Revelation 11
OGCRevelation 11:1-14
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 33
Text Revelation 11:1-14
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. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth. 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. 6 These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: 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. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 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. 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. 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. 11 And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly.
Initial Questions Revelation 11:1-14
Compare the imagery of Rev 11:1-2 with Zachariah chap. Revelation 2:1 ff. Discuss.
Who are the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3?
Is there any difference in the time during which the holy city shall be trod under foot (42 months), and the prophesying period of the two witnesses (1260 days)?
What is the significance of the sack cloth in Revelation 11:3?
What was the spiritual condition of Jerusalem as related in Revelation 11:8?
What violation of Jewish burial custom do we find in Revelation 11:9?
Does this second woe reveal that the havoc which is coming upon the earth is more intense than the first woe?
Further Preparations: Measuring the Temple; the Testimony of Two Witnesses
Chapter Revelation 11:1-14
Abruptly the scene changes. John is commanded to measure the heavenly temple. The real Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and John is writing a quarter of a century after the destruction. This makes the perspective of The Revelation more perceptive as its scenes move back and forth between heaven and earth. John’s imagery is taken from Ezekiel 40:3. The measurement of time used in this section of scripture is borrowed from Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7. During this period of time God’s two witnesses will be prophesying (Revelation 11:3). The descriptive imagery of the two witnesses comes from Zechariah 4:1-3; Zechariah 4:11-14; Zechariah 11:5-6. When their period of prophesying is finished they shall fall prey to The Beast. This Beast is described in the second part of The Revelation (chp. 12ff). Why was John commanded to measure the Temple? In view of Zec 2:1 ff it is possible that the measuring was to set it apart from all that is unholy. He was to measure the sanctuary, that is where the holy of holies, etc., was located.
The outside court, or the court of the Gentiles was not to be measured. John further sees that they will trample the holy city 42 months. (See appendix at the end of the commentary on Jerusalem: In History and Symbol!) For the first time in The Revelation a specific time is mentioned. The source of this time symbolism is Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7. This same period of time appears in three forms in John’s apocalypse - 42 months in this verse, 1260 days in Revelation 11:3 and chapter Revelation 12:6, and a times, times and half a time in Revelation 12:14. Those who are pre-occupied with dating the events of The Revelation and the coming again of Christ, apparently know more about God’s time table than John did.
God’s two faithful witnesses were empowered so that they will prophesy 1260 days having been clothed (in - not in text) sack clothes. The period of their prophesying is the same as the 42 months when the holy city will be trampled in Revelation 11:2. The symbolism of sack clothes signifies repentance (see Jonah 3:5, Isaiah 22:12, Jeremiah 4:8) who are the two witnesses mentioned in this verse? It is impossible to identify them with certainty.
Some have identified them as Enoch and Elijah; others have identified them as Zerubbabel and Joshua, because of the two olive trees mentioned in Zechariah 4:2-14. The most common interpretation is that they are Elijah and Moses. The present author believes that the most sensible position to take is to admit that we do not know! The teaching of the verse is clear enough regardless of who the witnesses are. In the midst of the persecution there still remains those who faithfully proclaim the Word of God. (For further examination of the two witnesses see Milligan’S, The Revelation of St. John, pp. 59-69).
God’s protection is extended to His faithful witnesses to the extent that if anyone wishes to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies; and if anyone should wish to harm them, he must (dei - absolute necessity) be killed in the same manner. This verse is written in a first class conditional sentence which assumes the condition (of someone actually doing them harm) to be true to the actual state of affairs. John thus declares that being faithful to God’s word (as he was banned to Patmos) during the most intense stages of persecution will bring death to God’s witnesses.
The fire in the witnesses mouth could be the symbol of the Word of God as in Jeremiah 5:14I am making my words to become in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.
It is this verse that some use to identify the two witnesses of Rev 11:3 as Elijah and Moses. John states that these have power (the Greek word means both power and authority) to shut heaven in order that (hina clause or purpose clause) it may not rain during the days of their prophecy, and they have power (same Greek word as above) over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every (kind of) plague as often as they may wish. Elijah had the power to shut up heaven so that it did not rain (see 1 Kings 17:1); and Moses had the power over the waters to turn them into blood (see Exodus 7:20). Though we cannot identify the two witnesses with absolute certainty, the identification above is the most feasible of all known to this author. At least we can say that Elijah and Moses were prototypes for the two witnesses.
When the period of their witnesses was finished the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war with them and will over come (nikçsei - future indicative - will as a matter of fact be the victor and the witnesses - the defeated) and will kill them. God’s faithful witnesses will not only be defeated, but will be murdered for the crime of being committed to the Living God.
John’s readers would immediately understand the imagery of this verse. Burials were the same day of the death in New Testament times (see A. C. Bouquet, Everyday Life in New Testament Times, Scribners, New York, 1953, pp. 149). In contrast to Jewish burial custom (and Christian) their corpse lie (no verb in the Greek text) on the open street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where indeed their Lord was crucified. The imagery of Sodom reveals iniquity, and Egypt spiritual and possibly physical slavery. Vincent (volume II Word Studies in the New Testament, op cit., see also Swete, op cit., p. 138) claims that the phrase the great city never refers to Jerusalem. But this seems to be improbable in light of the last identifying phrase where also our Lord was crucified.
The whole world sees their corpse three and a half days, and they do not allow their corpses to be placed in a tomb. In the first image the singular form of corpse is used, but in the second image the plural is used because each body would require separate burial. The term translated do not allow (aphiousin - means they were not permitted to bury the corpses.) The beast wanted the whole world to see that he had overcome God’s witnesses.
How did the death of God’s two witnesses effect mankind? Mankind paid no more heed to the word of God than during the time of Noah and many of the prophets. The ones dwelling on the earth rejoice (chairousin - present tense - they are at present - continually rejoicing) over them, and are glad (euphrainontai - present tense - continually making merry), and they will send gifts to one another; because these two prophets tormented (ebasenisan - 1st aor. indicative - disturbed their consciences) them that dwelt on the earth. The unChristian majority that dwelt on the earth rejoiced when the source (the two witnesses) of their tortured consciences was taken away. The testimony of the witnesses was unabated until they were killed. Relief came to the sinful hearts of the wicked only when they did not have to listen to the word of God which is sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).
The exultation of the pagan world will be shortened. - (Swete, op cit., p. 139). The imagery of the resurrected witnesses probably came from Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 38:1-14). The ungodly rejoicers got the surprise of their evil lives when a spirit of life (zôçs - this is not merely biological life - as this would require bios) from (ek - out of - God was the source of life - as He always is) God entered into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on the ones beholding (or looking on) them. Note the radical contrast from their making merry, and sending festival gifts to great fear. They thought that God and His faithful preachers were gone forever, but God’s purpose will not be thwarted by the most depraved form of evil dwelling in the hearts of men. Paul told young Timothy that the time would comeYea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12, see also 1 Timothy 4:1 ff).
After the resurrection of the witnesses (as Christ’s resurrection - following His testimony on Calvary) they were called into the presence of God by way of an ascension (note Christ’s crowning victory through His ascension to the right hand of the father). Christ was also taken into glory on a cloud (Acts 1:9). The witnesses now had a divine vantage point from which to see their enemies.
Even nature bore witness to the translated witnesses, through an earthquake. The ultimate result of its destruction was thatThe rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. Note the radical change from joy to terror. In fact they were so terrified that they recognized the God of heaven. This is the first time, throughout the entire ordeal of the seals and up to the sixth trumpet, that sinful mankind acknowledged the Lord and gave Him glory! This was probably not conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ but rather action brought on by their extreme degree of fear.
The preaching events brought the close of the second woe behold the third woe is coming quickly. (Reread Revelation 8:13 - for the mentioning of the three woes.) The second woe was disclosed after the sounding of the sixth trumpet. The events revealed in chapter Revelation 10:1 - Revelation 11:13 are the intervening occurrences before the sounding of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15.
Review Questions - Chapter 11
See Revelation 11:15-19.
Revelation 11:1-18
**Tomlinson’s Comments
CHAPTER XI THE MEASUREMENT OF THE TEMPLE**
Text (Revelation 11:1-18)
**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. 2 And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth. 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. 6 These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: 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. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 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. 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. 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. 11 And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly. 15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, 17 saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou has taken they great power, and didst reign. 18 and the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.**
Our attention is drawn in this chapter to the measuring of the temple, or the church as we shall find this temple to be.
Revelation 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
This passage reminds us of a parallel one in the Old Testament, in the book that has been called the Apocalypse of the Old Testament. The parallel is found in (Zechariah 2:1-2) Zechariah was a prophet to the remnant which returned out of Babylon after the seventy years captivity. The prophet sees a man with a measuring line in his hand, who upon being asked, whither goest thou? replied, To measure Jerusalem and to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
The significance of this parallel lies in the fact that Jerusalem was being rebuilt after its destruction. Likewise in the New Testament revelation the spiritual Jerusalem was being rebuilt after its destruction by the apostacy.
The spiritual Jerusalem of the New Testament is the church. Paul said, But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:26) There in the apocalypse of the Old Testament, Zion (Zechariah 2:10) is being separated from everything not according to God’s word (or Babylon) and in the New Testament Apocalypse God’s people or Zion is being called out of the Babylon of confusion of apostacy.
As the temple in Zechariah was being made ready for God’s occupancy I will dwell in the midst of theeso in the apocalypse of the New Testament, the living church, the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God) or Zion(the city of the Living God, But ye are come to mount Zion, and into the city of the Living God (Hebrews 12:22) is being rebuilt again and made ready for God’s occupancy and use.
In the Old Testament apocalypse we read, And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people, and in the last verse of the tenth chapter of Revelation, just before the beginning of the measurement of the temple, we read, Thou must prophesy, or teach, again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. Shall we carefully analyze this verse. We note:
First Who does this measuring.
It is not an angel who does the measuring but an apostle, even John himself. John is the sole remaining representative of the twelve apostles. In the giving of this little book in the beginning we read, that the church continued steadfastly in the apostles-’ teaching (Acts 2:42). The apostles, in the beginning did the measuring of the church, Now after the long and terrible apostacy when the little book is again given to the world through the work of translation, John, an apostle measures the temple.
The church for centuries, during the dark ages, had been measured, not by the word of God, but by the decrees of church councils and the pronouncements of the popes, The measurement is committed to a representative of the apostolic group. Originally in the day of regeneration beginning at Pentecost. Jesus said of this body:
Verily, I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration (greek-palingenesio. or re-creation, making new - the word occurs again in Titus 3:5 not but works of righteousness which we have done, by his own mercy he hath saves us, by the washing of regeneration etc.)
When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)
Now, again, in the regeneration after the apostacy, they, the apostles, shall measure the church of Christ.
Second shall we consider what measure is used. It is called a reed like unto a rod. A rod is often used as a symbol of correction.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron (Psalms 2:9)
I will visit their transgression with a rod. (Psalms 89:32)
A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding, (Proverbs 10:13)
A rod for the fool’s back (Proverbs 26:3)
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15)
And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth. (Isaiah 11:4)
So in correcting the departures from the truth a measure was given John by which he should measure the temple. The measure then is not a human standard, because it was given John. John did not make or choose this rod, nor did any of the apostolic body. The reed was given him. Therefore, it is a divine measure. A divine standard of measurement was given the apostles by Christ. That measure, or reed was the New Testament.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)
The New Testament, written by the apostles, given to them by the inspiration through the Holy Spirit, who shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you, (John 14:26), is the only divine standard with which the church, her worshippers, and her worship is to be measured.
- Third, shall we consider what is measured. He was to measure the temple. This could not have been the Jewish temple in Jerusalem because it had been destroyed under Titus and his Roman legions in A.D. 70. So this refers, not to a material temple, (because we are still in the realm of symbolism) but a spiritual temple. We have already heard Paul in (1 Corinthians 3:16) declare that obedient believers are the temple of the Living God.
In Ezekiel the fourteenth chapter, (which is too long to quote in its entirety here), the prophet sees a vision (he, too, is in the realm of symbolism) in which an angel was measuring with a reed a temple unlike any earthly, or material temple. The whole temple itself is exactly equal to the measurement of the reed, and each of its many chambers of which it is composed is also exactly equal to the measurement of the reed.
This strange and mysterious symbolism, representing what is apparently impossible perfectly symbolized the true church of Christ when it attains unto the fullness of the divine measure. The whole temple is exactly the size, being neither larger nor smaller than the reed. So the true church of Christ corresponds minutely with the divine measurements of the New Testament description of that glorious institution. In other words, the New Testament church, Speaks where the New Testament speaks, and is silent where the New Testament is silent. It neither adds to where there is silence, nor subtracts from that which is spoken. Again, as the temple in Ezekiel’s vision was made up of many chambers, each of which was the same size of the reed, or of the whole temple itself, so the church of Christ is composed of a multitude of congregations, or called out assemblies, each of which corresponds exactly to the reed of divine measurement, the New Testament. The individual congregations should all speak the same things, said the apostle Paul. They should not differ in name, creed, worship and observance of the ordinances of Christ as do the denominationalism of the Sardis period.
Paul gives us the perfect seven of the divine pattern of the New Testament church. (Ephesians 4:4-6) He says, There Isaiah 1
- One body - one organism, the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18);
2
- One Spirit - life animating the one body, even the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26) (1 John 4:1-3);
3
- One Hope - the certainty of Life eternal (Acts 23:6; 1 Corinthians 15:19; Hebrews 6:18-20)
4
- One Lord - one authority (Matthew 28:18 - Luke 2:11 - Acts 2:25 - Acts 10:36);
5
- One Faith - one confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. (Matthew 16:16-18 - John 11:27-57; John 12:1-50; John 13:1-38; John 14:1-31; John 15:1-27; John 16:1-33; John 17:1-26; John 18:1-40; John 19:1-42; John 20:1-31 Acts 8:37-40; Acts 9:1-43; Acts 10:1-43)
6
- One Baptism - one common practice, water immersion into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
7
- One God and Father of all - God by creation and Father by recreation, Father of his one and only begotten Son (John 3:16) and of all baptized believers by adoption (Romans 8:15 - Galatians 4:6-7)
We must also take note that not only were the temple and its worshippers measured, but its altar. It was on the altar that the sacrifice was offered, so the churches belief in the one atonement made by Christ is to be measured. This is very significant. The apostate church had taught the re-sacrifice of the Christ in the mass as conducted at the altar, though they claim it is unbloody. If it is a bloodless sacrifice it is entirely without efficacy, because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22)
Neither was Christ to be re-sacrificed, because we read:
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:25-28)
So we see He only returns once, so He could not return in every mass conducted. The Lord’s supper is the remembrance of a finished sacrifice. Only one absent needs to be remembered.
And does history record such a measurement? The most cursory examination of history will acquaint us with such a measurement. In the last chapter, the tenth, we found that the little Book, the Bible, was given to the world through the translation by the reformers, Wycliffe, Huss, Coverdale, Tyndale and Luther. These reformers brushed aside the voice of the papacy, the writings of the fathers, tradition and decrees of various church councils as false reeds of measurement and accepted the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice. Of course history also records that these reformers many times failed to continue to use this divine reed of measurement. Luther substituted the Augsburg Confession and used it as a measuring reed. John Calvin resorted to the Westminster Confession of Faith; the Wesley’s to the Book of Discipline, the church of England and Episcopalianism to the Thirty-Nine articles. But the principle survived and from all these groups there emerged in the dawn of the nineteenth century a movement of Restoration, which took as its divine reed of measurement Where the Bible speaks, we speak; and where the Bible is silent we are silent. These Christians of the Restoration movement understood what is involved in the symbol of measuring a building. They well understood that its limits are fixed in every direction. All that belonged to the church, as patterned after the New Testament model, was included; and whatsoever did not belong to that spiritual edifice was -excluded-’.
Thus we, today are looking back upon a continued searching of the little Book for the old landmarks long obscured by the accumulation of the ecclesiastical debris of the centuries. In this latter movement to restore the church in all her pristine glory and apostolic pattern there has been a seeking after the old paths and the whole church of that movement, as well as the thousands of individual call-out-assemblies are all one, each equal to the measurement of the divine reed.
Revelation 11:2. But the court which is without the temple leave (or cast out margin) and measure it not; for it is given to the Gentiles.
Note the word cast out, not leave out as in the King James version, is very forceful.
Those within by implication are Jews. We have already found in this book the word Jew is used to designate the true people of God, who are -within-’. By the same token, and in contradistinction, the gentile world symbolizes those who are said to be without. In Revelation 22:15 those that are excluded are spoken of as without are dogs,that being the appellation applied to the Gentiles by the Jews, since dogs were ceremonially unclean animals.
In the physical temple of Jesus-’ day the court without the temple was for the Gentiles, though they had precious little opportunity to enter to worship for the priests filled it with bleeting sheep, cooing doves and the barking of venders, accompanied by the jingle of the money changers! The court without was not to be measured. Here is meant the court of the Gentiles which surrounded the temple itself. This is symbolical of the world, and since the court without is not to be measured then the world with its unregenerate sinners, of which the court was a type, was not to be measured, because it did not and could not come up to the divine standard of measurement. And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. We will not go into the symbolism of the forty and two months at this time, but later. Five times this period is referred to in Scriptures.
The Holy City is a type of the true church, which is the city of the Living God (Hebrews 12:22) and it is to be trodden down or oppressed for a period of forty and two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days. Since a day in prophetic symbolism represents one year, then this time period is one of twelve hundred and sixty years.
*The Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:3-4* And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and three score clays, clothed in sackcloth.
By this verse and the context in which we find it we are evidently to understand these two witnesses are to testify concurrently during the same period of time that the Holy City is trodden under foot, and since they are to testify in sackcloth, they are to be in great tribulation during that length of time. We may well pause to ask, Why two witnesses? Since we are living in a book of symbolism, the number -two like other numbers found in this book must be symbolical.
Two, we may say, is the number of divine sufficiency in God’s testimony. Christ said, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established (Matthew 18:16)
Christ sent his disciples, who went forth witnessing, in pairs. Pairs are frequently encountered in the Scriptures. Moses and Aaron labored before all Israel; Joshua and Caleb brought back a favorable report concerning the land and together declared that We are more than able to go up and take the land; Haggai and Zechariah were twin prophets of the time of the rebuilding of the temple. On the missionary journeys Paul took another with him, sometimes Barnabas, at other times Silas and again Timothy. On the evil side of things we meet with Jannes and Jambres. Paul declared: Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his council, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation. (Hebrews 6:17-18)
We learn from this verse that they are God’s witnesses, so what they speak must be by divine inspiration.
The Two Olive Trees and Two Candlesticks
Furthermore we learn that these two witnesses are the two olive-trees and the two candlesticks. The purpose of a candlestick is to give light and that light is supplied by the burning of oil; evidently in this case, olive oil. The olive tree furnishes the oil required of the lamp to continue to burn and give light.
This reference to the two olive trees and two candlesticks harks back again to the apocalypse of the Old Testament, the book of Zechariah. They both are mentioned in the fourth chapter. Zechariah saw them, likewise in a vision where symbolism is the order of things. The angel asked Zechariah, knowest thou not what these be? and I said, no, my lord. Then said he, these are the two anointed ones (literally sons of oil) that stand by the Lord of the whole earth (Zechariah 4:13-14)
This declares that God’s two witnesses are furnished continuously with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as typified by the constant flow of the golden oil through the golden pipes (Zechariah 4:12)
I think we have enough information before us to identify the two witnesses. The little Book or the Bible is divided into two divisions or the Old and New Testaments. Here then, we have two testaments. The word testament signifies a witness, It is derived from the Latin word, testor, which means, I testify. The two testaments, then, are the two witnesses.
And both testaments, or witnesses are inspired by the Holy Spirit, the oil of the olive trees. Peter said of the Old Testament prophesy,
For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of men; but holy men of God spake as moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)
Again he declared in 2 Peter 3:1-2 :
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.
Paul said: The household of God is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20)
These two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments, testify of Christ. Jesus said of the Old Testament Scriptures Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39)
In the new Testament, John, the author of Apocalypse said in (John 20:31) These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life in his name.
One of the witnesses - the Old Testament - testifies of the Lord in type and shadow, and prophesy; the other - the New Testament - witness of the Christ in fact and fulfillment. These two witnesses are the Lord’S. And to them He gives divine power to testify, because they are fed with the oil of inspiration, which is the Holy Spirit, one of whose names is the Comforter, or one who energizesgives power. Reading on:
Revelation 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
They speak as one, for we read fire proceedeth out of their mouth. Jeremiah likens the word of God to a fire, and it is quite startling to learn that the fire of God’s anger is particularly directed against the prophets that speak and claim for their own utterances the authority of God, by saying, He saith. Hear Jeremiah:
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.
Behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. (Jeremiah 23:29-31)
Again the Lord said to Jeremiah: Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
He here uses the same word devour as Revelation employed in describing the destructive power of the fire of His word, or the two witnesses.
Paul says Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:13)
So God’s word shall try every teacher or prophet and every mans work, whether it be true or false. Christ, you remember, fought against the teaching of compromise in the Bergamos period with the sword of His mouth, so it is significant that this destroying fire of his two witnesses is said to proceed from the mouth. And it is true that the word of God can both save and destroy. It can both justify and condemn. At the judgment bar of God the fate of all men will be decided by the word. Jesus said in His commission:
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15-16)
Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
In other words, while this is symbolic language, these two witnesses have the characteristics of Elijah, the prophet and Moses, the lawgiver. Like the former they have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy, and power like the latter over waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with plagues. They two, collectively, have the power to do both.
Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony the thought here is, when they shall have made their testimony complete. This does not mean when they have ended testifying, but when it is complete or full.
The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and kill them. Where ever the word is fully, or completely proclaimed the beast will make war against the word to kill it. Did not Jesus tell his followers, When anyone heareth the word of the Kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. (Matthew 13:19)
A beast in Revelation is a symbol of a temporal power. The power that comes from the bottomless pit or the abyss we have already found to be Satanic, (Revelation 9:2-11). The beast then represents some devilish power or influence. This era, we shall find represents the great beast government upon which ecclesiastical dominion rides to great heights of power and dominion. According to the symbolism of this book, then, we are to understand that God’s two witnesses will be suppressed for a brief time by governmental authority, under the sway of Satan.
Revelation 11:8 The scene of their being overcome is next given: And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified.
The last six words of this verse have caused some to think it refers to Jerusalem in Palestine, but this is not so, because we read, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. So the physical Jerusalem is positively not indicated here.
This term is used eight times in Revelation and is never used referring to the physical Jerusalem, It is used in contrast to the Holy City. Since the Holy City, we have found symbolizes the church, a wicked city would signify an apostate church and a corrupted religion. The designations Sodom and Egypt are significant, Sodom with it sins and sorceries is a type of this apostate church, or city. Egypt, the house of bondage, typifies the followers of apostacy, in bondage to false teaching of that great city. Sodom speaks of moral and spiritual corruption, Egypt speaks of spiritual bondage and darkness, as well as cruelty and oppression.
Where our Lord was crucified is worthy of special attention. Later on in Revelation, we shall find that the apostate church is likened to a city resting on seven mountains. It is this city church which crucified our Lord! The outstanding characteristic of the Roman church, whose seat of authority is the city resting on the seven Palatine Hills, is her innumerable crucifixions of our Lord. While she has crucified Him with the apostacy of false teaching and practice, we must ever remember that the heart and center of her worship, both of the living worshippers, the ministration of her priests, and the burial of her dead is the Mass. And in the mass, under the false doctrine of transubstantiation, which claims the bread and wine are the literal body and blood of the Lord, she has Christ crucified millions, yes billions, of times. How well is it then designated, Where also our Lord was crucified. How much is written in this symbolic expression. But since the next verse reveals how long these witnesses were to lie unburied, it now becomes the proper and logical time to interpret the expression which signifies how long these two witnesses shall prophesy before they are slain.
Back in Revelation 11:3, these two witnesses were to prophesy in sackcloth for a period of a thousand two hundred and three score days.
The Twelve Hundred and Sixty Days
Sackcloth was in John’s day a garment of mourning. It was a symbol of sorrow and tribulation. So we are informed then that the two witnesses, or the Word of God, shall testify in times of mourning and deep tribulation. There were to be oppositions, hinderances, restraints and efforts to stifle their testimony. Does history bear this out? Let him who runs also read. The Roman Catholic church buried the manuscripts of the Word in the dust of neglect of its monasteries. Copies that were not thus lost were burned. Tischendorf found a monk at the convent of St. Catherine, as late as 1859 in the act of preparing to burn a manuscript which proved to be one of the three best preserved copies of the Bible. He induced the Czar of Russia to buy it and later it was sold to the British Museum for a quarter of a million dollars, where it now resides. Besides neglect and destruction the Roman church took the Bible out of the hands of the common people and made it a crime for any one to possess a copy of it. Many martyrs died at the hands of the apostate church because of having read it and daring to preach its truths. Among such, a few names stand like mountain peaks above the plain of common humanity; namely John Huss, Wycliffe, Jerome, Savonarola, Latimer, Ridley etc. Thousands were consigned to the stake for no greater crime than that of having in their possession the Holy Scriptures. Then, besides all this, the Bible was buried in Latin, a dead language, which few understood. Even the masses were said in Latin. It has been a standing policy of the Papcy to refuse to circulate the two witnesses in the common vernacular. Truthfully, the witnesses did prophesy in sackcloth.
And this period of mourning was to be twelve-hundred and sixty days. This span of time is spoken of under various figures of speech, but all refer to the same length of years. In Daniel 7:25, the horn which arose out of the ten hors was to wear out the saints of the most High for a period of -a time and times and half a time-’. This is generally understood to be a period of three years and a half years, or forty-two months, or 1260 days. Since a day in prophetic symbolism stands for a year, this would mean 1260 years.
In Revelation 11:2, the outer court was to be trodden down by the gentiles for forty-two months, or 1260 days, or years. In Revelation 11:3 the two witnesses were to prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days. The woman was fed of God in the wilderness for 1260 days, or 1260 years (Revelation 12:6). She is said to be nourished there for a time, and times and half a time, (Revelation 12:14) or three and one half years, or 1260 days or years. The same phraseology as used in Daniel.
So here we have five different passages in the Scriptures and all cover the same period of time in the history of the church, and all pertain to a long period of time of bitter persecution. Since a day in prophetic symbolism represents a year, then horn referred to by Daniel will speak great words against the Most High for 1260 years. For 1260 years the Gentiles, or a world empire shall tread the church under foot. For 1260 years the Bible shall testify in sackcloth and, the womana type of the true church, shall flee into the wilderness, or be in hiding, where God shall feed her for that length of time. Can we identify this period? History again is our right hand companion. The church suffered at the hands of two great powers, first, of Pagan Rome and second, of papal Rome, which came to preeminence and power upon the decline and fall of pagan Rome. If the misfortunes of the Empire tended to enhance the prestige and power of the ecclesiastical government seated in Rome, much more did the final downfall of the Empire hasten that religious domination to fruition. With the removal of the Emperor the bishop of Rome became ecclesiastical and temporal sovereign, The development, while gradual was none the less sure and irresistible. Paul in his time saw the mystery of iniquity already at work. Hear the apostle on this very beginning of departure from the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints and the rise of the man of sin:
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to naught by the manifestation of his coming, even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9)
Since the development is so imperceptible it is difficult to arrive at the exact year in the growth of papal power, which would be the beginning of the 1260 year period. Earlier in this discussion of the apocalypse we briefly reviewed the life of Justinian who ascended the eastern throne in 527. He was a man of unusual ability, so much so that the time of his sovereignty became known as the Era of Justinian. He became the Restorer of the Empire by conquest, and the law given to civilization by his collection and publication of the Body of the Roman Law. But his activities did not end here. He took a strong hand in the affairs of the church also. Says Gibbon:
The reign of Justinian was a uniform yet various scene of persecution: and he appears to have surpassed his indolent predecessors, both in the contrivance of his laws and the rigor of their execution. The insufficient term of these months was assigned for the conversion or exile of all heretics; and if he still connived at their precarious stay, they were deprived under his iron yoke, not only of the benefits of society but of the common birthright of men and Christians. Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire pages 528, 529Vol. v.
He further described how those who resisted these decrees and acts of persecution conducted themselves, On the approach of Catholic priests and soldiers, they grasped with alacrity the crown of martyrdom. Page 529, Vol. IV. Gibbon then proceeds to relate how the church was drenched in the blood of the persecutions instigated by Justinian. Surely our two witnesses were then testifying in sackcloth. By A.D. 531, four years after his ascension to the Eastern throne, Justinian issued a decree which subjected the whole of Christiandom to the Roman pope. D-‘Aubigne’s Reformation, Vol. 1, page 42 informs us that in A.D. 533, Justinian bestowed upon the Roman pope for the first time, the title of Rector Ecclesiae, or Lord of the churches.
Surely Paul’s -man of sin-’ mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, has now been fully exposed to view and revealed to all history. The papacy, the mystery of iniquity, working from the days of the apostles, after centuries of struggle has come to the full bloom of ecclesiastical power.
The secular power has finally placed its stamp of approval upon the supremacy of the papacy and supported this royal sanction by inflicting persecution upon all who failed to bow the knee to papal Rome. The climax has now been reached in the long series of ecclesiastical encroachments upon the supremacy of Christ and the autonomy of the local church. The word of God is superceded by the word of papal Rome and the two witnesses begin their long period of testifying in the mourning of sackcloth. At this time Daniel’s little horn has risen above its fellow sovereigns, the holy city, the true church begins to be trodden under the feet of Gentile government, both physical and spiritual. The true church is driven into the wilderness of hiding. Now shall we continue our scriptural unfolding, or uncovering of the experiences of our two witnesses.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall be in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9 And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
In other words the death of these two witnesses will be such a conspicuous event that all nations shall take note of it and perceive it, and this event will bring rejoicing just as the angel says:
Revelation 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice, over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.
These witnesses prophesied, or taught the will of God and their warnings, exhortations, admonitions and denunciations against the apostacy tormented the dwellers of earth. It has ever been so. The word of these two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments have always been tormenting to the wicked, morally or spiritually speaking. The Bible may be a -little Book,-’ and those who proclaim it, few in number and of lowly mein, yet it is as Paul declares:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
Now shall we take up the thread of history again. Going back to the date 533 A.D. when the man of sin was fully revealed in the ascension of the pope by secular decree to the Lord of the church, instead of Christ as head, we add 1260 years. This brings us up to the year A.D. 1793. Shall we let history tell us what notable event happened in that year. Did the testimony of the two witnesses suffer death at that time? The church had become so apostatized and corrupt that the world swung like a pendulum to the other extreme, to skepticism, agnostician and outright infidelity. There came the age of free thinking and infidelity. There were Voltaire and Rousseau in France; Frederick the great in Germany: Tom Paine, Hume, Bolingbroke and Gibbon in Britain, and Thomas Jefferson and Paine in America. The head of all this infidelity centered in France. Voltaire predicted that in one hundred years the Bible would become extant. The crest of the storm broke in France. The nation arose in a mighty movement that became a crusade, the object of which was to abolish religion and enthrone atheism. France the mightiest nation on earth at the time, for the first and only time in history, by legislative enactment abolished all religion. The convention met and by law abolished not only the Bible, but God. Not even Russia, with all her infidelity has gone to this legislative extreme. They abolished the old calendar and inaugurated a new one, the seven day week was suppressed, each month being divided into three periods of ten days each called -decades-’ and each day into ten parts. On Nov. 7, 1793 the revolutionists proceeded to abolish Christianity. They had dethroned the kings of earth; they proceeded to dethrone the King of heaven. The guillotine surplanted the cross. On Nov. 10, 1793 this madness culminated in the inauguration of the worship of reason. A mayor, or some popular leader, upon every tenth day would mount the altar and harangue the people concerning the achievements of the revolution and the privilege of living in the new era when no one was oppressed, either by the kings of earth or the King of heaven. This convention began on Sept. 20, 1792 and ran for three years, to Oct. 26, 1795 or 749 days, to be followed by the Reign of Terror. Gradually, saner heads began to take hold of the helm of state. One of the great movers to saner thinking was a deputy of the Third Estate, by the name of Robespierre. He wished to sweep away Christianity as a superstition, but he would stop at deism. He did not believe a state could be established on atheism. He declared, If God did not exist it would behoove man to invent him. Shall we hear Myers at this juncture:
In a remarkable address before the convention on May 7, 1794, Robespierre eloquently defended the doctrines of God and immortality, and then closed his speech by offering for adoption this decree.
(1)
The French people recognize the existence of the Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul.
(2)
They recognize that the worship most worthy of the Supreme Being is the practice of the duties of man
The convention adapted the resolution with the utmost enthusiasm. The two witnesses were to lie unburied for three days and a half, or three years and a half, since a day prophetically stands for a year, The enthronement of atheism lasted approximately three years and a half, when the French nation began to recover from its satanic madness. The atheistic decrees were repealed and Christianity acknowledged.
Revelation 11:11 And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon all them that saw them.
This signifies that the two witnesses regain their power and influence to testify. The witnesses were in sackcloth no longer. The age of religious toleration set in.
Summary
Thus we see that the man of sin was fully revealed in A.D. 533, when the pope became Lord of the church, dethroning, as it were the Christ. 1260 years later, the two witnesses were killed by the same legislative power which enthroned the Bishop of Rome as Rector Ecclesiae. But three years and a half later these atheistic enactments were repealed and an age was inaugurated which gave the two witness freer reign and activity than ever before. The Bible began to be circulated around the globe. With the nineteenth century began a mighty movement to circumnavigate the globe with the Scriptures, until today they are translated into nearly eleven hundred languages and dialects. And the very house where Voltaire lived, who predicted the Bible would be an unknown book in one hundred years, became a printing house to print the Bible itself! This lends light to our next verse:
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, come up higher, and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
This is still in the realm of symbolism. To be exalted up to heaven, symbolically, means to experience new power, influence and prosperity. An example of this usage is found in Christ’s statement concerning Capernaum:
And thou Capernaum, which art exalted into heaven, shall be brought down to hell. (Matthew 11:23)
And truly the enemies of the two witnesses have had ample opportunity to behold the exaltation of the two witnesses in the world wide circulation of the Bible throughout all the nations under heaven. Even the soldiers of the armies of the nations are furnished with copies of the Bible and that by the millions in number! Bible Societies date from this period which also marks the era of modern missionary endeavor. No wonder the next verse follows naturally and logically.
Revelation 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Remembering always that the great city referred to is the apostate church in contradistinction to the holy city the true church, we also remember that the Roman Empire in its downfall divided into ten horns, or, kingdoms, of which France was one of the ten. So a tenth part of the city fell from papal domination and inaugurated the age of religious freedom and toleration. And the same hour was there a great earthquake. An earthquake symbolized a great change. From a monarchy France changed to a republic. Says Myers:
The revolution having accomplished its work in France, having there destroyed Royal despotism and abolished class privilege, now set itself about fulfilling its early promise of giving liberty to all peoples. In a word, the Revolution became what has been called an armed propagandaShe would make all Europe like herself. Herself a republic, she would make all nations republic.
Myers Medieval and Modern History page 586 Myers further relates:
From the coronation of Napoleon in 1804 until his downfall in 1815 the tremendous struggle went on almost without intermission. It was the war of the giants. Europe was shaken from end to end with such armies as the world had not seen since the days of Xerxes.
Myers. Medieval and Modern History page 553. Then there was another earth shaking event. France’s soldiers excited an insurrection in Rome, made the pope a prisoner and proclaimed the Roman Tiberine Republic. Napoleon declared the pope was no longer a secular prince and took possession of his domains. Pope pius straightway excommunicated the Emperor, who thereupon arrested him, and for three years held him a state prisoner. He further removed the college of cardinals to Paris. His ambition was that Paris would become the capital of Christendom and he would govern the religious as well as the political world. At the same time the two witnesses were exalted in the new birth of freedom, an earth quake was shaking Europe. This was a religious and political earthquake.
The slaying of seven thousand men may well represent the wholesale destruction of royalty, of rank and nobility in France. The guillotine speaks eloquently here how thousands fell in the days of the Reign of Terror. Kings, Queens, Dukes-all fell. Paris became hardened to the sound of carts lumbering through the streets, carrying distinguished and insignificant people to the knife. Around the guillotine gathered the terrible knitting woman of whom Dickens tells in his book The Tale of Two Cities. These knitters stopped in their counting of stitches only long enough to check the heads as they fell from the descending knife.
Revelation 11:14 The second woe is past; and behold the third woe cometh quickly.
*The Seventh Trumpet Sounds
Revelation 11:15* And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
This is the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal, which brings the final victory and consummation of the age. Here is the last great triumph. It is the brightness of Zion’s glad morning, which ushers in the reign of Christ and the instrumentality by which this final victory is brought about is the exaltation of the two witnesses, or the world-wide conquest of God’s Word. The heavenly citizens join in the paen of praise.
Revelation 11:16 The four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell on their faces, and worshipped God.
This is the first we have beheld these princes of heaven since the opening of this great vision of the seven seals and the seven trumpets with its parenthetical interludes. And what is their song? Hear them:
Revelation 11:17 We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and has reigned.
They sing of the eternality of Christ, the great I AMthe self-existent One. While it may have seemed to the Saints that Christ was not reigning during this long period from Pentecost, when Christ sat down at the right hand of God, to the end of the gospel age, yet he was reigning and was able to bring to pass his will in the end. And now John reveals the distress of the nations at the time of judgment, and the reward of the saints.
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.
This is a vision of the judgment day. He continues: And that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great: This the reward for which the saints waited who had cried How long O Lord, Holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? They are now blessed with the eternal reward while those who persecuted them also received the reward of God’s revenge. They are destroyed. And shouldest destroy them which should destroy the earth. The nineteenth verse begins a new series of visions which belongs to our next consideration. We have now studied two series of visions given to John.
The First was of the seven church periods as he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.
(Revelation 1:10) the history of the spiritual welfare of the church is given, covering her life from Pentecost to the end.
The Second was of the political development of the Roman Empire as it effected the church. This is the period of the seven seals and seven trumpets, which also runs from Christ’s enthronement on the right hand of God, as proclaimed by Peter on Pentecost, to the blast of the seventh trumpet and the time of the dead, or the resurrection of the dead for judgment. Paul referred to this last trump when he spoke of the resurrection. He saw there the resurrection of the righteous:
Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
So we see that our first two visions begin at the same starting pointPentecost, and ends at the same point of timeThe Judgment.
Revelation 11:15-19
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 34
Text Revelation 11:15-19
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God 17 saying,
We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign. 18 And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
19 And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark, of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Initial Questions Revelation 11:15-19
Who announced that the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord - Revelation 11:15?
At what other previous point does John mention the 24 elders?
How did the nations react to God’s intervention - Revelation 11:18? Why?
Was the Temple of God mentioned in Revelation 11:19 located in Jerusalem?
The Seventh Trumpet-blast, or The Third Woe
Chapter Revelation 11:15-19
In contrast to the silence in heaven which followed the opening of the seventh seal, great voices are speaking as the seventh trumpet is sounded. What were the voices saying? The kingdom of the world became (egeneto - 2nd aor. ind. - became in a single act - now!) the kingdom (this noun not in text but implied by grammatical structure) of our Lord, and of His Christ; and he shall reign unto the ages of the ages. Here we note the title Lord applied to God the Father. This term is applied without reservation to Jesus Christ. This is a direct assertion of His deity. (See appendix at end of column on *The Titles for Christ in The Revelation.
We are once more in the throne room of heaven. The twenty-four Elders which were about the throne worshipped God. The victory had won and God is being praised.
The twenty-four Elders are praising Godbecause you have taken (eilçphos - perfect tense - ind. - action involved in the taking of the power is complete - effect still exists) great power to yourself, and did reign (ebasileusas - 1st aor. ind. - the reign was immediate - now!).
How does the world respond to God’s reign? The nations were wrathful (ôrgisthçsan - 1st aor. passive - indicative) and your wrath came (elthen - 2nd aor. ind. came in a single act!) and the time of the dead to be judged (krithçnoi - 1st aor. inf. passive) and to give the reward to your slaves the prophets, and to the saints, and to the ones fearing your name, to the small and great, and to destroy the ones destroying the earth. This verse makes it very apparent that God is going to judge the dead too. Everyone will stand before the judgment throne and give an account of every word and deed. Be not deceived; God is mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7, 1901 R.V.) Social status, level of education, I.Q., wealth, etc., will all be to no avail in that hour of judgment.
The sanctuary (naos - does not mean Temple in the sense of the entire physical structure) of God was opened in heaven, and was seen in his sanctuary the ark of his covenant, and lightenings and voices, thunders, an earthquake and a great hail occurred. (See Revelation 8:5 - for same symbolism after the opening of the seventh seal.)
The Kingdom of God has come after the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15 ff). The materials contained in the seven trumpets section appear to cover the same ground as the seven seals - only evil and God’s judgment are more intense.
Note: The imagery of the Jewish place of worship is often used in The Revelation. For a description of the Herodian Temple, which stood during the life and ministry of our Lord, and was destroyed by the Roman in 70 A.D. - see Josephus, Jewish Wars, 11:5. 1-7, Loeb Classics, Harvard University Press; and The Mishnah, translated by Herbert Danby, Oxford University Press, Fifth Civision: Kodashim (Things Holy) section on Middoth, pp. 589-598.
Review Questions - Chapter 11
Read Zechariah 2:1 ff and compare with Revelation 11:1.
What were God’s two faithful witnesses doing - Revelation 11:3?
What does the first class conditional of Rev 11:5 mean?
Discuss how Moses and Elijah could be called prototypes of the two witnesses - Revelation 11:6.
Does Revelation 11:7 imply that it often appears as though evil will prevail over God’s righteousness? Discuss the problem of evil and the ultimate victory of Christ - as revealed in The Revelation.
Were the two witnesses significantly successful (Revelation 11:8-10?) in their preaching of God’s Word?
How did the non-Christian world respond to the death of God’s witnesses - Revelation 11:11?
Does Revelation 11:13 specifically state that many non-Christians were converted in view of the phrase - gave glory to the God of heaven?
What is the meaning of the phrase the kingdom (note that this is singular, not plural as in King James Version) of world became the kingdom of our Lord, and his Christ - Revelation 11:15?
How does the sinful world respond to God’s reign - Revelation 11:18?
Revelation 11:19
**Tomlinson’s Comments
PART III THE TWO SIGNS IN HEAVEN CHAPTER XII**
Text (Revelation 11:19; Revelation 12:1-17)
**19 And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail. 1 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. 3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. 4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered, he may devour her child. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 8 and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. 14 And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus.
INTRODUCTION**
We have considered two series of visions; namely, the Seven Churches, and the vision of the seven seals, with their accompanying seven trumpets. In each of these series John is caught up out of the flesh. Before the unfolding of the first seriesthe Seven Churcheshe is in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. Before the second visionthe Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets, he says immediately I was in the spirit. Obviously between the two visions he was again in the flesh, else he would not have been called by the voice, as of a trumpet calling him to come up higher, whereupon he was again immediately in the spirit.
We are about to begin the unfolding of a new series of visions, as evidenced by the language of Rev 11:19, which, in passing we must say, should belong to the twelfth chapter. This division of the book into Chapter s and verses, as well as the punctuation is a modern method introduced to facilitate easy reading and ready reference to the different passages. Early manuscripts of the Bible were written in continuous rows of capital letters, without spaces between the words and sentences. The early manuscripts had no stops at all. Revelation 12:1 would have appeared in this fashion:
WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN
The earliest example of separated words is found in a manuscript of the ninth century and it was not until about this time that punctuation marks came into existence. The same is true of the employment of verses and Chapter s. Therefore, the division between the eleventh and twelfth Chapter s here is purely artificial and does violence to the division of the visions of Revelation.
Properly the blowing of the seventh trumpet closes that vision. It naturally follows that Revelation 11:19 begins a new vision. The very language indicates a new starting point. Note its similarity in wording to that of the opening of the second series of visionsthe seals and trumpets. There it reads:
After this I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven Revelation 4:1
Here it reads:
And the temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
While John seemed to have returned to the flesh between the first and second series, here there is no mention of that experience, rather indicating that he continued in the spirit, but the similarity of words with those of Rev 4:1, indicates that a new vision is being presented.
The language also makes it clear by its likeness to the former vision, which we found to have its starting point at Pentecost, that the same starting point begins that new series of visions. As we study this chapter we shall find this to be true. Since this is still the language of symbolism in a book of sign-i-fied visions, the symbol here is called heaven because it is a spiritual warfare about to start.
The ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies is brought to view. There are to be events uncovered which have to do with the temple of God. Since we are the temple of God, (1 Corinthians 3:16), then, the trials and vicissitudes of the church are to be presented in the language of symbolism.
This refers not to the Jewish temple, which had been destroyed some twenty-five years earlier by Titus, but to the spiritual temple, the Church of Christ. Its door is opened and its history foretold. The vision following will uncover the fortunes, sorrows, trials, persecutions and triumphs of the church. Its history will be traced until it is glorified by Christ, the husband. The Church’s heavenly destiny is symbolized by the fact that the Holy of Holies, the type of her final destiny is seen. The thunders and lightnings and earthquakes symbolize and foreshadow the commotions, earth shaking events, revolutions and judgments which shall take place in the fulfillment of the symbols of this new vision. Now we are ready to begin the study of the two wonders, or more properly, signs of chapter twelveI say more properly signs, for while the text reads wonders, in the margin the translation is sign.
These two signs are diametrically opposed to each other, both as to character and their war with each other. Shall we consider their interpretation as they appear in the verses. Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder (sign or symbol) in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
In all God’s references to his chosen, redeemed people, he likens them to a woman, whether the language was typical, prophetic or that of fulfilment. A woman is employed many times in the scripture as a symbol of the church.
Say to the daughter of Zion, behold thy salvation cometh (Isaiah 62:11). This is a prophecy of the church to come.
Ye are not the children of the bond woman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:31). The free woman here is the church.
God took the first pair to typify Christ and His church.
Paul said Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14)
Here he says Adam was a figure or type of Christ, so much so that in (1 Corinthians 15:45) Christ is called the last Adam, for we read: And so it is written, the first Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
If Adam then was a type of Christ, Adam’s wife would be a type of the bride of Christthe church, for Christ is the bridegroom as Christ claimed for himself in (Matthew 9:15).
And Jesus said unto them, can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast.
Paul, in (Ephesians 5:21-31), likens the relationship between the husband and wife to that between Christ and his wife, and closes with these words: This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:32)
Adam was indeed a type of Christ, because:
He was single awhile; so was Christ for he had no wife, the church, until he purchased her with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)
He went down into a deep sleep; so did Christ in the sleep of death.
His side was pierced in his deep sleep; so was Christ’s by the spear of the Roman soldier. (John 19:34)
Out of his side was taken his bride; so Christ purchased his wife by the blood that flowed from his side.
Adam said, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; and Paul said the same of Christ’s bride the church: For we are members of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:30)
Adam called her woman, because she was taken out of the Man, and the church here in Revelation is called a woman because she was taken out of the Man, as Pilate called Jesus, in being purchased by Christ’s death upon the cross.
Adam and his wife wore the same name, for we read: Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2). And the church wears Christ’s name collectively in being called the Church of Christ. How wrong it is then to wear a denominational name which dishonors Christ! And individually his redeemed ones are called Christians, which means belonging to Christ. (Acts 11:25-26).
Adam called his wife Eve, meaning the -mother of all creation,-’ and the church is the spiritual mother of the recreation. In (Galatians 4:26) Paul said: But Jerusalem, which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
So the woman here is a sign or symbol (and so called in the margin) of the church. We must get our symbolism right in order to progress truthfully and scripturally. So we have amply identified the woman here as the church, and of her we read that she was clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. Naturally, she should be clothed with the sun, because Christ, the Son of Righteousness gives her light. Jesus said: Ye are the light of the world. Said Paul: For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Take Christ out of the life of the church, then she, who is fair as the moon and clear as the sun, would walk in darkness. But she stands on the moon! The Old Testament has been called the moonlight age-typically reflecting the glorious light of the New Testament fulfillment. So in a very definite sense she does stand on the moon, not as a foundation (for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ), but she stands in the sense of following in succession of fulfillment. A diadem of twelve stars rests upon her brow, which undoubtedly refers to the twelve apostles, under whose teaching she dispenses light to the world. Christ filled the twelve apostles with the Holy Spirit to inspire the church to know His mind and will until the true church can say: We have the mind of Christ. Having identified the first sign, we will pass over the second verse for the time being to consider the second sign, for before we proceed farther we must understand the other sign, or wonder contained in this chapter.
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another sign in heaven, and behold a great red dragon. The latter part of this verse will await a little while for clarification.
For the third time in this book of Revelation we find the book itself uncovering its own symbolism. The first and second instances were in the case of the stars and candlesticks in Revelation 1:20. In almost all of the symbolism we have had to turn elsewhere for interpretation. Not so here, however, for the ninth verse explains this second sign. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Our understanding of him is made crystal clear. It would seem that God made a special effort here to so definitely identify the dragon that there would never be the least doubt. This is the same serpentthat old serpent which met the first woman, wife of the first Adam in the garden, and for a purpose typical of this appearing of him before the woman here, or the church. In the garden he made his appearance to deceive the woman with subtility. Surely, he is as old as creation, for in the garden he began his age-long career as a deceiver of mankind.
Then began the age-old conflict inaugurated by the divine dictum: And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
And just as he ever tried to destroy the seed line and finally the seed of the woman when the Son of God, become flesh, in the butcher of the infants of Bethlehem and the attempt to take his life during his ministry, so here we see a similar attempt to devour the seed of the woman as soon as he was born. The purpose of the dictum was to put enmity between them, and the accomplishment of God’s purpose involved the overthrow of the devil, and the supreme purpose of the devil has ever been to devour the woman’s seed, as soon as she brings him forth to the world.
So we have interpreted both signs and are ready to begin our study of the chapter. We will go back to the verse we purposely skipped to complete the unfolding of the two signs. Revelation 12:2: And she, being with child, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
John here calls our attention to the condition of the woman. She is about to become a mother. Evidently great significance is attached to this, because of the attention called to her condition. Shall we interpret the symbol of childbirth. In Isaiah 66:8, we read: As soon as Zion travaileth she brought forth children. The travail of Zion caused an increase.
Shall we turn now to the New Testament. Paul, speaking of the church said: Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that ye should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:4)
The law that bound these Jewish brethren to God, to whom they were married (Jeremiah 3:14) had been nailed to the cross and now being baptized into Christ they were married to Christ. And this spiritual marriage relationship was for the purpose of bringing forth fruit into God.
With this shall we hear Peter: If these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)
Just as husband and wife reproduce after their kind, so the church is to bring forth after her kind, or make other Christians. Here the church is pictured bringing forth Christ to the world in great travail of birth. From Pentecost forward she has, in travail of sorrow, affliction, persecution and opposition, brought Christ to the world. She is symbolized here as crying, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered.
That this manchild who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron which she brought forth, is the Christ is so obvious as to hardly need elaboration. There is no other way by which Christ can be brought forth to the world except by the church. Remember this is the language of spiritual symbolism. But if any proof is needed, the fact that this manchild was to rule the nations with a rod of iron carries our minds back to the Messianic second psalm.
The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shall break them with a rod of iron.(Psalms 2:7-9)
And if there were not enough proof, then hear Christ himself, for he takes this very prerogative to himself alone, And he shall rule them with a rod of iron. (Revelation 2:27). Also see Revelation 19:15.
And this conflict has a globe encircling aspect. Sun, moon and stars also are indicative of dominion. This is a stupendous conflict. The woman, the church and her manchild Christ are contending with the devil for stakes no less than the dominion of the world. This is emphasized by Christ’s battle, while yet in the flesh with the devil in the wilderness. Matthew said: Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kindgoms of the world, and the glory of them. And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9)
But before He shall rule the world with a rod of iron, before the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, Childthe manchild has ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of God until the last enemy is destroyed. This symbolism is not chronologically presented here in the order of his ascension and his being brought forth to the world by the church. We have had to travel back and forth in this chapter, leaving out some symbolism, in order to establish the meaning of the two great wonders or signs, and the interpretation of this birth of the manchild.
Revelation 11:3 Now we must return to finish the uncovering of the symbol of the dragon as he is described in Revelation 11:3. We have been told by the Book itself that the dragon is that old serpent the devil, called Satan. Four titles are assigned to him. Four is the numerical symbol of the entire compass of the earth. We have already seen four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, and there are four points of the compass to cover all directions on the earth.
Remembering always the devil is contending with Christ and the church for the possession of all the world, it is altogether fitting that this symbolism should represent him as having seven heads, expressive of the fullness of his assumed royalty and the ten horns symbolizing the world wide character of his rule and dominion. Since he works through a world power, and we know by subsequent history that he used a world power, Pagan Rome in his attempt to devour the manchild wherever the church travailed in birth to bring Him forth, the symbolism is perfect. We shall develop this move fully later in this book, but suffice to say here, that Pagan Rome, after her downfall divided into two kingdoms. A horn is a scriptural symbol of a kingdom as Daniel in the seventh chapter makes clear.
Here is portrayed the death struggle between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world under the sway of the dragon. Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven.
In agreement with the stars being angels later in this chapter (Revelation 11:7) we read of how the dragon fought and his angels. In our study of the Saracen scorpions we found that their sting was in their tails. In Isaiah 9:15 we found that the prophet that speaketh lies, he is the tail.
Putting this Biblical interpretation with our present verse under consideration that his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and also recalling that the devil, or dragon is a liar and the father of itthe lie (John 8:44) we arrive at the meaning of it all. It was through falsehood or lies that the devil drew these angels after him, even as by a lie he deceived the first woman, or Eve in the beginning of creation.
Shall we recall a startling statement, in this connection, made by Paul: And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. (Hebrews 1:6)
Here there seems to be quite a group who refuse to worship him but became subject to the devil. This also recalls Pauls declaration For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
So the church, in bringing forth the non resurrected and ascended Christ, to the world faces the devil, his angels and world kingdoms. Surely she can only do this through Christ who keeps on pouring strength into her. Now we are ready to advance in the chapter.
Revelation 11:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her a thousand and two-hundred and three score days.
For the true church the whole world is a wilderness, a place where there are no spiritual sources of nourishment. So God providently cared for her. But more when we come to Revelation 11:14, where her fleeing into the wilderness is again mentioned.
*The War in Heaven
Revelation 11:7* And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.
At first we would be tempted to fix the arena of this battle in the place usually indicated by the word heaven, but in as much as this is a book of symbolism, heaven as we usually understand that connotation to mean, cannot be the place of conflict. Particularly is this so when we anticipate the weapons used, and the results which follow in this warfare as enumerated in verse eleven. The overcoming was accomplished by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
Certainly there is no dying in heaven as we usually understand by that term, Heaven has no cemeteries. Death is an experience of this earth life only. But we will not say more on this verse until we come to it in its logical order. We have merely quoted it to show that this warfare was not in heaven itself. We have quoted it to establish the place of conflict. Heaven, here, is a symbol of the arena of conflict. The church and the devil fight in the spiritual arena, which only the term heaven could properly represent. The devil fights here in this world. Peter said: -Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Notice the word devour. Peter uses the same word as John in Revelation.
This walking about of the devil mentioned by Peter reminds us of another instance recorded in the Book of Job:
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them, And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 1:6-7)
How perfectly in agreement are these passages with the Revelation description of the arena of warfare began at Pentecostthe point of beginning of this vision and has continued ever since. We have already quoted page after page of history in the first two series of visions how Satan fought with the saints with bloody persecutions from the very setting up of the church. This casting out of the devil took place beginning at Pentecost and he is still being cast out into the earth or from things heavenly. We have already, under the brief discussion of the seven heads and horns, referred to a similar prophecy of Daniel. In Daniel we find that Michael is the great prince that standeth up for the children of thy people. (Daniel 12:1). So it is completely in keeping that we should find this same Michael standing up for the saints in this vision of Revelation.
Another insight to all this is that neither is the instance recorded in Daniel, nor this one in Revelation the only times Michael and the devil met in combat. In Jude 1:9 we read:
Yet Michael the archangel, when, contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee.
So this archangel must be of very great power because when the dead in Christ shall arise at the Lord’s descent from heaven, he is to come with the voice of the archangel. (1 Thessalonians 4:16). It is this mighty archangel which leads the angelic forces against the devil and his angels.
What encouragement this ought to give the saints to know how unseen forces fight on their side against the adversary of their souls.
A notable instance of unseen forces fighting for a servant of God, even Elisha, is found in 2 Kings 6:15-17 :
And his servant said unto him, Alas, my Master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them (the Syrians). And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
We now come to the result of this great conflict.
vs. Revelation 12:8-9 And (that is the devil and his angels) prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
This symbolism makes clear that the devil was defeated in his attempt. He was not only vanquished and defeated, but humiliated, or cast down. That this was to be accomplished by preaching is declared by Christ himself, as he commended his disciples upon their return from preaching. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)
Christ said, anticipating his death upon the cross, which death would overcome sin and its wages, Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31) This was a crushing defeat because not only is the devil cast out, but his power to kill by death was ended in Christ’s victory.
For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself partook of the same; that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil. (Hebrews 2:14)
Then comes the song of triumph:
Revelation 11:10 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
These declarations of this poem of praise again give us added information on the time of the beginning of this series. This victory came about when salvation came, and when strength from heaven came (ye shall receive power), and the Kingdom of our God, which we know Peter proclaimed at Pentecost when he preached the first gospel sermon, using the Keys to open the door of entrance into the Kingdom. This he did by the power of Christ who sent the energizerthe Holy Spirit on that day. It was a power which Christ said had been given him in heaven and earth. (Matthew 28:18).
The words of this song are a fulfillment, almost item by item, of the promise Christ gave his apostles just ten days before Pentecost. He had been with them forty days, speaking of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3) He further said: But ye shall receive power (the power of our Christ) after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8). Now we behold the weapons of their warfare, which Paul said are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
(2 Corinthians 10:4) Shall we read the list:
Revelation 11:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.
That was by preaching the atonement and teaching all men to be baptized unto the death of Christ that the blood might be applied for in His death he shed His blood for the remission of sins. (Romans 6:3-6)
And by the word of their testimony. This was done on this earth the arena of the spiritual conflict, because John, the author of this very book was in the isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:9)
And they loved not their lives unto death. There is no death in the heaven above. This action transpired here because men died as martyrs by untold thousands in the death struggle with the devil and his angels. Surley, this one verse removes all question as to the time and arena of these events. Pagan Rome, the political power through which the dragon or the devil worked, was vanquished and Christianity triumphed.
Revelation 11:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
This verse is a call for those who as overcomers dwell in the heavenlies, spoken of here as ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. This is not addressed to the angels, neither to the martyred dead, nor to the heaven, as usually understood by that term, because this call is like a door swinging on a hinge. Therefore in this case is the hinge, the door-post is the eleventh verse. Those of the eleventh verse are those who overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. According to the New Testament conception of things, the people of God, living here, are viewed as now dwelling in heaven, since their citizenship is there. The Christian is taught to consider himself a stranger and a pilgrim in the earth. Paul said:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3). Again
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6) Yet again:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. (Ephesians 3:10)
Paul also says that here and now we have already come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. (Hebrews 12:22)
So near to heaven is the church that Paul adds these words in that same verse, and to the innumerable company of angels. Why shouldn-’t this be so when we remember that he said of the angels are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
Thus we see that the saints are spoken of as they that dwell in the heavens in contrast to those who are spoken of as the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, upon whom a woe is pronounced because the devil is come down to them, having great wrath because he knoweth he hath but a short time. Defeated, humiliated, cast out by overcoming Christians he heaps the spleen of his anger upon the inhabiters of the earth, who are of the earth earthly.
The Persecution of the Church by the Devil
We see how the first great struggle between the woman and the dragon ended in ignominious defeat for the devil and a glorious triumph for the church. But the struggle is renewed. He now tries persecution. This is the exact order of the devils work and the experience of the church as depicted in the first series of visions. After the Ephesian period came the Smyrian period of the martyrs. So here we read:
Revelation 11:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
This completely agrees with what history tells us of the work of the devil during the second and third centuries of the church. From Nero in A.D. 70 to Diocletian in A.D. 303 to 313 the church went through ten major persecutions. Of course Pagan Rome was the instrument of persecution, but the guiding genius was the devil himself. The object of this malignant and venomous persecution was the woman which brought forth the man child, or the church bringing Christ to the pagan world. So God’s people are the object of hatred of the devil and they ever bear the reproach of Christ. Persecution, as a portion of the Saints dates from the last part of the Ephesian period and reaches its height in the days of Diocletian who inaugurated the longest and severest, as well as the last pagan persecution against the church. The devil learned that persecutions did not accomplish his purpose to blot out the name Christian from the earth, but rather the reverse. As far as he was concerned, he wisely changed his tactics, but as the church’s welfare was involved, the change of attack proved her downfall. Compromise was substituted for crucifixion. But more anon of this change of method.
Revelation 11:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times and half a time from the face of the serpent.
Between Revelation 11:6 and Revelation 11:14, we have as it were a parenthesis thrown in, in order to reveal the contestants, the method and weapons of warfare, and the triumph of the saints. The events described embrace both sides of the veil, some of which are heavenly and others on the earthly side of things.
Now Revelation 11:14 takes up where the narrative of unfolding was abruptly cut off or interrupted at Revelation 11:6.
There is given in Revelation 11:6 a description of how the woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared of God where she was to dwell 1260 days, or years. Here she goes to her place, and was to continue there a time, or a year, times, two years and half a time, one half year, or in other words three and one half years, or 1260 days, which in prophetic history Isaiah 1260 years. Therefore the periods are of the same length and both refer to the same segment of time.
But here is added a new symbol. The woman, or church is given two wings of a great eagle to facilitate her flight into hiding. This signifies divine aid given the saints to assist them in their escape from Satan while they still dwell in this world-the enemy territory. (John 14:30). The meaning and significance of eagle’s wings becomes manifest by turning to a couple of Old Testament passages, The first is in Exodus 19:4 where God said to Moses:
Ye have seen what I did into the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings, and brought you unto myself.
These people of the Old Covenant were a type of the saints of the New Covenant and their deliverance foreshadowed the escape of the people of God of the New Testament. Here the deliverance of the latter is described by the same symbol eagles-’ wings as the former.
The second passage is found in Deuteronomy 32:10-12 :
And found him (Jacob) in a desert land, and in the waste in the howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept his as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, heareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him.
Eagles wings then are a symbol of divine strength supplied and applied with energy and swiftness. We said earlier that there was indicated a change in tactics on the part of the wily serpent, the dragon or the devil. The next verse enlarges on this change.
Revelation 11:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
So when the devil failed to accomplish his design to destroy the saints and their witness, through violent persecution, he resorted to a new method of attack. Here we meet with a new symbol, that of a flood. The symbol of a flood is employed in the Word of God to represent some overpowering and overwhelming agency of destruction.
Let not the waterflood overflow me. (Psalms 69:15)
Thou carriest them away as with a flood. (Psalms 90:5)
The enemy shall come in like a flood. (Isaiah 59:19)
And the end thereof shall be with a flood. (Daniel 9:26)
Behold waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood. (Jeremiah 47:2)
This symbol is a most suitable one. None other could be employed which would so well picture the stupendous effort put forth by the devil to carry the church away and drown her testimony by the means of a flood of half truth, comprising alliances, false doctrines, pagan philosophies and practices, blended with the gospel. Since the true teaching comes from the mouth of the witnesses so here the flood pours from the mouth of the devil. This indicates false doctrines proceeding from the dragon’s mouth. And this is just what happened! After persecuting Diocletian came Constantine, who though a pagan embraced Christianity because he had won the battle of Milvian Bridge and he proceeded to corrupt the church with a flood of blended pagan philosophy and Christian doctrine. Thus we see the Smyrnan period of persecution fading out of the symbolic picture and the Pergamos period of compromise coming on the stage of church history. To save the church God carries her into hiding. And how long was she there? How long was she to be in the wilderness? 1260 years. We found in the second series of visions, consisting of the seven seals and the seven trumpets that this period began with the elevation of a man as Rector Ecclesiae, Lord of the church and ran until 1793, when the two witnesses were slain in the streets of that great citythe papal empire of Romethe apostate city in contradiction to the holy city. Much of this time corresponds to the Thyatira period or the Catholic church period.
Revelation 11:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
To exactly what providential deliverance from this flood the incident refers, it is most difficult to say, but a suggestion or two might help. Many of the heretical teachings of the early centuries disappeared, although it must be honestly admitted that others arose to take their places. But they were swallowed up, as if buried in the earth. Again: and this seems more likely, while apostate and pagan doctrines were flooding the religio-politico empire church with spiritual and doctrinal corruption, the truth of God was kept by a comparatively faithful few. These being unable to contend with the almost universal defection, contented themselves to dwell in obscurity or hiding. The Roman Church, which, was most certainly of the earth, swallowed up the flood of false teaching that poured out of the devil’s mouth.
Revelation 11:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
God has always preserved to himself a remnant. In the days of Old Testament Israel’s worst defection God told Elijah:
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18)
That has been the case through all dispensations. It was true during the Thyatira, or Catholic period of church history. The Albigerses, the following of Huss, the Hugenots and others are but a few of the larger groups that bear out this truth, to say nothing of the countless little groups of faithful saints who kept the torch of truth aflame. Though not visible to the eye of the historians during this period of the dark ages, intellectually, doctrinally and spiritually, yet the true church fed and nourished by God, survived in the hearts of hidden saints. Then followed the age of awakening, when the Bible was translated into the common vernacular, and the Sardis, or reformation period appeared on the stage of action. This in turn was followed by the Philadelphia, or Restoration period in which the church of the First Century reappeared, speaking where the Bible speaks, and keeping silence where the Bible is silent.
Summary
In this chapter we have presented to us a very rapid survey of the progress of the divine decree I will put enmity between thee, (the devil) and the woman, but magnified in the enmity between the devil and the church, symbolized as a woman in Revelation. The design of the vision of the twelfth chapter of Revelation is to carry us forward with the rapidity of bold, symbolic strokes to portray the early and middle stages of this great conflict; until we arrive at the last stage as uncovered under the vision of the two wild beasts of Chapter thirteen. For whereas the events of the twelfth chapter are described with extreme brevity, with long periods of time compressed into a few words, in the thirteenth chapter the uncovering becomes more detailed and definite.