Revelation 11b
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7-10 11-14 15-19
7-10 11-14 15-19
7-10
7-10
The historicist sees the death of the two witnesses to be the intensive effort made, beginning with Pope Innocent III in the twelfth century, to exterminate every trace of the resistance to the papal authority. That they were not to be buried is that Christian burial was denied to by papal decree to those who were regarded as heretics. In 1514 there was a decree saying that “There is an end of the resistance to the Papal rule and religion; opposers there exist no more.”, “The whole body of Christendom is now seen to be subjected to its head [the Pope]” after this decree and a statement by Pope Leo X there was much festivity made by the pope and others, the pope granting plenary papal indulgence. A plenary indulgence fully remits the penalty that must be paid for sins committed and confessed up to that time.
The preterist view of the witnesses being the prophets up to John the baptist is that they are over come and killed but not until they finish their testimony and this reaches its climax with the murder of Christ. At Christ’s death all manner of people rejoiced and mocked; the rulers, the priests, the Roman soldiers, all joined in celebrating his death. Pilate and Herod - who formerly had hated each other - were reconciled to each other with the death of Jesus. Luke 23:12 “And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.” The location of the witnesses’ death is the great city which is said to be Jerusalem, as most would understand the reference to where Jesus was crucified. Russell who sees the witnesses as James and Peter says that James was killed by the Sanhedrin in 69 AD and while Peter did die a martyr in Rome not Jerusalem his home was Jerusalem and in his case we may well say that the proverb would hold good “It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem”
The spiritual or symbolic view is that the beast representing the antichristian powers in the world which seek to silence the church’s witness will rise up and make war on the church and when their testimony is complete God permits the church to experience an apparent defeat. This defeat is measurable in days as apposed to the years of their ministry though. The antichristian world will rejoice at the apparent triumph of evil over the church and there will be much celebration.
Some of the pre-mil commentators see the beast coming out of the pit as Satan, John Walvoord says the beast out of the pit is Satan, the beast out of the sea is the world dictator and the beast out of the land is the false religious leader of that day, this unholy trinity is the satanic counterfeit of the divine Trinity. Others see him as someone empowered by Satan, as Satan is depicted as a dragon and this person is a ruler of the world often called the Antichrist who imitates the true Christ and rules over the people of the world and demands their worship, per MacArthur. MacArthur goes on to say that though he is a man, the beast is energized by the demonic presence and power coming from the abyss, the prison for certain demons. Whomever the beast is he is powerless to stop the testimony of the two witnesses until they are done, 1260 days or three and a half years. When this time is over though they will be killed and their dead bodies will be left out unburied for all the world to see and celebrate over. They will be in the great city, which is Jerusalem, now likened to Sodom and Egypt due to the wickedness now abundant there. Ironically, this mention of celebration is the only mention in Revelation of rejoicing. The worlds sinners will be happy because those who declared God’s judgments to them and tormented them with miracle power and messages condemning their sin are dead. This emotional response graphically reflects the extent and finality of their rejection of God.
11-14
11-14
The historicist sees the three and a half days as three and a half years using the year for a day from Ezekiel, this three and a half years admittedly fits very nicely to the date that the Fifth Lateran Council declared that there was an end to the resistance of the papal rule on May 5, 1514 and October 31, 1517, the day when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. This span is exactly three years and 180 days. This is the span that the resistance and opposition to the papal rule lay “dead”. That they stood on their feet describes the mighty revolution of the Reformation as rising from the dead in power. Pope Hadrian is quoted as saying “The heretics Huss and Jerome seem now to be alive again in the person of Luther.” Elliot sees the two witnesses being called up to heaven is a symbolic way of describing the church’s calling up to political ascendancy and power. He also refers to a decree by the Roman emperor, called the Pacification of Nuremberg, that granted full toleration to the formerly persecuted Protestants. The great earthquake is a reference to the political upheaval that went through Europe after the Reformation. The tenth of the city falling from the earthquake means that there will be a partial reduction in the power of the papal “city” which Barnes said that a considerable portion of the colossal Papal power suddenly fell away. Robert Caringola sees the tenth as a reference to the Church of England declaring itself independent in 1529, the first nation to break away from the rule of the popes. The reference to the seven thousand men killed from the earthquake are said by Elliott as the seven provinces or countries that fell away from Rome: Holland, Zealand, Frieseland, Groningen, Overyssel, and Guiderland, which are provinces of the Union of Utrecht, northern provinces in the Netherlands.
The preterist Davis S. Clark who saw the death of the two witnesses as the temporary abolition of law and order sees their resurrection as the return of government and religion after a very short reign of terror. Chilton who associated the death of the witnesses with the death of Christ, he sees the witnesses resurrection as the resurrection of Christ, the church, and her testimony as being unstoppable and the story of the two witnesses is the story of the witnessing church. Russell who saw the two witnesses as James and Peter says on the resurrection of the two witnesses quote “If we are asked, did this miracle take place with respect to the martyred witnesses of Christ, St. James and St. Peter? We can only answer, we do not know… We therefore quit the subject with this one observation: Four-fifths of the description of the Apocalypse suit the known history of St. James and St. Peter, and no one can allege that the remainder may not be equally appropriate.” The interpretation of the great earthquake that fell one-tenth of the city is the fall of Jerusalem, but not necessarily the final fall, only the first siege under Cestius. The seven thousand killed in the earthquake is seen as a symbolic number and Chilton suggests that it is the opposite of the situation in Elijah’s day from 1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”” There God told Elijah that 7,000 remained faithful to the Covenant and here 7,000 would be killed. Russell talks about an incident that Josephus wrote about during the Jewish war, that there was a terrific storm in the night and during this storm a great panic caused by an earthquake and taking advantage of the panic the Idumeans entered into the city and there was a great massacre in the outer court of the temple and that 8,500 were killed. To this he says: “We do not quote this as the fulfillment of the scene in the vision, although it may be so; but to show how much the symbols resemble actual historical facts”
A symbolic interpenetration of this is that there have been many times that the witnessing church has appeared to be beaten down and killed by the world system, only to arise again and be vindicated as God’s indestructible witness. In a figurative sense Christian martyrs could be said to be resurrected and exalted by the honor shown to them after their deaths. Even as the Jews, who killed the prophets sent to them by God, later adorned their tombs as shrines, Matthew 23:29-31 ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” William Hendriksen writes of the great earthquake, fall of tenth of the city, and the death of the 7000 “This is probably simply a symbolic representation of the alarming happenings on the very eve of the final judgment”
The more literal future event interpretation is that after the 3 and 1/2 days these two men, Moses and Elijah, or Elijah and Enoch etc. were raised from the dead by the breath of God causing all of the watching world to fear and panic when they arise and stood on their feet. Then a loud voice, most likely God called them home to heaven in a cloud as the world watched. MacArthur writes that some may wonder why the two witnesses were not permitted to preach after their resurrection. He goes on to say that signs and wonders do not make the gospel believable and quotes Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”” The world would not have much time to contemplate this event as within the hour a great earthquake occurs in Jerusalem and 1/10th of the city falls to rubble killing 7,000 men. MacArthur notes that the word translated as people literally means “names of men” in the Greek text and that unusual phrase may indicate that the 7,000 who were killed were prominent people, perhaps leaders in the Antichrist’s world government. The second woe has passed and now the third woe is coming quickly, the seventh trumpet is about to sound and then the violent bowl judgments and the return of Christ in glory to set up His kingdom.
15-19
15-19
The historicist sees the sounding of the seventh trumpet as bringing to an end to the first set of visions given to John, also this trumpet will bring us to the end of the age. This is not a momentary blast but and extended period including the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath, the last of which brings the end of the world. The bowls which are described starting in chapter 16 begin to be fulfilled with the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century and the last few bowls are in the future awaiting the coming of the Lord. This marks great rejoicing and worship in heaven as Christ has taken His great power and reigned. There is a note that the last verse of this chapter should be in chapter 12 as it introduces a new series of visions as did Revelation 4:1 “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”” This new series of visions opens similarly with Then the temple of God was opened in heaven. On the temple B.W. Johnson says that is not the Jewish temple which had already been destroyed but this is the spiritual temple, the church of Jesus Christ and that the lightnings, noises etc. foreshadow the commotions, revolutions, and judgments which will take place in the fulfillment of the symbols.
The preterist say that though there is an announcement that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ, this is not a declaration that the entire earth has at this point come under the forcible and conscious rule of Christ as it will be at the end of time. This is the time frame of 70 A.D. Clark, Adams, and Chilton agree that this is the ending of Christianity’s first great opposer Judaism. Thus the Kingdom of God, the “Fifth Kingdom” prophesied in Daniel 2, becomes universalized and is now a world religion after it is dissociated from Judaism. There may be a tendency to see the final resurrection and judgment in the passage, the time of the dead, that they should be judged, but this is referring to the martyred dead who had fallen in the persecutions, the same that were under the alter in chapter 6. Chilton says that this is “not the final judgment of the Last Day, but rather the historical vindication and avenging of the martyred saints, those who had suffered at the hands of ungodly Israel, as Jesus foretold” As a consequence of this judgment upon the earthly temple was that the temple of God was opened in heaven. “No sooner is the “first tabernacle” swept away than the temple in heaven is opened, and even the sacred ark of the covenant, the shrine of the divine Presence and Glory, is revealed to the eyes of men. Access into the holiest is no longer forbidden, and we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” quoted from Russell.
The symbolic interpretation is this is the final consummation of the reign of God and that he shall reign forever and ever. This is the end of the age but this is not showing the actual description of the judgement scene, rather this is the picture in heaven after the judgement with song and praise to God and Christ. It is mentioned that many manuscripts omit the phrase and who is to come as the ESV does and the KJV does not, and if the manuscripts that omit it are to be followed then the Lord is simply referred to as the One who is and who was, because having now returned already at this point, there is no further reason to predict His coming. The arc of the covenant being seen in the heavenly temple, is mentioned here as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His covenant people, the church. The lightnings, noises etc is a great display of the power of God and speak of the artillery of heaven.
The pre-mill view is that this sounding of the seventh trumpet sets in motion the final events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His earthly millennial kingdom. This passage is seen as relating to the whole of the final judgement, including the seven bowl judgments and Christs return. The kingdom of the world, this is singular because in reality all of the world’s diverse national, political, social, cultural, linguistic, and religious groups are under one kingdom and king, Satan. But now all the world will come under the kingdom of Christ and he will reign forever, this forever and ever encompasses the millennial kingdom flowing into eternity. The tense of the verb translated “has become” is what Greek grammarians refer to as a proleptic aorist, which describes a future event that is so certain that it can be spoken of as if it has already taken place. At the end of the millennium there will be another uprising but Christ will still reign. The 24 elders song praises the Lord and his judgment and his authority. At His coming in power to reign the unrepentant still rage against him but without any effect, this is the time of His wrath to be poured out. The coming of God’s wrath, “Your wrath came” is like the “has become” of His kingdom, it is so certain that it can be spoken of as if it had already happened. The time in “the time for the dead to be judged” is the Greek word kairos, which refers to a season, era, occasion, or event. This time will not only be of judgment but reward for all of His servants, prophets, and all the saints that fear His name. Saints is a common biblical description for the redeemed in both the Old and New Testaments. Those who destroy the earth is not a reference to those who pollute the environment or damage the earth physically but those who pollute the earth with their sin and includes all of the unbelievers left on the earth, the Antichrist and his followers. The opening of the temple of God in heaven and the revealing of the ark of His covenant symbolizes that the covenant God had promised is now available in its fullness, as God opens the holiest of holies where the ark was located. Along with the ark being revealed there is flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder, earthquakes, and a great hailstorm which are all associated with judgment and that heaven is the source of vengeance on unbelievers as well as blessings for the redeemed.