1088# 启17:18.“你所看见的那女人，就是大城”表示教会的可憎教义。这从“女人”和“城”的含义清楚可知：“女人”是指教会，在此是指圣言的真理和良善被亵渎的教会，这样的教会不再是一个教会，而是被称为巴比伦的一种宗教说服。“城”是指教会的教义（参看AE223节），在此是指巴比伦的教义，该教义是可憎可怕的，因为它出自被亵渎的圣言的良善和真理，而教会的圣物来自这些良善和真理。表示教会的这个女人被称为“大城”，而“城”表示教义，因为教会凭教义而存在，教义如何，教会就如何，在此则宗教说服就如何。这里的“城”是指巴比伦，作为大都市的“巴比伦”和作为王国的巴比伦具有相同的含义；如在但以理书，在那里，它被称为“巴别”。其它大都市与其王国也具有相同的含义，如犹太王国与耶路撒冷，以色列王国与撒玛利亚，亚兰或叙利亚王国与大马士革。不过，王国表示教会，而大都市表示教义方面的教会。（关于圣言续）
被称为神圣的，是神性真理。但它在处于其终端之前不是神圣的；它的终端就是字义上的圣言；因此，那里的神性真理是神圣的，可称为圣所。原因在于，这层意义包含和包括了天堂和教会的一切神圣。表面上看，被称为属灵和属天的天堂里的神性真理比属世的圣言字义中的神性真理更神圣；但被称为属灵和属天的天堂里的神性真理，相对来说就像人的肺和心，只有当心肺被肋骨包围，并被包裹在胸膜和横膈膜里面时，它们才形成胸部；因为没有这些覆盖物，事实上除非心肺通过纽带与它们相连，否则心肺就无法发挥其至关重要的功能。圣言的属灵事物就像肺脏的呼吸，圣言的属天事物就像心脏的收缩和舒张，圣言的属世事物则像胸膜、横膈膜和肋骨，以及所附着的运动纤维，运动则通过这些运动纤维变成往复运动。
此外，圣言的属灵和属天事物，相对来说就像会幕中的圣物，即：摆放陈设饼的桌子，上面有香的金坛，香料和香炉；以及带有灯的灯台，再里面有基路伯、施恩座和约柜。这一切都是犹太和以色列教会的圣物；但它们仍不能被称为神圣和圣所，直到它们被帷幔和幔子遮盖，因为没有这些遮盖物，它们就会裸露在天空之下，暴露在阵雨和暴风中，也暴露在天上的飞鸟和地上的野兽面前，又暴露给会侵犯、掠夺和分散它们的强盗。被称为属灵和属天的天堂里的神性真理若不包裹在像圣言字义的真理那样的属世真理中，也是如此。
属世真理，也就是圣言字义的真理，不是天堂的真正真理，而是它们的表象；真理的表象包围、包裹并包含天堂的真理，也就是真正的真理，使它们保持在联系和秩序中，并一起行动，就像心肺器官及其覆盖物和肋骨一样，如前所述。当这些真理被保持在联系和秩序中时，它们才第一次是神圣的，在此之前不是神圣的。我们圣言的字义就通过构成它终端的真理表象而如此行；这就是为何这字义本质上是神圣的和神性本身，也是圣所。
但人若将真理的表象与真正的真理分离，称这些表象或字义凭自己并独自为神圣，而不是认为字义凭真正的真理，因它们并与它们一起为神圣，就大错特错了。只看见字义的人会把它们分离，不去探究它的意义，如那些不从教义来阅读圣言的人所做的那样。在圣言中，“基路伯”是指守卫和保护，免得天堂的圣物遭到侵犯，也免得不通过爱就靠近主。因此，它们表示圣言的字义，因为字义就是那进行守卫和保护的。它以这种方式进行守卫和保护，是为了让人可以照着真理的表象思考和说话，只要他心地善良，单纯，就像个孩子一样；但他必须小心，不要过于确认表象，以至于摧毁了天堂里的真正真理。
1088. (Verse 18) And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city. That this signifies the abominable doctrine of the church, is evident from the signification of the woman, as denoting the church; in this case that in which the truths and goods of the Word are profaned, and which is no longer a church but a religious persuasion, called Babel; and from the signification of a city, as denoting the doctrine of the church (see n. 223); in this case the doctrine of Babylon, which is an abominable doctrine, because it is from the goods and truths of the Word, which are the holy things of the church, profaned.
The woman, by whom the church is signified, is called a great city, which signifies doctrine, because the church exists from doctrine, and such as is the doctrine such is the church; in the present case such a religious persuasion. It is Babylon that is here meant by the city; and by Babylon, as a metropolis, is signified the same as by Babylonia, which is a kingdom, as also in Daniel, where it is called Babel. The same is also signified by other metropolitan cities as by kingdoms - as the Jewish kingdom by Jerusalem, the Israelitish kingdom by Samaria, the kingdom of Syria by Damascus. And by kingdom is signified the church, but by a metropolitan city the church as to doctrine.
Continuation concerning the Word:-
[2] Divine truth is what is called holy. But it is not holy before it is in its ultimate; and its ultimate is the Word in the literal sense; therefore, the Divine truth there is holy, and may be called the sanctuary. The reason is, that that sense contains and includes all the sanctities of heaven and the church.
It appears as if the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are more holy than the Divine truths in the literal sense of the Word, which are natural. But the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are comparatively like the lungs and heart in man, which, unless they were encompassed by ribs, and contained by the pleura and diaphragm, would not form the breast; for without these integuments - in fact, unless they were connected with them by bonds - they could not perform their vital functions. The spiritual things of the Word are like the breath of the lungs; its celestial things like the systole and diastole of the heart, and its natural things like the pleura, the diaphragm, and the ribs, with the moving fibres annexed, by means of which the motions are reciprocated.
[3] Moreover, the spiritual and celestial things of the Word are comparatively like the holy things of the tabernacle, these being the table, upon which was the shew bread; the golden altar, upon which was the incense; the perfumes and censer; also the lampstand with the lamps; and still more interiorly the cherubim, the mercy-seat, and the ark. All these were the holy things of the Jewish and Israelitish church; but still they could not be called holy and the sanctuary until they were covered over by curtains and veils. For without those coverings they would have stood under the naked sky, exposed to showers and storms, to the birds of heaven and the wild beasts of the earth, and also to robbers' by which they would be violated, plundered, and dispersed. So would it be with the Divine truths in the heavens, called spiritual and celestial, unless they were enclosed by natural truths, such as are the truths of the literal sense of the Word.
[4] Natural truths, which are the truths of the literal sense of the Word, are not the real truths of heaven, but they are the appearances thereof; and appearances of truth encompass, enclose, and contain the truths of heaven, which are genuine truths; and cause them to be in connection and order, and to cohere, as do the cardiac and pulmonary organs with their integuments and ribs, as said above. And when they are in connection and in order, then first they are holy, and not before. The literal sense of our Word does this by the appearances of truth, of which its ultimate consists; this is why this sense is essentially holy and Divine, and a sanctuary.
[5] But he who separates the appearances of truth from genuine truths, and calls the literal sense holy by and of itself, and not by these, and from these, and together with these, is much deceived. He who sees only the literal sense separates them, and does not examine its meaning, as is the case with those who do not read the Word from doctrine.
By the cherubim in the Word is meant guard and protection, lest the holy things of heaven should be violated, and lest the Lord should be approached except by love. And hence the literal sense of the Word is signified by them, for it guards and protects. It guards and protects in this way, in order that a man may think and speak according to the appearances of truth, while he is well-disposed, simple, and as it were a child; but he must beware lest he confirms the appearances to the destruction of genuine truth in the heavens.
1088. Verse 18. And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, signifies the heinous doctrine of the church. This is evident from the signification of "the woman," as being the church, here a church in which the truths and goods of the Word are profaned, which is no longer a church, but a religious persuasion that is called Babylon. Also from the signification of "city," as being the doctrine of the church (See n. 223, here the doctrine of Babylon, which doctrine is heinous, because it is from the truths and goods of the Word, from which are the holy things of the church, which have been profaned. This woman, by whom is signified the church, is called "a great city," which signifies doctrine, because only from doctrine can there be a church, and such as the doctrine is such is the church, here such is the religious persuasion. It is Babylon that is here meant by the "city;" and "Babylon" as a metropolis has a similar signification as "Babylonia" which is a kingdom; as also in Daniel, where it is called "Babel." Other metropolitan cities have a like signification as their kingdoms, as the Jewish kingdom and Jerusalem, the Israelitish kingdom and Samaria, the kingdom of Syria and Damascus. But while the kingdom signifies the church, the metropolitan city signifies the church as to doctrine.
(Continuation respecting the Word)
[2] The Divine truth is what is called holy, but only when it is in its ultimate, and its ultimate is the Word in the sense of the letter; therefore the Divine truth there is holy, and may be called a sanctuary, and for the reason that that sense contains and encloses all the holy things of heaven and the church. The appearance is that the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are more holy than the Divine truths in the sense of the letter of the Word, which are natural; but the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, are comparatively like the lungs and heart in man, which form the chest only when they are encompassed by ribs, and enclosed in the pleura and diaphragm; for without these integuments they could not perform their vital functions, and even unless connected with them by bonds. The spiritual things of the Word are like the breathing of the lungs, its celestial things are like the systole and diastole of the heart, and its natural things are like the pleura, the diaphragm, and the ribs, with the moving fibers attached, by which the motions are made reciprocal.
[3] Again, the spiritual and celestial things of the Word are comparatively like the holy things of the tabernacle, which were the table upon which was the show bread, the golden altar upon which was the incense, the perfumes and the censer, also the lampstand with the lamps, and still further within the cherubim, the mercy seat and the ark. All these were the holy things of the Jewish and Israelitish church; nevertheless they could not be called holy and the sanctuary until they had been covered by curtains and veils, for without those coverings they would have stood under the naked sky, exposed to showers and storms, to the birds of heaven and the wild beasts of the earth, and also to robbers that would violate, plunder, and scatter them. So would it be with the Divine truths in the heavens, which are called spiritual and celestial, unless they were enclosed in natural truths, like the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word.
[4] Natural truths, which are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, are not the very truths of heaven, but are appearances of them; and appearances of truth encompass, enclose, and contain the truths of heaven, which are genuine truths, and cause them to be in connection and order and to act together, like the cardiac and pulmonary organs with their coverings and ribs, as has been said above; and when these truths are held in connection and in order they are holy, and not till then. This the sense of the letter of our Word does by means of the appearances of truth of which its ultimate consists; and this is why that sense is the holy Divine Itself and the sanctuary.
[5] But he is greatly mistaken who separates appearances of truth from genuine truths and calls these appearances holy by themselves and from themselves, and not the sense of the letter holy by genuine truths and from them and together with them. He separates these who sees only the sense of the letter and does not explore its meaning, as those do who do not read the Word from doctrine. The "cherubim" mean in the Word a guard and protection that the holy things of heaven be not violated, and that the Lord be approached only through love; consequently these signify the sense of the letter of the Word, because that is what guards and protects. It guards and protects in this manner that man can think and speak according to the appearances of truth so long as he is well-disposed, simple, and as it were an infant; but he must take heed not to so confirm appearances as to destroy the genuine truths in the heavens.
1088. [Vers. 18.] "Et mulier, quam vidisti, est urbs magna." - Quod significet nefandam doctrinam ecclesiae, constat ex significatione "mulieris", quod sit ecclesia, hic in qua vera et bona Verbi profanata sunt, quae non amplius est ecclesia, sed religiosum quod vocatur Babel; et ex significatione "urbis", quod sit doctrina ecclesiae (de qua [supra] , n. 223), hic doctrina Babylonis, quae doctrina nefanda est, quia ex veris et bonis Verbi, ex quibus sancta ecclesiae, profanatis. Mulier illa, per quam significatur ecclesia, vocatur "urbs magna", quae significat doctrinam, quia ecclesia non aliunde est quam ex doctrina, nam qualis doctrina talis ecclesia, hic tale religiosum; est Babylon quae hic intelligitur per "urbem"; et per "Babylonem", ut metropolin, simile significatur quod per "Babyloniam" quae est regnum, ut quoque apud Danielem, ubi "Babel" dicitur; simile etiam significatur per reliquas urbes metropoles quod per regna, sicut regnum Judaicum per "Hierosolymam", regnum Israeliticum per "Samariam", regnum Syriae per "Damascum"; ac per "regnum significatur ecclesia, per "urbem metropolin" autem ecclesia quoad doctrinam.
[2] (Continuatio de Verbo.)
Divinum Verum est quod vocatur sanctum; sed non prius sanctum est quam cum in ultimo suo est; ultimum ejus est Verbum in sensu litterae; quare Divinum Verum ibi est sanctum, et vocari potest sanctuarium; causa est, quia ille sensus continet et concludit omnia sancta caeli et ecclesiae. Apparet sicut Divina vera in caelis, quae spiritualia et caelestia vocantur, sint sancta prae Divinis veris in sensu litterae Verbi, quae sunt naturalia; sed Divina Vera in caelis, quae vocantur spiritualia et caelestia, sunt comparative sicut in homine pulmo et cor, quae nisi costis circumtecta forent, et inclusa pleurae et diaphragmati, non facerent pectus; nam absque illis integumentis non possent vitales suas functiones agere, immo nisi cum illis per vincula forent connexa: spiritualia Verbi sunt sicut spiritus pulmonum: caelestia ejus sunt sicut systole et diastole cordis; ac naturalia ejus sunt sicut pleura, diaphragma et costae cum fibris motricibus annexis, per quas reciprocantur motus.
[3] Porro spiritualia et caelestia Verbi sunt comparative sicut sancta Tabernaculi, quae fuerunt mensa super qua panes propositionis, altare aureum super quo thura, odoramenta et thuribulum, tum candelabrum cum lucernis, ac interius adhuc cherubi, propitiatorium et arca; haec omnia fuerunt sancta Ecclesiae Judaicae et Israeliticae; sed usque non potuerunt vocari sanctum et sanctuarium priusquam illa aulaeis et velis circumtecta fuerunt; absque tegumentis enim illa exstitissent nudo caelo, exposita imbribus et procellis, avibus caeli et feris terrae, et quoque furibus, quae illa violarent, diriperent et dispergerent: ita quoque Divina vera in caelis, quae vocantur spiritualia et caelestia, nisi inclusa forent veris naturalibus, qualia sunt vera sensus litterae Verbi.
[4] Vera naturalia, quae sunt vera sensus litterae Verbi, non sunt ipsa vera caeli, sed sunt apparentiae illorum; et apparentiae veri circumtegunt, includunt et continent vera caeli, quae sunt vera genuina, et faciunt ut in nexu et in ordine sint et cohaereant sicut cardiaca et pulmonaria cum suis tegumentis et costis, ut dictum est; et cum in nexu et in ordine sunt, tunc primum sunt sancta et non prius: hoc facit sensus litterae nostri Verbi per apparentias veri, ex quibus ultimum ejus consistit; inde est quod ille sit ipsum sanctum Divinum et sanctuarium.
[5] Qui autem separat apparentias veri a genuinis veris, et illas per se et ex se, et non per illas et ex illis, ac una cum illis, sensum litterae sanctum vocat, multum fallitur; ille separat qui sensum litterae solum videt, et non intellectum ejus explorat; ut faciunt qui non ex doctrina Verbum legunt. Per "cherubos" in Verbo intellecta est custodia et tutela, ne sancta caeli violentur, et ne Dominus adeatur nisi quam per amorem; inde per illos significatus est sensus litterae Verbi, nam ille custodit et tutatur: custodit et tutatur eo modo, quod homo possit cogitare et loqui secundum apparentias veri, dum probus est, simplex et quasi infans; sed cavebit ne apparentias confirmet usque ad destructionem genuini veri in caelis.