846. 'And the souls of those beheaded with the axe for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God' signifies [that they were] rejected by those who are in untruths derived from self-intelligence, because they worshipped the Lord and lived in accordance with the truths of the Word. By 'the souls of those beheaded with the axe for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God' are understood men after death who are then called spirits, or men clothed with a spiritual body, who were concealed by the Lord in the lower land until the evil were removed by the last judgment. They are said to be 'beheaded with the axe' because they were rejected by those who are in untruths derived from self-intelligence, these being all who are in evils and consequently in untruths, or who are in untruths and by their means in evils, and yet in external things are in Divine worship. That by 'the axe' this kind of untruth is signified will be seen in the following paragraph. By 'the testimony of Jesus and the Word of God' is signified the acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine in His Human, the like as by these statements above:-
John bare witness of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ Rev. i 2.
Michael and the angels overcame the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony Rev. xii 11.
The dragon went away to wage war with the remnant of her seed, who were keeping the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ Rev. xii 17.
I am the fellow-servant of thy brothers having the testimony of Jesus Christ: the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy Rev. xix 10.
That by these statements is signified the acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine in His Human, and also a life in accordance with the truths of His Word, specifically in accordance with the precepts of the Decalogue, may be seen in the expositions on those passages. These souls are the same ones of whom these things are said above:-
I saw underneath the altar the souls of those slain for the Word of God and for the testimony that they held; and they were crying out with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Who art Holy and True, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on those dwelling upon the land? And white robes were given to each one, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little while until both their fellow-servants and their brothers, who were going to be slain as they also had been, are made up no the full extent Rev. vi 9-11;
which may be seen expounded (n. 325-329).
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