7207. 'And I will take you to Myself as a people' means that they will be added to those in heaven who serve the Lord there. This is clear from the meaning of 'taking as a people', when said by Jehovah or the Lord, as receiving among those who are in heaven. For those in heaven are called the Lord's people, which they are also called when they are in the world because so far as their souls are concerned they are at that time too in heaven, see 687, 697, 3255, 4067, 4073, 4077. The reason why the words under consideration here mean that those who belong to the spiritual Church will be added to those in heaven who serve the Lord there is that before the Lord's Coming those people were held back on the lower earth, and were raised into heaven when the Lord rose again, at which point they were added to those there who serve the Lord, see 6854, 6914, 7090 (end).

“Hearing” in the Bible means more than just the collection of atmospheric vibrations: It represents receiving and understanding new ideas, particularly those from the Lord. On a deeper level it represents obedience, because we must understand to obey. This also is reflected in natural language, in which we often use “hear” to mean “obey.” There are many shades of meaning beyond that, depending on context -- who is hearing whom, and what the subject at hand is.