Protection, Persecution, and Prophetic Witness Pt.II

The Protected Temple

The Prophetic Witness

The Powerful Sign

First, let’s consider Revelation 11:7–10 “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.”

When the witnesses finish their testimony, a beast comes up out oof the bottomless pit to make war on them, to conquer them, and to kill them. Some see the fact that typically make war refers to conflict between two armies to support the idea that there are more than just two witnesses. Remember, it really does seem like the witness of the two is at least in some way symbolic of the entire church, even if we were to take them as two literal prophets at the end of time.

The death of the witnesses won’t happen until they have finished their testimony. Could this mean that the church will be absolutely victorious in the charge Christ has given her? The Scripture certainly teaches that all of Israel will be saved and that Christ will not lose a single person that the Father has given Him. One scholar sees the death of the witnesses as a parallel to the full number of martyrs being killed in chapter 6.

The beast will make war…and conquer the witnesses. The beast is identified with the definite article, possibly appealing to previous oral tradition and likely meant to bring to mind the Antichrist. He is demonic in some fashion, rising from the bottomless pit like similar elements seen before. John receives a word that is very similar to the one received by Daniel in Dan.7:21. Whereas the Daniel passage referred to the horn making war on Israelite saints, here the beast wages war on the full Israel, the church. He is portrayed as rising from the bottomless pit. This doesn’t mean he hasn’t been active, but that his activity will manifest itself in a way that becomes plain.

The world’s hatred for the church is shown in full display in the fact that the bodies will lie in the street. Refusal to bury bodies was an ancient form of utter contempt. It seems as if the church will be conquered, if not literally, at least for all intents and purposes. As history draws to a close, the voice of the church will either be silenced (as in the case of many places today) or insignificant. The fact that their dead bodies will lie in the street shows the utter contempt the world will have for the church. The Great Babylon will appear to have won.

The dead bodies will be left in the streets of the great city. Elsewhere in Revelation this is plainly identified as Babylon. Here, instead, it is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt. Both cities, however, fall in the same vein as Babylon, and indeed in our introduction study, Egypt was identified as another “Babylon.” Further, this should probably be read in contrast with the holy city mentioned in vs.2. If the holy city is meant to be understood as the church, then the great city should probably be understood as the opposite of that — those in opposition to the church. There is disagreement on whether this should be taken as a literal city or symbolically and spiritually. Since the city is not named explicitly, only by spiritual markers (Sodom comes to symbolize the utter embrace of the ‘lewd celebration of sin’ and Egypt, the place of bondage and oppression), it seems legitimate to understand them as symbolic. Finally, the city is identified as the place where their Lord was crucified. The same city that oversaw the death of Christ also stands in opposition to His people.

The city who killed her Lord did the same thing to those who would witness for Him. In this sense, the call of the gospel (take up your cross — Luke 9:23) is fulfilled in the witnesses, and the prayer of Paul (share in the fellowship of His sufferings — Phil.3:10) is answered as well.

CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL.

Have you denied yourself and taken up your cross, dying daily?

Do you embrace suffering for Christ as an opportunity for:

Deeper fellowship with Jesus?

Conforming to the image of Jesus?

“Attaining the resurrection from the dead” (Phil.3:11)?

It is interesting here that while we’re talking about two witnesses earlier in the chapter, John uses the singular phrase body when describing it lying in the street. This adds to the understanding that witnesses actually represent one body: the church. So, it seems logical then that there is one body that witnesses, the church, in its various manifestations throughout the earth, which is why it will be ridiculed by some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations of the earth.

It should be no surprise that the nations make merry and exchange presents. What is the unbeliever’s life if not debauchery, hedonism, and a full-embrace of the pleasures of this world? It is quite possible to read Rev.11:1-10 as a fleshing out of Psalm 79:1–3 “O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.”) where the temple is defiled, Jerusalem is trampled, the saints are killed, and their persecutors rejoice.

The witnesses were literal tormentors of the earth, so their death becomes cause for a sort of diabolical Christmas Day. Notice the contrast in joy, however. Those who reject God’s good rule rejoice momentarily in faux-victory, but the saved know ‘an eternal joy’ through forever fellowship with God at the final victory.

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

The time of celebration is cut short, a common occurrence in apocalyptic literature that shows God’s sovereignty over all things. The imagery of breath entering the two, causing them to stand up on their feet mirrors the dry bones in Ezk.37:5, 10. In the Ezekiel, the spiritual resurrection of God’s people is in view, and there is a gospel reminder that without spiritual life, one cannot hope to obtain the resurrection from he dead. As it does with Christ’s life, death, and teaching, the resurrection of the two proves the veracity of their message. The resurrection of the two should serve as a reminder that God always ‘has the last say.’

Notice the contrast between the mood of those who saw them. One minute they are rejoicing and making merry and exchanging presents, and the next they’re filled with great fear. This could be drawing upon Ps.105:38, which is an allusion to Exod.15:16 where Moses celebrates the terror and dread of the nations because God has delivered Israel out of Egypt. At the least, the ascension of the two provides certain hope for the final and ‘decisive deliverance and vindication of God’s people.’

Cloud is frequently used to show the presence of God. Here, the church is pictured as being in God’s presence. The fact that God is with the witnesses leads the people to be terrified. The vindicated witnesses have truly spoken for God.

The witnesses are vindicated through the resurrection and a great earthquake follows, killing a tenth of the city. In the least, there are phenomenal happenings as the eve of final judgment draws near. The earthquake may be the beginning of the wrath poured out in the seventh bowl. One tenth of the city fell, a precursor to the horror to come.

If the great earthquake is the same as the one in chapters 6 and 16, then it seems that the assumption that this all transpires at the end of history is correct. In chapter 6, the earthquake begins the final judgment, consummated by the seventh trumpet. The earthquake imagery is drawn again from Ezekiel 38:19 where Gog is judged at the end of time after it attempts to destroy ‘restored Israel.’ So, in context and related to Ezekiel, Ezk.37 deals with resurrected bones and Ezk.38 with a great earthquake of final judgment, and here the church, vindicated through resurrection, is followed by an earthquake of judgment ‘destroying the latter-day persecutors of the church.’

Notice the parallels to the death of Christ:

Jesus is resurrected and there is an earthquake vs. the great earthquake at the witnesses’ resurrection.

An angel descended from heaven vs. an angelic voice speaks from heaven.

The guards shook like dead men vs. the people were terrified.

The last thing to consider is what the response of the people is — is their fear and indication repentance or not?

Why could this passage refer to mass repentance?

While the phrasing isn’t an exact match, the themes are certainly parallel between 11:13 and 14:6-7 where the angel with an eternal gospel commands people to fear God and give Him glory. In several OT passages, the call to give glory to God is a call to repentance (Josh.7:19; 1 Sam.6:5; Isa.42:12; Jer.13:16).

One of the themes of the judgments in Revelation is the final offer of repentance (though before, the offer has been a measure of showing God’s kindness and confirming the hard-heartedness of man).

Why does this passage not refer to a mass repentance?

It would be the sole occurrence in the book of a mass returning to God before the end. There is no precedence for this line of thought, especially in parallel judgment passages in Revelation.

To maintain balance, it is better to understand this as ‘a fear-induced acknowledgment of God’s reality, rather than to an expression of saving faith.’

Lastly, the beginning of v.13 shows the the first stages of final judgment, so repentance at this point would be impossible. Rev.11:19 will shows the final consummation of this judgment. The seventh trumpet, which includes the final judgment, following on the heels of verse 13, seems to confirm this conclusion, and verse 19 is the climax of the seventh trumpet.

We’ve studied a lot the last couple of Sundays, but what does it all mean? How do we summarize it all? What bearing does it have on our lives?

The matter of our salvation is settled. The people of God are protected.

Believe that we will face fierce opposition…you look at places in Europe that used to be bastions of hope where christianity is now considered a relic for old people and children…with no practical bearing on the lives of most people…is it a far stretch to think that this type of apathy and opposition will soon come knocking?

Settle your commitment to Christ now, because waiting for the moment of temptation and persecution will most likely end in compromise.

Embrace the call of the gospel:

Die to self and live for Christ and you will lose nothing, even if everything in this world would be taken from you.

Embrace suffering, first as a means of deeper communion and fellowship with Christ, and second as a means of becoming more like Christ.