668. Verse 12. And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying unto them, signifies the Lord's Divine Providence. This is evident from the signification of "a great voice out of heaven," as being the Lord's Divine Providence. "A voice out of heaven" signifies all that proceeds from the Lord, which in general is called Divine truth, and with us in the world is called the Word; thus in particular every precept and command in the Word is meant; this is called "a voice out of heaven" because it descended and is continually descending from the Lord through heaven with those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth. The Lord's Divine Providence is here signified by "a voice out of heaven," because the subject treated of is the state of heaven and the state of the church at its end, when the Lord provides against any sudden change that would do harm to those who are to be separated, some of whom are to come into heaven and some to be cast into hell. Therefore it now follows that the two witnesses by command "went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them," and this that there might be a separation, lest the successive progress of affairs according to order might be disturbed by their presence with the evil and the consequent communication (of which above). This arcanum, however, cannot be described in a few words, but in what follows it will be elucidated as far as possible.