Objective in Studying this Chapter:
1) To examine the remaining visions in the interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets, and to see what happens when the seventh trumpet sounds
2) To offer an explanation concerning the significance of these visions, and to summarize what we have seen in the first half of the book of Revelation
A Brief Introduction
This is a bit of an interlude between the “woes”—between the sounding of the trumpets. The fifth and sixth trumpets have been sounded. These were the first and second “woes.” Now, this is an interlude until the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the third “woe,” which we’re going to see later here in chapter 11.
As we saw in chapter 10, John has another vision, this one from an earthly perspective, perhaps, where he sees a strong angel come down. The angel is obviously very large, with one foot on the sea and one foot on the earth. The angel is holding a “little book.” At the end of chapter 10, we were talking about John’s instruction that he was given to eat that little book. The little book represented the Will, the Word, of God. The suggestion about the book being “little” was that it was not, maybe, the entirety of God’s Will, but a portion of it.
John is instructed to eat the little book. He is told that it’s going to be a bittersweet experience for him, that it would be sweet to his taste, sweet in his mouth, but it will be bitter in his stomach when it is swallowed. We had mentioned the fact that several times in the Scriptures, the Word of God, the Statutes of God, are suggested to be sweet. Let’s see again, Psalm, chapter 19, verse 10, and we’ll see one of these references here. First of all, we need to go back up to verse 7 to see the context here, and that is, the writer is speaking about the Law of the Lord. He says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The Testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The Statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb,” [Psalm 19:7-10]. Here is a specific reference to God’s Word, God’s Statues, being sweet. Then, Psalm 119, verse 103: “How sweet are Your Words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Think about this occasion, this instruction that John is given, to eat, to ingest, this little book. The implication here in eating it is to take it in—the word is “masticate [to chew up].” That simply means to “take it in,” to understand it, to absorb it, to assimilate it. Obviously, eating it, taking it in that way, is representing the fact that it is consumed.
What I was going to point out to you is that there is Old Testament precedence, if you will, of this same thing being done. In Ezekiel, chapter 2 and verse 9, we see that the prophet has a similar instruction and experience: “Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.” Hey, does that sound familiar!?! “Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe. [Ezekiel 3] “Moreover He said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 And He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.’ So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness,” [Ezekiel 2:9-3:3]. So, here is another reference to the sweetness of God’s Word. But specifically, in these Old Testament verses, the prophet Ezekiel had the same instruction as John was given by the angel. The obvious implication of what Ezekiel is told to do here is, to take it in and, then, to give it back out again, to go teach the children of Israel. Naturally, that is what John is going to do, as well.
Someone would suggest and wonder, “Well, are the contents of this little book what we are going to see here in chapter 11?” Some others have suggested that this is what John is going to reveal regarding the sounding of the seventh trumpet, that these are the things that are contained in this little book. Once again, it’s not God’s entire revelation, it’s not God’s entire Will for man, but it is a portion of it. Regardless, it is true that the Word of God is, at the same time, sweet in its promises—it is sweet to us as we consider the complete revelation of God, what he has done for us to save us—but, there is also a bitter aspect to it, as well. The bitterness has to do with sin, and with evil, and with rebellion, and with the fact that we live in a world that is evil, a world that evil is introduced into. We are living in that world, and we are susceptible to those evils, as well. So, there IS this bittersweet nature to the Word of God.
As one writer said (and I say “Amen” to this), “No one can be true to the divine revelation who does not combine the bitter and the sweet.” These are the two aspects in the Will of God. AND there are many people, in fact, most people, who are, and would be, content with the sweetness and leave the bitter alone. They don’t want to be reminded that we can fall from grace. There is much of this type of preaching, the sweetness part, that goes on, even within the Lord’s church, because people want to feel good; people want to come to feel good, and these weekly periods of admonishment and edification are to be avoided. People don’t want to hear about hell; people don’t hear about sin; people don’t to hear the bitter. They want to hear the sweet; they want to hear about the love and the mercy and the grace. But there are two aspects to the Word of God. And so, we hear from this pulpit both the sweet and the bitter—balancing those two things.
We will begin Revelation, chapter 11. By the way, if you’ve been reading this chapter and have a good handle on what it means, then, I’ll give way to you and let you teach this class tonight, because I think virtually every commentator that I read was not consistent in his understanding and interpretation of this chapter, but they were consistent in saying that this is the hardest chapter in the entire book of Revelation. It, indeed, is a difficult chapter, and it does continue to puzzle many of the scholars, many of the good students of the Bible.
You know, there are any number of approaches that have been taken by scholars on this. As a matter of fact, I had considered sharing with you three major approaches, three major schools of thought, in looking at this chapter. I actually had them as part of my notes, not as part of your outline, but as part of my notes, and I was going to share those with you, but as I was trying to “eat my little book,” as I was trying to “masticate” that, it was so confusing to me that I said, “Well, how can I share these approaches with you if I don’t understand what they are myself?” I won’t share these varying approaches with you. There are plenty of references that I could suggest to you, where you could go and read about those approaches if you desire—like the preterit and futurist and so on. We’ll leave that for another day.
What we recognize, and the approach that I want to take, is the approach that we’ve take throughout the entire study of Revelation and that is, first of all we have to recognize that we ought not to be too awfully dogmatic about some of these things. They are difficult to understand, perhaps, but moreover, there is room in the interpretation of some of these things for some varying thoughts, as long as they don’t too far afield. What we want to keep in mind in the approach that we make is that we are not going to take a literal view of these things, as we have not taken a literal view of the other things that we’ve looked at so far. These are not literal; they are, in fact, figurative; they are not necessarily tied to specific events—world events, dates, and so on.
For example, one of these approaches suggests that what John has in view here is the actual destruction of Jerusalem. Well, that does two things. First of all, one has to take a much earlier view, then, of the writing of this book. We had decided in our introduction to the book that we looking at the writing of the book being somewhere in the middle 90’s. And if one takes the approach that what John has in view here is the destruction of Jerusalem and that when he is writing the book this destruction is yet in the future, then that moves the writing of the book of Revelation to sometime before AD 70. Well, I don’t think that that is consistent with our understanding of the book.
There are other approaches, one of whom I read that I was quite interested in—as a matter of fact, he’s a member of the church, and I don’t say that to hold him up to ridicule; as I said, this may be an example of what I’m talking about when I say that there is room here for some varied ideas, but he was looking at the events in chapter 11 specifically having to do with the Roman Catholic church—the rise of the Roman church and it’s role in the apostasy of the [Lord’s one] church, going back to the 590’s, or thereabouts. For example, he suggested that the “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” [1260 days], or, the “forty-two months” [30 days x 42 months = 1260 days] (both are listed in chapter 11), represented years and that that was the period of time between the apostasy of the [Lord’s] church in 593, whenever that was, and the beginning of the Reformation in about 1795, and that the period in between is the period of the French Revolution and on and on. Well, that was pretty interesting stuff, but again, I’m not sure that’s consistent with the approach that we’re taking here.
What we will see in Revelation, chapter 11, is another vision, another view, that John has of the people of God in the latter part of the 1st Century, the people of God in the 2nd, the 3rd, the 5th, the 12th, the 21st Century, [meaning, in every Century], being protected, being cared for, as they live in the midst of a wicked generation. I think that is what we are going to see, then, as we move through this study. And again, these visions are not specifically tied to world events, not specifically tied to any dates; the Message is, in fact, ageless, timeless, in its approach. Let’s go ahead and look at the first fourteen verses of chapter 11:
A Reading of Revelation 11:1-14
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
7 When they finish their Testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”
MEASURING THE TEMPLE OF GOD (VERSES 1-2)
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.’”
The Command to Measure the Temple and its Occupants (verse 1)
This section is not introduced as some others have been where John says, “I beheld,” or, “I saw.” Instead, this seems to be a continuation of what we saw in chapter 10 where John is having interaction already with this angel, this voice from heaven giving him instruction, and he is given a measuring rod with which to measure the temple of God, a figurative, symbolic temple, which is the inner sanctuary with its altar, and those who worship there [“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there,’” verse 1].
Going by our belief that the book of Revelation was written in the middle 90’s, then Jerusalem and the temple have already been destroyed. But those who would have read this, particularly Christians of Jewish descent, would certainly be familiar with the temple. Even those from Gentile backgrounds would have been somewhat familiar with the temple. It was certainly well-known, one of the most majestic buildings that’s ever been constructed—perhaps THE most majestic building ever constructed. I think that Brother Mack Lyon mentioned in one of his presentations a couple of weeks ago that there has been some estimate made that the temple was not the largest building, perhaps not the most detailed building, but it was the most expensive building ever constructed, even to this day. Even people in far off places would have known about the temple in Jerusalem.
We know, as would they, that the temple represented the house of God—the house of worship—for the children of Israel. They knew that the priests could come into the sanctuary and that only the high priest could come into the Holy of Holies, and so on.
The Command NOT to Measure the Outer Court (verse 2)
We also know that the temple proper—the sanctuary—was the place for those who were faithful. However, there was an outer portion, called “The Court of the Gentiles.” Gentiles, even Gentile converts to Judaism—proselytes—could not go beyond a boundary, a barrier. They could not enter into the sanctuary. So, the implication here is that there is a section in view here where God’s faithful people are, and then everything outside of that sanctuary is where the pagans—the Gentiles—are.
John is instructed here to measure with a measuring rod that he has been given. He is to measure only that area, that sanctuary, where those who are faithful—those who are counted as the children of God—are located. Forget about the rest, he is told; they will trample the holy city [“But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months,” verse 2].
Summary of verses 1-2
What is in view here [the temple of God, which is the inner sanctuary with its altar, and those who worship there] is the same group, I suggest to you, that we read about back in chapter 7—the 144,000 who have been sealed; once again, this is not a specific number, not an all-inclusive number, but a representative number of those of every age who are counted among the faithful—who are counted as children of God. Under the Law of Moses, only the priests could enter the sanctuary; faithful Jews, who were not priests, could not enter this area. But what does that tell us and reinforce for us in our day? As Christians, who are we? And we might consider the temple in the New Testament era, which began on the day of Pentecost and which continues even to this day, as being the church. In the New Testament era, we are priests [Revelation 1:5b-6: “To Him Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His Own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”]. And so the acknowledgement here that we see is that John is measuring this area and this area symbolizes the church; it represents the area of protection—that God is protecting, that He is surrounding, those who are His people. Just as the sealing of the 144,000 in chapter 7 signified His protection, so does the measuring of the temple here in chapter 11 signify His protection, as well.
There is precedent in the Scripture for the church being referred to as “the temple.” For example, let’s look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 16-17...
What we’re doing here is trying to get some perspective and get some continuity. That’s one thing that we are striving for here in ALL of our discussions, in all of our studying, as we’re talking about various ways to interpret. Whatever we interpret, whatever we are trying to do, must be consistent. Because of the fact that Revelation is written in this apocalyptic language and that there are some difficult sections for us to understand—that there are some things that, perhaps, we just can’t nail down completely—the one thing that we must always do is, be sure that any interpretation is consistent with the Scriptures. We can’t identify something in Revelation that would be inconsistent with something that we would find elsewhere in the Scriptures.
Back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 16-17. Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” This is a very familiar text to us. We refer to this text frequently, and, of course, what Paul has in mind here is that he is speaking about us as individuals—he’s talking about our individual responsibilities to guard, to protect, to care for, and not to defile, the temple of God, which is our body. But what do we, collectively in our individual bodies, make up? Well, we make up the church, don’t we?
Then, let’s look briefly at 2 Corinthians, chapter 6 and verse 16a. “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God,” Paul says. Once again, this is a reference to us, to our individual selves, as Christians, as children of God, but collectively being the body of Christ, the church.
Also, look at Ephesians, chapter 2 and verses 19-22: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in Whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in Whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Well, there it is, isn’t it? WE are all part of, pieces of, the construction that makes up the church.
So, here we see that John has been given this measuring rod, this measuring stick, and he is measuring. He is, for the purpose of preservation, of protection, measuring, defining, outlining, where the children of God are. And what about everything that is outside of that “sanctuary,” if you will? Don’t worry about that. We’re only concerned about those who are inside. They will be preserved; they will be protected. One is impressed here with the fact that God has not forgotten His people in the time of calamity, in the time of difficulty, in any age.
In verse 2, there is a period of time which is mentioned [“And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months,” verse 2b]. He says that the holy city will be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles for forty-two months. This is the same period of time that we’ll see in verse 3 [one thousand two hundred and sixty days] and again in chapter 12, verse 6 [one thousand two hundred and sixty days] and verse 14 [a time and times and half a time—the same period of time]. All of these expressions are the equivalent of 3 ½ years. 3 ½ years is half of seven. Seven is a perfect number, or a complete number. The suggestion is that the 3 ½ represents half of what is complete, what is perfect, if you will. If it were complete, then it would go on; it would be infinite in its nature. But again, it is not perfect, it is not complete. This is a period of time, a figurative, symbolic period of time with a beginning and with an end during which the church will be afflicted.
What does it represent? Well, of course, I told you what one commentator’s interpretation was, that it represented a specific period, a period from the time of the apostasy until the time of the Restoration Movement beginning in the late 1700’s. But…maybe…or maybe not.
What the 3 ½ years represents, like other numbers that we have seen and other numbers that we will see as we go though this study, is a specific period of time—specific in the sense that there is a beginning and there is an end to it, but not specific in the sense that it is exactly forty-two months (1260 days) and that on the one thousand two hundred sixty first day [1261st day] something else is going to happen, or that after that 3 year and 6 month time, then something else is going to happen. It represents a space of time during which God is going to provide this protection, this special care, and that period of time has gone on, and continues on, even today. It represents the Christian era—the entire Christian dispensation—throughout which time there will be persecution and opposition, a time in which anti-Christian forces will oppose God’s people. In a sense, we are being measured, even today, as we are in that sanctuary, as we are in that protected space, as we are numbered among the 144,000 that have the seal of God on our foreheads.
By the way, this same length of time, this same period of time [the 3 ½ years], is mentioned in Daniel, chapter 7, verse 25 [“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time(OR For a year, two years and a half year, which is 3 ½ years OR 1260 days, if a year, in this case, is 360 days and half a year is 180 days: 360 + 360 x 2 + 180 = 1260 days, or 3 ½ years).”] and in Daniel, chapter 12, verse 7 [“Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him Who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”].
THE TWO WITNESSES (VERSES 3-14)
“‘And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”
Prophesying for 1260 Days (verses 3-6)
“‘And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”
These two witnesses that are mentioned here are “witnessing” for this period of time that we spoke about, during this period of trial, tribulation, and so on. They are “clothed in sackcloth” [verse 3], representative, perhaps, of their recognition of the difficulty of the trouble, the trial, the deaths even, of those who would be faithful to the Lord.
We might wonder, then, “Who are these witnesses?” Well, we don’t know; they are not identified specifically by name. But by their behavior, by some things which are associated to them, they bear relationships to two well-known prophets. They bear resemblance to both Moses, as the great law giver, and to Elijah, as the great prophet of the Old Testament.
There have been a number of interpretations, a number of suggestions, given about these two witnesses. Some have said that these refer to the Law and to the Prophets of the Old Testament. Others have said that they represent both the Old and the New Testaments, or Covenants, which both are, in effect, witnesses. Others have thought that these refer to actual persons, like the two that we just mentioned, Moses and Elijah. Still others have interpreted these two witnesses as representing the church in its total work, its total involvement, in bearing witness to the world through preachers, ministers and individual members. Well, again, we are not clear whether they represent specific individuals, or not, but there are some things which are representative of the two that we mentioned, Moses and Elijah.
In these four verses that we read [verses 3 through 6], they are called “the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth,” [verse 4]. This is a clear reference to a vision in the long ago, which we can read about in Zachariah, chapter 4. I want us to look at that—Zachariah, chapter 4, beginning with verse 1:
“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’
So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.’ 4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’
5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’
And I said, ‘No, my lord.’
6 So he answered and said to me:
‘This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel...,’” [Zachariah 4:1-6a].
Now, let’s drop on down to verse 11:
“Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees — at the right of the lampstand and at its left?’ 12 And I further answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?’
13 Then he answered me and said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’
And I said, ‘No, my lord.’
14 So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth,’” [Zachariah 4:11-14].
In the text that we have from Zachariah, on either side of the golden lampstand (some translations say, “candlesticks,” but more specifically, it is “lampstand”) are two olive trees. The picture there is that the two olive trees feed the lamps with the oil. You know, of course, that the oil, which was burned for centuries and centuries and centuries, was olive oil in this region of the world. So the picture here is that the two olive trees, in their fullness, in their fatness, feed the lamps, which make up the lampstand. The suggestion is this, that these two trees probably represent Joshua, the priest, and Zerubbabel. And the lampstand represents Israel. That is the depiction, the vision, of Zachariah here.
Well, there is a connection. As we have seen, and will see as we go along, there is a connection, something that had transpired before, something that would have been, perhaps, familiar in the vision of John here in Revelation, chapter 11.
The two witnesses in the vision are the two lampstands bearing the light of God’s Word. And, like two olive trees, full of fatness, full of oil, if you will, they continue to express this witnessing of the Gospel to the world. These two witnesses represent the church, full of God’s spirit, which gives light to the world. Like Jeremiah in Jeremiah 5, verse 14 [“Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts: ‘Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My Words in your mouth fire, And this people wood, And it shall devour them.”], the judging Word that he speaks of there, the warning Word that calls to repentance and life, which they proclaim, is like a devouring fire, a devouring flame, that goes out to destroy those who are their foes—those who would oppose the Word.
This figure may also remind us of the consuming fire that came down from heaven at the call of Elijah and devoured his enemies, 2 Kings 1:9-10 [“Then the king sent to him (Elijah) a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he (the captain) went up to him (Elijah); and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: ‘Man of God, the king has said, “Come down!”’
10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.’ And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.”].
Like Elijah of old, the two witnesses have the power to shut up heaven, that it not rain during the time of their prophesying; and like Moses the law giver, they have power over the waters to turn them to blood; and they have the power to bring plagues upon the earth. And they do this as often as they desire—not to indicate willful acts, but rather, to indicate that their desires are the desires of God. [Revelation 11:6: “These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”]
The Two Witnesses Killed and Left Dead for Three and a Half Days (verses 7-10)
“When they finish their Testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”
It would be hard to understand how these two witnesses that John sees and writes about could refer to two specific individuals, especially since the beast is described as making war upon them [“When they finish their Testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them,” verse 7]. But, here again, this could be readily applied to the church, because when we get over to chapter 13 and verse 7, we will see specifically that the beast makes war upon the saints [Revelation 13:7: “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.”].
The beast here in chapter 11 is closely associated with “the bottomless pit” and the demonic force in league with Satan. The witnesses, these two that John sees, are killed by the beast, and their bodies—and this is a rather gruesome thought—lie unburied in the street of the great city that is figuratively, symbolically (the Revised Standard Version says “allegorically”; your translation may say “spiritually”; the better translation is “figuratively” or “symbolically”), called Sodom because it represents the wickedness of the ancient city of Sodom; the great city is also symbolically called Egypt because it held God’s people in bondage [verse 8: “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nationswill see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves,” verses 8-9].
And this great city is the city where “our Lord was crucified.” Scholars differ whether there is any direct reference made here to the literal city of Jerusalem, or whether this is simply symbolic, like virtually everything else here, and that it is a reference to this worldly anti-Christian power, or domain. I think of it in the latter—this not being in the literal city of Jerusalem, but that it is symbolic of the anti-Christian world of this age or any age. When you think of these two witnesses, think “church,” as they are persecuted, as they are killed. As such, then, the unbelieving world rejoices over their martyred forms. [Verse 10: “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”]
For a period of three and a half days the two witnesses are left unburied. That’s a difficult figure to really relate to anything. Most of the writers that I read somehow equate this to the period of time that Christ was in the grave. I don’t quite see the connection between the unburied bodies and Christ in the grave, but nevertheless, we’ll just have to leave that one.
Again, what we see here in this portrayal, in this image, that John give us—if we look at it in the aggregate, we see an image of the children of God, the people of God, who are at once being protected by God, but are yet living in a world where the world is against them, where the world will persecute, where the world will torture, yea, even kill.
Now, that almost sounds contradictory. How is it that God, on the one hand, is protecting His people, but, on the other hand, the forces of evil are persecuting and killing? Well, again, we need to look at it in the broader scope, in the broader picture, of things. God protects His church. His church was established on the Day of Pentecost. The church will survive every attack that is made upon it. Whether those were attacks that had been made in the 1st Century under such butchers as Emperor Nero and some emperors who followed him, or whether it’s through the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages—whatever period of time—right up until our day, when, even though things are more sophisticated, so to speak, the church is still under attack. But the church will survive, and the church will be delivered up to the heavenly Father in the last day. Along the way, there will be casualties. A poor analogy, but an analogy, nonetheless, might be a war that we’re familiar with—perhaps World War II. The Second World War had a beginning, and it had an end; and there was victory in the end. But along the way, there were casualties. There were many battles which were fought; some battles were lost; some battles were won; but overall, the war was a success. Along the way, there are many battles that the church has undergone, and will continue to undergo, but in the end the church is victorious. That is the symbolism that we see here.
The Two Witnesses Raised and Ascended to Heaven (verses 11-14)
“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”
These “witnesses,” as they are referred to, after being killed, after being allowed to lay there, exposed, unburied, and have the world celebrate their demise—exchange gifts, go by and laugh and so on—are reanimated. The breath of life, God’s breath, is back in them and they are elevated, then, in the clouds to the very throne of God [“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them,” verses 11-12].
Does this depict, give an image, then, of the glorious, the victorious, church, that has been downtrodden and beaten and laughed at and spat upon by the people of this world all through the ages? But one day the church will be delivered to the Father, glorious and victorious.
There is mentioned here, as well, toward the end of this section that we read, that “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven,” [verse 13]. That is…well…a bit of a troubling section there. Writers, scholars, are not really sure what that suggests, except that, again, the reference would seem to be to a symbolic city of Jerusalem and that along the way there are going to be casualties, which are going to be inflicted by God—the judgments of God, and so on, and that this will cause some, not all, not even the majority, but it will cause some to turn to God, to repent. Again, these will be victories, albeit minor victories, along the way for the church.
At the end of this section, there is that cryptic verse, verse 14 that says, “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” As we have seen, we have now covered two of those three “woes.” The third “woe” will be introduced as the seventh trumpet is sounded beginning in verse 15.
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET: THE KINGDOM PROCLAIMED (VERSES 15-19)
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One Who is and Who was and Who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your Name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.’
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”
Victory Proclaimed (verse 15)
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”
We see several things here that are associated with the sounding of this seventh trumpet. First of all, it would seem that in the general scheme of things that the sounding of this seventh trumpet points to the consummation of all things. This seems rather strange, because we are about to begin the 12th chapter of this book. There are still ten chapters to go. There is still quite a bit of ground to be covered, but this has a view toward the consummation, the end of all things, yea, the final judgment which will take place, albeit, everything that we will talk about between now and then—between now and the end of chapter 22—will not specifically relate to the final judgment. As we have gone along in this study, we have identified some things that have looked like, that have sounded like they may be associated with that final judgment, and in fact, they were not. So, we’re, in effect here, opening up, if you will, the final chapter—the last verse of the song to be sung, so to speak.
The Twenty-Four Elders Worship God (verses 16-18)
Speaking of a song to be sung, we see a very beautiful hymn of praise, which is uttered by the twenty-four elders. As that seventh angel sounds out the seventh trumpet, these twenty-four elders fall on their faces and worship God [verse 16] with this beautiful doxology that’s contained here in verses 17 and 18. Those verses, in fact, are verses worthy of our time to read and reread because they contain such marvelous thoughts about God the Father and His power and His wisdom and His glory. There are a number of hymns that have reference to this doxology and various excerpts from this doxology that we sing.
The Temple of God Opened in Heaven (verse 19)
And then verse 19, “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.” Was the literal temple in Jerusalem in view here? Was the ark of the covenant literally in view? Well, it’s hard to say, but knowing that we are dealing here with figurative language all the way through, it is, perhaps, in John’s vision, an expression of the great glory that he sees. An expression of that, a description of that, is that glorious temple that existed in the city of Jerusalem. Of course, the ark of the covenant was associated with that, as well—a symbol, a sign, of God’s covenant with His people in the long ago.
And then we see that there a number of natural phenomenon which are associated with this—“lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail,” verse 15.
This is the scene, so to speak—this is what is happening in John’s view as this seventh trumpet is sounded. We will move on to chapter 12 and get into some of the specific things that are associated with the sounding of the seventh trumpet.