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14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the work of God.

15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot.

16. Therefore because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit thee out of My mouth.

17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

18. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white garments that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see.

19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent.

20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with Me on My throne, as I overcame, and sit with the Father on His throne.

22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Ver. 14. "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write," signifies to those and concerning those, in the church, who alternately believe from themselves, and from the Word, and thus profane things holy (AR 198). "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness," signifies the Lord as to the Word, which is the Divine truth from Him (AR 199). "The beginning of the work of God," signifies the Word (AR 200).

Ver. 15. "I know thy works," signifies here, as before (AR 201). "That thou art neither cold nor hot," signifies that they who are such, sometimes deny that the Word is Divine and holy, and at other times acknowledge it (AR 202). "I would thou wert cold or hot," signifies that it is better for them either from the heart to deny the holy things of the Word and of the church, or from the heart to acknowledge them (AR 203).

Ver. 16. "Therefore because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit thee out of My mouth," signifies profanation and separation from the Lord (AR 204).

Ver. 17. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods," signifies that they believe they possess in all abundance the knowledges of good and truth, which are of heaven and the church (AR 206). "And have need of nothing," signifies that they have no need of more wisdom (AR 207). "And knowest not that thou art wretched," signifies that all things which they know concerning them do not at all cohere (AR 208). "And miserable and poor," signifies that they are without the understanding of truth, and without the will of good (AR 209).

Ver. 18. "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich," signifies an admonition to acquire to themselves the good of love from the Lord by means of the Word, that they may become wise (n. 211). "And white garments that thou mayest be clothed," signifies that they should acquire to themselves the genuine truths of wisdom (AR 212). "And that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear," signifies lest the good of celestial love should be profaned and adulterated (AR 213). "And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see," signifies that their understanding may be healed (AR 214).

Ver. 19. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten," signifies that because they are now beloved, they cannot but be admitted into temptations (AR 215). "Be zealous, therefore, and repent," signifies that this should be done from the affection of truth (AR 216).

Ver. 20. "Behold I stand at the door, and knock," signifies that the Lord is present to everyone in the Word, and is there pressing to be received, and He teaches how (AR 217). "If anyone hear My voice, and open the door," signifies he who believes in the Word and lives according to it (AR 218). "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me," signifies that the Lord conjoins Himself with them and they with Him (AR 219).

Ver. 21. "To him that overcometh," signifies such as are in conjunction with the Lord by a life according to His precepts in the Word (AR 220). "Will I give to sit with Me in My throne," signifies that they will have conjunction with the Lord in heaven (AR 221). "As I overcame, and sit with the Father in His throne," signifies as He and the Father are one and are heaven (AR 222).

Ver. 22. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," signifies here, as before (AR 223).

THE EXPLANATION

AR 198. Verse 14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, signifies to those and concerning those, in the church, who alternately believe from themselves, and from the Word, and thus profane things holy. But concerning these something must be premised. There are in the church those who believe and do not believe; as that there is a God, that the Word is holy, that there is eternal life, and many other things which are of the church and its doctrine; and still they do not believe. They believe them when in their natural sensual, but they do not believe when they are in their natural rational; thus they believe them when they are in externals, therefore when they are in society and discourse with others; but they do not believe them when they are in internals, consequently when they are not in society with others, but are discoursing with themselves; concerning these it is said that "they are neither cold nor hot," and that "they shall be vomited out."

AR 199. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, signifies the Lord as to the Word, which is the Divine truth from Him. That "amen" is Divine confirmation from the truth itself, which is the Lord, thus from the Lord, may be seen in (AR 23); and that "a faithful and true witness," when spoken of the Lord, is the Divine truth which is from Him in the Word (AR 6, 16). Whether you say that the Lord testifies of Himself, or that the Word testifies of Him, it is the same, because "the Son of man," who here speaks to the churches, is the Lord as to the Word (AR 44). These things are premised to this church, because those in the church are here treated of who both believe from themselves and from the Word; and they who believe from the Word, believe from the Lord.

AR 200. The beginning of the work of God, signifies the Word. That the Word is "the beginning of the work of God," is not yet known in the church, because they have not understood these words in John:--

He who understands these words in their interior sense, and at the same time compares them with what is written in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, as also with some things in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, may see that the Divine truth itself in the Word which was formerly in this world, as mentioned in (AR 11), which likewise is in the Word which is at this day, is meant by "the Word which was in the beginning with God, and which was God;" but not the Word regarded as to the words and letters of the languages in which it is written, but regarded in its essence and life, which from the inmost is in the senses of its words and letters. From this life the Word vivifies the affections of the will of the man who reads it as holy, and from the light of that life it enlightens the thoughts of his understanding; therefore it is said in John:--

this constitutes the Word, because the Word is from the Lord, and concerning the Lord, and thus is the Lord. All thought, speech, and writing, derives its essence and life from him who thinks, speaks, and writes; the man with his quality is therein; but the Lord alone is in the Word. No one however feels and perceives the Divine life in the Word but he who is in the spiritual affection of truth when he reads it, for he is in conjunction with the Lord through the Word. There is something intimately affecting the heart and spirit, which flows with light into the understanding and bears witness. What is said in John has a similar signification to that of these words in the first chapter of Genesis:--

"The spirit of God" is the Divine truth, and also the Light; the Divine truth is the Word, therefore when the Lord calls Himself the Word, He also calls Himself "the Light" (John 1:4, 8, 9). Similar things are also meant by this passage in David:--

In short, without the Divine truth of the Word, which in its essence is the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love, and the Divine truth of His Divine wisdom, man cannot have life. By the Word there is the conjunction of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord, and by that conjunction there is life. There must be something from the Lord, which can be received by man, by which there can be conjunction and thence eternal life. From these things it may appear, that by "the beginning of the creation of God" is meant the Word, and if you will believe it, the Word such as it is in its literal sense, for this sense is the complex of its interior sanctities, as is abundantly shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture. And what is wonderful, the Word is so written, that it communicates with the entire heaven, and in particular with every society there, which it has been given me to know by living experience, of which elsewhere. That the Word in its essence is such, is moreover evident from these words of the Lord:--

AR 201. Verse 15. I know thy works, signifies that the Lord sees all their interiors and exteriors at once, as in (AR 76).

AR 202. That thou art neither cold nor hot, signifies that they who are such, sometimes deny that the Word is Divine and holy, and at other times acknowledge it. At one time to deny the holiness of the Word, and at another time to acknowledge it, is "to be neither cold nor hot," for they are against the Word and also for the Word. They are also such concerning God, at one time they deny, and at another time acknowledge Him; in like manner as to all things of the church; for which reason they are sometimes with those who are in hell, and at other times with those who are in heaven. They fly as it were between both, up and down, and wherever they fly, thither they turn the face. They become such who have confirmed with themselves the belief in the existence of God, of heaven and hell, and of life eternal, and afterwards recede from it. When the first confirmation returns, they acknowledge, but when it does not return, they deny. They recede because they afterwards think only of themselves and the world, continually aspiring to pre-eminence, and thereby they immerse themselves in their proprium; thus hell swallows them up.

AR 203. I would thou wert cold or hot, signifies that it is better for them either from the heart to deny the holy things of the Word and of the church, or from the heart to acknowledge them. The reason will be explained in the next article.

AR 204. Verse 16. Therefore because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit thee out of My mouth, signifies profanation and consequent separation from the Lord. "To vomit out of My mouth," signifies to be separated from the Lord, and to be so separated from the Lord is to be neither in heaven nor in hell, but in a place apart, deprived of human life, where there are mere phantasies. The reason is, because they have mixed truths with falsities, and goods with evils, thus holy things with profane, even so that they cannot be separated. And since man cannot then be prepared, either to be in heaven or in hell, the whole of his rational life is destroyed, and the ultimates of life alone remain, which, when separated from the interiors of life, are mere phantasies. Concerning their state and lot more may be seen in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Providence (DP n. 226-228, 231), which will suffice to give a knowledge of them. It is said of them that "they are vomited out," because the world of spirits, which is in the midst between heaven and hell, and into which every man first comes after death, and is there prepared, corresponds to the stomach, in which all the things put in are prepared either to become blood and flesh, or to become excrement and urine, the latter having a correspondence with hell, but the former with heaven. But the things that are vomited out of the stomach are those that have not been separated, but remain commixed. By reason of this correspondence, the expression "to vomit" and "vomit" are used in the following passages:--

AR 205.

AR 206. Verse 17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased in goods, signifies that they think they possess in all abundance the knowledges of truth and good which are of the church and heaven. "To be rich and increased in goods," here signifies nothing else than to know and understand fully such things as are of the church and heaven which are called spiritual and theological, because these are here treated of; spiritual riches and abundance are nothing else. They who believe from themselves, and not from the Lord through the Word, also believe that they know and understand all things. The reason is, that their spiritual mind is shut, and their natural mind alone open; and this mind, without spiritual light, sees no otherwise. That by "riches" and "wealth" in the Word are signified spiritual riches and wealth, which are the knowledges of truth and good, is manifest from the following passages:--

AR 207. And have need of nothing, signifies that they have no need of more knowledge and wisdom, and from any other source, is evident from what has been said above, because it is a consequence.

AR 208. And knowest not that thou art wretched, signifies that they do not know that all they know and think concerning the truths and goods of the church, do not at all cohere, and are uncemented walls. By "being wretched" is here signified no coherence, thus by "the wretched," those who think incoherently concerning the things of the church; the reason is, because they of whom this is said, at one time deny God, heaven, eternal life, and the sanctity of the Word, and at another time acknowledge them; therefore what they build with one hand they destroy with the other. Thus they are like those that build a house, and presently pull it down; or that clothe themselves in becoming garments, and presently tear them off. Their houses are therefore rubbish, and their garments rags. Such are all things which they think concerning the church and heaven, but they do not know this. These things are also meant by "wretchedness" in the following passages:--

AR 209. And miserable and poor, signifies that they are without truths and goods. By "miserable and poor," in the spiritual sense of the Word, are meant they who are without the knowledges of truth and good, for they are spiritually miserable and poor; the same are meant hereby in the following passages:--

By the "miserable and poor" are chiefly meant those who are not in the knowledges of truth and good and yet desire them, since by the "rich" are meant those who possess the knowledges of truth and good (AR 206).

AR 210. And blind and naked, signifies that they are without the understanding of truth, and the will of good. By "the blind," in the Word, are meant those who are without truths, either from a defect thereof in the church and so from ignorance, or from not understanding them; and by "the naked" are meant those who thence are without goods; for all spiritual good is acquired by truths. No others are meant by "the blind" in the following passages:--

By reason of the signification of "blind" and "blindness," it was forbidden to offer for sacrifice anything that was blind (Lev. 21:18; Deut. 15:21). That they should not cast a stumbling block before the blind (Lev. 19:14). That he was cursed who made the blind to wander (Deut. 27:18). Concerning the signification of "naked" and "nakedness," see below (AR 213).

AR 211. Verse 18. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, signifies an admonition to acquire to themselves the good of love from the Lord through the Word, that they may become wise. For "to buy" signifies to acquire to oneself; "of Me," signifies of the Lord through the Word; "gold" signifies good, and "gold tried in the fire," the good of celestial love; and "to be enriched" thereby, signifies to understand and be wise. "Gold" signifies good, because metals in their order signify such things as are of good and truth, gold celestial and spiritual good, silver the truth of those loves, brass natural good, and iron natural truth. These are signified by the metals of which the statue of Nebuchadnezzar consisted:--

By which are represented the successive states of the church as to the good of love and the truth of wisdom. From this succession of the states of the church, the ancients gave similar names to times, calling them ages of gold, silver, brass, and iron; and by the golden age they understood the first time, when the good of celestial love reigned; celestial love is love to the Lord from the Lord; from this love they at that time had wisdom. That "gold" signifies the good of love may be seen below (AR 913).

AR 212. And white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, signifies that they should acquire to themselves genuine truths of wisdom. That "garments" signify truths clothing good, may be seen in (AR 166), and that "white" is spoken of truths (AR 167), therefore "white garments" signify the genuine truths of wisdom, and this, because "gold purified in the fire" signifies the good of celestial love, the truths of this love being genuine truths of wisdom.

AR 213. That the shame of thy nakedness may not appear, signifies lest the good of celestial love should be profaned and adulterated. No one can know what "the shame of nakedness" signifies, unless he knows that the members of generation in both sexes, which are also called the genitals, correspond to celestial love. That there is a correspondence of man and all his members with the heavens, see (HH n. 87-102); and that the genital members correspond to celestial love, see (AC n. 5050-5062). As those members correspond to celestial love, which is the love of the third or inmost heaven, and man is born from his parents in loves which are opposite to that love, it is evident, that if he does not acquire to himself the good of love and the truth of wisdom from the Lord, signified by "gold tried in the fire," and by "white garments," he will appear in the opposite love, which is profane. This is signified by "uncovering nakedness" and "revealing shame," in the following passages:--

By "Jerusalem," of which these things are said, the church is meant; and by "committing whoredom" is signified to adulterate and falsify the Word (AR 134).

He who knows what "nakedness" signifies can understand what is signified by:--

Also why it was ordained that:--

As also that:--

By "nakedness" in these passages are signified the evils into which a man is born, which, because they are opposite to the good of celestial love, are in themselves profane; which are not removed except by truths, and by a life according to them: "linen" also signifies truth (AR 671). By "nakedness" is also signified innocence, and likewise ignorance of good and truth; innocence in the passage:--

Ignorance of good and truth by these:--

AR 214. And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see, signifies, that their understanding may be healed, lest the genuine truths of wisdom should be profaned and falsified. That by "the eyes" is signified the understanding, and by "the eye-sight" intelligence and wisdom, may be seen (AR 48). And since by "eye-salve" a medicine for the same is signified, it follows that by "anoint thine eyes with eye-salve," is signified to heal the understanding, that it may see truths and be wise; for unless this is the case, the genuine truths of the Word are profaned and adulterated.

AR 215. Verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, signifies that those of them who do so are loved by the Lord, and that then they cannot but be admitted to temptations that they may fight against themselves. That this is the sense of these words, is evident, for it is said, "As many as I love," by whom are meant they who "buy of the Lord gold purified in the fire," and who "anoint their eyes with eye-salve that they may see." It is said, "I rebuke and chasten" them, by which is meant temptation as to falsities and as to evils; by "rebuking" temptation as to falsities, and by "chastening" temptation as to evils. Such as are here treated of, could not but be admitted into temptations, because, without them, negations and confirmations against Divine truth could not be extirpated. Temptations are spiritual combats against the falsities and evils in one‘s self, thus against one’s self. What temptations are, whence they proceed, and what good they produce, see (HD n. 187-201).

AR 216. Be zealous, therefore, and repent, signifies that this should be done from the affection of truth, and aversion from what is false. It is here said, "Be zealous," because it was said in (verse 15), "I would thou wert either cold or hot," here hot, for "zeal" is spiritual heat, and spiritual heat is the affection of love, here the affection of the love of truth, and he who acts from the affection of the love of truth acts also from aversion to what is false; therefore this is signified by repent. " Zeal" in the Word, when it treats of the Lord, signifies love, and wrath; love in (John 2:17; Psalms 69:9; Isaiah 37:32; 63:15; Ezekiel 39:25; Zechariah 1:14; 8:2). Wrath in (Deuteronomy 32:16, 21; Psalms 79:5, 6;Ezekiel 8:3, 5; 16:42; 23:25; Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8). But "zeal" in the Lord is not wrath, it only appears so in externals, interiorly it is love. It appears so in externals, because the Lord seems to be angry when He rebukes man, especially when man‘s own evil punishes him. It is so permitted from love, that his evil may be removed; just like a parent, who, if he loves his children, suffers them to be chastised for the sake of removing their evils. Hence it is evident, why Jehovah calls Himself "zealous" (Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9, 10; 6:14, 15).

AR 217. Verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, signifies that the Lord is present to everyone in the Word, and is there pressing to be received, and teaches how. Something similar to this is said by the Lord in Luke:--

That "door" signifies admission and entrance, may be seen in (AR 176).

AR 218. If any one hear my voice, and open the door, signifies he who believes in the Word and lives according to it. "To hear His voice," is to believe in the Word, for the Divine truth of the Word is "the voice of Jehovah" (AR 37, 50); and "to open the door" is to live according to it, because the door is not opened, and the Lord received, by merely hearing the voice, but by living according to it, for the Lord says:--

That man ought to open the door as from himself, by shunning evils as sins, and doing goods, is shown in The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem; and that this is the case, is also evident from the Lord’s words here, "If anyone open;" as also from His words in (Luke 12:36).

AR 219. I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me, signifies that the Lord joins Himself with them and them with Himself. "To come in and sup with him," signifies to join Himself to him, and, since there must be a reciprocal that there may be conjunction, it is also said, "and he with Me." That to be conjoined is signified by "coming in and supping," appears from the Holy Supper instituted by the Lord, by means of which the Lord‘s presence is effected with those who hear His voice, that is, who believe in the Word, but there is conjunction with those who live according to the Word; to live according to the Word is to do the work of repentance, and to believe in the Lord. "To sup," and "the Lord’s Supper," are mentioned, because supper takes place in the evening, and by "the evening" is signified the last time of the church; therefore when the Lord departed out of the world, the last time of the church being then arrived, He supped with His disciples, and instituted the Sacrament of the Supper. That "evening" signifies the last time of the old church and "morning" the first of the New Church may be seen in (AR 151).

AR 220. Verse 21. To him that overcometh, signifies such as are in conjunction with the Lord by a life according to His precepts in the Word, is evident from what has been said above.

AR 221. Will I give to sit with Me in My throne, signifies that they will have conjunction with the Lord in heaven. That "the Lord‘s throne" is heaven, may be seen in (AR 14), therefore "to sit with the Lord in His throne," signifies conjunction with Him in heaven.

AR 222. As I overcame, and sit with the Father in His throne, signifies as He and the Father are one, and are heaven. That the Father and the Lord are one, is fully shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, and elsewhere. That heaven is not heaven from anything proper to the angels, but from the Divine of the Lord, which is in the angels and with them; therefore by these words, "as I sit with the Father in His throne," is signified as He and the Father are one, and are heaven; "throne" is heaven (AR 14, 221). "As I also overcame," signifies that by temptations admitted into His Human, and by the last of them, which was the passion of the cross, as also by the fulfilling of all things of the Word, He overcame the hells and glorified His Human, that is, He united it to His Divine which was in Him from conception, and is called Jehovah the Father, on which subject see the above-mentioned Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord (L n. 8-11, 12-14, 29-36),and also in (AR 67). The reason why the Lord says, "To him that overcometb will I give to sit with Me in My throne, as I overcame and sit with the Father in His throne," is because the union of the Lord with the Father, that is, with His Divine within Himself, took place, to the end that it might be possible for man to be conjoined to the Divine which is called the Father in the Lord; because it is impossible for man to be conjoined with the Divine of the Father immediately, but mediately through His Divine Human, which is the Divine natural; therefore the Lord says:--

And in another place:--

The Lord’s conjunction with man is by His Divine truth, and this in man is of the Lord, thus the Lord, and by no means man‘s, consequently is not man. Man, indeed, feels it as his own, but still it is not his, for it is not united to him, but adjoined; not so the Divine of the Father, this is not adjoined but united to the Lord’s Human, as the soul to its body. He who understands these things, may understand the following words of the Lord:--

And these:--

AR 223. Verse 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands, ought to obey what the Divine truth of the Word teaches those who will be of the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, as in (AR 87).

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