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.

(Reference: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

788. “水往上长, 浮起方舟, 把它从地上漂起” 表它就这样摇摆不定; “水势浩大, 在地上大大地往上长; 方舟漂浮在水面上” 表它就这样摇摆得越来越剧烈. 除非预先说明被称为挪亚的这个教会的状态之性质, 否则, 这一点晦暗不明. 如前所述, “挪亚” 不是古教会本身, 它就象古教会的父母或种子. 但挪亚, 连同闪, 含, 雅弗一起构成紧接着上古教会的古教会. 被称为挪亚的这个教会的一切成员都属于上古教会的后代. 因此, 在遗传的邪恶方面, 其状态和没有存活下来的其他后代相差无几. 那些状态相差无几的人无法象那些没有通过遗传获得这种秉性的人那样重生, 并变得属灵. 前面 (310节) 阐述了其遗传秉性的性质. 不过, 为了让人们更好地了解它, 特作如下说明.

凡象犹太人那样属雅各 (Jacob) 后裔的, 无法象非犹太人那样容易重生. 信仰的颠倒在他们里面根深蒂固, 不仅由于他们自小就吸收, 随后加以确认的原则, 还由于其遗传的秉性. 根深蒂固的原因在于其遗传的秉性, 这一点从以下分析在某种程度上变得清晰: 他们的秉性与其他人不同, 事实上, 其习俗和面部特征也不同于其他人, 他们由此很容易与其他人区分开. 他们的这些特征来自遗传. 这同样适用于内在特质, 因为习俗和面部特征就是内在之物的印记. 这也是为何比起其他人, 转变的犹太人在真理与虚假之间更加摇摆不定的原因. 被称为挪亚的这个教会的第一批人同样如此, 因为他们具有上古之人的血统和种子. 此处所描述的, 就是这些摇摆. 后面的经文进一步说: 挪亚作起农夫来, 栽了一个葡萄园. 他喝了一些酒就醉了, 赤着身子躺在帐棚中 (创世记 9:20, 21). 这些人寥寥无几, 这一点从以下事实明显可知: 在灵人界, 那个教会的人表现为细高挑, 穿着白衣, 在一个狭小的房间内. 然而, 正是他们保存并拥有信的教义.