484. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, signifies a state of blessedness from the affection of truth, after falsities have been removed by temptations. This is evident from the signification of "wiping away tears from the eyes," as being to take away grief of mind on account of falsities and from falsities; and as blessedness through truths from good follows when that grief ceases after the temptations that have been endured, so this too is signified; for angels have all their blessedness through truths from good, or through the spiritual affection of truth; the spiritual affection of truth is from good, and good constitutes it. This is the source of all blessedness with angels, because Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes heaven in general and in particular, therefore those who are in Divine truths are in the life of heaven, consequently in eternal blessedness.

[2] A "tear from the eyes" signifies grief of mind on account of falsities and from falsities, because the "eye" signifies the understanding of truth; a "tear" therefore signifies grief because there is no understanding of truth, consequently because of falsities. "Tear" has a similar signification in Isaiah:

He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces (Isaiah 25:8).

This signifies that the Lord by His coming will remove evils and falsities with those who live from Him, so that there will be no grief of mind on account of them and from them; "death" signifies evil, because spiritual death is from it; and "tear" is predicated of falsity.

[3] It is to be noted, that both "shedding tears" and "weeping" signify grief on account of falsities and from falsities, but "shedding tears" grief of mind, and "weeping" grief of heart on account of falsities. Grief of mind is grief of the thought and understanding, which pertain to truth, and grief of heart is grief of the affection or will, which pertain to good; and as there is everywhere in the Word a marriage of truth and good, both "weeping" and "tears" are mentioned in the Word when grief is expressed on account of falsities of doctrine or of religion. That "weeping" means grief of heart can be seen from the fact that "weeping" bursts forth from the heart and breaks out into lamentations through the mouth; and that "shedding tears" is grief of mind can be seen from this, that it issues forth from the thought through the eyes. In both weeping and in the shedding of tears water comes forth which is bitter and astringent, and this occurs through an influx into man's grief from the spiritual world, where bitter water corresponds to the lack of truth because of falsities, and to consequent grief; therefore those who are in truths grieve on account of falsities. From this it can be seen why it is that in the Word, where "tears" are mentioned "weeping" also is mentioned, namely, that it is on account of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word.

[4] I will only adduce the following passages in evidence of this. In Isaiah:

I will weep with weeping for Jazer, the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh (Isaiah 16:9).

In Jeremiah:

In secret places my soul shall weep, and mine eyes shall run down with tears (Jeremiah 13:17).

In the same:

Who will give mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I may weep day and night (Jeremiah 9:1).

In Lamentations:

In weeping she will weep in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks (Lamentations 1:2).

In Malachi:

Covering the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing (Malachi 2:13).

In David:

They that sow with tears and he that weeping beareth the casting of seed (Psalms 126:5, 6).

In Jeremiah:

Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears (Jeremiah 31:16).

In the same:

Let the mourning-women make haste and take up a lamentation over us, that our eyes may flow down with tears (Jeremiah 9:18).

Here we have "lamentation" in place of weeping, because it is the voice of weeping. In David:

I am weary with my sighing, all the night do I bathe my bed; with my tears I make my couch to melt (Psalms 6:6).

Here "to bathe the bed" means by weeping, which is of the mouth, because it is said of sighing; while "to drench the couch," which has a like meaning, has reference to tears. These passages have been cited that from them also it may be known that two like expressions in the Word, especially in the Prophets, are not vain repetitions, but that one has reference to good, and the other to truth.

10. Verse 2. Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, signifies to those who in heart acknowledge Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of "bearing witness," as meaning to acknowledge in heart (of which hereafter), and from the signification of "the Word," or speech of God, as meaning Divine truth (SeeArcana Coelestia 4692, 5075, 9987); and from the signification of "[the testimony of] Jesus Christ," as meaning the acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine in His Human. This is signified by "the testimony of Jesus Christ," because "to testify" signifies to acknowledge in heart, and to acknowledge Jesus Christ in heart is to acknowledge the Divine in His Human; for he that acknowledges the Lord, and does not at the same time acknowledge the Divine in His Human, does not acknowledge the Lord; since His Divine is in His Human, and not out of it; for the Divine is in Its Human as the soul is in the body, consequently to think of the Lord's Human, and not at the same time of His Divine, is like thinking of a man abstractly from his soul or life, which is not thinking of a man.

[2] That the Lord's Divine is in His Human, and that together they are one person, the doctrine received throughout the Christian world teaches; which teaching is as follows: "Although Christ is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; one, but not by a change of the Divine into the Human, but the Divine took the Human to Itself. Altogether one, not by confusion of the two natures, but by unity of person; for as soul and body make one man, so God and Man are one Christ" (Athanasian Creed). From this it is manifest, moreover, that those who separate the Divine into three persons, when they think of the Lord as a second person, ought to think of both together, the Human and the Divine; for it is said that they are a single person, and that they are one, as soul and body are. Therefore those that think otherwise do not think of the Lord; and those that do not think of the Lord in that way are unable to think of the Divine that is called the Father's, for the Lord saith:

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).

Since this acknowledgment is signified by the "testimony of Jesus Christ," it is said that:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

"The spirit of prophecy" is the life and soul of doctrine (that "spirit" in the internal sense of the Word, signifies life or soul, may be seen Arcana Coelestia 5222, 9281, 9818; and that "prophecy" signifies doctrine, n. 2534, 7269); and the acknowledgment of the Lord is the very life or soul of all doctrine in the church. But of this more will be said in what follows.

[3] To "bear witness" is to acknowledge in heart, because spiritual things are treated of; and no one can bear witness respecting spiritual things except from the heart, because from no other source does he perceive that they are so. To bear witness of things that have existence in the world is to bear witness from knowledge, or from memory and thought, because the man has so seen or heard; but it is otherwise with things spiritual, for these fill the whole life and constitute it. The spirit of man, in which his life primarily resides, is nothing else than his will or his love, and his understanding and faith therefrom, and "heart" in the Word signifies the will and love, and understanding and faith therefrom. From this it is evident whence it is that by "bearing witness" in the spiritual sense, is meant to acknowledge in heart. Since by the "heart" is signified the good of love, and this alone is what acknowledges Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and since that good is signified by "John," it is also said by John that he "bears witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ." So also in another place:

And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye may believe (John 19:35);

and in another place:

This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true (John 21:24).