662. Because those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth, signifies anxiety of heart in the devastated church on account of these. This is evident from the signification of "the two witnesses," who are here called "two prophets," as being the goods and truths of doctrine; also from the signification of "tormenting," as being anxiety of heart; also from the signification of "them that dwell upon the earth," as being those who live in the church, here in the devastated church. Therefore these words signify the anxiety of heart from the goods of love and the truths of doctrine with those who are of the devastated church; for here the end of the church is treated of, when the loves of self and of the world, and their lusts and the evils and falsities of those lusts, have rule. Then men are tormented by the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, because inwardly or in their hearts they hate them, howsoever they may profess them with their lips; and when anything that is hated enters there is inward torment; and yet such a man of the church does not know, so long as he lives in the world, that he has so great hate for these two witnesses, and that he is inwardly tormented by them, for the reason that he does not know the state of his interior thought and affection, but only the state of his exterior thought and affection, which falls immediately into speech. But when he comes into the spiritual world his exterior thought and affection are laid asleep, and the interior are opened, and then he feels so great a repugnance from hatred against the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that he cannot endure hearing them. When, therefore, such a man enters any angelic society where spiritual love and faith rule he is grievously tormented, which is a sign of interior repugnance from hatred against love and faith. This makes clear what is signified by "those two prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth." "Them that dwell upon the earth" mean those in the church who are in good in respect to life, but here those who are in evil, for such are interiorly tormented by the goods of love and the truths of doctrine. That "to dwell" signifies to live, and thus life, can be seen from passages in the Word, where "to dwell" is mentioned (Isaiah 9:2; 13:20; 37:16; Jeremiah 2:6, 15; 51:13; Daniel 2:22; 4:9; Ezekiel 31:6; Hosea 9:2, 3; Psalms 23:6; 27:4; 80:1; 101:7; Zephaniah 3:6; and elsewhere).

104. Verse 4. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity, signifies that they do not make such a life as those lived who were in the church at its beginning, the essential of knowledges. This is evident from the signification of "first charity," as being a life according to the knowledges of good and truth, such as those lived who were in the church at its beginning (of which presently); and from the signification of "leaving that charity," as being not to make it the essential of knowledges; for those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, and who believe that they are saved thereby, make knowledges essential, and not life, when yet a life according to knowledges is the essential. But as this essential of the church and of salvation is treated of in what follows, more will there be said about it. Charity is life, because all life in accordance with the precepts of the Lord in the Word is called "charity;" therefore to exercise charity is to live according to those precepts. (That this is so, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, in the chapter on Love to the Neighbor or Charity 84-106; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39.) The life of the church at its beginning is here meant by "first charity;" for every church begins from charity, and successively turns away from it to faith alone or to meritorious works. (On which subject, and on charity, see what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that every church begins from charity, but in process of time turns away from it, n. 494, 501, 1327, 3773, 4689; thus to falsities from evil, and at length to evils, n. 1834, 1835, 2910, 4683, 4689; commonly to faith alone, n. 1834, 1835, 2231, 4683, 8094. A comparison of the church in its beginning and in its decline, with the rising and setting of the sun, n. 1837; and with the infancy and old age of man, n. Arcana Coelestia 10134; that the church is not with man until the knowledges of good and truth have been implanted in the life, n. 3310; that charity constitutes the church, n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1844, 1894; that the internal of the church is charity, n. 4766, 5826; that there would be one church, and not many, as at this day, if all were regarded from charity, although they might differ in respect to doctrinals of faith and rituals of worship, n. 1286, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385, 2982, 3267, 3451; that worship of the Lord consists in a life of charity, n. 8254, 8256; that the quality of worship is according to the quality of charity, n. 2190.)