879. 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. This symbolizes the New Church to be established by the Lord at the end of the previous one, which will be affiliated with the New Heaven and possess Divine truths in its doctrine and in its life.

John mentions himself by name here, saying "I, John," because as an apostle he symbolizes the goodness of love toward the Lord and the attendant goodness of life. Consequently he was more loved than any of the rest of the apostles, and at the Last Supper he reclined on the Lord's breast (John 13:23; 21:20). And this church, which is the subject here, has a similar symbolism.

That Jerusalem symbolizes the church will be seen in the next number. It is called a city and described as a city because of its doctrine and its life in accordance with that doctrine. For a city in the spiritual sense symbolizes doctrine (nos. 194, 712). It is called a holy city owing to the presence of the Lord, who alone is holy, and owing to the Divine truths from the Word that it has in it from the Lord, which are called holy (nos. 173, 586, 666, 852). And it is called new, because He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5). It is also said to be coming down from God out of heaven because it descends from the Lord through the New Christian Heaven, as said in no. 876 in the exposition of verse 1 in this chapter. For the church on earth is formed by the Lord through heaven, in order that heaven and the church may be in harmony and affiliated.

712. 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. This symbolically means that by these events that church was utterly destroyed as regards its doctrine, and so too all the heresies that emanated from it.

A city symbolizes church doctrine, or what is the same, the church in respect to its doctrine, as may be seen in nos. 194, 501, 502 above. The cities of the nations accordingly symbolize the heretical doctrines or heresies that emanated from it, of which there are many. To be divided into three parts means, symbolically, to be utterly destroyed; for in the Word to be divided means, symbolically, to be scattered, because the parts do not then hold together, and the number three symbolizes everything or the totality (nos. 400, 505). Thus to be divided into three parts means, symbolically, to be utterly destroyed. Falling, which the cities of the nations are said to have done, also symbolically means to be destroyed.

We are told that the city was divided into three parts and that the cities of the nations fell because of the earthquake that occurred just before, in which such events take place.

The great city means the great city mentioned before in chapter 11:8, which is there called Sodom and Egypt. Regarding it, see nos. 501-504 above.

A city symbolizes doctrine, and cities therefore doctrinal teachings, because the earth or land, in particular the land of Canaan, symbolizes the church. And because the church is a church owing to its doctrine and in consequence of it, therefore cities symbolize doctrinal teachings. People were also taught in cities, because that is where the synagogues were and in Jerusalem the Temple. Jerusalem consequently symbolizes the church in respect to its doctrine in a universal sense.