Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 11:6
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AR 496. 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 of the New Church, cannot receive any truth from heaven. By "heaven" is here meant the angelic heaven; consequently, by "rain," the truth of the church thence is signified; wherefore, by "shutting heaven that it rain no rain," is signified that they are not able to receive any truth of the church from heaven; the truth of the church from heaven is the truth of doctrine from the Word. It is said that the witnesses had this power, but it is meant here as in (n. 494), that they have not the power to shut heaven, but that they shut heaven to themselves who turn themselves away from these two essentials of the New Church, because they remain in their own falsities. That "rain" signifies the Divine truth from heaven, appears from these passages:--

My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall drop as the dew (Deut. 32:2).

If ye serve other gods, Jehovah will shut heaven, that there be no rain (Deut. 11:11, 14, 16, 17).

I will lay My vineyard a desolation, and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isa. 5:6).

The showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; but still the forehead of a harlot woman remained to thee (Jer. 3:3).

As the rain cometh down from heaven, so shall My woe be that goeth forth out of My mouth (Isa. 55:10, 11).

Ye sons of Zion rejoice and be glad in Jehovah, for He hath given you the former rain in justice (Joel 2:23).

Thou, O God, didst make to drop down a rain of good pleasure (Ps. 68:9).

He shall come down like rain upon the herb of the meadow, in his days shall the just flourish (Ps. 72:6, 7).

Jehovah shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain irrigateth the earth (Hos. 6:3).

My word shall drop upon them, and they shall wait for Me as the rain, and he shall open his mouth to the latter rain (Job 29:22, 23).

Son of man, say, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, on which there is no rain in the day of anger, there is a conspiracy of the prophets in the midst of it (Exod. 22:24, 25; Isaiah 30:23; Jeremiah 5:24; 10:12, 13, 14:3, 4; 51:16; Ezekiel 34:26, 27; Amos 4:7, 8; Zechariah 10:1; Psalms 65:9, 10; 135:7; 2 Samuel 23:3, 4).

"An inundating rain" is for the devastation of truth (Ezekiel 13:11, 13, 14; 38:22); and for temptation (Matthew 7:24-27).

AR 497. 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.

AR 498. And to smite the earth with every plague as own as they will, signifies that they who would destroy these two essentials of the New Church will cast themselves into all kinds of evils and falsities, as often and so far as they do so. By "the earth" is signified the church (n. 285); and by "a plague" is signified evil and falsity (n. 456); hence by "smiting the earth with every plague," is signified to ruin the church by all kinds of evils and falsities. But this passage is to be understood in the same manner as the former, viz., that they who would smite these two essentials of the New Church with a plague, that is, destroy them, which is done by evil through falsities, will cast themselves into all kinds of evils and falsities; and as the natural sense is thus changed while it becomes spiritual, therefore also this expression, "as often as they will," is changed in like manner into this, as often and so far as they do this. The reason is, because in proportion as anyone destroys these two essentials, he so far destroys the truths of the Word; and so far as he destroys the truths of the Word, so far he casts himself into evils and falsities; for these two essentials are the truths of the Word, as may appear manifestly from The two Doctrines of the New Jerusalem; one concerning The Lord, and the other concerning The Doctrine of Life from the Precepts of the Decalogue. This passage, that "the witnesses had the power of smiting the earth with every plague as often as they will," is similar to many others in the Word, which attribute to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, that "He smites men with plagues," and that this is His will, when yet it must be understood that He neither smites them, nor is it His will to do so, as in Zechariah:--

This shall be the plague with which Jehovah shall smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem (Zech. 14:12).

And in Jeremiah:--

I have smitten thee with the plague of the enemy, with the chastisement of a tyrant, for the multitude of thine iniquity (Jer. 30:14);

(n. 494).

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Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. www.BibleMeanings.info