108. Verse 7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church. This is evident from the signification of "He that hath an ear let him hear," as being that he who understands should hearken, or obey (that to "hear" is to understand and to do, that is, to hearken, see above, n. 14; also from the signification of "the Spirit," here the Spirit of God, as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (See Arcana Coelestia 3704, 5307, 6788, 6982, 6993, 7004, 7499, 8302, 9199, 9228-9229, 9303, 9407, 9818, 9820, 10330); and from the signification of "churches," as being those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, that is, who are of the church, for no others are of the church. These words, namely, "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith into the churches," are said to each of the churches (here to the church of Ephesus; afterwards to the church in Smyrna, verse 2:11; in Pergamum, verse 2:17; in Thyatira, verse 2:29; in Sardis, chapter Revelation 3:6; in Philadelphia, verse 3:13; and in Laodicea, verse 3:22), in order that everyone who is of the church may know that it is not knowing and understanding the truths and goods of faith, or doctrinals, or even the Word, that makes the church, but hearkening, that is, understanding and doing; for this is signified by the words "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Because this makes the church and forms heaven with man, and knowing and understanding, apart from doing, does not, therefore the Lord also uses the same words in several other places:

He that hath an ear to hear let him hear (as in Matthew 11:15; 12:43; Mark 4:9, 4:23; 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 those who are of the church, or what is the same, what the Lord teaches and says, for all Divine truth proceeds from Him (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 13, 133, 137, 139); for this reason the Lord did not Himself say, "what the Spirit saith," because He who spoke was the Divine truth.

[2] That knowing and understanding Divine truths does not make the church and form heaven with man, but knowing, understanding, and doing, the Lord teaches plainly in many passages; as in Matthew:

He that heareth these words of Mine and doeth them, is likened unto a prudent man, but he that heareth and doeth them not, is likened unto a foolish man (Matthew 7:24, 26).

In the same:

He that was sown upon good land, this is he that heareth the Word, and taketh heed and thence beareth fruit (Matthew 13:23).

In Luke:

Everyone that cometh to Me and heareth My words, and doeth them, 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 is like a man that built a house upon the earth, without a foundation (Luke 6:47-49).

In the same:

My mother and My brethren are they who hear the Word of God and do it (Luke 8:21);

and in many other places. In these passages, "hearing" signifies simply hearing, which is knowing and understanding. "Hearing," in common discourse, has this meaning when one is said "to hear" a thing; but it means both understanding and doing when it is said "give ear to," or "hearken to," also "listen to." Moreover, those who have separated life from faith are like those of whom the Lord speaks in Matthew:

Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13-15; Ezekiel 12:2).

9228. The fact that 'seven' means a whole period from start to finish, thus what is complete, is clear from a large number of places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, on the day when Jehovah will bind up the hurt ¹ of His people. Isaiah 30:26.

This refers to the salvation of faithful believers and their intelligence and wisdom in the Lord's kingdom. 'The moon' is faith received from the Lord, thus belief in the Lord, and 'the sun' is love derived from the Lord, thus love to the Lord, 30-38, 1521, 1529-1531, 2441, 2495, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4321 (end), 4696, 5377, 7078, 7083, 7171, 8644. 'The light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days' means a complete state of intelligence and wisdom because of love to and belief in the Lord.

[2] In Ezekiel,

The inhabitants of the cities of Israel will go out, and they will set alight and burn the weapons, both shield and buckler, together with bow and arrows, and hand-staff, and spear; they will set fire to them for seven years, that they may not bring wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests. And they will cleanse the land in seven months. Ezekiel 39:9-10, 12.

This refers to the destruction of falsity. 'The weapons' that are listed here are falsities used by those who are evil to fight against the Church's truths. 'Setting fire to them for seven years' means complete destruction brought about by the desires of self-love and love of the world. 'In order that they may bring no wood from the field or cut down any from the forests' means when no good at all survives, neither in the internal man nor in the external. 'Cleansing the land in seven months' means the complete restoration of goodness and truth within the Church. It has been shown in very many places that 'weapons' are truths fighting against falsities, and in the contrary sense falsities fighting against truths; that 'bow and arrows' means teachings that present truth, and in the contrary sense teachings that present falsity; that 'hand-staff' means the power of truth, and in the contrary sense the power of falsity; that 'setting alight and burning' means laying waste through the desires of self-love and love of the world; that 'wood from the field' means the Church's forms of interior good, and 'wood from the forests' factual knowledge of goodness and truth; and that 'the land' means the Church. Anyone can see that different things are meant here from those which present themselves in the letter, as when it says that they will burn the weapons, and set them alight for seven years, in order that they may bring no wood from the field or cut down any from the forests. People do indeed know that things of a holy and Divine nature are meant, because the Word is holy and comes from God. But they cannot by any means know which things of a holy and Divine nature are contained in these words unless they know what the meaning is of 'weapons', 'seven years' and 'seven months', 'wood from the field' and 'wood from the forests'. From this it is evident that without knowledge gained from the internal sense those prophetic utterances are completely unintelligible.

[3] In David,

Seven times in the day I praise You over the judgements of Your righteousness. Psalms 119:164.

In the same author,

Repay [our] neighbours sevenfold into their bosom. Psalms 79:12.

'Sevenfold' means completely. The meaning is similar in Moses, where it says that they would be punished sevenfold if they went against commandments and statutes, Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28. Anyone who does not know that 'seven' means a whole period from start to finish, and therefore what is complete, will suppose that 'seven weeks' in Daniel means seven lengths of time,

Know and perceive that from the going forth of the Word to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks. Daniel 9:25.

But 'seven weeks until the Messiah, the Prince' means what is said of the Lord, namely that He will come in the fullness of time, so that 'seven weeks' means a whole period. From this it is evident that the seven spirits before God's throne, Revelation 1:4, the book sealed with seven seals, Revelation 5:1, and the seven angels holding 'the seven bowls, which are the seven last plagues, Revelation 15:1, 6-7; 21:9, do not mean seven spirits, seven seals, or seven angels, bowls, and plagues, but all things even to completeness. The statement in 1 Samuel 2:5 that the barren has borne seven in like manner does not mean seven but a great amount, even to a complete amount.

[4] Because 'seven' had this meaning it was stipulated that a priest at his initiation should wear the garments for seven days, Exodus 29:30; that his hands should be filled for seven days, ² Exodus 29:35; that the altar should be sanctified for seven days, Exodus 29:37; and that those initiated into the priesthood should not depart from the tent [of meeting] for seven days, Leviticus 8:33-34. So too with the reference to the unclean spirit going out of a person and returning with seven others, Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:26; also where it says that if a brother sins seven times in a day and is seven times converted he is to be forgiven, Luke 17:4; and that the heart of Nebuchadnezzar was changed from [that of] a human being and the heart of a beast was given to him while seven times passed by, Daniel 4:15, 25, 32. For the same reasons also Job's friends sat down with him on the earth seven days and seven nights and spoke nothing to him, Job 2:13. Seventy in a similar way means that which is complete, see 6508, as also does a week, 2044, 3845. From all this it now becomes clear that 'the eighth day' means the initial phase of the following state.

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