670. And they ascended into heaven in a cloud.- That this signifies separation as to things internal, and their protection, is evident from the signification of ascending into heaven, when spoken of the two witnesses, as denoting separation from the evil, that is, from those who are in falsities of doctrine from evils of life, and also protection (concerning this see the preceding article, n. 669); and from the signification of a cloud, as denoting the ultimate of Divine Truth, or the external of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter (concerning this see above, n. 36, 594). It is this external in which also many of the evil are. For all who lead an evil life think in themselves in opposition to the truths and goods of the Word, of doctrine, and of the church, although they are in externals. The reason of this is, that they are in the love of evil from life, and love attracts to its side the interiors of the mind, thus the thoughts of its spirit; such persons therefore, when left to themselves to think alone, altogether deny those things which with their lips they confess before the world. It is this external, which also exists with the impious and the evil, that is here meant by a cloud; therefore their ascending into heaven in a cloud signifies separation as to internals, but not as to externals. Separation as to internals, and not as to externals, is meant, because the internals of the two witnesses were spiritual and celestial, but the internals of the evil were infernal and devilish; and spiritual and celestial internals are actually in heaven, therefore it is said that they ascended thither, in order that they might be separated from the evil as to internals, lest the latter should suffer injury.

[2] In order that what is particularly involved in the ascent into heaven of the two witnesses that were slain and lived again may be known, it shall be stated in a few words. At the end of the church, when there is no faith because no charity, the interior things of the Word, which are to serve the new church for doctrine and life, are disclosed. This was done by the Lord Himself, when the end of the Jewish Church was at hand, for then the Lord Himself came into the world, and opened the interior things of the Word, especially those relating to Himself, to love to Him, to love towards the neighbour, and to faith in Him; these previously lay concealed in the interiors of the Word, because they were in its representatives, and consequently in everything pertaining to the church and worship. Those truths therefore which the Lord unfolded were interior truths, and in themselves spiritual, which afterwards served the new church for doctrine and life, as stated just above. But still they were not immediately received, nor till after a considerable lapse of time, as is well known from ecclesiastical history. The reason was, that they could not be received until all things in the spiritual world had been reduced to order, for the spiritual world is conjoined to the natural world with men; unless therefore that world had been first reduced to order, the goods of love and truths of doctrine could not have been understood or perceived by men in the natural world. This was the reason why so long a period intervened before the Christian church was universally established in Europe; for all effects existing in the natural world, especially those which relate to the things of the church, derive their origin from causes in the spiritual world. These things are mentioned in order that it may be known that by the two witnesses being commanded to ascend into heaven is signified in particular that the goods of love and truths of doctrine disclosed at the last time of the church, might not be injured by the evil.

[3] The case was similar when the most ancient church, which was before the flood, came to its end, for then the representatives of celestial things, which existed among the most ancient people, were collected together by those who were called Enoch, and reserved for the use of the new church after the flood. This was called a representative church, because its laws and statutes, and in general its worship, consisted of representatives, or of such things in the natural world as corresponded to spiritual things in the spiritual world. The same thing was done with these, for they were separated from the evil by being taken into heaven, and thus protected, and this went on until the old church reached its close and the time when the new church was to be established; this is described by these words in Genesis:

"And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him" (5:24).

That such is meant in the spiritual sense by Enoch, his walking before God, and his being taken by God, see the explanation in the Arcana Coelestia 518-523).

[4] The case is similar to-day. The church, which is called the Christian church, has to-day (hodie) come to its end, therefore the arcana of heaven and of the church are now revealed by the Lord, to serve as the doctrine of life and faith for the new church which is meant by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse. This doctrine also has been taken up into heaven, lest harm should be done to it by the evil before the establishment of the New Church. This then is the signification of these words concerning the two witnesses, that "they ascended into heaven"; and also of the words of the following chapter, where of the woman about to bring forth a child, before whom the dragon stood, it is said, "that the child was caught up to God, and to His throne" (Apoc. 12:5). What is specifically meant there by the woman and by the child will be stated in the explanation of the following chapter. From these considerations it is now evident what kind of interior truth is involved in what is said of the two witnesses that ascended by command into heaven in a cloud.

6343. 'You are my might' means that through faith comes the power which good possesses. This is clear from the representation of Reuben, to whom 'you' refers here, as faith in the understanding, referred to immediately above in 6342; and from the meaning of 'might' as the power which good possesses. As regards power - the power to think and will, perceive, do what is good, believe, dispel falsities and evils - it comes wholly from good through truth, good being its primary source and truth merely the channel through which it comes, 3563, 4931, 5623. The reason the power that good possesses is meant is that 'might' means that power, whereas 'strength' means the power of truth. Thus it is that 'the beginning of my strength', which comes next, means the initial power that truth possesses; for the word used in the original language to express 'strength' has reference in the Word to truth, whereas the word used to express 'might' has reference to good.

[2] The fact that the Word is holy, extremely holy in its inner senses, is plainly evident from the consideration that the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of goodness and truth, thus heaven itself, is present within every detail of the Word. In the inmost sense every detail embodies the marriage of the Lord's Divine Human with His kingdom and Church; indeed the theme in the highest sense of all is the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human within the Lord. These extremely holy subjects contained in every detail of the Word are a plain indication that the Word has come down from the Divine. The truth of all this may be recognized from the consideration that where good is spoken of, so too is truth, and where what is internal is spoken of, so too is what is external. Also, there are expressions which always mean good, those which always mean truth, and those which mean both - both good and truth. Or if they do not mean them directly, they are nevertheless used with reference to them or else imply them. And such reference of those expressions to good and truth or their meaning them directly shows that every detail, as has been stated, embodies the marriage of goodness and truth, which is the heavenly marriage, and that the inmost and highest sense holds the Divine marriage which exists in the Lord, thus holds the Lord Himself, within it.

[3] All this reveals itself in every part of the Word, yet not plainly except in those places where the repetition of some matter occurs that is no more than a change of words, as in the present chapter, where Reuben is dealt with,

You are my might, and the beginning of my strength.

Also,

Excelling in eminence and excelling in worth.

Here 'might' is used in reference to good, and 'strength' to truth; 'excelling in eminence' is used in reference to truth, and 'excelling in worth' to good. Likewise in the next verse regarding Reuben,

You went up to your father's bed; at that time you profaned it - he went up to my couch.

Similarly further on, where Simeon and Levi are dealt with,

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel. Verse 7.

Here 'anger' means a turning away from good and 'wrath' a turning away from truth. 'Jacob' is the external aspect of the Church and 'Israel' the internal aspect of it. Then where Judah is dealt with,

Your brothers will praise you; your father's sons will bow down to you. Verse 8.

Further on,

He binds his young ass to the vine, and the foal of his she-ass to the outstanding vine; he washes his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. Verse 11.

Where Zebulun is dealt with,

He will dwell at the haven of the seas, and he will be at the haven of ships. Verse 13.

Where Dan is dealt with,

He will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path. Verse 17.

[4] Similar examples occur frequently in the Psalms and among the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Babel will not be dwelt in ever again, it will not be lived in even from generation to generation. Its time is near and about to come, and its days will not be prolonged. Isaiah 13:20, 22.

In the same prophet,

Search from above in the Book of Jehovah, and read: None of these will be missing, not one will not be left longing for its mate; ¹ for He has commanded with His mouth, and His Spirit has gathered them. The Same has cast the lot for them, and His hand has distributed to them by means of a measuring rod. Even for ever they will possess it, from generation to generation they will dwell in it. Isaiah 34:16-17.

More examples may be found in a thousand other places. Anyone who does not know that expressions are used in the Word to mean spiritual and celestial realities, and that some are used to refer to good but others to truth, will inevitably think that such usages are no more than repetitions that serve solely as fillers and so are in themselves meaningless. Thus it is that people who think ill of the Word also add this to the arguments they use in vilifying it. Yet utterly Divine things are concealed within those repetitions; that is to say, the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself, and the Divine Marriage, which is the Lord Himself, are concealed in them. This [highest] sense is 'the glory' in which the Lord is present, while the literal sense is 'the cloud' in which that glory is present, Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:27. See Preface to Genesis 18, and also 5922.

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