781. Et de chevaux, et de chariots, et de corps, et âmes d'hommes, signifie toutes ces choses selon l'entendement de la Parole et la doctrine qui en procède, et selon les biens et les vrais du sens de sa lettre, qui ne sont point en eux, parce qu'ils falsifient et adultèrent la Parole, en appliquant les choses qui y sont contre son sens réel, afin de dominer sur le Ciel et sur le Monde. Ces choses sont dites au cas génitif, parce qu'elles appartiennent à celles qui précèdent : que par les chevaux il soit signifié l'entendement de la Parole, on le voit, No. 298 ; que par les chars il soit signifié la doctrine qui procède de la Parole, on le voit, No. 437, par conséquent de même par les chariots ; que par les corps et les âmes d'hommes soient signifiés les biens et les vrais du sens de la lettre de la Parole, c'est parce que par eux sont signifiées les mêmes choses que par le corps et le sang dans la Sainte Cène ; par le corps dans la Sainte Cène est signifié le Divin Bien du Seigneur, et par le sang le Divin Vrai du Seigneur, et comme le corps et le sang signifient ce Bien et ce Vrai, ils signifient aussi le Divin Bien et le Divin Vrai de la Parole, parce que le Seigneur est la Parole ; mais in au lieu du Sang il est dit l’âme, et cela, parce que par l'âme est pareillement signifié le Vrai, voir ci-dessus, Nos. 681, et parce que le Sang dans la Parole est appelé l’âme, — Genèse 9:4-5. Lévitique 17:12-14. Deutéronome 27:25 ; — la même chose est signifiée par âme d'homme, — Ézéchiel 27:13.

— Et aussi par semence d'homme, — Daniel 2:43.

— Des choses semblables sont signifiées par les Chevaux et les Chariots, dans Esaïe :

— « Alors on amènera tous vos frères sur les chevaux, et sur le char, et sur les chariots, et sur les mulets, et sur les dromadaires, à la montagne de ma sainteté, à Jérusalem. » — Esaïe 66:20.

— ces choses ont été dites de la Nouvelle Église du Seigneur, qui est Jérusalem, au sujet de ceux qui sont dans l'entendement de la Parole et dans la doctrine qui en procède, choses qui sont les chevaux, le char et les chariots. Or, comme ceux qui sont de la Religiosité Catholique-Romaine falsifient et adultèrent la Parole, en rappliquant à la domination sur le Ciel et sur le Monde, il est signifié qu'ils n'ont aucun bien ni aucun vrai d'après la Parole, et que par cette raison ils ne sont pas non plus dans la doctrine du bien et du vrai : Jérémie en parle ainsi :

— « Il m'a dévorée, il m'a confondue le Roi de Babel ; il m'a rendue vase vide, il m'a engloutie comme une baleine, il a rempli son ventre de mes délices. » — Jérémie 51:34-35.

— « Epée! contre les chevaux de Babel, et contre ses chars, et contre ses trésors, afin qu'ils soient pillés ; sécheresse sur ses eaux, afin qu'elles tarissent, parce que terre d'images taillées, elle ; et de choses horribles ils se glorifient. » — Jérémie 50:37-38.

402. 'A city that was built' means all doctrinal or heretical teaching founded on that heresy. This is clear from the Word wherever the name of any city occurs. In the Word 'city' never means a city but something doctrinal or else something heretical. For angels are totally ignorant of what a city is or what the name of any city is. They never do nor can have any city in mind, for their ideas are of spiritual and celestial things, as shown already. Their perception is solely of what is meant spiritually by cities, and the names of them. For example, by the Holy City, which is also called the Holy Jerusalem, they understand nothing other than the Lord's kingdom in general, or as it exists with each individual who has the Lord's kingdom within him. And the city of Zion or Mount Zion they understand in a similar way, the latter being the celestial degree of faith, the former the spiritual.

[2] And the celestial and spiritual itself is also described by cities, palaces, houses, walls, the foundations of walls, ramparts, gates, bars, and by the temple at the centre, as in Ezekiel 48, and in Revelation 21:15-end. In Revelation 21:2, 10, it is called 'the Holy Jerusalem'; in Jeremiah 31:38 ['the city for Jehovah']; in David, Psalms 46:4, 'the city of God, the holy place of the dwellings of the Most High'; and in Ezekiel 48:35, it is called 'the city, Jehovah is there'. And in Isaiah,

The sons of the foreigner will build up your walls. They will bend down to the soles of your feet, all who disapprove of you, and they will call you the City of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 60:10, 14.

In Zechariah,

Jerusalem [will be called] the city of truth, and Mount Zion the mountain of holiness. Zechariah 8:3

Here 'city of truth', which is Jerusalem, means the spiritual things of faith, and 'the holy mountain', which is Zion, the celestial things of faith. And whereas the celestial and spiritual things of faith were represented by a city, so all matters of doctrine were meant by the cities of Judah and Israel, each one, when mentioned by name, meaning some specific point of doctrine, though exactly which nobody can know except from the internal sense.

[3] As cities meant matters of doctrine, cities also meant heretical ideas, each one when mentioned by name meaning some specific heretical idea. But at this point solely the consideration that in general a city means doctrinal teaching or else heretical may be established from the following places:

[4] In Isaiah,

On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt which speak in the lip of Canaan and swear to Jehovah Zebaoth. One of these will be called the city Heres. Isaiah 19:18.

This refers to man's knowledge of spiritual and celestial things at the time of the Lord's Coming. In the same prophet,

Full of tumults, a tumultuous city, an exultant city. Isaiah 22:1, 2.

This refers to 'the valley of vision', which is delusion. In Jeremiah,

The cities of the south are shut up, with none opening them. Jeremiah 13:10.

This refers to people who are in 'the south', that is, who dwell in the light of truth, but blot it out. In the same prophet,

Jehovah thought to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He causes rampart and wall to mourn; they have languished together. Her gates have sunk into the ground, He has destroyed and broken in pieces her bars. Lamentations 2:8-9.

Here anyone may see that nothing else is meant by 'wall, rampart, gates and bars' than matters of doctrine.

[5] Similarly in Isaiah,

This song will be sung in the land of Judah, Ours is a strong city, salvation will establish walls and a rampart. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. Isaiah 26:1-2.

In the same prophet,

I will exalt You, I will confess Your name. You have made the city into a heap, the fortified city into a ruin; let not a palace of aliens be built of the city for ever. Therefore a strong people will honour You, the city of terrifying nations will fear You. Isaiah 25:1-3.

Nor does this refer to any actual city. In Balaam's prophecy,

Edom will be an inheritance, and out of Jacob one will have dominion, and he will accomplish the destruction of the remnant of the city. Numbers 24:18-19.

Here anyone may see that 'the city' does not mean an actual city. In Isaiah,

The city of hollowness has been broken down, every house has been shut up so that none may enter in. There is an outcry in the streets over the wine. Isaiah 24:10-11.

Here 'city of hollowness' stands for hollowness of doctrine. In this and other places 'streets' means the things that constitute a city, namely falsities or truths. In John,

When the seventh angel poured out his bowl the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell. Revelation 16:17, 19.

That 'a great city' means something heretical, as do 'the cities of the nations', may be clear to anyone. The explanation is also given in Revelation 17:18 that the great city means the woman whom John saw, 'the woman', as shown already, being a Church of that nature.