669. Come up hither, signifies separation and consequent protection. This is evident from the signification of "going up into heaven" when said of the witnesses, by whom the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are signified, as being to be separated from those that have no goods of love and truths of doctrine, thus to be separated from the evil. And as the reason for separation is that these, namely, the good of love and the truth of doctrine, may not be harmed by the evil, therefore "come up hither" signifies also protection. For if the good of love and the truth of doctrine were communicated to the evil they would receive them in an outward way, but would do them harm by inwardly denying and mocking them. Thence it would come to pass that the evil would be conjoined with the simple well-disposed, who are unable to perceive that the interiors of such are evil. These simple well-disposed constitute the lowest heaven; therefore if this separation were not effected, harm would be done to those who are in that heaven by their being conjoined with the externals of the evil (but on this see further in the small work on The Last Judgment 70). This is what is involved in the command to the two witnesses "to go up into heaven," and by this also protection is signified.