Lesson 3 – Allegory: Heat and Cold
In this lesson we focus on the allegorical meaning of Heat, and its opposite: Cold.
Transcript, Exercise and Homework
In Revelation we read:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” – Revelation 3:15-16 (NASB)
Heat is a key topic that comes up in various ways frequently in scripture and it is the subject we will unpack in this episode today. It bears relation to warmth, fire, summer, sun and underpins such topics, which we will revisit another time.
I also want to reiterate, that at times I may use examples from other sacred texts to illustrate the universality of the ancient Word and its allegorical nature, but in this episode I will focus on the Word in the Bible.
Let us first have a look at the use of heat in common language used today. Because of my interest in politics too, I will start with a quote from Ronald Reagan, who is quoted as having said:
“When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” – Ronald Reagan, former US President (1911-2004)
This refers to human nature in politics (or any area where you are trying to convince someone.) that if people cannot understand what you want them to see, you stimulate their emotions. Drawing on someone’s heart-strings may bypass logic and rationale, but gets people excited and energised.
It is also common to hear people use refer to someone as “cold-hearted” if they are apathetic or show a general lack of empathy or affection. The term “cold-blooded” is also used for the same, when there is a clear lack of mercy or empathy.
We say someone has a “hot temper” when that person gets angry easily.
We use the saying to “blow hot and cold” to mean being unable to decide something and perhaps alternating for or against a particular decision as a result of a lack of care or emotional investment.
So it is clear that the terms hot and cold are used synonymously with having affection or lack of it. To feel warmth towards something, to love something or not.
Now let us have a look at a couple of passages in the Word, where I believe this allegory and parabolic meaning holds true also:
In the book of Deuteronomy we read:
“Otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously.” – Deuteronomy 19:6 (NASB)
In the Psalms we find:
“My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned” – Psalm 39:3 (NASB)
It is worth repeating that our outer (or worldly) experience and environment form the foundation of our thoughts, language and so our scriptures. However, divine revelation captured in the inspired sacred scriptures is ultimately derived from the infinite creator and universal principles of creation itself and therefore represent these principles.
I think it is pretty clear, with what we’ve discussed so far, that heat equates love and affection. Being on the positive side, affections for what is good and on the negative side it can also represent a love for self, which is an anger and ultimately a hate for what is good and charitable.
Used symbolically therefore, heat represents the love in us that drives our will and fuels (energises or heats) our motivations.
Now, let us have a look at what Emanuel Swedenborg says on the subject
Emanuel Swedenborg
Swedenborg uses the term Correspondence for this allegorical nature, because any visual object or element in the natural world, directly correlates (corresponds) to a spiritual antecedent – being a spiritual quality or process.
In his work Arcana Coelestia – referring to Gen 8 Verse 22 – he writes:
“cold and heat” signifies the state of the man when he is being regenerated, which is like this in respect to the reception of faith and charity;
“cold” signifies no faith and charity, “heat” faith and charity;” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia (Heavenly Secrets) 930
Further on in the same work, referring to Revelation chapter 3 verses 15 and 16, he writes:
“That “cold” signifies no love, or no charity and faith, and that “heat” or “fire” signifies love, or charity and faith, is evident from the following passages in the Word. In John it is said to the church in Laodicea: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot; so because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16); where “cold” denotes no charity, and “hot” much charity. – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia (Heavenly Secrets) 934
And – Bringing in our previous topic: Light also – we read in Swedenborg’s work – True Christian Religion
“good is in the heat of heaven, and truth is in its light; while evil is in the cold of hell, and falsity in its darkness.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christian Religion 61
Instead of providing references from other scriptures, allow me to indulge and provide a slightly longer, but beautiful and relevant quote
“The truths of faith are first rooted when man begins to acknowledge and believe, and they are not rooted before. What man hears from the Word and holds in memory, is only the sowing; the rooting does by no means begin until the man accepts and receives the good of charity. All the truth of faith is rooted by the good of faith, that is, by the good of charity. This is as with seed that is cast into the ground while it is still winter and the ground is cold; there indeed it lies, but does not take root.”
“But as soon as the heat of the sun warms the earth in the time of early spring, the seed begins first to push its root within itself, and afterwards to send it forth into the ground. The case is the same with spiritual seed that is being implanted: this is never rooted until the good of charity as it were warms it; then for the first time it pushes its root within itself, and afterwards sends it forth.” – Emanuel Swedenborg, Arcana Coelestia 880
This pictures that knowledge, truth or, faith, without love is cold and infertile. It produces nothing.
Now, let us have a practical attempt at using allegory for our reading and study with a couple of passages from scripture to highlight our topic for today: Hot and Cold
We have heard so far that we can either use the term love, affection or charity (which is an affection or love for what is good), remembering that love can also be used in a negative sense (love of self).
You may note that Swedenborg uses the term charity differently to what you are used to and I will elaborate this in a New Perspectives video on Charity in the near future.
For simplicity sake, we will accept “love of good” as being the principle meaning of its symbol ‘hot’ in this exercise.
Your Exercise:
From the Prophet Ezekiel:
“Then set the pot empty on the coals, That it may become hot and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed.” – Ezekiel 24:11
now replace hot with love of good
“Then set the pot empty on the coals, That it may become love of good and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed.”
This then provides a picture of corrupting negative elements being removed and thus something being purified by a love of good.
Exercise 2
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” – Revelation 3:15-16
now replace hot with much love of good, and cold no love of good.
“I know your deeds, that you are neither no love of good nor much love of good; I wish that you were no love of good or much love of good. So because you are lukewarm, and neither much love of good nor no love of good, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Then emerges a picture of someone being ambivalent and uncommitted, having a lack of care, which is symbolic for the fact that one cannot learn or grow, nor even be happy, in a state of ambivalence and where there is no distinction between what is good and what is not.
This therefore distorts what good is, corrupts it and thus fails to protect what is good, which is not compatible with what aims to achieve what is good and true.
Homework:
Why don’t you test this out for yourself too? I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes from scripture.
“They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them And will guide them to springs of water.” – Isaiah 49:10 (NASB)
“Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.” – Daniel 3:22
Here are some other references you may like to read in light of understanding the allegory of hot and cold:
(Gen 8:22), (Isa 4:6), (Isa 25:4-5) (Job 24:19) (Deut 19:6) (Ps 39:3)
END
Post Scriptum
Swedenborg describes many encounters he had in the spirit world and conversations with angels, spirits and demons over the course of 30 some years. In True Christian Religion he recounts one such occasion, which I’d like to share with you here, as it bears relevance to our topic.
TCR (Ager) n. 385
“An angel once said to me, “If you wish to see clearly what faith is and what charity is, and thus what faith separate from charity is, and what it is when conjoined with charity, I will make it very clear to you.”
I answered, “Make it clear.”
He said, “Instead of faith and charity, think of light and heat, and you will see clearly. Faith in its essence is the truth of wisdom, and charity in its essence is the affection of love; and in heaven the truth of wisdom is light and the affection of love is heat. The light and heat in which angels live are in essence nothing else. From this you can see clearly what faith is when separated from charity and what faith is when conjoined with charity.
Faith separated from charity is like the light of winter, and faith conjoined with charity is like the light of spring. Wintry light, which is light separate from heat, because it is joined with cold, wholly strips the trees of their leaves, kills the grass, hardens the earth, and freezes the waters. But the light of spring, which is light joined with heat, causes the trees to put forth leaves, and then flowers, and finally fruit; it so opens and softens the earth that it may bring forth grasses, herbs, flowers, and it so melts the ice that the waters flow from their fountains.
[2] It is precisely the same with faith and charity. Faith when separated from charity makes all things dead, while faith joined with charity makes all things alive. This making alive and making dead can be seen to the life in our spiritual world, because here faith is light and charity is heat. Where faith is joined with charity, there are paradisal gardens, flower-beds, and grass-plots with a native charm according to that conjunction. But where faith is separated from charity, there is not even grass, and where there is any green it is from briers and thorns.”