647# “随时随意”表示每当人攻击爱之良善和教义之真理时，他可能会给他们带来邪恶，这良善和真理为主作见证，人也基于它们承认并宣认主。这从论及“两个见证人”时的“随时随意”的含义清楚可知，“两个见证人”是指那些承认并宣认主的人，因为这些人不意愿和实行目前为止所提到的邪恶，而是当恶人攻击从主发出的良善和真理，好对它们造成伤害时，他们给自己带来这些邪恶。诚然，圣言的字义论到耶和华神，也就是主说，祂发怒，发烈怒，祂向恶人大发雷霆，向他们行恶，事实上祂愿意如此行；然而，主从不发怒、发烈怒，也不向任何人意愿或实行邪恶。事实上，主从良善以良善，从真理以来自良善的真理流入每个人，因为祂愿意将所有人都带到自己这里，拯救他们。这清楚表明，“随时随意”不是指他们随意，而是指恶人随意，或随意行恶，也就是攻击来自主的天堂和教会的良善和真理，企图伤害它们。
向人意愿邪恶的，不是主，也不是来自主、与世人和天使同在的爱之良善和信之真理，这一点可从以下事实清楚看出来：主神不是与任何人同在的邪恶的原因；不是邪恶原因的人也不是惩罚的原因，而是与人同在的邪恶本身是原因。在天堂和地狱所在的灵界，一切事物都被如此安排，以至于主从不将任何人扔进地狱，而是恶灵将自己扔下去(可参看《天堂与地狱》，545–550节)。情况就是这样，因为主不是邪恶的原因，不是邪恶原因的人不可能是源于邪恶的任何结果的原因。由此清楚可知本节经文所包含的内容，即：不要照字义来理解两个见证人“有权柄关闭天空，叫雨不降下”，“又有权柄叫水变为血，并且能随时随意用各样的灾殃击打大地”，而是要照灵义来理解；灵义是，那些向“两个见证人”行恶的人给自己带来这些东西。因为任何人向他们行恶到何等程度，就在何等程度上向自己关闭天堂，并将与自己同在的真理变成虚假，因邪恶的欲望而自己毁灭自己。
647. As often as they shall desire.- That this signifies as often as man assaults the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, which bear witness concerning the Lord, and from which man acknowledges and confesses the Lord, to inflict evil upon them, is evident from the signification of "as often as they shall desire," when said of the two witnesses, by whom are meant those who acknowledge and confess the Lord, not that they themselves will and do the evils which have been so far referred to, but that the evil themselves bring them upon themselves when they assault the goods and truths which proceed from the Lord in order to inflict injury upon them. For in the sense of the letter of the Word it is ascribed to Jehovah God, that is, to the Lord, that He is angry, and wrathful, that He is furious against the wicked, and that He does evil to them, indeed, that He wills to do evil, when notwithstanding the Lord is never angry or wrathful, and neither wills nor does evil to any one. For the Lord flows-in with every man, from good with good, and from truth with truths from good, for He desires to bring all unto Himself and to save them. From these things it is evident that the expression "as often as the witnesses shall desire" does not mean as often as they desire, but as often as the wicked desire or do evil from willing it, that is, assault the goods and truths of heaven and of the church which are from the Lord with intent to injure them.
[2] That it is neither the Lord, nor the good of love and truth of faith which are from the Lord with men and angels, that wishes evil to any one, is evident from this fact, that the Lord God is not the cause of evil with any one; and He who is not the cause of evil is not the cause of punishment, but the evil itself which is in man is the cause of it. In the spiritual world where heaven and hell are, every thing is so ordered that the Lord never casts any one into hell, but the evil spirit himself, as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 545-550). This is the case because the Lord is not the cause of evil, and he who is not the cause of evil is not the cause of any effect which exists from evil. From these things now it is evident that what is contained in this verse, namely, "That the two witnesses have power to shut heaven, that the rain rain not," and that "they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they shall desire," is not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, but according to the spiritual sense, which is, that those who do evil to the two witnesses bring such things upon themselves. For so far as any one does evil to them, so far he shuts heaven against himself, and with himself turns truths into falsities, and so far he himself destroys himself by the lusts of evil.
647. As often as they will, signifies as often as a man assaults the goods of love and the truths of doctrine that bear witness of the Lord, and from which man acknowledges and confesses the Lord, that he may inflict evil upon them. This is evident from the signification of "as often as they will," when it is said of "the two witnesses" (by whom are meant those who acknowledge and confess the Lord), for these do not will and do the evils that have been mentioned heretofore, but the evil inflict these evils upon themselves when they assault the goods and truths that proceed from the Lord that they may inflict injury upon them. In the sense of the letter of the Word it is indeed said of Jehovah God, that is, the Lord, that He is angry, and wrathful, that He is furious against the good, 1and that He does evil to them, yea, that He wills to do so; and yet the Lord is never angry or wrathful, nor does He will or do evil to anyone; for into every man the Lord flows in from good with good, and from truth with truths from good; for He wills to bring all to Himself and to save them. This makes clear that "as often as the witnesses will" does not mean as often as they will, but as often as the evil will, that is, from willing do evil, in other words, assault the goods and truths of heaven and the church that are from the Lord that they may inflict injury upon them.
[2] That the Lord, and thus the good of love and the truth of faith that are of the Lord with man and angel, will no evil to anyone can be seen from this, that the Lord God is not the cause of evil with anyone, and he who is not the cause of evil is not the cause of punishment, but the evil itself that is with man is the cause. In the spiritual world where heaven and hell are, all things are so arranged that the Lord never casts anyone down into hell, but the evil spirit casts himself down (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 545-550); and this because the Lord is not the cause of evil, and he who is not the cause of evil cannot be the cause of any effect that springs from evil. From this it is clear that the contents of this verse, namely, that the two witnesses "have power to shut heaven that it rain no rain," and that "they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they will," are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, but according to the spiritual sense, which is, that those who do evil to the "two witnesses" bring such things upon themselves; for so far as anyone does evil to them so far he shuts heaven against himself, and turns truths with himself into falsities, and destroys himself by the lusts of evil.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has good for evil.
647. "Quotiescunque voluerint." - Quod significet quoties homo aggreditur bona amoris et vera doctrinae, quae testantur de Domino, et ex quibus homo agnoscet et confitetur Dominum, ad malum illis inferendum, constat ex, significatione "quotiescunque voluerint", cum de "binis testibus", per quos intelliguntur qui agnoscunt et confitentur Dominum, quod non ipsi velint et faciant mala quae huc usque memorata sunt; sed quod ipsi mali sibi, quando aggrediuntur bona et vera quae a Domino procedunt, ad damnum illis inferendum: in sensu enim litterae Verbi adscribitur Jehovae Deo, hoc est, Domino, quod irascatur, excandescat, furiat contra 1
malos, et quod faciat illis malum, immo quod velit facere, cum tamen Dominus nusquam irascitur et excandescit, et inde alicui malum vult et facit; nam Dominus influit ex bono cum bono et ex vero cum veris ex bono apud omnem hominem, vult enim adducere cunctos ad Se et salvare: ex his constare potest, quod hoc, "quotiescunque testes voluerint", non intelligatur quoties velint, sed quoties mali volunt, hoc est, ex velle malum faciunt; hoc est, aggrediuntur bona et vera caeli et ecclesiae quae a Domino, ad damnum illis inferendum.
[2] Quod non Dominus, proinde nec bonum amoris et verum fidei quae sunt Domini apud hominem et angelum, alicui malum velint, constare potest ex eo, quod Dominus Deus non sit causa mali apud aliquem; et qui non est causa mali, nec est causa poenae; sed quod ipsum malum quod apud hominem sit causa: in mundo spirituali, ubi caelum et ubi infernum, omnia ita ordinata sunt ut Dominus nusquam aliquem in infernum dejiciat, sed quod ipse spiritus malus semet (videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 545-550); et hoc quia Dominus non est causa mali; et qui non est causa mali, ille nec est causa alicujus effectus qui ex malo existit: ex his nunc patet quod haec quae in hoc versu continentur, nempe, quod "duo testes potestatem habeant claudere caelum, ut non pluat pluvia", et quod "potestatem habeant super aquas convertere illas in sanguinem, et percutere terram omni plaga, quotiescunque voluerint, "non intelligenda sint, secundum sensum litterae, sed secundum sensum spiritualem; qui est, quod ipsi qui malum faciunt "binis testibus" sibi talia inducant; nam quantum aliquis malum illis facit, tantum claudit sibi caelum, et tantum vera vertit apud se in falsa, et tantum ipse per concupiscentias mali semet perdit.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.