21. 19. Behold I am as a leader sheep [dux ovis] that is brought to the slaughter, saying, Let us destroy the wood in its sap with the fruit thereof, and let us cut it off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered (Jeremiah 11:19).

(Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, when I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, who shall reign a King, and prosper, and do judgment and justice in the earth; and this in His name which they shall call Him, Jehovah our Justice (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

Am I a God at hand and not a God afar off? Can any man hide himself in secret places? Do not I fill heaven and earth (Jeremiah 24)?

(In that day they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them (Jeremiah 30:8-9).)

The land of Babylon was full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel (Jeremiah 51:5).

Jehovah of Hosts who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence (Jeremiah 51:15).

He is the former of all things, and of the rod of His inheritance: Jehovah of Hosts is His name, by whom He will do judgment upon all (Jeremiah 51:19-23).

19. Verse 4. John signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine. This is evident from the representation of "John," as being the good of love (of which above, n. 8). Because he represents the good of love, he also in the highest sense represents the Lord, since all the good of love is from the Lord. Man, spirit, and angel, are only recipients, and they who are recipients are said to signify that which is from the Lord. It is similar with many others in the Word, as with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, Peter, and the other apostles; each one of whom signifies some good or truth of heaven and the church, yet all of them, in the highest sense, signify the Lord. For instance, "David," in the internal sense, signifies Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, which is called the royalty of the Lord; for this reason, David in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to that truth and in respect to royalty; on which account it is said of David in the Word, that he is to come and reign over the sons of Israel (Ezekiel 37:24, 25; Hosea 3:5).

In like manner Elijah and Elisha, who, because in the internal sense they signify the Word, in the highest sense signify the Lord, from whom the Word is. (That "Elijah" and "Elisha" signify the Word, thus the Lord in respect to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 2762, 5247; likewise "John the Baptist," who is therefore called "Elijah," n. 7643, 9372. That "Peter" signifies faith, and therefore the Lord in respect to faith, because faith is from the Lord, see above, n. 9) From this it can be seen why "John" signifies the Lord. He signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine because it is said, "John to the seven churches," and by "the seven churches," in the internal sense, are meant all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity; for it is these that constitute the church; and doctrine is what teaches these truths. From this it is that as the Lord is the Word, so is He also the doctrine of the church, for all doctrine is from the Word. (That the Lord is the doctrine of the church, because all truth that is of doctrine is from the Word, thus from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 2531, 2859, 3712)