903. And on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. This symbolizes all of the doctrines from the Word regarding the Lord and living in accordance with His commandments.

The foundations had the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on them because the twelve apostles symbolize the Lord's church and everything connected with it (nos. 79, 233, 790), in this case the church in respect to all of its doctrines, because their names were written on the twelve foundations, which symbolize all of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem (no. 902). The twelve names symbolize its whole character, and its whole character has to do with two elements in the doctrine and so in that church: the Lord and living in accordance with His commandments. Therefore these are what are symbolized.

All of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem relate to these two elements, because they are its universal tenets on which all of its particular ones depend, and they are the essential elements from which all of its outward expressions originate. Therefore they are, as it were, the soul and life in all of its doctrines.

They are, indeed, two elements, but one cannot be divorced from the other. For to divorce them would be like divorcing the Lord from mankind, or mankind from the Lord, and in that case there would be no church.

These two elements are joined together like the two tables of the Ten Commandments, one of which contains commandments having to do with the Lord, and the other commandments having to do with people. There they are called a covenant, and a covenant symbolizes conjunction.

Think what the case would be with the tables of the Ten Commandments if only the first were to remain and the second were to be snatched away. Or if the second were to remain and the first were to be snatched away. Would it not be as though God did not see mankind, or as though mankind did not see God? Or as though one abandoned the other?

We say this to make it known that everything connected with the doctrine of the New Jerusalem relates to love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor. To love the Lord is to have faith in the Lord and obey His commandments, and to obey His commandments is to love the neighbor, since to obey the Lord's commandments is to be of useful service to the neighbor. People who love the Lord are those who obey His commandments, as the Lord Himself teaches in John 14:21-24. And love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are the two commandments on which hang the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40). The Law and the Prophets mean the Word in its entirety.

79. "'And you have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.'" This symbolically means that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.

That this is the symbolic meaning can be seen only by recourse to the spiritual sense, and only if one knows from that sense what apostles and liars mean. Apostles do not mean apostles, but all who teach the church's goods and truths, and in an abstract sense, its doctrinal goods and truths themselves.

That apostles do not mean apostles is clearly apparent from this declaration to them:

...when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you... will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28; cf. Luke 22:30)

Who does not see that the apostles would not judge anyone, and cannot judge anyone, much less the twelve tribes of Israel, but that the Lord alone would do so in accordance with the goods and truths of the church's doctrine that it has from the Word?

The same is clearly apparent also from the following:

The wall of the city (of the New Jerusalem) had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14)

The same is clearly apparent from this since the New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church (nos. 880, 881), and its foundations all the goods and truths of its doctrine (nos. 902ff.)

[2] The same is apparent as well from this:

Rejoice..., O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets... (Revelation 18:20)

What is the rejoicing of apostles and prophets, unless apostles and prophets mean all those people who possess doctrinal goods and truths in the church?

The Lord's disciples mean people who are instructed by the Lord in doctrinal goods and truths, while apostles mean those who, after having been instructed, teach them. For we are told,

(Jesus) sent (His twelve disciples) to preach the kingdom of God..., and when the apostles had returned, they told Him whatever they had done. (Luke 9:1-2, 10; cf. Mark 6:7, 30)

Liars mean people who are caught up in falsities, and abstractly the falsities themselves, as can be seen from many passages in the Word where liars and lies are mentioned - so many that if we were to cite them they would fill pages. In the spiritual sense lies are nothing else than falsities.

It can be seen from this now that the statement, "You have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars," means, symbolically, that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.