670. And they went up into heaven in the cloud, signifies separation in respect to things internal, and their protection. This is evident from the signification of "going up into heaven," in reference to the two witnesses, as being separation from the evil, that is, from those who are in the falsities of doctrine from evils of life, and also protection see preceding article, n. 669; also from the signification of "the cloud," as being the ultimate of Divine truth, or the external of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter (of which above, n. 36, 594). Many of the evil also are in this external, for all who lead an evil life think in themselves in opposition to the goods and truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, although they may be in the externals of these, and for this reason, that from the life they are in the love of evil, and love draws to its own side the interiors of the mind, thus the thoughts of its spirit, consequently when such are left to think alone by themselves they wholly deny those things that they confess with their lips before the world. It is this external, which is also with the impious and the evil, that is here meant by "the cloud." For this reason, by "they went up into heaven in the cloud," separation in respect to internals is meant, but not in respect to externals. Separation in respect to internals is meant, and not in respect to externals, because the internals of the two witnesses were spiritual and celestial, while the internals of the evil were infernal and diabolical; and internals that are celestial and spiritual are actually in heaven; therefore they are said to have "gone up thither," in order that as to internals they might be separated from the evil, that their internals might not be harmed.
[2] A few words shall be said to make known what in particular is involved in "the going up into heaven of the two witnesses that were slain and lived again." At the end of the church, when there is no faith because there is no charity, the interior things of the Word which are to serve the New Church for doctrine and life are disclosed. This was done by the Lord Himself, when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand; for the Lord Himself then came into the world and opened the interiors of the Word, especially those relating to Himself, love to Him and love towards the neighbor, and faith in Him, which before lay hidden in the interiors of the Word, since they were in its representatives, and thence in the particular things of the church and of worship. These truths, therefore, that were disclosed by the Lord were interior truths, and in themselves spiritual; and these afterwards served the New Church for doctrine and life, as has been said just above. These truths, however, were not immediately received, nor until after a considerable lapse of time, as is well known from ecclesiastical history; and for the reason that they could not be received until all things in the spiritual world had been reduced to order; for as the spiritual world is conjoined to the natural world with men, so unless that world had been first reduced to order, men in the natural world could not have understood or perceived the goods of love and the truths of doctrine; this is why so long a time intervened before the Christian Church was universally established in the European world; for all effects that exist in the natural world derive their origin from causes in the spiritual world, especially those that relate to the things of the church. These things have been said to make known what is signified in particular by the command to the two witnesses "to go up into heaven," namely, that no harm be done by the evil to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that are disclosed in the last time of the church.
[3] It was similar when the Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, came to its end, for then the representatives of celestial things, which existed among the most ancient people, were gathered up into one body by those who were called "Enoch," and were preserved for the use of the New Church after the flood; and this was called a representative church, because its laws and statutes, and in general its worship, consisted of representatives, or of such things in the natural world as corresponded to spiritual things in the spiritual world. The like was done with these, that is, they were separated from the evil by being taken into heaven and thus protected, and this till the old church came to its end, when a New Church was to be established. This is described by these words in Genesis:
And Enoch walked with God and he was no more, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).
That such is the signification of "Enoch, and his walking before God, and being taken by God" may be seen i n Arcana Coelestia 518-523), where this is explained.
[4] The like is done at the present day. This church, which is called Christian, has at this day come to its end, therefore the arcana of heaven and the church have now been revealed by the Lord, to serve as the doctrine of life and faith for the New Church, which is meant by "the New Jerusalem" in Revelation. This doctrine, too, has been taken up into heaven lest harm be done to it by the evil before the establishment of the New Church. Such, therefore, is the signification of this respecting the two witnesses, that "they went up into heaven;" also of what follows in the next chapter, where it treats of "the woman about to bring forth a child," before whom stood the dragon:
That the child was caught up to God and to His throne (Revelation 12:5).
What is there meant in particular by the "woman" and the "child" will be told in the explanation of the next chapter. From this it can now be seen what arcanum is involved in what is here said of the two witnesses that by command "they went up into heaven in the cloud."
