509. Because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. This symbolically means that these two essential elements of the New Church, one having to do with the Lord and His Divine humanity, and the other teaching a life in accordance with the Ten Commandments, are opposed to the two essential elements accepted in the Protestant Reformed Church, one teaching a trinity of persons, and the other teaching faith alone as saving apart from works of the law; and because of that opposition the two essential elements of the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, are objects of contempt, distress, and repugnance.

Seeing that the two prophets or witnesses mean these two essential elements of the New Church, and that those who dwell on the earth mean people caught up in these two essential teachings of the Protestant Reformed Church, this symbolic meaning follows as a self-evident conclusion. To torment means, symbolically, to be an object of contempt, distress and repugnance.

On a natural level, "clinging" to someone clearly indicates a desire to be close to them and conjoined with them. It often has a negative connotation – it's connected with emotional neediness and a bit of paranoia – but is a good thing in proper balance in a happy marriage, with each partner putting the other ahead of friends, family and other interests. When it is used in the Bible, "clinging" generally represents mutual love. This can be in marriage, in friendships or in a general state of loving others and wishing to serve them. At the deepest level, when the idea is of "clinging to Jehovah," it represents a desire to know and follow the Lord’s commandments so that we can be ever better and loving and serving others.