Revelation 11

John T. Hinds Commentary On Revelation 11 THE THE TEMPLE, ALTAR, AND WORSHIP Rev_11:1-2 Rev 11:1 —And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.—In the preceding chapter the symbolic scenes were transferred from heaven to earth. This vision is also upon the earth. As John himself became a part of the vision of the little book, so he is a part of this vision. There appear before him the temple, altar, and worshipers with instruction to measure the three. While the old temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed for more than a quarter of a century, yet there was no more forceful way for John to under­stand the lessons than through that picture. Jewish minds had been accustomed for centuries to the temple system of wor­shiping God.

Besides, before its destruction it had been used as a type of the church. (1 Cor. 3: 16.) Even the tabernacle which preceded the temple was definitely made, in its two parts, to represent the church and heaven. (Heb. 9: 1-9, 24.) John’ s being told to measure the temple, altar, and worshipers in the symbol meant that when the time arrived that this vision applied the church, the worship, and worshipers were to be measured. Once more we have in this text an example of a symbolic passage which contains both figurative and literal expressions.

The words temple and altar are figurative; the word wor­shipers is literal. Measurements to be correct and valuable must be made by standard and accurate implements. In this case John was given a reed like a rod, something both ac­curate and convenient. Note that it was given him, not some­thing he made; it must have been given by the angel, not by men. Since the purpose of measuring, according to verse 2, was to determine what was approved or acceptable to God, then the measuring instrument had to be of divine make. This was nothing else than the New Testament teaching that al­ready had been given by the apostles. As it was perfect (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17), nothing else was allowed as a standard (Gal. 1: 8, 9).

Revelation 11:2 —And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: —Since the word Gentiles means “ nations,” there is no dif­ference between the King James and the Revised in meaning. The Gentiles could enter the outer court of the Jewish temple, but not the temple itself. In fact, only consecrated priests could enter that building. The altar referred to is the golden altar of incense inside the holy place of the temple. The Jewish priests were typical of Christians. (1 Pet. 2: 5.) As John in the symbol was told to measure the worshipers (priests) so in the thing represented only those professing to worship God were to be measured. The reason for this is that at the time the measuring was to be done the religious world was in a hopeless state of apostasy.

The purpose of applying God’ s word to such false religions was twofold: first, to show that they were false; second, to show honest souls how to worship God in spirit and in truth. It was unnecessary to measure the irreligious; if they wanted to be saved, the law was in God’ s word already. But false teach­ing needed to be measured to show it a perversion of divine truth.

Revelation 11:2 —and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.—The material temple was in Jerusalem, the Jewish capital, and was considered a holy city. Like the temple, it is also a type of the church. (Gal. 4: 26; Heb. 12: 22.) The final state which we call heaven is referred to as the “ holy city, new Jerusalem.’’ (21: 2.) The words could not mean literal Jerusalem, for that has been “ trodden down’’ by Gen­tiles practically all the time since it was taken by the Romans in A.D. 70 till the present, which is more than 1,260 years. To be trodden under foot would be fulfilled when Gentiles would corrupt and devastate the church. This had already been done when the measuring of the temple began with the Reformation. How long the church had thus been corrupted by worldly influences is stated here to have been “ forty and two months.” If taken literally, it would be three and one- half years or 1,260 days. This would be entirely too short a time to correspond with the period when the church was cor­rupted by worldly and human devices.

With the year-day theory the time was 1,260 years. This is substantially the length of time that Roman Catholicism ruled with absolute authority, and therefore the time that religious corruption completely permeated church life.

It would not affect the argument if the exact date when the period began and ended could not be ascertained; the facts would still be true. The period evidently refers to the time during which the church was completely under the domination of the papacy; or, from the time the bishop of Rome became head of the church (pope) till his power was broken by the Reformation. THE TWO Revelation 11:3-14 Revelation 11:3 —And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.— Forty-two months, verse 2, and 1,260 days refer to the same period. This shows that months were counted as having thirty days. Three important things are mentioned in this verse: the witnesses, the time they were to prophesy, and the manner of their prophesying. Since the word witness means one who testifies, to prophesy simply means to give their testimony. They are further described in the next verse.

Revelation 11:4 —These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.— Expositors generally agree that what is said about the two witnesses is probably the most difficult passage in the whole book of Revelation. The theories suggested are hopelessly contradictory. One commen­tator (Alford) says: “ No solution has ever been given of this portion of the prophecy.” Some say that Enoch and Elijah are meant; others suggest Moses and Elijah. But no plausi­ble reason has been assigned by anyone why Old Testament prophets should be referred to in a passage which clearly refers to a time subsequent to the great Roman apostasy. Most of the interpretations offered are not only indefinite in fact, but lack any evidence of showing that they fit the time necessarily required. This, of course, is fatal to them.

Several expositors understand the two witnesses to mean the Bible— that is, the Old and New Testaments. This view appears to be the only one with enough plausibility to merit serious consideration. That the things stated harmonize with the facts of Bible power and influence during the long, dark night of papal dom­ination preceding the Reformation is evidence that this view is most probably correct. To these facts we now give consid­eration.

The two witnesses are said to be “ two olive trees and the two candlesticks.” This certainly means that the witnesses are symbolically represented by the olive trees and candlesticks. The purpose of a candlestick is to give light. (Matthew 5:15.) Anything that gives light may figuratively be called a candle­stick. For that reason the seven churches (1: 20) are called candlesticks. For exactly the same reason David referred to God’ s word as a “ lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105.)

As lampstands (marginal translation) could only give light through the oil they contained, so the things which furnished the oil are also called the witnesses. In Zechariah 4:2-14 there is a similar symbol, but of one candlestick with seven lamps. The olive trees emptied their oil into the lampstands. They are explained to mean the two anointed ones. (Verse 14.) Zerubbabel is told that what he would accomplish would not be by might (an army) or by power, but by Jehovah’ s Spirit. (Verse 6.) In plain, simple words the meaning is that just as the oil supplied to the lampstands by the olive trees gave the light, so what he did would be by direction of the Spirit of God. So in the text in Revelation the thought is that the light given by the Bible is due to the fact that it was spoken by men inspired by God’ s Spirit. Since the candlestick which lighted the tabernacle stood in the holy place in front or before the mercy seat where God met the high priest in the atonement service, so here these candlesticks are represented as “ standing before the Lord of the earth.” This would, at least, imply that their testimony had God’ s approval. That is certainly true of the Bible. The word “ witness” means one who testifies, and testimony is what is said. The two divisions of the Bible are called the Old and New Testaments. Hence, they are witnesses in the sense that they present God’ s testimony. Being two distinct parts of the testimony, they fit the requirements of this symbol. As already suggested, taking the 1,260 days literally— three and one-half years— would not be sufficient time for such mo­mentous things as the symbol indicates; hence, the year-day theory, which means 1,260 years, seems a necessity. The text does not say that the witnesses testified only 1,260 years, but they testified that long “ clothed in sackcloth.” They had testified before that period began and again after they were killed and came to life. “ In sackcloth” means that their tes­timony was hampered by dangerous obstacles in a dark and gloomy time. For true Bible teaching there have been no more mournful conditions than when the papal power virtually ruled the world. Possessing only handmade copies of the Scriptures was a natural handicap against their distribution. The teaching of the apostate church that only papal interpre­tations were authoritative naturally closed the door against personal study of the word. Bitter persecutions against those who refused submission to the Pope’ s authority completes the picture of gloom. Prophets clothed in sackcloth was a most appropriate symbol of the Bible struggling against such terrific odds.

Naturally all apostasies rise gradually, and fixing a defi­nite date for their commencement is difficult and often impos­sible. It is certain that the great apostasy foreseen by Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12) began in the full sense when the “ man of sin” was fully developed. That such a development was a real “ antichrist”— against Christ— is an undoubted truth. Evi­dently the beginning of this great apostasy was the beginning of the 1,260-year period. According to the general admission of church historians the first and basic departure from apostolic teaching was exalting one elder above the others and making him “ the Bishop” of the congregation. This soon led to extending his authority over other congregations. This again led to ascribing superior authority to bishops of congregations in prominent cities. At this time they were called patriarchs. The contest for supremacy finally narrowed down to Rome and Constantinople, with Rome gaining the Victory. Two dates especially have been urged as the time to place the beginning— A.D. 533 and 606. How­ever, if no exact date can be fixed, the general facts are the same. Elliott’ s commentary (Vol. Ill, p. 151) says that dur­ing the century A.D. 430 to 530 the Roman Papacy “ incipiently assumed that principle of domination over the ten kingdoms of Western Christendom, as well as of usurpation of Christ’ s place in the church, blasphemy against God, and hostility to God’ s saints, by which it was afterwards more fully characterized.” This gradual development of the man of sin is indicated in the following facts: Rome being the capital of the em­pire would naturally suggest the supremacy of her patriarch. Constantinople being the eastern capital naturally led to a rivalry for this honor. At the council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) the Legates of Leo, patriarch of Rome, proclaimed him “ head of all churches.” In two councils at Rome, A.D. 494 and 495, the Roman bishop was declared to have “ authority over the whole church.” In A.D. 533 Justinian, the em­peror of the eastern part of the empire, issued a decretal letter solemnly recognizing the Roman bishop as “ head of the churches.” The foregoing facts have been gleaned from Elliott’s commentary, Vol. Ill, pp. 151 to 160. For reasons to be given in the notes on verses 8-13 A.D. 533 is accepted as the probable time to date the beginning of the 1,260-year period.

In A.D. 588 the patriarch of Constantinople, John the Faster, assumed the title of “ Universal Bishop.” Gregory the Great, who was at that time patriarch of the church at Rome, sent John and the emperor each a letter condemning their use of the title. Notwithstanding this condemnation, in A.D. 606 Boniface III induced Phocas, who reached the Roman throne through murder, to transfer the title from John the Faster to himself. This is probably to be considered but a wicked confirmation of the decree issued by Justinian in A.D. 533. The incident of A.D. 606 is reported by church historians generally. Revelation 11:5 —And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed.—The Old and New Testaments as God’ s two witnesses, though testifying for 1,260 years in sackcloth, were to have God’ s protection and finally prevail. Their enemies, therefore, were to be devoured. Fire proceeding out of their mouth cannot be taken literally. God said to the prophet Jeremiah: “ Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.” (Jeremiah 5:14.) The evident meaning is that those who were enemies or rejected God’ s word would be punished finally as his word taught. The warning is repeated for emphasis with the state­ment that such enemies are to be killed “ in this manner”— the manner God’ s word prescribes.

Revelation 11:6 —These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy:— This language is probably an allusion to what was said about Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1 and James 5:17-18. Withholding rain probably means that those who rejected or perverted the testimony of God’ s word would be deprived of blessings during the time of their wicked career as well as receive final condemnation.

Revelation 11:6 —and 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.— The language here is doubtless an allusion to what Moses did in bringing plagues upon Pharaoh and the rebellious Egyptians. (Exodus 7:17-20.) Again, we note that there is no reason for this language to be understood literally. That many calamities came upon the enemies of the true church during the long period of papal domination is, of course, certain. But since this text does not explain the things meant by these sym­bolic expressions, we do not attempt any definite application. However, the calamities came upon them as often as the wit­nesses desired— that is, just when in God’ s providence it was appropriate. Revelation 11:7 —And when they shall have finished their testimony,— This does not mean the final end of their testimony, but the end of the testifying in sackcloth which resulted in their symbolic death. As subsequent verses show they came to life again, and of course continued their testimony.

Revelation 11:7 —the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.— From Daniel 7:3 Daniel 7:17 Daniel 7:23 we learn that “ beast” represents a king or king­dom. The Greek word rendered “ beast” means a wild and vicious animal. Here it must refer to some antichristian in­stitution, for it fights against the two witnesses whom God raised from the dead and exalted to heaven. The beast here, we are sure, refers to the great apostasy described by Paul as the “ man of sin” ; plainly, it means the papacy. This will appear more certain as we examine references to the beast in subsequent chapters. (See 13: 1 and 17: 3.) From 20: 2, 3 we learn that the abyss is the proper abiding place of Satan; hence, the beast coming up out of the abyss indicates some unchristian institution under the influence of the devil because it came into existence by his power. The sad part of the pic­ture here is that this devilish power or institution was to over­come the witnesses and kill them.

Since we have decided the witnesses symbolize the word of God, killing them means the suppression of their testimony for a time; or, that they were to be rejected as true witnesses by some kind of legal enactment. As A.D. 533 has been shown to be the most probable time to date the beginning of the 1,260 years, the end of that period when the witnesses were to be slain would be 1793. If about that time the word of God was legally abolished, we have what fits the symbol perfectly, and additional proof that the dates accepted are correct. Just as the “ man of sin”—the papacy— was developed grad­ually, so the Protestant Reformation which broke the strangle hold of that “ beast” catne into existence gradually. All revo­lutions and apostasies arise that way. That the Reformation began in reality with Martin Luther in the sixteenth century is generally conceded, though preliminary work was done by others. Wickliffe in England in 1360 “ appealed from the Pope to the word of God*’ ; in the next century John Huss in Bohemia attacked “ the scandalous lives of the clergy,” and may be termed the “ John the Baptist of the Reformation.” (D’ Aubigne’ s Reformation, Vol. I, p. 92.) But the Reforma­tion really began with Martin Luther in Germany when he made his attack upon the sale of Indulgencies, the iniquitous barter, endorsed by the Pope, in which exemption from the penance prescribed for sin was sold for cash. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted his ninety-five propositions on the church door at Wittenberg, which was the most daring blow against papal authority that had ever been struck.

It introduced per­haps the greatest religious struggle known to history to settle the momentous question— shall God’ s word (the two wit­nesses) be accepted as supreme authority, or shall mankind bow in subjection to a humanly originated papacy? From this time till the end of the 1,260 years the battle raged with fury, though the witnesses had already been testifying in dis­tressing times. Killing the witnesses means either the com­plete destruction of the Bible or its suppression for a time. Verse 11 shows the latter to be what is meant. This could be done either by legally refusing to allow it read, or proclaiming it false.

The French Revolution introduced the “ Reign of Terror,” during which citizens were executed by the hundreds without justice or mercy. The nation was drenched in blood. The National Convention from 1792 to 1795 was a seething mass of the most revolting crimes. In 1793 in the convention Lib­erty and Reason had been celebrated as the real worship; “ the ancient faith had been abjured” ; the calendar had been changed and the traditions attached to it destroyed; the “ Convention had substituted a divinity created in their own image” “ for the supreme God of religious faith.” (Guizot’ s France, Vol. VI, pp. 189, 190, 250.) Truly, God’ s witnesses may be declared legally dead under such circumstances. Since the “ beast”— the papacy— caused the witnesses to testify in sackcloth, it may also be charged as indirectly causing their death, because France was up to that time dominated by Catholicism.

Revelation 11:8 —And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.—Leaving dead bodies to lie unburied in the street is both disrespectful and contemptible. This sym­bolic vision, as John saw it, indicates the great contempt which infidels who had decreed the abolishment of God would show for the Bible. The bodies lying in the street may also indi­cate that they could not get rid of the Bible though they offi­cially rejected it. Since it was France that decreed the death of the witnesses, if the “ great city” is to be taken literally it would refer to Paris, the capital. But elsewhere in this book the great city is used symbolically to indicate papal Rome. (See 14: 8; 17: 18; 18: 10.) In the last passage Babylon is used figuratively to represent the apostate church. Here we are told that spiritually the great city is also called “ Sodom and Egypt”— that is, both of these cities are typical of it.

Sodom represents corruption and Egypt bondage. Papal Rome, then, held its subjects in spiritual corruption and bond­age. When France turned infidel and rejected God’ s word that was spiritually crucifying Jesus afresh. (Hebrews 6:6.) Being a Catholic country, the witnesses were slain within the bounda­ries dominated by the papacy. The great city then probably refers spiritually to that apostate church rather than to any special earthly city.

Revelation 11:9 —And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. —The legal abolishment of God’ s word was such a daring and unprecedented act that peoples from all nations would be amazed as they looked upon the situation— doubtless wondering whether the Bible would ever again be received as a supreme law. Here the year-day theory is probably the correct view. If so, the time is three and a half years. The French “ Convention” continued for a little more than three years. The Constitution of 1793 was declared inapplicable and described as having been “ dictated by tyranny," “ accepted by terror," “ an organized an­archy." (Guizot’ s France, Vol. VI, p. 235.) The new con­stitution was accepted in 1795. Refusing to allow dead bodies to be buried indicates that some individuals may have been in favor of the Bible during that brief reign of terror, but the madness of the people prevented any chance to accept or practice its teaching.

Revelation 11:10 —And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.— Human weakness and sin make wicked people rejoice when their opposers are overcome. They are here represented as manifesting their joy by sending gifts one to another. This is a very natural way of expressing joy. The Bible condemns sin in most unsparing terms and it is no surprise that those who substituted liberty and reason for its divine precepts should rejoice at its legal suppression. It is not necessary to say thai this language applied to all the earth, but only to that nation where the death of the witnesses was proclaimed. Nothing is more tormenting than condemnation coming from a divine source. Men may laugh at the Bible, yet they feel most deeply the sting of its rebukes.

Revelation 11:11 —And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; —As God’s power alone can raise a dead body, John declares that the bodies stood up because God sent the breath of life into them. So the word could testify only because it was the language of the Spirit of God; hence, when the Bible had been given liberty to testify again, it was attributed to God’ s giving them life. This symbolically is represented by the witnesses standing on their feet. The French National Convention lasted a little more than three years. Before ending in 1795 it “ re­stored public worship.” (Standard History of the World, Vol. VII, p. 3399.) In 1797 Napoleon concluded a treaty of peace with Pope Pius VI. \ “THE BOOK OF "

Chapter Eleven As the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets continues, two more visions are seen. The first involves John himself as he is given a reed and told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those worshipping there. He is instructed, however, not to measure the court outside the temple, for it has been given to the Gentiles who will tread underfoot the holy city for forty-two months (Revelation 11:1-2). This vision may illustrate that while the city of Jerusalem will undergo great persecution during the Jewish War, which lasted about 3 1/2 years (42 months), the true temple of God will not be destroyed (the church, cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:19-22).

Then there is the vision of the two witnesses, which falls into three sections. With power they prophesy 1,260 days (42 months), clothed in sackcloth. Identified as the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the throne of God, they have the power to devour with fire from their mouths those who wish to harm them. They also have power to stop the rain during the days of their prophesying, to turn water to blood, and to strike the earth with plagues (Revelation 11:3-6). But when their testimony is completed, the beast from the bottomless pit makes war with them and kills them. For three and half days their bodies lies in the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt (where Jesus was crucified, i.e., Jerusalem). Those who had been tormented by the two prophets rejoice, make merry and exchange gifts (7-10). However, after three and a half days they are raised to life and ascend into heaven, bringing great fear on those who saw them. In the same hour a great earthquake occurs in which a tenth of the city fell and 7000 men were killed. The rest were afraid and gave glory to God (Revelation 11:11-13).

The two witnesses are reminiscent of Moses and Elijah, also Joshua and Zerubbabel (cf. Zechariah 3-4) perhaps even John the Baptist and Jesus, but I do not believe they portend two literal persons. Rather, they represent the witness of the church, with the number two signifying the strength of their witness (e.g., “two or more witnesses”). When their testimony is completed, there will be a time of persecution by “the beast” (later identified as Rome, Revelation 17:7-17) and those of “the great city” (already identified as Jerusalem, Revelation 11:8). However, the witnesses (i.e., the church) will be victorious, symbolized by their resurrection and ascension to heaven.

The interlude ended, it is time for the third woe and final trumpet. As the seventh angel sounded, loud voices in heaven proclaimed “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” The twenty-four elders then fell on their faces and worshiped God, giving thanks to Him for having taken His great power and reigned. While the nations were angry, His wrath has come. So also has the time come for the dead to be judged (which may refer to the martyrs, who were now vindicated, cf. Revelation 6:9-11), His servants the prophets and the saints to be rewarded, and for the destruction of those who destroy the earth. Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, with the ark of the covenant in the temple, accompanied by lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake and hail (Revelation 11:15-19).

The physical temple in Jerusalem, which along with the ark (that had disappeared long before) was once the focal point of God’s worship and reign, is no more. Now the temple and the ark are seen in heaven, perhaps symbolizing that the worship and reign of God has become universal rather than localized in a physical city and nation (cf. John 4:20-24).

We have reached the climax of the first half of the Revelation, in which we have been shown judgment against unbelieving Israel, especially the city of Jerusalem. Through the visions of the seven seals and seven trumpets we learn of the arsenal at God’s disposal: conquest, war, famine, pestilence, natural calamities, moral decay, external invasion. Just as God used such instruments in His dealings with the nations in the Old Testament, so His Son would use His power to reign over the nations with a rod of iron (cf. Revelation 1:5 Revelation 2:27 Revelation 3:21). Truly, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, as foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, exemplified the power of His reign over the nations. His victory over Rome described later in Revelation will confirm His power and dominion as King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Revelation 17:14).

We have also seen visions designed to comfort the saints being oppressed by their enemies, especially martyrs. God has taken notice of their suffering, and while persecution may temporarily be their lot, victory will ultimately be theirs! Those who suffer death at the hands of their enemies are promised salvation and the blessing of being in the presence and care of the Lord. Nothing can totally stop their witness, and nothing can keep God from remaining true to His covenant with them!

POINTS TO PONDER

• The remaining visions in the interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets, and what happens when the seven trumpet sounds

• The significance of these visions, and possible explanations of what they mean as we summarize what we have seen in the first half of the book of Revelation

OUTLINE I. THE TEMPLE OF GOD (Revelation 11:1-2) A. THE COMMAND TO MEASURE THE TEMPLE AND ITS (Revelation 11:1)1. John is given a reed like a measuring rod 2. Told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there

B. THE COMMAND NOT TO MEASURE THE OUTER COURT (Revelation 11:2)1. Told not to measure the court outside the temple 2. For it has been given to the Gentiles, who will tread the holy city under foot forty-two months

II. THE TWO (Revelation 11:3-14) A. FOR 1260 DAYS (Revelation 11:3-6)1. Two witnesses given power to prophesy, clothed in sackcloth 2. Identified as the two olive trees and two lampstands standing before God 3. Those trying to harm them are devoured by fire from their mouths 4. Having power: a. To shut heaven so no rain falls during their prophesying b. To turn water to blood c. To strike the earth with plagues as they desire

B. KILLED AND DEAD FOR THREE AND A HALF DAYS (Revelation 11:7-10)1. Their testimony finished, the beast will kill them a. The beast that ascends from the bottomless pit b. Who will make war against them and overcome them 2. Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city a. Spiritually called Sodom and Egypt b. Where our Lord was crucified 3. The peoples, tribes, tongues, and nation who dwell on the earth a. Will see their bodies three and a half days b. Will not allow them to be put into graves c. Will rejoice over them, make merry, and exchange gifts, because the two prophets had tormented those who dwell on the earth

C. RAISED AND TO HEAVEN (Revelation 11:11-14)1. After three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them 2. They stood, and great fear fell on those who saw them 3. A loud voice from heaven tells them to “Come up here” 4. They ascend to heaven in a cloud as their enemies saw them 5. In that same hour there was an earthquake a. A tenth of the city fell b. Seven thousand men were killed c. The rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven 6. The second woe is past; the third woe is coming quickly

III. THE SEVENTH TRUMPET: THE KINGDOM (Revelation 11:15-19) A. VICTORY (Revelation 11:15)1. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven 2. Saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

B. THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS WORSHIP GOD (Revelation 11:16-18)1. The elders fell on their faces and worshiped God 2. Giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come 3. Because He has taken His great power and reigned 4. The nations were angry, and His wrath has come 5. The time has come a. That the dead should be judged b. That His servants the prophets, the saints, and those who fear His name, should be rewarded c. That He should destroy those who destroy the earth

C. THE TEMPLE OF GOD OPENED IN HEAVEN (Revelation 11:19)1. The temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple 2. There were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail

REVIEW

1. What are the main points of this chapter?- Measuring the temple of God (Revelation 11:1-2)

• The two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-14)
• The seventh trumpet: the kingdom proclaimed (Revelation 11:15-19)

2. What was John given and told to measure? (Revelation 11:1)- A reed like a measuring rod; the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there

3. What was he told to leave out? Why? (Revelation 11:2)- The court outside the temple

• It has been given to the Gentiles who will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months

4. What were the two witnesses to do? (Revelation 11:3)- Prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth

5. How are they identified? (Revelation 11:4)- As the two olive trees and two lampstands standing before God

6. What happens to those who try to harm them during this time of prophesying? (Revelation 11:5)- They are devoured by fire from their mouth

7. What power do these two witnesses have? (Revelation 11:6)- To shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy

• To turn water to blood
• To strike the earth with plagues, as often as they desire

8. What will happen when they finish their testimony? (Revelation 11:7)- The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war with them and kill them

9. Where will their dead bodies lie? (Revelation 11:8)- In the street of the great city spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where Jesus was crucified

10. How long will people see their dead bodies? (Revelation 11:9)- Three and a half days

11. How will those on the earth react to their deaths? Why? (Revelation 11:10)- They will rejoice, make merry, exchange gifts

• Because the two prophets had tormented them

12. What happened to the two witnesses after three and a half days? (Revelation 11:11-12)- The breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet

• A loud voice from heaven called them to come up and they ascended to heaven in a cloud

13. What happened in that same hour? (Revelation 11:13)- A great earthquake, in which 1/10 of the city fell and seven thousand men were killed

• The rest were afraid and gave glory to God

14. What was heard when the seventh angel sounded his trumpet? (Revelation 11:15)- 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!”

15. What did the twenty-four elders do? (Revelation 11:16)- Fell on their faces and worshiped God

16. For what did they give thanks? (Revelation 11:17)- The Lord God Almighty took His great power and reigned

17. As expressed in their praise, what had come? (Revelation 11:18)- His wrath

• The time of the dead, that they should be judged
• That He should reward His servants the prophets and the saints
• That He should destroy those who destroy the earth

18. What was then opened in heaven, and what was seen in it? (Revelation 11:19)- The temple of God; the ark of the covenant

19. What then followed? (Revelation 11:19)- Lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail Questions by E.M. Zerr On Revelation 11L What was given to John?

2. Tell what it was like.
3. Who stood before him?
4. What was he t measure first ?
5. What other items to be measured ?
6. Tell what he was not to measure.
7. To what was it given?
8. What was to be trodden under foot.
9. For how long was it to be 1
10. To whom will God give power?
11. For how long will they prophesy?
12. How will they be clothed through this time?
13. What ther names are given to these beings?
14. Where do they stand?
15. Against whom will they issue fire?
16. With what effect?
17. Who else must be killed in same manner?
18. Tell what power these witnesses have.
19. Haw can they affect waters?
20. Upon what can they bring plagues?
21. What will they finish ?
22. Then what shall ascend from the pit?
23. Against what will he make war?
24. With what result?
25. Where will their dead bodies lie?
26. Were these names literal?
27. What else had happened there?
28. Who shall see their dead bodies?
29. For how long will they see this? .
30. What will they prevent from being done?
31. Tell what the dwellers on earth will do.
32. Why will they do all this?
33. What finally entered these bodies?
34. After how long a time?
35. What were they able to do then?
36. How did this affect those who saw it?
37. What was heard then?
38. Tell what the voice was saying.
39. What happened then?
40. By whom was this beheld?
41. What happened the same hour?
42. What portion of the city fell?
43. How many were slain?
44. How were the others affected?
45. What did it cause them to do?
46. Tell what is now about due.
47. What was now sounded?
48. From where were voices then heard?
49. What transformations did they announce?
50. Tell what Christ is to do.
51. What did the 24 elders then do?
52. To whom did they give thanks?
53. Tell what existence they ascribed to God.
54. What work did they also ascribe to him?
55. How were the nations affected?
56. What time had come?
57. Tell the two rewards about to be rendered.
58. What was opened in heaven?
59. Tell what was seen.
60. What were heard?

Revelation 11:1

Revelation 11:1. The reed given unto John was a measuring rule and is a symbol of the word of God. This is clear from the fact that the angel gave it to John who was one of the apostles. We know the word of God is the divine standard for it is required in 1 Peter 4:11 that, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” At the time predicted by this chapter the apostasy (“falling away”) was an established fact. The Bible was virtually taken from the people and the religious lives of men and women were judged by the decrees of Rome instead of by the word of God. This verse is a symbol of the true standard of the measurement as the apostles were given the authority to execute (Matthew 19:28).

The temple of God means the church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). The altar was the center of worship in the Mosaic system, and it is referred to here as a symbol of the worship under that of Christ. The in that worship therein means Christians, whose personal lives must be measured (regulated) by the word of God and not by the decrees of Rome. Comments by Foy E. WallaceIntroduction.SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN SEALSIt will be remembered that the seven trumpets were within the seventh seal. When the seventh seal was opened, seven angels appeared, having seven trumpets; in the hand of each angel, a trumpet. The significance of the sounding of the trumpets was to signal the commencement of the imp –was the signal of devastation, signified by the smitten earth, indicating divine judgmeRev_8:7he land of the Jewish powers. (2) The second trumpet–Revelation 8:8-9 –was the signal of the smitten sea. Casting the burning mountain into the sea signified the divine judgments on the sea power, the Roman monarchy, burning with the lust of war; the destruction of the power of the sea beast persecutors to make war against Christ. (3) The third trumpet–Revelation 8:10-11 –was the signal of smitten rivers, which signified by the great burning star the fall of the rulers, as spent meteors, from their former dominion; and the dissipation of the source of their power was symbolized by the drying of the fountain which supplied the river which flows through its channel. (4) The fourth trumpet–Revelation 8:12-13 –was the signal of the smitten sun, signifying the darkness that would settle over the Jewish state in the divine judgments to descend on Jerusalem, bringing an end to Judaism. (5) The fifth trumpet–Revelation 9:1-12 -was the signal of the fallen star, personified in a degenerate leader of impious forces, designated as an army of locusts from the smoke of the pit, and symbolizing the invasion of Judea by terrifying armies led by Satan personified in the persecuting emperor–the resulting calamities of which brought to pass the first of the three woes enumerated by John. (6) The sixth trumpet–Revelation 9:13-21 –was the signal of loosing the four angels, the imperial agents which had been restrained from hindering the messengers of Christ until the true Israel of God was sealed " of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” The spiritual Israel was symbolized by the hundred forty-four thousand–the holy seed. With the completion of this mission of “sealing the servants of God,” the suspension period was declared ended, and the four angels of destruction were loosed to proceed with the encompassing desolation of Jerusalem. (7) The seventh trumpet–Revelation 10-11 –was the signal of the finale, “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”–the last days of the political Jewish state and the dispensation of Judaism–accompanied by the testimony of the two witnesses as necessary to establish testimony. It symbolized the two-fold mission and work of the prophets and apostles in the unfolding of the scheme of redemption, begun by Old Testament prophets, but completed by New Testament apostles, and fulfilled in the church. The tragic calamities surrounding these representatives of the church marked the passing of the second woe and the immediate pronouncement of the third woe in the sounding of the seventh trumpet, ending in the conquest of the kingdoms of the world by Christ the conqueror.

VI.A OF THE FIRST The apocalypse known by all as the Book Of Revelation is comprised of two parts–two series of visions–therefore, essentially two apocalypses, but consisting in a repetition of import under a second set of symbols. The first series surrounded the conquering Christ; the second series surrounded the victorious church. The object of the visions of the first part, beginning with chapter four and ending with chapter eleven, was mainly the end of both spiritual and political Judaism, resulting in the expansion of the new “kingdom of God and Christ” over the whole Roman world. In harmony with this objective the first century persecutions, with that generation of martyrs, were represented by a system of signs and symbols, consisting in the opening of seven seals and the sounding of seven trumpets. The seven seals contained the successive events of divine judgment in the symbols of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple of the Jews. The opening of the seals represented the making known, or the revelation, of these judgments; and the sounding of the trumpets signaled that the time to commence had come. This first series of apocalypses includes chapters 4-11 of Revelation.(CHAPTER 4)The Revelation began and proceeded from the Throne in heaven, with Him who sat on it; Christ in the midst of it, surrounded by twenty-four elders, symbolic of the complete New Testament church-the totality of spiritual Israel, based on the twelve patriarchs and apostles of the old and the new dispensations. (CHAPTER 5)The book with the seven seals could be opened only by Christ the slain Lamb, who had risen to prevail and who had become the Lion of the tribe of Judah, able to defeat and conquer all the forces set in opposition to his Cause. The seven seals portended the overthrow of the persecuting powers both Jewish and Roman. (CHAPTER 6)The four seals were in the order portrayed by the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The white horse and its Rider of the first seal symbolized Christ, the Conqueror, the leading figure of the imagery, who appeared again at the end of the visions as the Rider of the white horse in the procession of victory in chapter 19. The red horse and rider of the second seal signified the persecutor waging war against the Cause of Christ. The black horse and rider of the third seal, represented distress, calamity and deadly famine, indicated by the symbols of the balances and scales for the weighing and measuring of all food allowances. The pale horse and rider of the fourth seal were designated as death and hades, and signified death, not death by martyrdom, but by pestilence and scourge. The fifth seal was the martyr scene of souls “under the altar” asking for avenging judgment, which, though delayed in a waiting period until the procession of events “should be fulfilled,” was in due time and order received; and John saw them receiving this judgment in Revelation 20:4, for which he had heard them asking in Revelation 6:10 –thus signifying the resurrection of the Cause for which they had been slain. The sixth seal was the earthquake, which signified the shaking of the existing powers of government by revolutions, upheavals and wars; and the various divine visitations on the persecuting authorities. This was symbolized by the darkened sun, the falling stars and the scrolled heaven, all of which meant the folding up of the powers of persecution and the fall of Judaism. The events of this seal ended in the scene of the great day of wrath, where these portents of judgment descended on the great and mighty men of the earth, who are envisioned as calling upon the mountains for a hiding place from the face of God on the Throne, and from the wrath of Christ, whose Cause they had persecuted. (CHAPTER 7)The seventh seal, the last in the book of seals, displayed seven angels standing before God, to whom seven trumpets were given; and they “prepared themselves” to sound the seven trumpets as signals that the time had come to accomplish the seals, and that they were ready to proceed. ( 8-9)In the sounding of the seven trumpets seven angels proclaimed the judgments which were attended by the woes which John periodically announced in the progressive vision of the seventh seal, which have been summarized in the preceding section of these comments. ( 10-11)Lastly, the culmination of all the events of the first apocalypse was depicted when the seventh angel sounded the seventh trumpet, and the great voices in heaven in grand unison proclaimed: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.” The Rider of the white horse had conquered. Judaism, the arch enemy of Christ had fallen; the stars of Jewish rulership had been plucked from their orbits of dominion; the Jewish state was ended; the temple was no longer standing. The New Jerusalem and the spiritual temple of New Israel had prevailed. From the apocalypse of the Conquering Christ, the visions turned in chapter 12, to his tortured but triumphant church. Verse 1.The measuring of the temple–Revelation 11:1-2.The contents of the eleventh chapter are a continuation of the scenes of the interlude, or intermediate visions, between the sixth and seventh trumpet announcements. The things narrated belong to the days of the voice of the seventh angel–the end of the Jewish state or political dispensation. The siege and fall of Jerusalem was at hand. The pronouncement of chapter 10 that there should be time no longer had been made. The eleventh chapter presents intervening scenes of measuring the temple, for the preservation of the “holy seed,” the “true Israel,” the “one hundred forty-four thousand,” the “innumerable host,” the “remnant according to the election of grace,” and the “sealed number”–representative of all spiritual Israel, the whole faithful church, and the true spiritual temple in contrast with the old temple which though still standing, was measured for destruction. The old Jerusalem, the apostate city, was marked for its downfall.

1. A reed like a rod: The indication is that this reed was given to John in the same manner and, hence, by the same One by whom the book was given to him in Revelation 10:9. And the angel that commanded him to measure the temple is the same angel that commanded him to eat the book. The use of the article the angel, rather than an angel, or another angel, designates the angel as Christ himself, as shown in the notes on the preceding chapter. The reed was like a rod. The measuring reed was six cubits, about three yards in length. This measuring reed was like a rod, signifying the authority of its giver, the angel. In the psalm-prophecy of Christ, David said: “I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion . . . I will declare the decree . . . thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee . . . I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.” (Psalms 2:6-9) Again the psalmist said: “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion.” (Psalms 110:1-2) Both of these psalms are applied in the New Testament to the rule and authority of Christ. In that same sense it is used in Revelation 2:27, “He shall rule them with a rod of iron”– the rule of irresistible authority. The rod was also the symbol of affliction, as signified in the phrase “passing under the rod” of Ezekiel 20:37, and “take his rod away from me,” of Job 9:34. This measuring reed given to John symbolized the authority of this “mighty angel” (Revelation 10:1), and his power to protect and preserve the true believers. 2. Measure, temple, altar, worship: At the start of the interval between the sixth and seventh seals, the angel announced the purpose of the interlude (Revelation 7:3) as time to seal the servants of God; and in verse 4 he described and defined the number of them which were sealed as being symbolically of all the tribes of the children of Israel. In the same imagery here, in the interval between the sixth and seventh trumpets, the command of the angel to measure the temple, the altar and them that worship is symbolic of the true Israel of God. They were measured for preservation, the holy seed of Israel, spiritual Israel, that should not perish. The measured number here in chapter 11 is the same company of believers as the sealed number of chapter 7. They are the symbolic one hundred forty-four thousand of all the tribes of Israel–of Revelation 7:4 –computed on the basis of twelve times twelve for the twelve tribes, and in the numeral thousand for a symbol of the aggregated whole, complete, total body of true believers, of the spiritual tribes of Israel. (Acts 26:7) The symbolism of the measuring of the temple is exactly the same, the sealed servants of chapter 7 and the measured worshipers of chapter 11 are the same company, symbolic of the same thing, sealed and measured for the same purpose.

Revelation 11:2

Revelation 11:2. The court in the old temple was the part that was open to the people generally. It is referred to in our passage as a symbol of the treatment that was imposed upon the institution of God by its enemies. Under the Mosaic system the temple was under the jurisdiction of the Jews, and that is why those on the outside were called Centiles. But in the fulfillment of the symbol the word refers to the enemies of the true church, namely, the leaders in the church of Rome. It must be borne in mind that all through this part of the book of Revelation, when reference is made either to Rome, or Babylon, or church and state, the same institution is always meant (if no exception is stated).

That is because it was by the union of church and state that such a complete control was obtained over all the lives of the people. That is what is meant by the prediction that they were to tread under foot these arrangements of God.

It is important to note that they did not tread under foot the temple nor the altar. That is because all through the Dark Ages there was a true church in existence in spite of the corruptions of Rome, although it was obscured more or less from the full public view. Forty and two months. This is the first time this unit of time has appeared in this book, but it will reappear many times under various figures. It refers to the period of the apostasy or Dark Ages as it is familiarly termed by the teachers in the brotherhood. In literal terms it means 1260 years and the various forms in which it is stated will all sum up to that figure by observing the rule in prophetic language that the month has 30 days.

The exact number of years that requires the 60 is reached by the dates on which the full rule of Rome began and ended. Some of the details of that subject are not available to me at present, but we may be sure that the figure is correct from the fact that each of the various forms in which it is stated brings out the same 1260.

And as to the correctness of the calculation we have historical verification of the round number in the words of Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He was an infidel and would have no motive for verifying the word of God, but lie was an authentic historian whose ability and accuracy were unquestioned and I shall quote from him as follows: “In the long period of twelve hundred years, which elapsed between the reign of Constantine and the reformation of Luther, the worship of saints and relics corrupted the pure and perfect simplicity of the Christian model; and some symptoms of degeneracy may be observed even in the first generation which adopted and cherished this pernicious innovation.”–Volume 2, Chapter 28, Page 615. The forty and two months of our verse gives us the 1260 by multiplying forty-two by thirty. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 2.3. The court which is without the temple–measure it not: As the measured portion of the temple symbolized the true Israel, the court without, outside the measured part, signified unbelieving Israel. “The court without–leave out” –it was not to be measured for preservation. They were not the sealed servants of God–they were not included in the twelve times twelve thousand of the spiritual tribes. They were given unto the Gentiles, and along with the old temple and Jewish state they were destined for destruction. As unbelieving Israel they should be cut off (Romans 11:22).

Paul said cut off; John said leave out. The whole symbol is that the measured portion was the preserved spiritual Israel, and the unmeasured part was the unbelieving fleshly Jewish nation “given to the Gentiles” to be destroyed by the Romans, which was done in the siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the Jewish world. 4. The holy city shall they tread under foot. Jerusalem was the once holy city: but was no longer that. It was here called holy because of its past association with the covenanted and the sainted ancestors. “How is the faithful city become harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.” (Isaiah 1:21) “0 Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee . . . Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38) By divine decree Jerusalem was to be desolated and “trodden down of the Gentiles.” (Luke 21:24) The judgment had already been passed, and John was commanded to leave Jerusalem out, and “measure it not,” as that which had been cast away. 5. A thousand two hundred and threescore days. The mathematical calculation of this figure was twelve hundred and sixty days, the same period of time assigned for the flight of the woman into the wilderness. (Revelation 12:6) The interpretation of scriptural numerals in relation to days and months should not be made on the basis of the literal number unless an over-riding reason for the exact mathematical application exists. Such a reason does exist in this calculation of the forty and two months, or the twelve hundred and sixty days of Revelation, mentioned in Revelation 11:2-3 Revelation 12:6 Revelation 13:5. From the imperial order and the beginning of the siege to its end and completion it was forty-two months, or a thousand two hundred and threescore days, or the oft-mentioned twelve hundred and sixty days–that was the exact period of time, as a matter of historical record, which covered the events of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. An example of such necessary mathematical application is in the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the end of the ten tribes, Revelation 7:1-9. Because of the importance of this Isaiahan prophecy, and its bearing on the exact mathematical application of the forty-two months period of Revelation, the entire section of the Old Testament prophecy is here inserted:

“1. And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jothan, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. 3. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field; 4. And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, 6. Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: 7. Thus saith the Lord God, it shall not stand neither shall it come to pass. 8. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. 9. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” This prophecy of Isaiah was to the effect that the conspiracy against Judah could not be executed, and that in threescore and five years the ten tribes (Ephraim) would cease to be a people, and it is the history of it that in exactly sixty-five years, from the date of Isaiah’s prophecy, the ten tribes came to end–and that prophecy was literally fulfilled. And it was the history of it, in connection with the point of discussion, that it was exactly forty-two months (twelve hundred and sixty days, or a thousand two hundred and threescore days) from the imperial command to besiege and destroy Jerusalem to the accomplishment of the commission– and this apocalypse was thus literally fulfilled also. For the historical evidence, Vespasian received his commission from Nero, and declared war on Jerusalem February, A.D. 67. The siege ended with the fall of Jerusalem, the burning of the city and temple, in August, A.D. 70. This computation of dates yields the forty-two months for Jerusalem to be “trodden under foot” as in the vision of Rev 11:2. The historical authority for these dates is Lardner’s Jewish Testimonies, Vol. 8, and Josephus, in Wars Of The Jews, Vol. 7. The continuous historical theory of the dark ages period and to the end of time lacks historical evidence and factual support and must be rejected. In Revelation 13:5 the same exact number was used to designate the period of the beast’s authority, and for the two witnesses to testify, as mentioned in verse 3, here in chapter 11. It was the same period as the “times of the Gentiles” in Luke 21:24, and it meant the time of judgment on Jerusalem by the Romans–therefore, the city was trodden down until the times connected with these events were fulfilled; that is, the period in which the Gentiles were engaged in the treading down of Jerusalem was thus designated, and only that period was envisioned in the mathematical phrases of the forty and two months and the thousand two hundred and threescore days.The period designated as “the times of the Gentiles” in the Lord’s discourse on Olivet, as recorded by Luke, (Luke 21:24) does not refer to the time of salvation for the Gentiles, but to the period for the infliction of judgment on Jerusalem which was accomplished by the Gentiles (the Romans). The preposition until connected with the phrase the times of the Gentiles carries no indication of anything after the times mentioned. In Galatians 3:19 the apostle declared that the law was added until Christ should come– and that was its point of termination. In Hebrews 10:9 the apostle further said that the Mosaic ordinances were imposed until the time of the new covenant–and there the old ordinances ended. So the declaration that Jerusalem was trodden down until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled had reference to the siege and destruction of the city–that was the point of termination, and Jerusalem and all for which it had stood in the system of Judaism, theocratically and politically, according to all prophecies and apocalypses concerning it, came to its inglorious end.

Revelation 11:3

Revelation 11:3. The word power is not in the Greek and is not necessary for the thought, which is that God would see that His two witnesses could speak. The two witnesses are the Old and New Testaments, the documents that Rome took away from the people. To prophesy is from and Thayer’s general definition is, “Speak forth by divine inspiration.” Hence it includes the making of predictions and any form of speech that will impart information that is in harmony with the will of God. The word in our passage means that the Old and New Testaments would continue to exist and offer their information through the period designated. In symbolic language a day stands for a year (Ezekiel 4:6), hence the number of days named with words corresponds with the 1260 years. Clothed in sackcloth symbolizes a condition of mourning, and it is used in this verse to refer to the mistreatment the word of God would receive all through the Dark Ages. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 3.The testimony of the two witnesses–Revelation 11:3-14.1. Power unto my two witnesses: The statement I will give in reference to my two witnesses reveals that the speaker here is Christ, the angel of verse 1, the only One who could assume such rank and authority. The assurance I will give power is based on a promise of the Lord to the apostles in Matthew 10:18-20, that when they should be arraigned “for testimony” they should “take no thought how or what” to speak; and as in Mark 13:11, “take no thought beforehand, neither do ye premeditate”; and as in Luke 12:12, “the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” This is the power here given to the witnesses. The two witnesses are representative of the prophets and apostles whose testimony was “this gospel of the kingdom” which should be “preached in all the world for a witness” before the end should come– Matthew 24:14. The dual testimony is based on the requirement of the law in Deuteronomy 19:15 that “at the mouth of two witnesses shall the matter be established,” and repeated by Jesus in John 8:17, “it is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true”; the allusion to which is made also in Hebrews 10:28, “he that despised Moses’ law died . . . under two or three witnesses.“These are the witnesses of Mat 23:31-37, of whom the Lord said: “Ye are the children of them which killed the prophets . . . behold I send unto you prophets . . . and some of them ye shall kill . . . crucify . . . scourge . . . and persecute . . . 0 Jerusalem . . . that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee.” They are representative of those mentioned further by Stephen in Acts 7:52, “which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?” By the prophets of the old dispensation and the apostles of the new covenant, the testimony, divine revelation, was completed and by “the two witnesses” thereby established. 2. Prophesy . . . clothed in sackcloth: The word sackcloth was of Hebrew origin and was interfused into every language as a symbol of ill-fortune. It was the suit of mourning in death, the garb of humility and penitence under judgment, and the clothing of suffering in calamities and persecutions-as so mentioned in Job 16:15; Psalms 30:11; Jeremiah 4:8; Isaiah 29:2; and Zechariah 13:4. The speaker in this vision told John that his two witnesses should prophesy clothed in sackcloth, as a sign of great affliction and as a token of the extreme suffering that their testimony should cause to come upon them, portraying retrospectively the altar scenes of chapter 6:9-11, and prospectively all of the tribulations yet to be unfolded, of which the two witnesses were representatives. 3. A thousand two hundred three-score: The forty-two months equal twelve hundred sixty days, computed mathematically (42 x 30 ==1260), which is in the text declared to be “a thousand two hundred and three score days.” The reader is requested to turn back to the comments on verse 2 and compare again the parallel between Isaiah 7:1-25 (See Isaiah 7:1-9) and the forty-two months of Revelation for an example of exact mathematical application. It designated the period of time for the Gentiles to tread Jerusalem, the holy city, under foot, which was accomplished and fulfilled in the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. It is also the appointed time for the two witnesses “clothed in sackcloth” to prophesy, in the appropriate garb of the prophets during the time of these woes. That is what the angel told John these representative witnesses should do, and it agrees with what the Lord also said should be done in the parallel passages previously cited in Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10; Luke 21:12-15. It is evident that the period of the treading down of Jerusalem was the time of the testimony of the witnesses also.

Revelation 11:4

Revelation 11:4. Olive oil was the chief source of artificial light in Bible times (Exodus 27:20; Leviticus 24:2). Olive oil requires olive trees and hence since the word of God is the only source of spiritual light directly available to man, it is symbolized by olive trees. The phraseology in the last part of the verse is drawn from Zechariah 4:11-14. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 4.The two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth: Here the two witnesses are said to be two candlesticks and two olive trees. As already noted the number two stood for the established testimony of a complete revelation, being the number of witnesses required for testimony to be legally established. The candlesticks signified light, the dispensing of light, which was its general significance always. The olive tree was then the source of the oil for the lamps, the light the two olive trees, standing in relation to two candlesticks, should dispense. Actually, our word candlestick is not exact, a sort of misnomer, since that light-dispenser held lamps only, supplied with the purest olive oil when used in the tabernacle or temple service of God. In Rev. 1:20; 2:1 the candlestick was made an emblem of the church, which is not itself the light, but holds forth the light from Christ, who is Himself the light. The two witnesses were thus given an extended significance as representative of the prophets and the apostles, holding the lamp of light, burning the oil of the divine testimony of the two covenants, the Old and New Testaments. As Zerubbabel and Joshua in the same symbolism of Zechariah 4:1-14, were said to be “the two anointed ones, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth,” so were the two witnesses of this vision standing before the God of the earth as the representatives of the whole body of believers, the collective “witness of Jesus” and “the word of God” by “the testimony which they held.” (Rev. 2:9; 20:4)

Revelation 11:5-6

Revelation 11:5. If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth, etc. Both sentences of this verse mean the same. We know that no one was ever literally injured by the Bible, hence we must understand this to be a symbol. Its meaning is that God is jealous for his word and will inflict vengeance upon all who oppose it. In times of “special providence” He caused various judgments to come upon men who mistreated the divine word. Otherwise the time will come when eternal punishment will be inflicted upon all who have not given the word of God the respect it deserves.

Revelation 11:6. This verse is to be understood in the light of the preceding one. God is so jealous of his word that if He deems it called for he will inflict such judgments as these upon those who mistreat His word. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 5-6.In verses 5-6 the two witnesses were set forth in this temple vision as both the light of the world and the protectors of the temple. “If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth . . . he must in this manner be killed.” No power would be able to prevail against the two witnesses until their work was done. “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.“The figurative phrase to shut heaven that it rain not signifies the restraining of the civil powers to prevent and destroy the work of the witnesses. The power of the witnesses over the waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues were figurative descriptions of the calamities that would follow the testimony of the witnesses to the ultimate destruction of their persecutors. The days of the prophesying of the two witnesses defined the same period as the days of the voice of the seventh angel. (Revelation 10:7) In one the mystery should be finished, in the other they finished their testimony. During this period no power could prevail over them. It was that interval in which the angel of chapter 7 gave command to “hurt not . . . till we have sealed the servants of God.” If any man willed to hurt them, initiated action against them, he must in this manner be killed–he would be destroyed in the manner that verse 5 describes, by the “fire” proceeding “out of their mouths” which “devoureth their enemies.” These were the symbols of divine judgment against the persecutors of witnesses and the opponents of their testimony (verse 7), and it followed the same figures of speech of the threatened judgments of Christ to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3.

Revelation 11:7

Revelation 11:7. Finished their testimony does not mean they quit testifying for they will not do that while the world stands. It means when their testimony has been made complete–when the New Testament is all written. When John was writing it had not all been composed yet, for the book he was writing was to be a part of that Volume. About the time the whole Bible was composed and confirmed, which was after all the apostles had passed from life, was the time that Rome became alarmed at the influence of the Bible. Also that was near the time that the union of church and state arrived at its great height, in which it obtained such power as to control all the people under its dominions.

We understand the beast to be Satan operating through the power of Rome. Shall kill them is figurative because the Bible never was actually killed, but as far as its opportunity for control over the lives of men was concerned the Book was slain. Let the reader remember that it is the two witnesses of verse 3 that the present verse is dealing with. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 7.In verses 7-8, when the two witnesses had “finished their testimony,” and the “days” of their prophesying were completed, the “beast” from abyss would “make war against them” and “overcome them” and “kill them.” This agrees with the description of the “end” after the “gospel of the kingdom” had been preached “in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Neither earthly nor hadean power could prevail against them until their testimony was finished, but when this was accomplished, the beast of the abyss would overcome them. This introduces the beast which will be described in the following chapters, personified in the persecuting emperor, or power, which though as yet had not appeared in the form of the beast, was symbolized in “the angel” of the abyss of Rev 9:11. The “king” leader of Rev 9:11 was “the angel of the bottomless pit,” and from that the bottomless pit this beast ascended also. He was the “Destroyer,” the persecutor, they were identical. The beast should overcome and kill the two witnesses. He was where they were, and where they became representatives of the persecuted church, and the martyrs, described in the following chapters. The beast could have been no other than the Roman power, for even when the Jews by their own law demanded capital punishment, it was necessarily executed by Roman authority. The unbelieving Jews were themselves the instigators of these persecutions but the Roman emperor was the executing power, and was the beast which made war, overcame, and killed the witnesses– the cause they represented. But it was for a time only, for the witnesses should rise up and live again.

Revelation 11:8

Revelation 11:8. Dead bodies must be understood in the light of the comments on the preceding verse. We know the literal truth is that Rome was the institution that mistreated the Bible and took it away from the people. For that reason the symbols in this verse must be interpreted accordingly. The city is the domain of the apostate church, and the reference to Sodom and Egypt is made because of the wickedness that was in those places and their enmity against the Lord. The Lord’s crucifixion also is laid to the same kind of elements that plotted the attack upon the Bible. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 8. In verse 8, the specter of their dead bodies was seen lying in the street of the great city; it was an open spectacle of shame upon “the faithful city become an harlot.” (Isaiah 1:21) The once glorious city was figuratively called “Sodom and Egypt,” a designation known to the Jews as symbols of wickedness. Jerusalem had become a spiritual Sodom and Egypt. (Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:46-52; Isaiah 1:10) The great city is identified in the text as Jerusalem by the description where also our Lord was crucified, of which, and in reference to himself, Jesus said, “for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:33; Matthew 23:34-37) It was consistent with all aspects of the scene to designate Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt. The two names in biblical history were synonymous with abominable wickedness, oppression and persecution. Both designations–the holy city, and Sodom and Egypt–were adaptable to the checkered history of Jerusalem.

Revelation 11:9-10

Revelation 11:9. The Bible continued to be a prohibited book all through the Dark Ages or the 1260 years. That is the period represented here by three days and a half. The term is obtained by reducing three and a half years to days (1260), then remembering that a day in symbolic language stands for a year. Not suffer . . . put in graves. A refusal to give burial to a body that has been slain would indicate much disrespect for the body. The figure is used to denote the low esteem the church of Rome had for the word of God. Revelation 11:1. The reed given unto John was a measuring rule and is a symbol of the word of God. This is clear from the fact that the angel gave it to John who was one of the apostles. We know the word of God is the divine standard for it is required in 1 Peter 4:11 that, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” At the time predicted by this chapter the apostasy (“falling away”) was an established fact. The Bible was virtually taken from the people and the religious lives of men and women were judged by the decrees of Rome instead of by the word of God. This verse is a symbol of the true standard of the measurement as the apostles were given the authority to execute (Matthew 19:28).

The temple of God means the church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). The altar was the center of worship in the Mosaic system, and it is referred to here as a symbol of the worship under that of Christ. The in that worship therein means Christians, whose personal lives must be measured (regulated) by the word of God and not by the decrees of Rome.

Revelation 11:10. The teaching of the Bible stands in the way of the evil desires of men who wish to profit by a misuse of the religion of Christ which they profess to follow. It torments them as the verse states it, and therefore it would be a cause for rejoicing among such people to have it put out of the way. Two prophets are other terms for the Old and New Testament. It was a custom to exchange gifts upon occasions of special rejoicing which was a form of mutual congratulations. (See Nehemiah 8:12 and Esther 9:22.) Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 9-10.In verse 9, it is stated that the people and kindred and tongues and nations, such as were represented in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, should see the dead bodies of the two witnesses. The word see indicated that the people would come to know the testimony of the witnesses, and would not allow them to be put in the grave–that is, the cause of the two witnesses survived. 5. The three and one-half days here were one-half of the symbolic seven, a shortened period of calamity, corresponding to the Lord’s description of these tribulations in Matthew 24:22 and Mark 13:20 : “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days”– the cause only shortly defeated. A comparison of this application of the phrase three and one-half days is found also in the message that Jesus sent to Herod, recorded in Luke 13:31-33 : “The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.” This was an effort of the Pharisees to scare Jesus; he was lingering too long in Galilee to please his adversaries; and he was adding followers and new adherents to his teaching, as his reputation increased. The province of Galilee was a safe retreat from the dangers that would surround Jesus in Jerusalem, and the Pharisees knowingly attempted to reverse the Lord’s favorable surroundings. It was an alleged Herodian threat, which if true, and Jesus had yielded to the intimidation, it would have involved him in an ignoble flight from the scene of his ministry; and if not true, it was the strategy of the Pharisees under friendly mien and confidential guise to divert his course from Galilee into the more perilous regions of Jerusalem. The pretension was that despite their differences the Pharisees were concerned with the Lord’s safety; but there was no evidence that Herod Antipas had any designs of killing Jesus, as ascribed by these Pharisees. He had already enough blood on his hands by the execution of John in which he had been entangled and entrapped unawares (Matthew 14:2); and thinking that Jesus was John raised to life (Luke 9:7-9), he would not have been so foolish as to kill him again; beside this, is the fact that Herod did not want to kill Jesus, as shown by his sending him back to Pilate rather than to sentence Jesus in his own court. (Luke 23:6-11) The Herodian report was a Pharisaical invention, a fiction of their own to rid Galilee of Jesus, rather than a collusion with or an actual threat from Herod. And in the spirit of irony, not at all alien to his teaching, Jesus fell in with the report, knowing that the fox, whom he called that fox, was none other than the Pharisees themselves. The Lord answered the Pharisees: Behold, I cast out devils, and do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. It would be equivalent to convicting the Lord of cowardice to construe his statement to mean that he would tarry in Galilee two days more and on the third day he would quit! The proper analysis of the passage is: As in the past, so in the present (today); I shall continue without interruption (tomorrow); and in the future also (third day), I shall pursue this course until my ministry shall have reached completion in the finished work (perfected). There had been a predetermined time for the Lord’s earthly ministry; instead of fleeing he would accomplish his work this day and tomorrow, and when the third or last day came, he should then have been perfected-his ministry fulfilled and his work finished. In the meanwhile there would be no abrupt or premature ending of his course by threats to intimidate or attempts to scare. Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following. The great Master had just stated that his divine ministry would continue to completion l now he refers to the day following as a day of walking, or the day of finished work. Henceforth, to the day of his passion, his resurrection and his ascension, until the purpose of his incarnation shall have been fully performed and accomplished, and his vicarious work crowned by his return to heaven from whence he came –until then, he would walk and work unlet and unharmed in Galilee, “for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.” His destination was Jerusalem, the evil murderess of the prophets and the deadly enemy of the kingdom of Christ–and Jerusalem would crucify him. The Lord’s words to the Pharisees, paraphrased, were these: My danger is not Galilee, nor Herod, but Jerusalem; your seat and headquarters, where you reign; and when the day of my death shall come, you the Jews, not Herod the king, will be the author of the murderous deed.On another occasion (John 11:9) when the disciples warned Jesus that the Jews had plotted to stone him, Jesus answered: “Are there not twelve hours in the day?” Here again a figurative expression was employed to indicate a fixed and appointed time for the ministry of Christ to be accomplished. In the same figure of speech employed by Jesus on the two occasions mentioned, John represents the two witnesses as having been dead in the street the three and one-half days. Here it denoted that fixed and appointed time for the people to see their testimony, as a result of martyrdom, during the period of suffering. But the fixed time was designated as three and one-half days because that figure is one-half the seven days period–as the number seven represented the full time; and one-half of seven, the three and one-half days, represented the shortening of the period of tribulation through which they were passing. This application of the time figure blends into a complete harmony with the Lord’s own predictive narrations of the tribulation period, as though woven by one hand into one apocalyptic garment: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22) The three and one-half days of the two witnesses were the pictorial fulfillment of the Lord’s own prophetic descriptions. The pronouncement of verse 9 that they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations . . . shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves indicated that the defeat of their cause was of short duration–it would survive death, as life returning before decomposition. All of the combined powers of persecution could not prevent the survival of the testimony of the two witnesses. But–they that dwell on earth rejoiced–the enemies of the cause showed great jubilation over the death and public exposure of the witnesses, rejoicing in the victory they thought was gained-but their celebrations were premature. In their exchanges of praise and self-congratulation they would send gifts one to another with mutual admiration in the part each of them played in the prosecution of the cause of the two witnesses gloating in victory because the two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. The earth signified the place of the powers, the sphere of authority. They were tormented by the presence and testimony of the two witnesses as the gospel torments the disobedient. (Acts 7:54); and as the effect of truth on evil spirits (1 John 4:18; Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28).

Revelation 11:11

Revelation 11:11. After three days and a half means after the Dark Ages of 1260 (verse 9). Spirit of life is figurative on the same principle as being dead In verse 7. The apostate church took the Bible away from the people and “slew” it. Luther and his co-workers gave it back to the people which put “life” back into it.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 11.The finale to the scene of the two witnesses was signified in verse 11: After three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet: The resurrection of the cause for which the two witnesses died was here envisioned. It compares with Isaiah’s vision of the figurative resurrection of Israel from Babylonian exile (Isaiah 26:13-19); and with Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14), in which the prophets described the resurrection of Israel from the grave of their captivity. The Ezekiel and Revelation passages contain several parallel expressions–the first, bearing on the return of the captive people of Israel from exile, and the latter applying to the overcoming of the heathen persecutions; the victory of the church over the persecutors; and the emergence from that period of tribulation and trial. Concerning Israel in captivity, Ezekiel said: “Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live . . . and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet.” After the same manner of language in Revelation 11:1-19, John said: “The Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet.” The Ezekiel passage was a prophetic picture of the return of Israel from captivity; and the Revelation passage was an apocalyptic portrayal of the emergence of the church from the period of persecution. The effect of seeing the two witnesses stand upon their feet was described in these words: Great fear upon them which saw them: Reverence came over the by-standers– not the enemies themselves as yet-but the resuscitation of the witnesses, as of life out of death, brought reverence for the testimony of the witnesses.

Revelation 11:12

Revelation 11:12. This is another symbolical passage for in fact the Bible was already in heaven. “For ever, 0 Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalms 119:89). The passage gives a symbolical performance that was to notify the enemies of the word of God that the forces of Heaven were recognizing it and were ready to welcome its renewed power on the earth. We know that such is the purpose of the verse for the closing statement is and their enemies beheld them. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 12.Having been revived the two witnesses heard a voice saying: Come up hither (Revelation 11:12), and they ascended in a cloud. The triumph of the cause of the apostles and prophets over all foes was thus signified, and they were glorified for their testimony. It is on this principle that the souls of the slain lived and reigned with Christ in Revelation 20:4; and that true Christians now reign with Him, as affirmed by the apostle in Romans 8:17, 1 Corinthians 4:8 and 2 Timothy 2:11. In the vision their enemies beheld them ascend up to heaven. The witnesses heard the voice, and the enemies beheld them ascend–it is the scene of victory; it is the apocalyptic picture of the triumph of the cause of the apostles and prophets–the two-fold source of inspired testimony.

Revelation 11:13-14

Revelation 11:13. Earthquakes in symbolic language stand for revolutions in governments and the powers that be. When the work of the reformers got underway it caused many disturbances among the rulers of the world, who had been holding undisputed sway over the people through the past centuries. The numerical units that are men-tioned–tenth part and seven thousand are too exact to be taken literally. The meaning is that a great part of the former tyrannies was overthrown. Remnant . . . gave glory to God. When the work of the reformers became an established fact, it convinced some of the leaders that they had been in the wrong and were thus led to acknowledge their mistake. Were affrighted means they were compelled to feel a greater respect for God and his Book than they had before.

Revelation 11:14. Second woe is past. The first was the scourge of the Dark Ages, the second was the dissolving of the union of church and state which was connected with the giving of the Bible back to the people. The third woe (not to God’s people but to the enemies) is the resumption of power by the several kings and rulers, who had been deprived of their royal rights by the dominating power in Rome, that forced all people to be subject to its dictates. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 13-14.The awesome aftermath of these fearful occurrences was described in verse 13: In the same hour there was a great earthquake. The “same hour” evidently meant in the midst of these events–the period of the triumph of the cause and the testimony of the two witnesses–in the hour of the interlude between sixth and seventh trumpets. The earthquake signified the revolutionary storms, uprisings and upheavals in human affairs, in governments, and among both Jewish and Roman authorities, as it became evident to all, even the most desperate that the Jewish state and Jerusalem, their city, were doomed. The statement that a tenth part of the city fell may seem obscure in meaning and application, but it has both religious and historical significance. In the previous chapters the like figurative phrases were used in the pronouncements of woes, saying that a third part of the earth was smitten. The division of parts was descriptive of the devastations accompanying the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the blight of the whole land of Palestine that resulted. The woes symbolized this devastation as a series of occurrences, executed in succession. Each calamity was therefore symbolized as a fractional but a component part, in the order of the woes that were being pronounced. After the same apocalyptic manner, the saying that there was a great earthquake and the tenth part of the city fell, meant that the city and state and commonwealth of the Jews had come to an end. There were ten provinces of the Roman empire, and in this apocalypse the commonwealth of Palestine was represented as a tenth part. The fall of Jerusalem, the capital city, brought the same disaster upon the entire Jewish commonwealth and, as a synecdoche, the part was put for the whole–Jerusalem representing Palestine, the tenth part of the empire, and when as a tenth part, the city fell, so a tenth part of Rome fell. It was as a result of the great earthquake that the tenth part fell, and the earthquake was symbolic of the great political upheavals that took place all over the Roman empire in connection with these catastrophes. The siege and destruction of Jerusalem had become the signal for revolutions in various other Roman provinces, the historical fact and details of which Josephus and Pliny relate, corroborate and verify. It was therefore reasonable and appropriate apocalyptically to put Jerusalem for the whole commonwealth, and with the downfall of the city, the tenth part fell. This view is further supported by the fact that there is no historical record of such a mathematically fractional part of Jerusalem falling during the siege. The contextual surroundings of the phrase were descriptions of the universal impact of the downfall of the Jewish state and theocracy on the whole empire, a tenth part of which fell with the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the demolition of the temple which symbolized the theocratic state; and the downfall of the perverted system of Judaism; and the end of the existence of the whole Jewish state. It is no marvel that these catastrophic events should be envisioned as a great earthquake, shaking the whole empire; and it is no wonder that the city was envisioned as a tenth part in the great downfall. In further emphasis upon the colossal effect of such a stupendous event upon the whole Roman world, the huge imagery continues with the following declaration: And in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand. From the beginning of time seven was the number of days in a week, and the number seven has been used in scripture, prophecy and apocalypse as a symbol of the perfect and complete. The employment of this symbolic number in that statement, “in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand,” denoted that the destruction of the Jewish commonwealth was complete in the judgment that was passed on Jerusalem. Then, in contrast with the downfall of the enemies of the cause represented by the two witnesses it was said that the remnant were affrighted–that is, the calamities were so great the rest of the populace, those not waging the persecutions, abandoned their leaders and rulers in the midst of the awe of the fearful occurrences. As the Roman centurion executioner stood in awe at the crucifixon of Christ (Matthew 27:54), saying, “truly this was the Son of God,” so beholding the things transpiring “the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” This was the apocalyptic gleam of light piercing the gathering clouds of darkness–the omen of the success of the gospel and of the ultimate deliverance from persecution awaiting all who would be true to the faith. With this assurance, verse 14 declared that the second woe is past; and, behold, the third cometh quickly. The preceding scenes of the two witnesses had predicted the second woe; now, the final blow was at hand–the end. The sounding of the seventh trumpet was immediate–cometh quickly–and that was the last woe.

Revelation 11:15

Revelation 11:15. Kingdoms of the world are not asked to become part of the kingdom of Christ. That would be virtually another union of church and state. What happened was a change in the attitude of the earthly kingdoms. Before the Reformation the kings on those thrones could not reign as Christ would have wished them to and as they personally would have been inclined. They had to take their instructions from Rome and rule their subjects as that head dictated.

After the delusion was lifted by the insight into the scriptures that was afforded them through the work of the reformers, they learned that they could permit their subjects to regulate their own religious life as they believed Christ wished them to. It is in that sense that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord. Such a revolution was a woe to the “man of sin” in Rome for it meant the end of his arrogant rule. It is the third woe already predicted and now announced by the sounding of the seventh angel. He shall reign for ever and ever. Christ never ceased to be a king from the time He ascended to his Father’s right hand (1 Peter 3:22), and will continue to be king until the time of His second coming (1 Corinthians 15:24-25).

But He was not recognized as king by these earthly rulers while they were under the control of Rome. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 15.The seventh trumpet–Revelation 11:15.1. The seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven. The interlude was over. The seventh trumpet sounded the finish–the end of the tribulation period. It was the completion of the “mystery of God” which was “according to the good tidings” of the prophets, fulfilled in the fall of Judaism, the triumph of Christianity, the success of gospel, the victory of the church, and the expansion of the kingdom of Christ. The “great voices in heaven” were the combined voices of the vision united as one to proclaim the announcement of the seventh trumpet. Before this it had been an angel or a voice but now it was all of the voices together in one great voice to announce the end of all events of the vision. The work, which had begun with the prophets and completed by the apostles, had triumphed over the powers of men, and the kingdoms of this world had become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. The dominion of earthly rule in the kingdoms of men could no longer overpower Christianity– through their citizens they had become the kingdoms of our Lord (God), and of his Christ. This declaration depicted the conversion of the empire’s citizens–the worldwide expansion of Christianity. It was the fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 24:31 to send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, after the destruction of Jerusalem to gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other. With the fall of Jerusalem came the shaking down of all Jewish opposition to gospel. Christianity was liberated from the fetters of Judaism and entered upon a worldwide career of leavening the civilizations of world by bringing them under the influence of Christ. Thus the kingdoms or dominions of men became the kingdoms of our Lord (God) and of his Christ. In Ephesians 5:5 the apostle designated it the kingdom of God and Christ, and declared in Colossians 1:13-14 that it was then present. But in the apocalypse, the trumpets, thunders and earthquakes were envisioned as shaking down opposition of all human dominion to give way to the “kingdom which cannot be shaken.” (Hebrews 12:18-28) From the apostle’s vantage point could be viewed the sites of Babylonia, Persia, Grecia and Rome, all of which were shaken, upon the ruins of which was to be firmly planted and forever established the kingdom that remains. 2. “And he shall reign forever and ever.“The seventh trumpet sounded the full sway of kingdom of Christ over all opposing forces–Jewish and Roman. From henceforth his elect were to be gathered “from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31) and the earth made full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14) It was the joining of prophecy and apocalypse in the delineation of the sway of the kingdom of Christ, fulfilled in the universal sweep of the gospel. And he shall reign forever and ever. In the “kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” God shall reign forever–his dominion over all earthly kingdoms was established in the events resulting in triumph of the cause of his Christ. This reign refers to the everlasting dominion of God, which no human authority, governments or powers can ever dethrone.

Revelation 11:16

Revelation 11:16. These are the four and twenty elders of Rev 4:4. They rejoiced to see the triumph of Him who was and is the saving virtue of both of the organized systems of religion given into the world by the Lord. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 16. The song of triumph–Revelation 11:16-19.Verse 16 reverts to the worship of the twenty-four elders of chapter 4, in the beginning of vision. They were the enthroned representatives of the Old Testament and the New Testament–of Israel and the church. The visions began and end with them, in the symbols of the complete church of God, which was here seen rejoicing in victory.

Revelation 11:17

Revelation 11:17. Taken to thee thy great power refers to the triumph of righteousness over evil when the word God was given back to the people of the various kingdoms. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 17.Verse 17 proclaims the success of the kingdom in a singing throng, opposite to the mourning tribes of Rev. 1:7 and Matthew 24:30. It was the answer to the souls under the altar of Rev. 6:9-11. God had taken to thee thy great power, exercised in the events of the visions–and hast reigned. He had ruled and overruled, as absolute monarch of the world, governing and disposing of all things in heaven and in earth, as affirmed by prophets of, old. (2 Samuel 5:4-5; Psalms 93:1)

Revelation 11:18

Revelation 11:18. Nations were angry. That is that part of them that still wished to profit by the deception of the people. Thy wrath is come means that God’s vengeance had come upon the apostate church for abusing His word. The time of the dead also hath come, meaning the dead whose souls John saw under the altar (chapter 6:9). They cried for vengeance or judgment and were told that “their time” would come. Now that time has come and God has judged the apostate church by separating her from the advantages of temporal power. At the same time He gave reward to his faithful servants by having His word placed again in their hands. Destory them which destroy the earth refers to the same evil men described before who planned to destroy (corrupt in the margin) the earth. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 18.Verse 18 declares that the nations were angry in fulfillment of Psa 2:2; Psalms 2:5 and Acts 4:24-30. It represented the attitude of the heathen world toward the gospel of Christ. The day of God’s wrath had come on the persecuting powers, as depicted in Revelation 6:17. The time of the dead that they should be judged had come–they were dead as persecutors and as lord’s of dominion over the servants of Christ, as in Isaiah 26:13; Isaiah 26:19 in reference to Israel. The time of avenging judgment had come, for the witnesses of Rev 11:7-8; and for the martyrs of Rev 6:9-11; and for “all righteous blood shed upon the earth” of Matthew 23:35.

The time had come to give victory’s reward unto his servants the prophets; and to the saints; and them that fear thy name. The imagery delineates the ruin of the enemies and the reward of the servants and saints of God and Christ–summed up in the phrase small and great, the full aggregation of them that fear thy name. These all, in the aggregate, were included in song of glorified elders. The Jewish rulers, aided by Roman rulers, who together contrived to destroy the earth in their opposition to the kingdom of God, by the persecutions waged were themselves destroyed. In Matthew 21:33-46, Jesus specifically pictured this end of the Jewish rulers and their state.

Revelation 11:19

Revelation 11:19. This verse is a symbol that is very significant. The Bible had been denied the people for 1260 years but is now restored to them. That is like letting the servants of God “in” on a great intimacy with the Lord. The original law was laid up by the ark in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 10:2). The people were never permitted to see into that place where the book of God was deposited.

Likewise the people under Rome were shut off from seeing the Book through the years of the apostasy. But the work of the Reformation broke through that and forced open the privacy and gave them another view of the law. As an illustration of such a privilege John was given a view into the place where the ark was which he calls the ark of his testament or holy law. The lightnings and other things named refer to the commotions that were caused by the Reformation. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 19.Verse 19 presents the closing scene–the temple of God opened in heaven. It was the new temple, the vision of that which was measured for preservation in Revelation 11:1. It was the “true tabernacle” of Hebrews 8:2; Hebrews 9:13; Hebrews 10:9. It was only re-introduced here, without further description, to become a part of second series of visions. In this new temple was disclosed the ark of his testament. In the Jewish temple of John’s time, yet standing, there was no ark of covenant “within the veil.” It had long been lost. But in the vision of the restored temple–the true spiritual temple (Hebrews 8:2), which supersedes the temple made with hands, there reappears the holiest and most sacred of all the treasures of the old tabernacle–the ark of the covenant. It symbolized that what was lost in the old is restored in the new–and the apostate Jewish state yielded its place to the complete restoration and perfection in the New Testament church of Christ. The curtains fall in the last words of this first vision: And there were lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.These things followed all that had gone before in the vision. When the seventh trumpet sounded, the vision ended with lightnings, voices, thunders, an earthquake, and hail, which all at once came, as the sign to John that the revelation had not ended with the first vision. The great crisis just passed was to be followed by more of the same symbolism– and the heaven of this vision was therefore still open with the close of chapter 11. But the beast that was, and was not, of Revelation 13:8, yet is–he would again be active. Thus chapter 11 ends the first sequence of events. The second begins with chapter 12, and repeats the imagery in another but similar set of symbols, extending the same events and experiences.