Jerusalem
Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.
(Notae: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])
以西结书 17
3
说主耶和华如此说:有一大鹰,翅膀大,翎毛长,羽毛丰满,彩色俱备,来到利巴嫩,将香柏树梢拧去,
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就渐渐生长,成为蔓延矮小的葡萄树。其枝转向那鹰,其根在鹰以下,於是成了葡萄树,生出枝子,发出小枝。
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又有一大鹰,翅膀大,羽毛多。这葡萄树从栽种的畦中向这鹰弯过根来,发出枝子,好得他的浇灌。
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这树栽於肥田多水的旁边,好生枝子,结果子,成为佳美的葡萄树。
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你要说,主耶和华如此说:这葡萄树岂能发旺呢?鹰岂不拔出他的根来,芟除他的果子,使他枯乾,使他发的嫩叶都枯乾了麽?也不用大力和多民,就拔出他的根来。
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葡萄树虽然栽种,岂能发旺呢?一经东风,岂不全然枯乾麽?必在生长的畦中枯乾了。
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你对那悖逆之家说:你们不知道这些事是甚麽意思麽?你要告诉他们说,巴比伦王曾到耶路撒冷,将其中的君王和首领带到巴比伦自己那里去。
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从以色列的宗室中取一人与他立约,使他发誓,并将国中有势力的人掳去,
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使国低微不能自强,惟因守盟约得以存立。
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他却背叛巴比伦王,打发使者往埃及去,要他们给他马匹和多民。他岂能亨通呢?行这样事的人岂能逃脱呢?他背约岂能逃脱呢?
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他轻看向王所起的誓,背弃王与他所立的约。主耶和华说:我指着我的永生起誓,他定要死在立他作王、巴比伦王的京都。
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敌人筑垒造台,与他打仗的时候,为要剪除多人,法老虽领大军队和大群众,
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他轻看誓言,背弃盟约,已经投降,却又做这一切的事,他必不能逃脱。
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所以主耶和华如此说:我指着我的永生起誓,他既轻看指我所起的誓,背弃指我所立的约,我必要使这罪归在他头上。
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我必将我的网撒在他身上,他必在我的网罗中缠住。我必带他到巴比伦,并要在那里因他干犯我的罪刑罚他。
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他的一切军队,凡逃跑的,都必倒在刀下;所剩下的,也必分散四方(方:原文是风)。你们就知道说这话的是我─耶和华。
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主耶和华如此说:我要将香柏树梢拧去栽上,就是从尽尖的嫩枝中折一嫩枝,栽於极高的山上;