635. And I will give unto my two witnesses.- That this signifies the good of love and of charity, and the truth of doctrine and faith, both from the Lord, is evident from the signification of witnesses as denoting those who in heart and faith acknowledge and confess the Lord, His Divine in His Human, and the proceeding Divine, for this is what essentially witnesses concerning the Lord, that is, acknowledges, and, from acknowledgment, confesses Him. Concerning this signification of witness and testification, see above (n. 10, 27, 228, 392). The two witnesses here signify the good of love and of charity, and the truth of doctrine and of faith, because it is said that the two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands: and the two olive trees signify the good of love to God and the good of charity towards the neighbour, and the two lampstands signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith; concerning this signification more will be said presently.
[2] The reason why those goods and truths are meant by witnesses, is, that those goods and truths, or, all who are in them, acknowledge and confess the Lord. For it is the proceeding Divine that is called Divine Good and Divine Truth, from which comes the good of love to God and the good of charity towards the neighbour, and thence the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith, which witness concerning Him; it therefore follows that they who are in them also witness concerning the Lord, that is, acknowledge and confess Him. For it is the Divine that witnesses concerning the Divine, and not man from himself; consequently it is the Lord in the good of love, and in the truth of doctrine thence, which are with man, that do this.
[3] Since all acknowledgment and confession of the Lord, and principally the acknowledgment and confession of the Divine in His Human, is from the Lord Himself, and since to witness signifies to acknowledge and confess this, therefore "to witness " is used in the following passages to denote acknowledgment and confession from the Lord Himself concerning Himself.
In John:
"Search the Scriptures, for they are they which bear witness of me" (v. 3 9).
The Sacred Scripture, or the Word, is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and the proceeding Divine is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church, wherefore when it is said that the Scriptures bear witness of Him, it is meant that the Lord Himself bears witness of Himself.
Again:
"I am he that beareth witness of myself, and my Father who sent me, beareth witness of me" (viii. 18).
Here it is openly declared that the Lord Himself, or the Divine in Him, bears witness of Him.
[4] Again:
Jesus said, "When the Paraclete shall come, the spirit of truth, he shall bear witness of me" (xv. 26, 27).
By the Paraclete, the spirit of truth, is meant the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is the Divine Truth.
And again:
Jesus said unto Pilate," Thou sayest, because I am a king, for this came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" (xviii. 37).
To bear witness unto the truth signifies to cause the Divine Truth proceeding from Him to bear witness of Him; this Divine Truth also in the Word is signified by a king. These things are adduced in order that it may be known that to bear witness is to acknowledge and confess the Lord, and that this is from Him, consequently the good of love and of charity and the truth of doctrine and of faith, because these are from the Lord and are His in man.
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