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Commentary on Revelation

Chapter 11

The two witnesses

Rev. 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth.

A measuring rod was often used in the Old Testament to make a separation between what is holy and what is common. Ezekiel records a vision regarding the restored temple. In Ezekiel 42:19-20 we read "Then he turned to the west side and measured, five hundred cubits by the measuring reed. He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common." What is being measured? The temple, the altar, and those who worship there. When this book was written there was only one temple: The Church. Read 1 Cor. 3:16 - "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" and Ephesians 2:18-22 - "For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

The word for temple here indicates the inner sanctuary where only priests were allowed. All Christians are now priests (Rev. 1:6) and hence we all have this access. Why wasn't the outer court measured? The whole structure is the church or holy city (the inner sanctuary and the outer court). God is telling the church that it will soon undergo a period of intense persecution but that it will be sustained. Rome will be allowed to trample the Church for awhile but it will not be allowed to destroy its heart; that is, its inner sanctuary. God is telling the Church that he will not permit it to be annihilated. Why 42 months? This is the same as 1260 days (42 months x 30 days) and is also found in Rev. 12:6 in which context it is later called "time, times and half a time" (Rev. 12:14); that is, three and one half (42 months is 3.5 years). As elsewhere in Revelation, this time period is used to symbolize a state of affairs. To determine what is depicted, we should first consider where else it is used in the book: 42 months is the period of:

1. The beast's authority in 13:5.

2. The period during which the holy city will be trampled in 11:2.

3. The period during which the witnesses will prophecy in 11:3.

4. The period during which the woman will be nourished in the wilderness in 12:6,14.

We also see this time period in Daniel 7:25 where it is the period of time during which the little horn will persecute God's people. In each case it depicts a period of time during which God's people will be persecuted yet sustained. Where did it originate? Seven indicates completeness. Hence, a broken seven indicates incompleteness; that is, by saying that the persecution will last 3.5 years, God is saying that the persecution is temporary. Compare James 5:17,18 - "Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit."

Who are the two witnesses? The Church (again!). In verse 4 they are called two olive trees and two lampstands. In Zechariah 4 two olive trees are used to denote two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. They are Zerubbabel of the royal line and Joshua, a priest. God led the nation through them. What combined both the priesthood and royalty? The Church. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that the church is a royal priesthood and Rev. 1:6 describes Christians as a kingdom of priests. The churches in Chapters 2 and 3 are depicted as golden lampstands. But why two witnesses? These witnesses testify and two is the number of confirmed testimony.

1. John 5:31-32 "If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true; there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true."

2. Matthew 18:16 "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses."

They prophecy in sackcloth; that is, they continue to prophecy even under persecution. The Church continued to operate even while being persecuted. Rome may have trampled the Church, but Rome was not able to stop the Church.

5 And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Verses 5 and 6 depict the scene from God's perspective. The two witnesses (which represent the Church) are pictured as being unstoppable. Anyone who harms them is doomed to be killed. They have power to shut the sky that no rain may fall. (Compare Elijah and Elisha.) They have power to smite the earth with plagues. (Compare Moses and Aaron.) They testify for the duration of the persecution, that is for 3.5 years (see verses 2 and 3). Recall that 3.5 (being half of 7) indicates that the persecution would be temporary. The church continued to operate (and, in fact, flourished) while being persecuted. See Appendix A. Verses 7 and 8 depict the scene from Rome's perspective. After this persecution, however, the beast from the bottomless pit makes war on the witnesses and conquers and kills them. John is showing us both sides of the coin. First, (in verses 5 and 6) we see the Church as being powerful and unstoppable and then (in verses 7 and 8) we see the Church being conquered and killed by the beast. Is this defeat a permanent defeat? No. The beast (which we will later see is Rome) does not have a final victory over the Church. The primary message of Revelation is one of victory for the Church. Recall Daniel 7:23-27 which speaks of the Church's victory over Rome:

Dan. 7:23 "Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. 25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. 26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. 27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.'

Rome will believe it is victorious. Rome will appear to be victorious. The Church may have even thought that Rome was going to be victorious. Hence, for now, Rome is pictured as being victorious. That victory, however, is only an illusion. What is the great city? Sodom? Rome, also, was a center of iniquity. Egypt? Rome, also, oppressed and persecuted God's people. Jerusalem? Rome, also, was a center of a false and perverted religion. The great city pictured here is Rome.

9 For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

Those who hate the Church celebrate and rejoice at its apparent demise. The Church, by not compromising with evil, had been "a torment" to those living in sin. "Those who dwell upon the earth", that is, the wicked, were glad to be rid of it. Recall Tacitus' description of the Church as a disease in Section 2.1. How long do they gloat? 3.5 days. What does this signify? Their celebration is premature and temporary. It will not last long. Why? The Church's defeat is premature and temporary.

11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

After 3.5 days the Church comes to life again. Their defeat, which appeared to be complete, was in fact only a temporary setback. Their ascension into Heaven, like Christ's, indicates their complete vindication which takes place "in sight of their foes." The survival of the Church over its adversaries is one of the best evidences of its divine origin. A great earthquake, as elsewhere, serves as an omen of a coming judgment on those who rejoiced at the apparent defeat of the Church. Only a fraction is affected; that is, this judgment is not final, yet. More is on the way. Why 7000? It foreshadows a complete judgment that is coming and which will not allow for repentance. Those remaining give glory to God. Why? (These people are not Christians.) Their motive is not love but fear. What did Nebuchadnezzar say after he saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out of the furnace unhurt?

Daniel 3:28-29 - Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way."

What was Nebuchadnezzar's motivation? These people "worship" with the same motivation. Their fate remains unchanged. The time for repentance has passed. (No atheist or agnostic will remain so forever! When sight replaces faith, all will believe.) The third woe which is on the way is the seventh trumpet. This will be the third and final woe of those predicted by the eagle in 8:13.

Review: The message John is told to relay is that the Church will undergo severe hardship and may at times appear to be defeated but God is on its side and all will be well in the end. The Church's final victory is assured. So far, John has relayed this message in two ways:

1. The city of God will be trampled under foot for 3.5 years but the inner sanctuary will be protected.

2. Two witnesses prophecy for 3.5 years and are then killed by the beast. Their defeat is only temporary, however. After 3.5 days they come to life and ascend to Heaven.

In Chapters 12 and 13 this message will be told again in two different ways:

3. In Chapter 12, a woman will be forced to flee into the wilderness for 3.5 years yet will therein find a place of nourishment and protection.

4. In Chapter 13, a beast will overcome God's people. However, his authority will only last for 3.5 years.

The seventh trumpet: the consummation

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."

The seventh trumpet contains seven bowls full of God's wrath. This trumpet marks the end of Rome. Recall 10:7 - "but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled." As the seventh trumpet sounds, the seven bowls containing the full and destructive wrath of God are poured out. Although we will hear the details later, the bowls are poured out when the trumpet sounds. At this point the job is done and the outcome is inevitable. Hence the cry goes out: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." Why does it say the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord? This depicts a public vindication of something that wa s already true in fact! This verse does not mark the beginning of God's kingdom or Christ's authority over anyone. It depicts a public reaffirmation of that authority. Recall:

1. Rev. 1:5 Jesus is [not will be] the ruler of the kings of the earth.

2. Eph. 1:21 Jesus sits [not will sit] at God's right hand, far above every principality and power and every name that is named.

3. 1 Peter 3:22 Jesus "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him."

4. Ps. 29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.

5. Daniel 4:17 the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will, and sets over it the lowliest of men.

The word "kingdom" as used here includes more than the Church. (The two terms are not always synonyms.) Here the kingdom includes all of the people and nations of the world. Jesus has all authority. In the widest sense, the universe is his kingdom. Jesus does not just have authority over believers. He is king of everyone and everything. Verse 15 says that he shall reign forever: Again, note that Jesus is reigning now and was reigning then. He reigns now with authority delegated to him by the Father but one day he will bring his work to a close and offer the kingdom to his Father. At that point he will begin to share the rule. See 1 Cor. 15:24-28:

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.

But hasn't death already been defeated? Yes. We were freed from the bondage of sin and death by the cross. Death has been defeated yet it continues. Rome was pictured here as being defeated yet it continued for quite awhile. Christ will reign until death and his other enemies are not just defeated but are in fact destroyed. (Read 1 Cor. 15:26 again.) (The present-day leader of Iraq provides a good example of the not always so subtle distinction between defeat and destruction!)

16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth." 19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Thou hast begun to reign: Compare the previous references. God has always reigned and will always reign. He sat enthroned at the flood. This passage speaks of a new expression of his reign. It depicts a public vindication and reaffirmation of his reign. Thy wrath came: The seven bowls containing God's wrath were poured out when the seventh trumpet sounded. We will read the details about the bowls later. The details regarding this judgment will be given in Rev. 20:11-15. His servants will be rewarded; that is, the Church will be victorious. Is this the final judgment? Remember the time frame of the book. It contains things which were to shortly come to pass. The time for fulfillment was near when the book was written. Jesus has already sworn that judgment will occur without delay. The ark of his covenant provides reassurance that God remembers his promises. It is always in his presence to remind him. Thunder, lightning, earthquake, hail: He promised to judge and punish the Church's enemies. He promised to vindicate the Church. These Old Testament symbols of judgment remind us that God has fulfilled his promises. Remember 10:7 - the mystery of God would be fulfilled when the seventh trumpet sounded.