. 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. By "ascending up to heaven" is signified their being taken up by the Lord into heaven, as in (n. 512); in the present case, also, conjunction with the Lord there, because they ascended "in a cloud," for by "a cloud" is signified the literal sense of the Word (n. 24), and by this there is conjunction with the Lord, and consociation with the angels, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (Sacred n. 62-69).
. And their enemies saw them, signifies that they who are in faith separated from charity heard them, but remained in their own falsities. By "seeing the two witnesses" is signified to hear these two essentials of the New Church, and also to see the confirming things from the Word; because they saw them "ascending in a cloud," and by "a cloud" is signified the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 24, 513); that, nevertheless, they did not receive them, but remained in their own falsities, is evident from this, that no more is said than that "they saw," and it follows that "there was a great earthquake," in which they perished. By "enemies" are meant "they who were in the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt," who were those that are in faith separated from charity, as may be seen in (n. 501, 502, and following numbers).
REVELATION 11:12previous
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