671. And their enemies beheld them, signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment with those who are interiorly opposed to the goods and truths of the Word and of the church. This is evident from the signification of "to behold," as being to understand, consequently to know and to acknowledge (of which above, n. 11, 37, 260, 354, 529); also from the signification of "enemies," as being those who are opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, consequently those who are in evils and falsities, for these are meant in the Word in its spiritual sense by "enemies and adversaries." Thence it is clear that "their enemies beheld them" signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment with those who are against "the two witnesses," that is, against the goods of love and the truths of doctrine.

[2] The arcanum here involved is this: "Enemies" here mean those who are inwardly opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, but still not outwardly; for such with the mouth act like friends, but in heart they are enemies; therefore before the world they profess a belief in goods and truths, but in their spirit, in which they are when they meditate alone with themselves, they reject them. These are the "enemies who behold," for when such are in corporeal-natural thought, in which they are whenever they are in company with others, they see, that is, know and acknowledge, goods and truths. But when they are in their spiritual-natural thought, in which they are whenever they are alone and are thinking about matters of belief, they do not acknowledge. This is why it is said that "these two witnesses went up into heaven in the cloud;" for the "cloud" signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which they see and from which they see. That the "cloud" here signifies this external may be seen in the article just above.

[3] In a multitude of passages in the Word, "adversaries" and "enemies" are mentioned, and by them evils and falsities are meant, evils by "adversaries," and falsities by "enemies;" for the Word in its bosom is spiritual, therefore in that sense no other than spiritual adversaries and enemies can be meant by "adversaries and enemies." That this is so can be seen from the following passages. In David:

Jehovah, how are my adversaries multiplied, many are they that rise up against me, that say of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God (Psalms 3:1, 2).

In the same:

Make wonderful Thy mercy, O Thou Savior of them that confide in Thee from them that rise up against me, ¹ keep me by Thy right hand from the wicked who are against my soul, who compass me about (Psalms 17:7-9).

In the same:

Give me not up to the desire of my adversaries, for witnesses of a lie are risen up against me, who puff out violence; unless I had believed to see good in the land of life (Psalms 27:12, 13).

In the same-

Deliver me from my adversaries, O my God, set me on high from them that rise against me, deliver me from the workers of iniquity; behold they lie in wait for my soul (Psalms 59:1-3).

In Isaiah:

The wicked man acteth perversely in the land of uprightness; but Jehovah, Thy hand is exalted, fire shall devour Thine enemies (Isaiah 26:10, 11);

besides many other passages in the prophetic Word, where "adversaries and enemies" are mentioned, and also in the historic Word, where "adversaries," "wars," and "battles" are treated of. For as "war" signifies spiritual war, which is between truths and falsities, and thence weapons of war, such as "spears," "bows," "arrows," and "swords," signify such things as belong to spiritual warfare, so also do "adversaries and enemies." (That "wars" in the Word have this signification, also weapons of war, such as "bows," "arrows," and "swords," has here and there been shown in the preceding pages.)

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