Revelation 11

Revelation 11:1

After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, ch. x, the most memorable passage concerning this matter of the Jews (and so the fittest matter of a further vision) being that which fell on that people under the emperor Adrian, the next vision here seems to belong to that. And by way of preparation to the representing of it, here is first set down Adrian’s rebuilding of Jerusalem, and setting up the heathen worship there. To this purpose, saith he, methought I had a measuring rod, or pole, or perch given me, (as in Ezekiel, ch. xl,) and a command from the angel to mete the temple of God, that is, first, the sanctuary or holy, and in it the holy of holies, and then the court, where the altar of burnt-offerings stood, and where the people worshipped and prayed to God, called the court of the Israelites. (This measuring is the inclosing or setting thus much of the temple apart in memory of the former consecration, not to be profaned or meddled with, that is, built upon by the emperor Adrian, who now designed to erect a new city there, calling it (by his own name, Ælius) Ælia.

[a] altar] The word θυσιαστήριον doth in some places signify the altar of incense; see note [e] on ch. vi. In other places there is no question but it signifies the altar of burnt-offering; but that again sometimes not strictly the altar, but the court where the altar is placed. So ch. xiv. 18, and xvi. 7, it cannot be rendered altar, because there is mention of one going forth, and another speaking out of it; it must therefore signify the court, or place of sacrificing, wherein the altar is: so saith the Glossary, θυσιαστήριον, sacrarium, altarium; and in Philoxenus, sacrarium, ἡρῷον θυσιαστήριον: and in that sense, saith Ignatius, ὁ ἐκτός ὧν θυσιαστηρίου, οὗτος ὑστερεῖται τοῦ ἄρτου τοῦ Θεοῦ, he that is out of the altar, that is, the church, &c. And agreeably in this place, by that which follows, and those that worship in it, (which belongs not to the temple before, but is immediately annexed to θυσιαστήριον,) it cannot reasonably denote the altar, but the place wherein men were which worshipped, and that here most probably is (not the sanctuary, where the altar of incense was, but) ἡ ἔσωθεν αὐλὴ τοῦ ναοῦ, the inward court of the temple, (opposed to ἡ ἔξωθεν αὐλὴ, outer court, that of the Gentiles here,) that where the congregation or people worshipped. See note [i] on Matt. xxiii.

Revelation 11:2

But I was appointed to leave or cast out, that is, not thus to measure or inclose the court of the Gentiles, called the outer court, (see note [a] Ephes. ii,) noting that the Roman emperor should take that in, and build upon it and about it a new city, not only for Jews, but Gentiles to live in; and so that Jerusalem, formerly called the faithful and holy city, should now, being thus rebuilt, be called by another name, and profaned with idol-worship, a temple being erected to Jupiter upon mount Sion, and so continue for the same proportion of time (that is, three years and an half) that it had in Daniel’s prophecy been profaned by Antiochus, Dan. vii. 25.

Revelation 11:3

And all this time there being two Christian bishops of Jerusalem, one of the Jewish, the other of the Gentile or stranger Christians there, and these being raised up by God like prophets to forewarn men of their sins and danger, shall like prophets set themselves against the sins both of the Jews and Gentiles, labour to convert them all to Christianity, to bring them to the reformation of their wicked lives, to the purging out of all the abominable sins (mentioned ch. ix. 20, 21.) unreformed among them; and

¹ cast out, Ἰκβαλε. ² nations, ἰθνεσι.

[b] two witnesses] Who the two witnesses are is the main difficulty of this chapter: and the matter here spoken of yielding some directions to pitch on the time of which this vision treats; as, 1. the farther judgments falling on Jerusalem after the destruction by Titus; and 2dly, those after the rebuilding the city, and planting it with Gentiles as well as Jews, vv. 1, 2, which must needs belong to the time of Adrian; it may be reasonable to forsake all other conjectures, and pitch upon that which the learned Hugo Grotius hath resolved on, of making the two churches, which were at this time at Jerusalem, one of the Jewish, the other of Gentile Christians, the two witnesses here spoken of; or more distinctly, I conceive, the two bishops of (and together with them) those two congregations. That there were two such plantations in the same city, in many places, before the Jews and Gentiles grew into one, appears by divers evidences. In Antioch, as one church was planted, and governed by Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, so another by Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles; and that is expressed in the Epistle of the Council of Jerusalem, by οἱ κατ’ Ἀντιόχειαν, &c. ἀδελφοὶ οἱ ἐξ ἰθνῶν, the brethren, that is, the church, at Antioch, those, or that, of the Gentiles, and in the one Euodius succeeded bishop, in the other Ignatius. So in Ephesus and Asia John was founder of the churches of the Jews, and Paul of the Gentiles; and while John continued over the former, Timothy was by Paul made bishop at Ephesus over the latter. So at Rome, Peter was bishop of the Jewish congregation, and Clemens his deacon, Paul of the Gentile part, and Linus his deacon; and after them Clemens succeeds in one chair, and Linus in the other, and after him Cletus or Anacletus; and after him both joined together under Clemens. And thus it is to be supposed at Jerusalem, especially after the destruction by Titus, when there were many Gentiles there, which may occasion the multitude of bishops that Eusebius observes to have been there in few years, till they joined both under Marcus, a Gentile bishop in Adrian’s time, (see ver. 15.) And this was in some degree necessary, not only because there was some distance kept betwixt the Jewish and Gentile Christians, (which at Rome Paul endeavoured to make up, Rom. xiv., &c.) but in respect of the several languages which they were of necessity to use in their assemblies, and farther in respect of the several customs for a good while continued among them. Now that all that is said of these two witnesses doth perfectly agree to these two bishops, and their congregations of Christians, will appear in the Paraphrase; and to that belong directly the descriptions here bestowed on them. One, like Moses over the Jews, labouring to bring all that people out of their Egyptian blindness and bondage to sin, their unchristian impenitence: and the other, like Elias, preaching down idolatry, bringing the heathens to Christianity. And then to these are fitly adjoined (in the chorus, as it were) the twenty-four elders, ver. 16, that is, the bishops of all Judæa, that belonged to the bishops of Jerusalem, (as lesser cities to a metropolis, ch. iv. 4.) and had their part in the benefit of this destruction that fell on Barchochebah and the seditious Jews.

Revelation 11:4

These two bishops of the Christian churches there, together with the congregations belonging to them, were now to be looked on as the advancers and restorers of piety, after that general depravation and infidelity in that place; and are therefore compared, the bishops to Zerubbabel and Joshua, Zech. iv. 3, described there by the emblem of the two olive trees, and the two churches to the two candlesticks, (see ch. i. 20,) standing before the God of the land, ver. 14, that is, serving Christ continually at a time of such universal corruption among all others.

Revelation 11:5

And to these two are appliable two passages of story belonging to Elias: as first, bringing down fire from heaven, (noting what shall befall their enemies, ver. 13.)

Revelation 11:6

And secondly, having that power of prayer as to shut up heaven that it should not rain, for the same space that Elias did, that is, three years and an half, ver. 3, (see James v. 17,) and two passages more referring to Moses; as first, the power to turn the water into blood through all Egypt; and secondly, to bring plagues upon them: noting by both these, that they were a kind of Moses and Elias, designed by God, one to bring the Jews to obedience, as Moses, the other to destroy idolatry, as Elias; the first, the work of the bishop of the Jewish congregations; the second, of the bishop of the Gentiles.

Revelation 11:7

And when they have spent a good time in discharging their office thus, in endeavouring to reduce both Jews and Gentiles, and bring them into the church, an eminent instrument of the devil’s, Barchochebah, in Adrian’s time, will gather a multitude of unbelieving Jews unto him, and as a wild beast raven and devour, kill and plunder all that will not join with him against the Romans, and so (as histories affirm of him) handle the Christians cruelly and hostilely because they would not do so, and unless they would deny Christ.

[c] make war against them] That Barchochebah raised a sedition against the Romans is known in story, and that he called himself by that name, as son of a star, but was after more truly called the son of a lie, that is, of an idol, which is a lie, and that idol a false god, that

Revelation 11:8

And upon this pretence kill them, and cast out ³ land, γῆς. ⁴ on the waters, ἀνὶ τῶν ὑδάτων.

Revelation 11:9

And thus shall it be, the Christians shall be thus slain and cast out into the streets, without any compassion or reverence, either from the Jews or heathens inhabiting at Jerusalem, (see note [c] ch. x,) as long as that seditious company prevail there.

Revelation 11:10

And this should be matter of rejoicing and congratulating to the Jews one with another, as upon the destruction of their greatest enemies, (as Elias was counted an enemy to Ahab, whom he would have reformed.)

Revelation 11:11

But after some time their cause should come to be heard before God, their injuries to be avenged, the Christians of these congregations should begin to flourish again, as in a kind of resurrection from the dead, by the power and mercy of God; and all that saw this, and the manner of doing it, (Christians rescued by the idolatrous, heathen Romans,) could not but acknowledge it a great work of God’s, and worship God for it.

Revelation 11:12

And they were taken up as it were to heaven out of this bloody, seditious broil that lay so heavy upon them, that is, restored to a great and notable tranquillity, to halcyonian days of peace and Christian profession.

Revelation 11:13

And as they were thus rescued and relieved, so the other inhabitants of that place, that joined in that sedition, or complied with them against the Christians, ver. 10, were destroyed by the Romans, a great part of that new city and the inhabitants thereof; and upon this the rest turned Christians, seeing the prophecies of the two witnesses fulfilled upon those that would not believe or obey them.

[d] the remnant were affrighted] That the remnant here, that is, all the Jews in Jerusalem that were not now destroyed, did convert and believe in Christ, appears by that which is ordinarily known in story, that Adrian at this time by edict banished all the Jews out of it, that is, all that remained such, or were not converted to Christianity, and set up the picture of a swine at the gates, to keep any of them from thoughts of entering again, and even to banish their eyes from thence, (see b Aristo Pellæus in Eusebius, Τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς περὶ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα γῆς πάμπαν ἐπιβαίνειν εἴργεται νόμου δόγματι, καὶ Τάξεσιν Ἀδριανοῦ ὡς ἂν μηδ’ ἐξ ἀπόπτου θεωροῖεν, “the whole nation was from thenceforth forbidden to enter the region about Jerusalem, and this by decree of Adrian, which commanded that none should out of any eminent place so much as behold their native soil.” And Tertullian, Apolog. c. 21, Quibus nec advenarum jure terram patriam saltem vestigio salutare conceditur, “They were not permitted to salute, or visit, their native country so much as travellers or guests:” and so Advers. Jud. c. 13.) meanwhile the Christians freely returning thither from their dispersions, and inhabiting quietly there. Christianis tantum permissa civitas, saith c Orosius, “the city was permitted to Christians only,” (see note [c] on Luke xxi.) that is, no Jews were there permitted that received not Christianity.

Revelation 11:14

And so this calamity lighting on the Jews in Adrian’s time was in a manner as bloody as that other under Titus, and though it came some time after the former, yet was not long deferred. That under Titus was the second woe, described from ch. ix. 12. 15. to

[e] second woe is past] Some mistake there may possibly be in this place, by conceiving these words, ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἀπῆλθεν, the second woe is past, to denote the description of that second woe to end in this place, and consequently that, behold the third woe cometh quickly, should signify that the coming of that third woe should now next be set down. But this is a mistake, that would be apt to disturb and perplex the vision. For of the three woes denounced ch. viii. 13, it is plain that the first is set down from ch. ix. 1, to ver. 12, and there concludes, the first woe is past. Then after that, saith the vision,

b L. 4. c. 6. c L. 7. c. 13.

Revelation 11:15

And this summarily repeated by the sounding of the seventh angel, who was to conclude this whole tragedy. For as he sounded, thunders were immediately heard, that is, pouring in of the Roman armies upon them, mentioned ver. 13, and an immense multitude of Jews, almost six hundred thousand of them, slain, saith Dio; others affirm as many more, from the beginning of this war. And as this was done on the seditious Jews, so by this means the Christians, especially of the Gentiles, came to flourish there more than ever, and that whole city became in a manner Gentile-Christian, Marcus, a Gentile, being the one bishop under which both Jew and Gentile Christians were united; and thus the church of Jerusalem entered upon her flourishing condition, and the faith of Christ got the upper hand, so as it never should be destroyed utterly again.

[f] The kingdoms of this world are become the kingd—] What is here meant by this acclamation, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, &c. may best be understood by these degrees; first, that becoming the Lord’s, (all one with לְאֱלֹהִים, Psal. xlvii. 9, where it is said, the shields of the earth are the Lord’s,) signifies conversion to Christianity, and that is evident by the addition of καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, and his Christ’s. Secondly, that the kingdoms of the world signifies not here the whole world, and all the kingdoms of that, but as (when it is said, the world hateth you, and, I pray not for the world, and very often in the same style) the world signifies unbelievers, and, βασιλεῖαι τοῦ κόσμου, the whole societies and multitudes of them. And this being by the context applied to Jerusalem and Judæa, the plain meaning of the whole phrase must be, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judæa were now generally converted to the faith of Christ, as in the story it was known to be in Adrian’s time, after the defeating of Barchochebah, the unbelieving Jews being finally banished thence, and the city inhabited by Christians of that and other nations indifferently: see Euseb. Eccl. Hist. I. 4. c. 5. As for that which follows in the acclamation, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, and he shall reign for ever and ever, that is capable of a twofold interpretation: either more generally, that the Christian faith and church shall continue for ever, (the gates of hades never prevailing against it,) and support itself from being utterly destroyed, against all opposition; and this here fit to be pronounced of the church in general, upon occasion of this good success of it in Jerusalem and Judæa, where it had been so long persecuted, but now had gotten the victory: or, secondly, applying it

Revelation 11:16

And the four and twenty bishops of Judæa, ch. iv. 2, acknowledged this a great mercy of God, which tended wonderfully to the prosperity of the whole church of Judæa under them,

Revelation 11:17

Saying, Blessed be God for this infinite mercy of his, wherein he hath magnified his fidelity to the Christians, and used the Gentile-Romans as his instruments to set up his Christian church in Judæa.

Revelation 11:18

Now is fulfilled that prophecy of psalm ii, The Jewish nation have behaved themselves most stubbornly against Christ, and cruelly against Christians, and thy judgments are come upon them; and though the avenging of the blood of the martyr Christians hath a while been deferred, till these other sufferings under Barchochebah were added to them, ch. vi. 11, yet now the time is fully come for all the vengeance to be poured out, the Jews and Gnostics to be destroyed, and all the orthodox, pure, constant Christians to have days of tranquillity, and peaceable profession of the gospel, and liberty of assemblies.

[g] nations] The word ἴθνος, or ἴθνη, doth not only belong to other nations in opposition to the Jews, (the ethnics or heathens, as we call them, though, when the word ἰθνικοί is used, that is the particular notion of it,) but also to Palestine, either altogether, (as οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴθνοῦς, in Orig. cont. Celsum, l. 4, are the Jews in contradistinction to others,) or to the several parts of it divided now into tetrarchies, Judæa one, ἴθνος, and Galilee another, &c., and so saith Josephus of Galilee, that it was the valiantest ἴθνος, nation of Palestine, the powerfullest and best fortified, when he speaks of Vespasian’s overcoming it. And so in the Gospels, ἴθνος ἐπὶ ἴθνος, nation against nation, Matt. xxiv. 7, Mark xiii. 8, Luke xxi. 10, and John xi. 48, 51, 52, and ch. xviii. 35, and in many other places; (and agreeably the tetrarch of any one of these was called ἐθνάρχης, and in Latin authors, ethnarcha; of which see Baronius ad A. C. 2. August. 49.) And not only in the singular number, but also in the plural, συνοχὴ ἐθνῶν, Luke xxi. 25, the distress of nations, that is, of the several parts of Palestine, noted by ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, on the land, which belongs to that peculiarly, (see note [a] on ch. vii. and to the inhabitants thereof, the Jews, and not to the heathens in the rest of the world. For so that text refers, speaking of their distress and great consternation, (see note [f] on Rev. vi.) συνοχὴ and ἀπορία, and their deanimation for fear and expectation of what would come upon the οἰκουμένη, world, that is, that whole people, (see Luke ii. 1.) So Acts iv. 25, out of the Psalmist, the ἴθνη καὶ λαοί, nations and people, that murmured against Christ, are sure the people of the Jews, and are expressed, ver. 26, by βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ ἄρχοντες, the kings of the land and the rulers; by the kings meaning Herod, (who had the rule of them under the Romans,) Pontius Pilate, &c., and by the ἄρχοντες, the rulers, or chief men among the Jews, which, ver. 27, is expressly set down, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations and people of Israel, σὺν ἴθνεσι καὶ λαοῖς Ἱσραήλ: and this is a place directly parallel to that which we have now in hand, both referring to that of psal. 2, and so this also must be taken in that sense. See note [e] on Matt. xxiv.

[h] destroy the earth] That φθείρειν and διαφθείρειν signify to corrupt, in that sense that wicked men (διαφθειρόμενοι τὸν νοῦν, being themselves corrupted, and have their very understanding perverted, by custom of unnatural sins) do corrupt others: see note [b] on 2 Pet. i., and note [b] on 2 Pet. ii.; and that γῆ signifies the land and people of the Jews, see note [a] on ch. vii. And so the Gnostics, that infused their filthy doctrines and corrupt practices into the Jewish believers, may probably here be called the διαφθείροντες τὴν γῆν, they that corrupt the land, which are here to be destroyed, and so were most notably, saith Eusebius.

Revelation 11:19

And this as an effect of God’s covenant of mercy made with believers, and which will never fail to be performed to all Christians, that will in