133. "'Who calls herself a prophetess.'" This symbolically means, and who make that faith the central doctrine of the church and found their whole theology upon it.

A prophet in the Word symbolizes the doctrine of the church, as may be seen in no. 8 above, and so likewise does a prophetess.

As people know, the Protestant Reformed Christian Church has accepted faith alone as the only means of salvation, and therefore works of charity have been divorced from faith as being not saving. As a result, the entire doctrine of human salvation, called theology, consists today of that faith, and accordingly is "the woman Jezebel."

165. "'You have a few names even in Sardis.'" (3:4) This symbolically means that they also have among them some people who do have life in their worship.

A few names means, symbolically, some who are of such a character as now described, for a name symbolizes someone's character. That is because everyone in the spiritual world is named in accordance with his character (no. 81). The character of the people described now is that they have life in their worship.