494. Verse 5. And if anyone will hurt them, fire shall go forth out of their mouth, and shall devour their enemies, signifies that they who would destroy these two essentials of the new church will perish from infernal love. "To will to hurt the two witnesses" signifies to will to destroy these two essentials of the New Church, which are the acknowledgment of the Lord that He is the God of heaven and earth even as to the Human, and a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue; that these are "the witnesses" may be seen above (n. 490). "Fire shall go forth out their mouth" signifies infernal love; "and shall devour their enemies" signifies that they who hurt them will perish from that love; but it is not here to be understood that fire will proceed "out of the mouth of the witnesses," but from those who would destroy these two essentials of the New Church, which are meant by "the witnesses" (n. 490). "Fire" is infernal love; for he who does not live according to the precepts of the Decalogue, and who does not approach to God the Savior and Redeemer, cannot be otherwise than in infernal love, and perish.
[2] This is similar to what is said elsewhere in the Word, that from Jehovah there is "fire which consumes the wicked"; and that Jehovah acts "from the fire of his wrath," "anger," and "fury"; besides other similar expressions, by which it is not meant that this comes from Jehovah, but from the infernal love of the wicked. Such things are said in the Word, because they are appearances; and the Word, in its literal sense, is written by correspondences and appearances. Since it is said that "fire should go forth out of their mouth" and that thereby is meant that it is from those who are in infernal love, some passages shall be adduced in which it is said that "fire is from Jehovah":
The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, shall consume it (Isa. 30:33).
Smoke goeth up out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth, coals burned from it (Ps. 18:8).
I will pour out upon them the wrath of Mine anger, for in the fire of My zeal shall the whole earth be consumed (Zeph. 3:8).
Behold, Jehovah shall come in fire, for retribution in the wrath of His anger, and His rebuke in flames of fire (Isa. 66:15).
Thou shalt be visited by Jehovah in a flame of devouring fire (Isa. 29:6; 30:30; besides many elsewhere).