956. And let him that heareth say, Come; and let him that thirsteth come, and let him that willeth take the water of life freely, signifies that he who knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, should pray that it may come, and that he who desires truths, should pray that the Lord may come with light, and that he who loves truths, will then receive them from the Lord without his own work. By "let him that heareth say, Come," is signified he who hears and thence knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, let him pray that it may come; by "him that thirsteth, let him say, Come" is signified he who desires the Lord's kingdom, and, at the same time, truths, let him pray that the Lord may come with light; by "him that willeth let him take of the water of life freely," is signified that he who from love is willing to learn truths and appropriate them to himself, will receive them from the Lord without any work of his own; by "willing" is signified to love, because that which a man wills from his heart he loves, and that which he loves the same he wills from the heart; by "the water of life" is signified Divine truths through the Word from the Lord (n. 932); and by "freely" is signified without his own work. The things in this verse have the same signification as these in the Lord's Prayer:
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven so also upon the earth (Matt. 6:10; n. 839).
The Lord's "kingdom" is the church which makes one with heaven; wherefore it is now said, "let him that heareth, say, Come, and let him that thirsteth come."
[2] That "to thirst" signifies to desire truths, appears from the following passages:
I will pour water upon him that thirsteth, I will pour My spirit upon thy seed (Isa. 44:3).
Everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, buy wine and milk without silver (Isa. 55:1).
Jesus cried, saying, If anyone thirst, let him come unto Me and drink; whosoever believeth in Me, out of his belly shall flow streams of living water (John 7:37-38).
My soul thirsteth for the living God (Ps. 42:2).
O God, thou art my God; my soul thirsteth for Thee, it is weary without water (Ps. 63:1).
Happy are they who thirst after justice (Matt. 5:6).
Unto him that thirsteth I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely (Rev. 21:6).
By which is signified that to those who desire truths for any spiritual use, the Lord will give from Himself through the Word all which conduce to that use.
[3] That by "thirst" and "thirsting" is also signified to perish from lack of truth, is evident from these:
My people are exiled because they have no acknowledgment, the multitude is dried up with thirst (Isa. 5:13).
The fool speaketh foolishness, and his heart doeth iniquity, and he maketh the drink of the thirsty to fail (Isa. 32:6).
The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst; I Jehovah will hear them (Isa. 41:17).
Plead with your mother, lest I strip her naked, and slay her with thirst (Hos. 2:2-3).
"Mother" here is the church.
Behold, the days come, in which I will send a famine in the land; not a famine for bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah; in that day shall the beautiful virgins and the young men faint for thirst (Amos 8:11, 13).
But by "not thirsting" is signified not to have a lack of truth, in these passages:
Jesus said, Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst to eternity (John 4:13-15).
Jesus said, he that believeth on Me shall never thirst (John 6:35).
Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob; then shall they not thirst; He shall make waters to flow out of the rock for them (Isa. 48:20, 21).