3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
-Revelation 11:3-13 Bible, King James Version (KJV)
Apocalypse Revealed, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1766], tr. by John Whitehead [1912], at sacred-texts.com4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
-Revelation 11:3-13 Bible, King James Version (KJV)
Revelation 11... THE SPIRITUAL SENSE The contents of the whole chapter. It still treats of the state of the church among the Reformed [churches,] as to the quality of those who are interiorly in faith alone, contrary to the two essentials of the New Church, which are that the Lord alone is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine; and that men ought to live according to the precepts of the Decalogue [or Commandments.] That these two essentials were declared to them (verses 3-6), but that they were totally rejected (verses 7-10). That they were raised up again by the Lord (verses 11, 12). That they who rejected them, perished (verse 13). That the state of the New Church was manifested from the New Heaven (verses. 15-19). The contents of each verse...
Verse 3. "And I will give My two witnesses," signifies those who confess and acknowledge in heart that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine, and who are conjoined to Him by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue [the Ten Commandments] (n. 490). "And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and sixty] days," signifies that these two articles, the acknowledgment of the Lord, and a life according to the commandments of the Decalogue, which are the two essentials of the New Church, are to be taught until the end and the beginning (n. 491). "Clothed in sackcloth," signifies mourning in the meantime on account of the nonreception of truth (n. 492).
Verse 3. "And I will give My two witnesses," signifies those who confess and acknowledge in heart that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that His Human is Divine, and who are conjoined to Him by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue [the Ten Commandments] (n. 490). "And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and sixty] days," signifies that these two articles, the acknowledgment of the Lord, and a life according to the commandments of the Decalogue, which are the two essentials of the New Church, are to be taught until the end and the beginning (n. 491). "Clothed in sackcloth," signifies mourning in the meantime on account of the nonreception of truth (n. 492).
Verse 4. "These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands, which are standing before the God of the earth," signifies love and intelligence, or charity and faith, from the Lord with them (n. 493).
Verse 5. "And if anyone will hurt them, fire shall go forth out of their mouth, and shall devour their enemies," signifies that they who wish to destroy these two essentials of the New Church, will perish from infernal [or hellish] love (n. 494). "And if anyone will hurt them, he must thus be killed," signifies that he who condemns them shall in like manner be condemned (n. 495).
Verse 6. "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain no rain in the days of their prophecy," signifies that they who turn themselves away from these two essentials cannot receive any truth from heaven (n. 496). "And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood," signifies that they who turn themselves away from them falsify the truths of the Word (n. 497). "And to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they will," signifies that they who would destroy them, will cast themselves into all kinds of evils and falsities, as often as and as far as they do so (n. 498).
Verse 7. "And when they shall have finished their testimony," signifies that after the Lord taught those two essentials of the New Church (n. 499). "The beast that ascendeth out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them," signifies that they who are in the internals of the doctrine of faith alone will reject these two (n. 500).
Verse 8. "And their bodies shall lie on the street of the great city," signifies that they are totally rejected (n. 501). "Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt," signifies two infernal loves, which are the love of dominion from the love of self, and the love of rule from the pride of one's own intelligence, which exist in the church where one God is not acknowledged, and the Lord not worshiped, and where they do not live according to the precepts of the Decalogue (n. 502, 503). "Where also our Lord was crucified," signifies non-acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human, and, consequently, a state of rejection (n. 504).
Verse 9. "And they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall see their bodies three days and a half," signifies when all they, who, until the end of the present church and the beginning of the New Church, have been and will be in falsities of doctrine and evils of life from faith alone, have heard and shall hear of these two essentials (n. 505). "And shall not permit their bodies to be put into tombs," signifies that they have condemned and will condemn them (n. 506).
Verse 10. "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and be glad," signifies the delight of the affection of the heart and soul in the church among those who were in faith alone (n. 507). "And shall send gifts one to another," signifies consociation through love and friendship (n. 508). "Because these two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth," signifies that these two essentials of the New Church, by reason of their contrariety in the two essentials in the church of the Reformed, are held in contempt, dislike, and aversion (n. 509).
Verse 11. "And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet," signifies that these two essentials, during the commencement and progress of the New Church, with those who receive them, will be vivified by the Lord (n. 510). "And great fear fell upon them that saw them," signifies commotion of mind and consternation at Divine truths (n. 511).
Verse 12. "And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying to them, Come up hither," signifies that these two essentials of the New Church were taken up by the Lord into heaven, from whence they came, and where they are, and the protection of them (n. 512). "And they went up into heaven in a cloud," signifies the taking them up into heaven, and conjunction there with the Lord by the Divine truth of the Word in its literal sense (n. 513). "And their enemies saw them," signifies that they who are in faith separated from charity heard them, but remained in their own falsities (n. 514).
Verse 13. "And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell," signifies a remarkable change of state which then took place with them, and that they were torn away from heaven, and cast down into hell (n. 515). "And in the earthquake were killed the names of men seven thousand," signifies that all those who confessed faith alone, and therefore made no account of the works of charity, perished (n. 516). "And the rest were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven," signifies that they who saw their destruction acknowledged the Lord, and were separated (n. 517)...
THE EXPLANATION...
Verse 6...
And have power over the waters to turn them into blood, signifies that they who turn themselves away from these two essentials falsify the truths of the Word. By "waters" are signified truths (n. 50); and by "blood," the falsification of the truth of the Word (n. 379); therefore, by "turning the waters into blood" is signified to falsify the truths of the Word. This is to be understood in the same manner as before, namely, that they who turn themselves away from the two essentials of the New Church can see nothing but the falsities in which they are, which, if they confirm these by the Word, they falsify its truths.
Verse 7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, signifies that after the Lord has taught that He is the God of heaven and earth, and that there is conjunction with Him by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue. "When they shall have finished," signifies after the Lord has taught; the two witnesses, indeed, taught, yet not from themselves, but from the Lord. That "testimony" signifies these two, may be seen above (n. 490).
The beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and shall overcome them, and kill them, signifies that they who are in the internals of the doctrine of faith alone will oppose them, and assault these two essentials of the New Church, and will reject them, and, as far as lies in their power, will cause others to reject them. By "the beast that cometh up out of the abyss," are meant they who came up out of the abyss, and appeared like locusts (chap. 9:1-12). That these are they who are in the internals of the doctrine of faith alone, may be seen in the explanation there given; by "making war" is signified to oppose and assault these two essentials of the church, as will be seen presently; by "overcoming and killing" them is signified to reject and extirpate [or eliminate] them in themselves, and, as far as lies in their power, to cause others to do the same. [2] The reason why they who are principled in the internals of the doctrine of faith alone will impugn [or criticize] and reject these two essentials, is, because they have confirmed themselves in two things diametrically opposite to them, First, that it is not the Lord, but God the Father, who is to be approached; and Secondly, that a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue is not a spiritual life, but only a moral and civil life, and this they confirm, lest anyone believe that he can be saved by works, but only by their faith. All they who have had these dogmas impressed deeply on their minds in schools and academies, do not recede from them afterwards. There are three reasons for this which hitherto have not been known: First, because they have entered, as to their spirit, into association with their like in the spiritual world, where there are many satans, who are delighted with nothing but falsities, from which they cannot at all be separated but by rejecting those falsities; nor can this be done but by immediately approaching God the Savior, and beginning a Christian life according to the precepts of the Decalogue. [3] The second reason is because they believe that remission of sins, and thus salvation, is given in a moment in the act of faith..., separate from the exercises of charity; and they who have once imbibed these doctrines afterwards make no account of sins before God, and so live in their uncleanness. And because they know how to confirm such things subtly before the unlearned by falsifications of the Word, and before the learned by sophistry, it is here said that "the beast which came up from the abyss overcame and killed the two witnesses." But this takes place only with those who love to follow their own inclinations, being borne along by the delights of their lusts. When these think about salvation, they cherish those lusts in their hearts and embrace their faith with both hands, thinking that they may be saved by uttering certain words with a tone of confidence, and that they need not attend to anything of their life for the sake of God, but only for the sake of the world. [4] The Third reason is that they who, in youth, had imbibed the internals of that faith which are called the mysteries of justification, on being afterwards promoted to an honored ministry, do not think in themselves concerning God and heaven, but concerning themselves and the world, retaining only the mysteries of their faith for the sake of reputation, that they may be honored as wise, and by reason of their wisdom, be thought worthy of being rewarded with wealth. The reason why this is an effect of that faith is because there is nothing of religion in it... [5] That by "wars" in the Word, are signified spiritual wars, which are fightings against truth, and are effected by reasonings from falsities, is evident from these passages: Spirits of demons go forth to gather them to war in the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14). The dragon was angry against the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17). It was given to the beast of the dragon to make war with the saints (Rev. 13:7)...
Verse 8. And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city, signifies that the two essentials of the New Church are totally rejected by those who are interiorly in the falsities of doctrine concerning justification by faith alone. By "the bodies of the two witnesses" are signified the two essentials of the New Church, which are the acknowledgment of the Lord as the only God of heaven and earth, and that conjunction with Him is by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue (n. 490, etc.). By "the street of the great city," is signified the falsity of the doctrine concerning justification by faith alone; by "a street" is signified falsity, as will be seen presently; and by "a city" is signified doctrine (n. 194). It is called "a great city," because it is the doctrine which reigns in the whole Reformed Christian world among the clergy, though not in like manner among the laity. "By streets," in the Word, almost the same is signified as by "ways," because streets are ways in a city; but still by "streets" are signified the truths or falsities of doctrine, because "a city" signifies doctrine (n. 194); and by "ways" are signified the truths or falsities of the church, because "the earth" signifies the church (n. 285)...
Verse 9. And they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall see their bodies three days and a half, signifies that when all they who, until the end of the present church and the beginning of the New Church, have been and will be in falsities of doctrine and thence in evils of life from faith alone, have heard and shall hear of these two essentials, which are the acknowledgment of the Lord and of works according to the Decalogue. By "peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations," are meant all of the Reformed who have been and will be in falsities of doctrine, and thence in evils of life from faith alone; by "peoples" are signified those who are in falsities of doctrine (n. 483); by "tribes" falsities and evils of the church (n. 349); by "tongues," confession and reception thereof (n. 483); and by "nations" those who are in evils of life (n. 483). Therefore, by these four are signified all and everyone who have been and who will be such, thus all they who have been "in that great city," and they that are like unto them; who will thenceforth come there out of the world. By "their bodies," or those "of the two witnesses," are signified the two essentials of the New Church above mentioned (n. 501); by "they shall see" is signified when they have heard and shall hear of them, because "to see" is said of their bodies, and "to hear," of these two essentials; by "three days and a half" is signified to the end and the beginning, that is, to the end of the present church and the beginning of the New...
Verse 13. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, signifies a remarkable change of state then took place with them, and they were torn away from heaven and sank down into hell. "In that hour" signifies at the time when they saw "the two witnesses" ascend into heaven, and nevertheless they remained in their falsities as above (n. 514); for "the two witnesses prophesied," that is, taught them (verse 3), and afterwards were killed, and revived; they also saw them ascend up to heaven, and still did not recede from their falsities, then there became a great earthquake... Those two doctrines are the two witnesses here treated of. By "an earthquake" is signified a change of state (n. 331), here their destruction, because in it "a tenth part of the city fell"; by "a tenth part" is signified all there, for "ten" signifies much and all (n. 101); in like manner, "the tenth part," ...By "falling" is signified to sink down into hell, which takes place when they are torn away from heaven; for the cities in the world of spirits which are in evils and falsities, after they that dwell therein are visited, informed, and warned, and still remain in their evils and falsities, are shaken with an earthquake, by which a gulf is opened, into which they sink down, and then their inhabitants appear to themselves to be at the bottom, as it were, in a desert, whence they are severally removed to their places in hell. That it was so done to this city, will be seen below (n. 531).
And in the earthquake were killed the names of men seven thousand, signifies that in that state all they who were in the confession of faith alone, and therefore made no account of works of charity, perished. By "being killed" is signified here, as before, to be killed spiritually, which is to perish as to the soul; by an "earthquake" is signified a change of state among them, and their destruction, as above; by "names of men seven thousand" are signified all who were in the confession of faith alone, and for that reason made no account of the works of charity, and therefore condemned those two holy essentials of the New Church...
And the rest were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven, signifies that they who had adjoined some goods of charity to faith, when they saw their destruction, acknowledged the Lord, and were separated. By "the rest" are here meant they who adjoined some goods of charity to faith; by "being terrified" is signified through fear, when they saw the destruction of the others; by "giving glory to the God of heaven" is signified to acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth; by "giving glory" is signified to acknowledge and worship; and by "the God of heaven and earth" is meant the Lord, because He is the God of heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). These, because they acknowledged the Lord from fear, were separated, in order that they might be explored as to the origin from which they did good, whether from themselves or from the Lord...
To the above I will add this Relation. I was once seized suddenly with a disease almost deadly. My whole head was weighed down. A pestilential smoke ascended from that [spiritual world] Jerusalem which is called "Sodom and Egypt." I was half dead with the severe pain. I expected the end... My spirit became such... And then I heard voices about me, saying, "Lo, he who preached repentance for the remission of sins, and the Man Christ alone, lies dead in the streets of our city." And they asked some of the clergy whether he was worthy of burial. They said, "No; let him lie to be looked at." And they passed to and fro, and mocked. All this befell me, of a truth, when I was explaining this chapter of Revelation. Then were heard harsh speeches of scoffers, especially these, "How can repentance be performed without faith? How can the man Christ be adored as God? Since we are saved of free grace without any merit of our own, what need we then but the faith alone, that God the Father sent the Son to take away the curse of the law, to impute His merit to us, and so to justify us in His sight, and absolve us from our sins by His herald the priest, and then give us the Holy Spirit to operate all good in us? Are not these things according to Scripture, and also according to reason?" These things the crowd standing by applauded. [2] I heard these things, nor could I reply, because I lay almost dead. But after three days and a half my spirit recovered, and, being in the spirit, I left the street and went into the city, and said again, "Do the work of repentance, and believe in Christ, and your sins will be remitted, and ye will be saved; but otherwise ye will perish. Did not the Lord Himself preach repentance for the remission of sins, and that they should believe in Him? Did not He command the disciples to preach the same? Does not a full security of life follow the dogma of your faith?" But they replied, "What idle talk! Has not the Son made satisfaction? And does not the Father impute it to us, and justify us who have believed in it? Thus are we led by the spirit of grace; what sin can then be with us? What power has death over us? Do you comprehend this Gospel, thou preacher of sin and repentance?" But then a voice came forth out of heaven, saying, "What is the faith of an impenitent [unrepentant,] man, but a dead faith? The end is come, the end is come upon you that are secure, blameless in your own eyes, justified in your own faith, devils." And suddenly a deep gulf was opened in the midst of that city, which spread itself far and wide; and the houses fell one upon another, and were swallowed up; and presently water began to bubble up from the wide whirlpool, and overflowed the waste. [3] When they were thus submerged, and they seemed inundated, I desired to know their lot in the deep. And it was said to me from heaven, "Thou shalt see and hear." And then the waters, in which they seemed to be inundated, disappeared before my eyes; for waters in the spiritual world are correspondences, and hence appear around those who are in falsities. Then they appeared to me in a sandy place, where heaps of stones were piled up; amongst which they were running, and lamenting that they were cast out of their great city. And they lifted up their voices, and cried, "Why has all this befallen us? Are we not, by our faith, clean, pure, just, and holy?" And others said, "Are we not, by our faith, cleansed, purified, justified, and sanctified?" And others said, "Are we not, by our faith, become such as to appear before God the Father, and to be seen and reputed clean, pure, just, and holy, and declared so before the angels? Are we not reconciled, propitiated, expiated, and thus absolved, washed, and cleansed from sins? And is not the condemnation of the law taken away by Christ? Why then are we cast down here as the condemned? We have heard from an audacious preacher of sin in our great city, 'Believe in Christ and repent.' But have we not believed in Christ whilst we believed in His merit? And have we not done the work of repentance while we confessed ourselves sinners? Why then has all this befallen us?" [4] But immediately a voice from one side said to them, "Do you know any sin in which you are? Have you ever examined yourselves? Have you, in consequence, shunned any evil as a sin against God? For he who does not shun sin, remains in it; and is not sin the devil? Ye are therefore of those of whom the Lord said: 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 say to you, I know you not, whence ye are; depart from Me all ye workers of iniquity (Luke 13:26-27); and of whom in Matt. 7:22, 23. Depart ye, therefore, everyone to his own place. You see the openings into those caverns, enter, and there work shall be given each of you to do, and afterwards food in proportion to your work; if not, still hunger will compel you to enter." [5] After this there came a voice from heaven to some on earth, who were without that great city, and who are described also (verse 13), crying aloud, "Take heed to yourselves, take heed how you associate with such persons; can you not understand that evils, which are called sins and iniquities, render man unclean and impure? How can man be cleansed and purified from them, but by actual repentance, and by faith in Jesus Christ? Actual repentance is to examine one's self to know and acknowledge his sins, to hold himself guilty, to confess them before the Lord, to implore help and the power to resist them, and thus to desist from them, and lead a new life, doing all these things as of yourselves. Do this once or twice a year, when you approach the Holy Communion, and afterwards when the sins, of which you have found yourselves guilty, recur; then say to yourselves, We will not consent to them because they are sins against God. This is actual repentance. [6] "Who cannot understand that he who does not search out and see his sins, remains in them? For all evil is delightful from birth; for it is delightful to revenge, to commit whoredom, to defraud, to blaspheme, and especially to rule over others from self-love; is it not the delight that causes them not to be seen, and if perchance it is said they are sins, do you not from that delight excuse them? Yea, you persuade yourselves by falsities and confirm that they are not sins, and thus continue in them, and practice them afterwards more than before, even till you no longer know what sin is, or whether there be sin. It is otherwise with everyone who actually repents. His evils which he knows and acknowledges, he calls sins, and on that account begins to shun and turn away from them, and to feel their delight as undelightful. And in proportion as this is the case, he sees and loves goods, and at length feels delight in them, which is the delight of heaven. In a word, so far as anyone rejects the devil, so far he is adopted by the Lord, and by Him is taught, led, withheld from evils, and is held in goods. This and no other is the way from hell to heaven." [7] ...The Reformed have a certain deep-rooted opposition and aversion to actual repentance, which is so great, that they cannot force themselves to examine themselves, neither can they see their sins, and confess them before God. It is as if a horror invades them when they think of it. I have inquired of many in the spiritual world concerning this, and they all said that it was beyond their power. When they heard that the Papists do it, that is, that they examine themselves and confess their sins openly before a monk, they have greatly wondered, more especially as the Reformed cannot do the same in private before God, although it is alike enjoined them before they approach the Holy Supper. Some have inquired into the cause of this, and it was discovered that faith alone induced such a state of impenitence [unrepentance,] and such a heart. And then it was given them to see that those of the Papists who adore Christ, and do not invoke saints, nor adore His vicar, so-called, and any key-bearer of His, are saved. [8] After this, there was heard as it were thunder, and a voice speaking from heaven, saying, "We are astonished! say to the assembly of the Reformed, Believe in Christ, and do the work of repentance, and you will be saved." And I said further, "Is not Baptism a sacrament of repentance, and thence an introduction into the church? What else do the sponsors promise for the person to be baptized, but that he will renounce the devil and his works? Is not the Holy Supper a sacrament of repentance, and hence an introduction into heaven? Is it not declared to the communicants, that they should by all means do the work of repentance before they approach? Does not the Catechism [a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers,] which is the universal doctrine of the Christian church, teach repentance? Is it not said in the six commandments of the second table, Thou shalt not do this and that evil, and not, Thou shalt do this and that good? Hence you may know, that as far as anyone shuns evil, so far he loves good, and that before this he does not know what good is, nor even what evil is."
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