662. Because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth.- That this signifies anxiety of heart in the devastated church from these, is clear from the signification of the two witnesses, here called two prophets, as denoting the goods and truths of doctrine; from the signification of tormenting, as denoting anxiety of heart; and from the signification of them that dwell upon the earth, as denoting those who live in the church, in this case, in the devastated church. By these words therefore is signified anxiety of heart from the goods of love and truths of doctrine with those who are of the devastated church. For the subject here treated of is the end of the church, when the loves of self and of the world, and their lusts (concupiscentiae), and the evils and falsities of those lusts, have dominion; then men are tormented by the goods of love and truths of doctrine, for interiorly or in their hearts they hold these in hatred, howsoever they may profess them with their lips; and when that which a man holds in hatred enters, it interiorly torments him.
[2] But such a man of the church, during his abode in the world, does not know that he holds those two witnesses in such hatred, and that he is interiorly tormented by them, for he does not know the state of his interior thought and affection, but only the state of the exterior thought and affection that pass immediately into the speech. But when he comes into the spiritual world, his exterior thought and affection are laid asleep, and the interior opened, and then he feels such a repugnance from hatred of the goods of love and truths of doctrine, that he cannot bear to hear them. When such a man therefore enters any angelic society, where spiritual love and faith prevail, he is severely tormented, which is a sign of interior repugnance, from hatred of them. The signification of those two prophets tormenting them that dwell on the earth is evident from these things. By them that dwell on the earth are meant, in a good sense, those in the church who are in good as to life but here, those who are in evil, for such are interiorly tormented by the goods of love and truths of doctrine. That to dwell signifies to live, and thus life, is evident from those passages in the Word, where to dwell is mentioned, as Isaiah ix. 2; xiii. 20; xxxvii. 16; Jer. ii. 6; li. 13; Dan. ii. 22; iv. 12; Ezek. xxxi. 6; Hosea ix. 3; Psalm xxiii. 6; xxvii. 4; lxxx. 1; ci. 7; Zeph. iii. 6; and elsewhere.
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