498.启11:6.“并且能随时随意用各样的灾殃击打大地”表凡摧毁新教会的这两大基本素的人会随时并尽可能地把自己丢进各种邪恶与虚假中。 “地”表示教会（285节）；“灾殃”表示邪恶与虚假（456节）；因此，“用各样的灾殃击打大地”表示以各种邪恶与虚假来毁坏教会。但理解这句经文的方式和前一句一样，即：那些想用灾殃击打新教会的这两大基本要素，也就是通过邪恶经由虚假来摧毁它们的人，会把自己丢进各种邪恶与虚假中；并且由于属世意义在变得属灵时就是这样转换的，所以“随时随意”以同样的方式变成这个意思，随时并尽可能这样行。原因在于，人将这两大基本要素毁到什么程度，就将圣言的真理毁到什么程度；将圣言的真理毁到什么程度，就将自己丢进邪恶和虚假中到什么程度；因为这两大基本要素是圣言的真理，这一事实从新耶路撒冷的两大教义很明显地看出来：一个涉及主，另一个涉及出于十诫的生活教义。“两个见证人能随时随意用各样的灾殃击打大地”这句经文和圣言中的其它许多归因于耶和华，也就是主的话很相似，如“祂用灾殃击打人”，并且这是祂的旨意；而事实上，必须这样来理解，祂既不击打人，这也不是祂的旨意。如，撒迦利亚书：
耶和华用灾殃攻击那与耶路撒冷争战的所有百姓。（撒迦利亚书14:12等）
耶利米书：
我因你的罪孽甚多，曾用仇敌的灾殃、暴君的惩治击打你。（耶利米书30:14）在许多其它地方也是（还可参看494节）。
498. And to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. This symbolically means that people who wish to destroy these two essential elements of the New Church propel themselves into evils and falsities of every kind, as often as, and in the measure that, they do so.
The earth symbolizes the church (no. 285), and a plague symbolizes evil and falsity (no. 456). Thus to strike the earth with every plague means, symbolically, to ruin the church with evils and falsities of every kind.
Still, as in the case of earlier interpretations, this has to be understood, namely, that when people wish to strike these two essential elements of the New Church with plague, that is, when they wish to destroy them, which they are moved by evil to do by means of falsities, they propel themselves into evils and falsities of every kind. Moreover, because the natural sense is turned around when it becomes spiritual, therefore this statement, too, "as often as they desire," is similarly changed into "as often as and in the measure that they do." The reason is that to the extent someone destroys these two essential elements, to the same extent he destroys the truths of the Word, and to the extent he destroys the truths of the Word, to the same extent he propels himself into evils and falsities. For these two essential elements are truths of the Word, as may be clearly seen from two books containing the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, one being The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, and the other titled The Doctrine of Life in Accordance With the Precepts of the Decalogue.
This statement, that the two witnesses have the power to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire, is similar to many others in the Word which attribute to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, His striking people with a plague, and its being His will to do so, even though it is to be understood that He does not strike anyone, and that it is not His will to do so. For example, in Zechariah:
This shall be the plague with which Jehovah will strike all the people who fight against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14:12ff.)
And in Jeremiah:
...I have stricken you with the plague of an enemy, with the chastisement of a tyrant, for the multitude of your iniquities... (Jeremiah 30:14)
And so on in many places elsewhere. See also no. 494 above.
498. 'And to smite the land with every plague as often as they will' signifies that those who wish to destroy these two Essentials of the New Church hurl themselves into evils and untruths of every kind as often and as much as they do so. By 'the land' the Church is signified (285); and by 'a plague' evil and untruth (456). Consequently by to smite the land with every plague' is signified to put an end to the Church with evils and untruths of every kind. But this is to be understood as the former passage was, namely, that those who wish to smite these two Essentials of the New Church with a plague, that is, destroy them, which is done as the result of evil by means of untruths, will cast themselves into evils and untruths of every kind. And because the natural sense is inverted in this manner while it is becoming spiritual, therefore also this expression, 'as often as they will,' is inverted into this, 'as often and as much as they do so.' This is because, in so far as any one destroys these two Essentials, so far he is destroying the truths of the Word, and in so far as he destroys the truths of the Word, so far he hurls himself into evils and untruths; for these two Essentials are the truths of the Word, as can be manifestly established out of THE TWO DOCTRINES OF THE NEW JERUSALEM, the one concerning THE LORD, and the other which is called THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE DERIVED FROM THE PRECEPTS OF THE DECALOGUE. This statement, that the witnesses 'have power to smite the land with every plague as often as they will,' is similar to many in the Word, which attribute to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, that He smites men with a plague and that this is of His will, when yet it should be understood that He does not smite and that it is not of His will, as in Zechariah:
This shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the peoples that have fought against Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:12 seq.
And in Jeremiah:
I have smitten thee with the plague of the enemy, with the chastisement of a tyrant, for the multitude of thine iniquity. Jeremiah 30:14; likewise many times elsewhere. 494 above may also be seen.
498. And to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will, signifies that they who would destroy these two essentials of the New Church will cast themselves into all kinds of evils and falsities, as often and so far as they do so. By "the earth" is signified the church, (285); and by "a plague" is signified evil and falsity, (456); hence by "smiting the earth with every plague," is signified to ruin the church by all kinds of evils and falsities. But this passage is to be understood in the same manner as the former, viz. , that they who would smite these two essentials of the New Church with a plague, that is, destroy them, which is done by evil through falsities, will cast themselves into all kinds of evils and falsities; and as the natural sense is thus changed while it becomes spiritual, therefore also this expression, "as often as they will," is changed in like manner into this, as often and so far as they do this. The reason is, because in proportion as anyone destroys these two essentials, he so far destroys the truths of the Word; and so far as he destroys the truths of the Word, so far he casts himself into evils and falsities; for these two essentials are the truths of the Word, as may appear manifestly from The two Doctrines of the New Jerusalem; one concerning The Lord, and the other concerning The Doctrine of Life from the Precepts of the Decalogue. This passage, that "the witnesses had the power of smiting the earth with every plague as often as they will," is similar to many others in the Word, which attribute to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, that "He smites men with plagues," and that this is His will, when yet it must be understood that He neither smites them, nor is it His will to do so, as in Zechariah:
This shall be the plague with which Jehovah shall smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem, (Zechariah 14:12, a nd following verses).
And in Jeremiah:
I have smitten thee with the plague of the enemy, with the chastisement of a tyrant, for the multitude of thine iniquity, (Jeremiah 30:14);
likewise in many other places. See also above, (494).
498. "Et percutere terram omni plaga, quotiescunque voluerint," significat quod qui volunt duo illa Essentialia Novae Ecclesiae destruere, semet in omnis generis mala et falsa conjiciant, quoties et quantum id faciunt. - Per "terram, significatur Ecclesia (285); et per "plagam" significatur malum et falsum (456); inde per "percutere terram omni plaga" significatur Ecclesiam omnis generis malis et falsis pessumdare: sed hoc, sicut priora intellecta sunt, intelligendum est, videlicet, quod illi qui volunt duo illa Essentialia Novae Ecclesiae plaga percutere, hoc est, destruere, quo fit ex malo per falsa, semet ipsos in omnis generis mala et falsa conjiciant; et quia invertitur ita Sensus naturalis dum fit spiritualis, ideo etiam similiter invertitur hoc, "quotiescunque voluerint," in hoc, quoties et quantum illi hoc faciunt: causa est, quod quantum aliquis destruit duo illa Essentialia, tantum destruat vera Verbi, et quod quantum vera Verbi destruit, tantum se in mala et falsa conjiciant nam duo illa Essentialia sunt vera Verbi, ut manifeste constare potest ex binis Doctrinis Novae Hierosolymae, una de Domino, et altera quae vocatur Doctrina Vitae ex praeceptis Decalogi. Hoc, quod "testes potestatem habeant percutiendi terram omni plaga quotiescunque voluerint," simile est cum multis in Verbo, quod tribuatur Jehovae, hoc est, Domino, quod "percutiat homines plaga," et quod hoc Ejus voluntatis sit, cum tamen intelligendum est, quod non percutiat, nec quod Ejus voluntatis sit; sicut apud Sachariam:
"Haec erit Plaga, qua percutiet Jehovah omnes populos qui pugnabunt contra Hierosolymam," (14:12, seq.);
et apud Jeremiam,
"Plaga hostis percussi te, castigatione tyranni, propter multitudinem iniquitatis tuae," (30:14);
similiter alibi pluries. Videatur etiam supra (494).