658. Their bodies three days and a half, signifies the complete extinction of Divine truth and of Divine good. ¹ This is evident from the signification of "bodies" (that is, of the "witnesses"), as being those who have extinguished with themselves all Divine truth and Divine good; for "the two witnesses," whom they killed, signify the goods of love and charity and the truths of doctrine and faith (See above, n. 228, 635); consequently "their bodies when killed" signify that these have been extinguished; but because the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith can be extinguished only with those who are in falsities of doctrine and in evils of life, these are meant, since others do not see that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are extinguished; for everyone sees the things that are of the Lord, and thus of heaven and the church, according to what his state is, since from that he sees; consequently he can see no otherwise than in accord with what that is. Thus he who denies the Lord and His Divine in heaven and in the church sees them not, because he sees from the negative; therefore such a one does not see the witnesses alive, but their bodies as carcasses, that is, the goods of love and the truths of doctrine as no truths and goods, consequently as extinguished. The above is evident also from the signification of "three days and a half," as meaning what is complete, here complete extinction.

[2] "Three and a half" means completeness, because "three" signifies an entire period or duration from beginning to end, consequently where the church is treated of, as here, "three and a half" signifies even to the end, and at the same time to a new beginning of it; therefore it is added "after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their (Luke 4:25) feet," which signifies the beginning of a New Church after the end of the old. For at the end of the church all the good of love and the truth of doctrine is extinguished, but then there is a resuscitation, which is effected with those with whom a New Church is established by the Lord, and this is signified by "the spirit of life" that entered into them. "Three days and a half" signifies a complete or full state for this reason also, that this number has a similar signification as the number "seven," for it is half of it, and a number halved, or a number doubled, has a similar signification as the number that is halved or doubled; and the number "seven" signifies all, likewise what is full and complete, and is predicated of what is holy pertaining to heaven and the church. Respecting the signification of this number see above (n. 20, 24, 257, 300). That the greater numbers that are composed of smaller ones have a similar signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, may be also seen above (n. 430); and that "three" signifies an entire period greater or less from beginning to end (above, n. 532).

Notas de rodapé:

20. To the seven churches, signifies to all who are in truths from good or in faith from charity. This is evident from the signification of "seven," as being all [persons]. For "seven," in the Word, signifies the beginning and end, thus an entire period and a full state, in like manner as a "week" (Arcana Coelestia 728, 6508, 9228); and because "seven" signifies what is full, it also signifies all, since all constitutes what is full, for fullness, as regards those that constitute a society (here, the church), means all; therefore when magnitude is treated of in the Word, "seven" signifies what is full; but when multitude is treated of, "seven" signifies all. "Three" also in the Word signifies what is full and all (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2788[1-13], 4495, 7715); but "seven" is used in the Word where anything holy is treated of, and "three" in all other cases (Arcana Coelestia 10127); therefore "seven" is here used, because truths from good, which are the holy things of the church, are treated of. It is also evident from the signification of "churches" as being those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity.

These are meant by "churches," because such truths constitute the church with everyone; for those who are not in truths from good, though born within the church, yet are not of the church, because there is no church in them. From this it is that the Lord's church consists of all those, wheresoever they are, who are a church, that is, who are in truths from good. (That the church, like heaven, is in man, and not outside of him, consequently that man who is in truths from good is a church, see Arcana Coelestia 3884; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 53, 54, 57.)

It is also said, who are in faith from charity, since this is similar; for truth is of faith, and good is of charity; for in fact, everything that man believes is called truth, and everything that man loves is called good.

(That every truth is from good, and that everything of faith is from charity, see in the small work, The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 84-107, 108-122; and Last Judgement (n. 33-39; also Heaven and Hell 364, 424, 482, 526.)

He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word, when he reads these things believes no otherwise than that by "seven churches" are meant the seven churches afterwards named (verse 1:11); whereas churches are not meant, but all who are of the church; because this is the spiritual sense of the Word.