651. And shall overcome them and kill them, signifies the consequent destruction of every good and truth of the church. This is evident from the signification of "to overcome and kill the two witnesses," as being to destroy the things signified by "the two witnesses," which are the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith. That these will be destroyed by the affections of the natural man separated from the affections of the spiritual man, which are evil cupidities of every kind arising from infernal loves, is signified by "the beast that cometh up out of the abyss;" and that it was foretold that this would come to pass at the end of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place, has been said above. "To kill" signifies in the Word to kill spiritually, which means here to destroy the good of love and the truth of doctrine, as may be seen above n. 315.

648. Verses 7, 8. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

7. "And when they shall have finished their testimony," signifies in the end of the church, when the Divine of the Lord is no longer acknowledged, and thence there is no longer any good of love or truth of doctrine n. 649; "the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them," signifies assault from infernal love n. 650; "and shall overcome them and kill them" signifies the consequent destruction of every good and truth of the church (n. 651).

8. "And their bodies shall be upon the street of the great city," signifies their extinction by the evils and falsities of doctrine n. 652; "which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt," signifies through the evils of the love of self, and the falsities therefrom (n. 653, 654); "where also our Lord was crucified," signifies by which, namely, by evils and falsities therefrom springing from infernal love, the Lord was rejected and condemned n. 655.