231. That thou art neither cold nor hot. That this signifies that the life is between heaven and hell, because without charity, is evident from the signification of cold, as being not to be in spiritual but in infernal love, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of hot, as denoting to be in spiritual love, concerning which also we shall speak presently. It is therefore evident, that by being neither cold nor hot, is signified, to be neither in infernal love nor in spiritual love, but between both; and he who is between both is between hell and heaven.

[2] That such are those who are in faith alone, or in faith separated from charity, has not hitherto been known; but that it is so, is clear from each of the things written to the angel of this church; also from this consideration, that those who are in faith separated from charity live to themselves, to the world, and to a natural disposition, and those who so live are in infernal love; and that yet by reading the Word, and by hearing discourses therefrom, by receiving the Holy Supper, and by many things which they retain in the memory from the Word, they look towards heaven; and when they do so, they are in some degree of spiritual heat; but still because they have not any heat, or spiritual love, since they do not live according to the Word, therefore they are neither cold nor hot. Thus too they divide the mind into two parts; namely, by means of the things of the Word they turn themselves to heaven, and by means of the things of life they turn themselves to hell, so that they halt between both.

When those who are of such a character come into another life, they desire to go to heaven, saying that they have faith, that they have read the Word, have heard sermons, have frequented the Holy Supper, and that by these things they expect to be saved, but when their life is examined, it is seen to be entirely infernal; that is, that they made no account of enmity, hatred, revenge, craftiness, deceitful stratagems; that when they did what was right, sincere and just, it was only in external form, for the sake of appearing such to the world, whilst inwardly, or in their spirit, they thought other things, and many opposite things, believing that thoughts and intentions are of no account provided they do not openly appear before the world. This is why the spirit of such, when loosened from the earthly body, is of such a quality; for it is man's spirit which thinks and intends.

[3] These are they who are meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:

"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? But then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (7:22, 23).

So also by these words in Luke:

"When ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity" (13:25-27).

[4] The reason why cold signifies infernal love is, that heat signifies heavenly love. (That heat signifies heavenly love, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 126-140, 567, 568; and that love to the Lord, and love towards the neighbour, or charity, are heavenly loves, and constitute heaven, may be seen in the same work, n. 13-19; and that the love of self and the love of the world are infernal loves and constitute hell, n. 551-565. That in the hells also there is heat, but impure, see Arcana Coelestia 1773, 2757, 3340; but that that heat is changed into cold when heavenly heat flows in, see in the work, Heaven and Hell 572.)

4747. 'And behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead' means those in whom simple good is present like that present in gentiles. This is clear from the representation of 'Ishmaelites' as those in whom simple good is present so far as life is concerned, and who consequently rely on natural truth so far as doctrine is concerned, dealt with in 3263, and from the meaning of 'Gilead' as exterior good into which, when a person is being regenerated, he is introduced first, dealt with in 4117, 4124. From this it is evident that 'a caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead' means the kind of good that exists with gentiles, that is, those in whom that kind of simple good is present.

[2] The implications of this may be seen from what has been stated up to now and from what follows below, in advance of which only this needs to be mentioned: If people within the Church who have set themselves firmly against Divine truths - in particular against the truths that the Lord's Human is Divine and that the works of charity do contribute something towards salvation - have so set themselves against them not only from doctrine but also in life, they have driven themselves interiorly into the kind of state in which they cannot possibly be brought after that to accept those truths. For once such opposition has become firmly established in life as well as from doctrine it remains for ever. People who have no knowledge of man's interior state may suppose that no matter how much he has set himself firmly against those truths he can still accept them without difficulty after that, provided he is convinced they are truths. But this is impossible, as I have been allowed to know from a great deal of experience of such persons in the next life. For that which is firmly accepted from doctrine is absorbed into the understanding, and that which is firmly accepted in life is absorbed into the will. That which is deeply implanted in both areas of life in man - that is to say, in the life of his understanding and in the life of his will - cannot be rooted out. A person's essential soul which lives after death is shaped by these and it is such that it never withdraws from them. This also is the reason why the lot of those within the Church in whom such attitudes of mind have developed is worse than the lot of those outside the Church. Those outside the Church, called the gentiles, have not set themselves firmly against those truths because they have no knowledge of them. For this reason those among them who have led charitable lives with one another accept Divine truths with ease, if not in the world then in the next life. See what has been presented from experience regarding the state and lot of gentile nations and peoples in the next life, in 2589-2604.

[3] Consequently when a new Church is established by the Lord it is not established among those within the Church but among those outside it, that is, among gentiles. These are referred to many times in the Word. These preliminary remarks have been made so that what is implied by Joseph's being thrown into the pit by his brothers may be known and what by his being drawn out of it by the Midianites and sold to the Ishmaelites. For by 'Joseph's brothers' are represented those people within the Church who have set themselves firmly against Divine Truth, in particular against the two truths that the Lord's Human is Divine and that the works of charity do contribute something towards salvation, being opposed to them not only from doctrine but also in life. By 'the Ishmaelites' however those in whom simple good is present are represented, and by 'the Midianites' those who rely on the truth partnering that good. The latter are recorded as having drawn Joseph out of the pit, the former as having bought him. But what is meant by their bringing him down into Egypt where they sold him to Potiphar, Pharaoh's bedchamber-servant, will be stated further on.