is that in general 'the stone' means the temple, and specifically the foundation on which it stands. 'The temple' in turn means the Lord's Divine Human, as is clear in John 2:19, 21, and so does its 'foundation' in Matthew 21:42, 44, and in Isaiah 28:16. This meaning of 'the stone' in the highest sense - the Lord in respect to Divine Truth which His spiritual kingdom possesses - is evident in David,

The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This has been done by Jehovah; it is marvellous in our eyes. Psalms 118:22-23.

'The stone' here is the Lord, as is made clear in Luke,

It is written, The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Whoever falls onto that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:17-18.

These things are spoken by the Lord regarding Himself. In Isaiah,

He is your fear, and He is your dread; for He will be a sanctuary, though He will be a stone to strike against and a rock to stumble over ¹ for both houses of Israel. Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken to pieces. Isaiah 8:13-15.

Here the Lord is referred to. In the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih said, Behold I [am He who] will lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tested stone, a precious corner-stone, surely founded. He who believes will not be hasty. Isaiah 28:16.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah Zebaoth will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will place them as His glorious horse ² in battle. From Him comes the corner-stone, from Him the tent-peg, from Him the battle-bow. Zechariah 10:3-4.

[3] In Daniel,

You were watching, until a stone was cut out, not by means of hands, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were iron and clay, and smashed them to pieces. The stone that struck the statue became a great rock and filled the whole earth. The God of heaven will cause a kingdom to arise that will never be destroyed, and His kingdom will not be left to other people; it will crush and consume all those kingdoms, but will itself stand for ever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the rock, not by means of hands, and it smashed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold . . . Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45.

Here 'the stone' is used in the highest sense to mean the Lord, and in the relative sense to mean His spiritual kingdom. When it says that 'the stone was cut out of the rock' the meaning is that it came out of the truth of faith, for the truth of faith is meant in the Word by 'rock'. And because the truth of faith is meant by 'the stone' and 'the rock', the Lord's spiritual kingdom is also what is meant, since the truth of faith and good ensuing from this truth prevail in that kingdom. Something similar is also meant by 'the stone' on which Jacob slept and which he afterwards set up as a pillar, described as follows,

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely Jehovah is in this place and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is nothing other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And in the morning Jacob rose up early, and took the stone which he had placed as his headrest, and placed it as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He said, This stone which I have placed as a pillar will be God's house. Genesis 28:16-18, 22.

The fact that by 'the stone' the ancients understood the Lord in the highest sense and His spiritual kingdom in the relative sense is also plain to see in Joshua,

Joshua erected the stone under the oak which was in Jehovah's sanctuary. And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the sayings of Jehovah which He spoke to us. And it shall be a witness against you, lest you deny your God. Joshua 24:26, 17.

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