198. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write." (3:14) This symbolically means, to people and concerning people in the church who base their beliefs sometimes on their own thinking, sometimes on the Word, and so profane holy things.

But we need first to say something about these people. There are in the church people who both believe and do not believe - who believe, for example, that there is a God, that the Word is holy, that life is eternal, and many other things connected with the church and its doctrine, and yet who at the same time do not believe them. They believe them when they are in their sense-oriented natural self, and yet do not believe them when they are in their reasoning natural self. Thus they believe them when they are focused on things round about them, and so when engaged in association and conversation with others; but do not believe them when they are focused inward, and so when they are not engaged in association with others, and when their conversation then is with themselves. It is these people of whom it is said that they are neither cold nor hot and will be vomited out.