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668. And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying unto them.- That this signifies the Lord's Divine Providence is evident from the signification of a great voice out of heaven, as denoting the Lord's Divine Providence. A voice out of heaven signifies everything that proceeds from the Lord, which in general is called Divine Truth, and with us in the world, the Word, thus in particular every precept and command in the Word. This is called a voice out of heaven, because it descended and is continually descending from the Lord through heaven, with those who read the Word from a spiritual affection for truth. It is the Lord's Divine Providence which is signified here by the voice out of heaven, because the state of heaven and of the church at its end is the subject treated of, when the Lord provides lest a sudden change should do harm to those who are to be separated, of whom many will come into heaven, and many are to be cast into hell. This is the reason why it is afterwards said, that the two witnesses, by command, "ascended into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them;" and this in order that they might be separated, lest the gradual progress of things according to order should be disturbed by their presence and consequent communication with the evil (concerning which see above). But this interior truth cannot be explained in a few words, but it will be made clear as far as possible in what now follows.
668. Verse 12. And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying unto them, signifies the Lord's Divine Providence. This is evident from the signification of "a great voice out of heaven," as being the Lord's Divine Providence. "A voice out of heaven" signifies all that proceeds from the Lord, which in general is called Divine truth, and with us in the world is called the Word; thus in particular every precept and command in the Word is meant; this is called "a voice out of heaven" because it descended and is continually descending from the Lord through heaven with those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth. The Lord's Divine Providence is here signified by "a voice out of heaven," because the subject treated of is the state of heaven and the state of the church at its end, when the Lord provides against any sudden change that would do harm to those who are to be separated, some of whom are to come into heaven and some to be cast into hell. Therefore it now follows that the two witnesses by command "went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them," and this that there might be a separation, lest the successive progress of affairs according to order might be disturbed by their presence with the evil and the consequent communication (of which above). This arcanum, however, cannot be described in a few words, but in what follows it will be elucidated as far as possible.
668. [Vers. 12.] "Et audiverunt vocem magnam ex caelo dicentem illis." - Quod significet Divinam Domini providentiam, constat ex significatione "vocis magnae ex caelo", quod sit Divina Domini providentia; per "vocem e caelo" significatur omne quod procedit a Domino, quod in genere vocatur Divinum Verum, et apud nos in mundo Verbum; ita in specie omne praeceptum et mandatum quod in Verbo; hoc dicitur "vox e caelo", quia ex Domino per caelum descenderat, et continue descendit apud illos qui Verbum ex affectione veri spirituali legunt: quod sit Divina Domini providentia quae hic per "vocem e caelo" significatur, est quia agitur de statu caeli et ecclesiae in fine ejus, quando providetur a Domino ne festina mutatio damnum inferat illis qui separandi sunt, quorum plures in caelum venturi sunt, et plures in infernum conjiciendi; inde est quod sequatur quod bini testes ex mandato "ascenderint in caelum in nube, et viderint illos inimici illorum", et hoc ob causam ut separarentur, ne successiva rerum progressio secundum ordinem per praesentiam eorum apud malos, et inde communicationem (de qua supra), perturbaretur. Sed hoc arcanum non paucis describi potest; in nunc vero sequentibus, quantum fieri potest, elucidabitur.