496. [verse 6] 'These have authority to shut heaven, so that it may rain no rain in the days of their prophecy' signifies that those who turn away from these two Essentials of the New Church cannot receive any truth out of heaven. By 'heaven' here is understood the angelic heaven; consequently by 'rain' is signified the truth of the Church therefrom. Therefore by 'to shut heaven so that it may rain no rain' is signified that they cannot receive any truth of the Church out of heaven. The truth of the Church out of heaven is the truth of doctrine out of the Word. It is said that the witnesses have that 'authority', but it is understood here, as above (n. 494), that these do not have authority to shut heaven, but that those shut it for themselves who turn away from these two Essentials of the New Church, because they remain in their own untruths. That 'rain' signifies Divine Truth out of heaven is established from these passages:-
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distil as the dew Deut. xxxii 2.
If you shall serve other gods, Jehovah shall shut heaven, so that there may be no rain Deut. xi 11, 14, 16, 17.
I will lay my vineyard waste, and I will command the clouds, that they may not cause the rain to rain upon it Isa. v 6.
The showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain, but still the forehead of a harlot woman remained to thee Jer. iii 3.
For as the rain comes down out of heaven, so shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth Isa. lv 10, 11.
O sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah, for He shall give you seasonable rain in justice Joel ii 23.
Thou, O God, didst cause to drop a rain of kindnesses Ps. lxviii 9 [H.B. 10].
He shall come down like rain upon the herb of the meadow, in his days shall the just flourish [Ps. lxxii 6, 7.
Jehovah who prepares rain for the land, who makes the mountains to grow grass, who gives to the beast his food*] Ps. cxlvii 8, 9.
Jehovah shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain He shall water the land Hosea vi 3.
My word shall drop upon them, and they shall wait for Me as the rain, and he shall open his mouth to the latter rain Job xxix 22, 23.
Son of man, say, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, for which there is no rain in the day of wrath, there is a conspiracy of prophets in the midst thereof Ezek. xxii 24, 25;
besides elsewhere (Isa. xxx 23; Jer. v 24; x 12, 13; xiv 3, 4; li 16; Ezek. xxxiv 26, 27; Amos iv 7, 8; Zech. x 1; Ps. lxv 9, 10 [H.B. 10, 11]; cxxxv 7; 2 Sam. xxiii 3, 4). An 'inundating rain' [stands] for the destruction of truth (Ezek. xiii 11, 13, 14; xxxviii 22). For temptation (Matt. vii 24-27). * Cf. AE 507:7.
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