Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 158Laodicea, verse 22), in order that everyone who is of the churchmay know that it is not knowing and understanding the truths andgoods of faith, or doctrinals, or even the Word, that makes thechurch, but hearkening, that is, understanding and doing; for thisis signified by the words “he that hath an ear let him hear what thespirit saith unto the churches.” Because this makes the church andforms heaven with man, and knowing and understanding, apartfrom doing, does not, therefore the Lord also uses the same wordsin several other places:He that hath an ear to hear let him hear (Matt. 11:15; 13:43;Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35).In Revelation it is added, “what the spirit saith unto the churches”;since by this is signified what Divine truth teaches and says to thosewho are of the church, or what is the same, what the Lord teachesand says, for all Divine truth proceeds from him (see Heaven andHell, n. 13, 133, 137, 139); for this reason the Lord did not himselfsay, “what the spirit saith,” because he who spoke was the Divinetruth.[2] That knowing and understanding Divine truths does notmake the church and form heaven with man, but knowing,understanding, and doing, the Lord teaches plainly in manypassages; as in Matthew:He that heareth these words of mine and doeth them, is likenedunto a prudent man, but he that heareth and doeth them not, is likenedunto a foolish man (Matt. 7:24, 26).He that was sown upon good land, this is he that heareth theWord, and taketh heed and thence beareth fruit (Matt. 13:23).In Luke:Everyone that cometh to me and heareth my words, and doeththem, I will show to whom he is like. He is like a man building a house,who laid the foundation on a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not islike a man that built a house upon the earth, without a foundation(Luke 6:47–49).