REVELATION
11:3-14: THE CAREER OF THE TWO WITNESSES
Abbreviations:
NIV: New International Version;
ESV: English Standard Version;
NIVSB: NIV Study Bible; ESVSB: ESV Study Bible
SUMMARY
Revelation
11:3-14 gives a coherent narrative of “two witnesses.” These two prophesy for a period of 3 ½
years. Then, they are killed by the
“Beast.” Their bodies lie in on a street
for 3 ½ days. Then, they are resurrected
and are carried up into heaven in a cloud.
An earthquake follows, and people give God the glory. This narrative completes the description of
the second of three woes (See 8:13.) I
shall summarize my own and the commentator’s conclusions and then give a
verse-by-verse analysis.
There
are several issues or questions that reading this narrative gives rise to. Among these are the following:
- Identity of the 2 witnesses
- Their purpose
- The city
- The Beast
- Degree of symbolism
The Identity of the
two witnesses:
·
Metzger:
the church
·
Rist:
Elijah and Moses
·
Morris:
the church, possibly the two faithful churches in chapters 2 and 3, or
the martyrs of the church
·
Ladd: 2
literal people who will witness in the last days to Israel; they also represent
the witness of the church to Israel throughout history
·
Myself:
They seem to be individuals. Note
that the people of God seem to be described in 11:1. The court and city outside are not to be measured. Then, God grants prophetic ministry to two
people. The implication is that they
will prophesy in this area outside the measured-off area. Although they are of the people of God, they
are unique individuals with unique ministry and power. Their powers are reminiscent of Moses and Elijah,
but there is no claim that they those prophets.
In the same way that John the Baptist fulfilled the role of Elijah to be
a forerunner of the Messiah as he was prescribed in Malachi, these witnesses
act as forerunners to the return of Christ.
The purpose of the
two witnesses:
·
Metzger:
the church is to give faithful witness to the truth
·
Rist: to
be a forerunner to the return of the Messiah (Elijah) and to prophesy to the
wicked
·
Morris:
to give Christian witness
·
Ladd: to
bring Israel to repentance and conversion; to “bear witness of the law and the
prophets to the Lordship of Jesus as Messiah and therefore to the sin of Israel
in rejecting him.”
·
Myself:
We are not told much specific.
They are “witnesses” or those who give testimony. Jesus describes the apostles as witnesses in
Acts 1:8. They implication is that
Christian witnesses testify about Jesus and His gospel. They also are known to torment the
earth-dwellers, so this indicates that they are not shy about speaking about
the sins of people and the need to repent.
The city:
·
Metzger:
Jerusalem, “but the vision is enlarged to include the entire
world.” (70)
·
Rist: In
verse 8, the city “would certainly be taken to mean Rome” except for the last
clause. He quotes Kiddle, who solves
this by Sodom and Egypt being said to “constitute the evil ‘great city’ of this
world order, the earthly and temporal in contrast to the heavenly and the
eternal.” This “city” is the place of
Jesus’ death, of persecution, and of the death of the two witnesses. (447)
·
Morris: the
city is not Jerusalem, but “is every city and no city. It is civilized man in organized
community.”(150)
·
Ladd: He
believes that the literal city of Jerusalem is being referred to. He notes that the narrative would not have
any meaning in John’s day, since Jerusalem had been destroyed about 20 years
before. Therefore, he believes this
indicates that Jerusalem will become important and a center of Beast activity
in the last days. It will be “rebuilt and inhabited by Jews.” ((157) In reflecting
on the use of “Sodom” and “Egypt” to describe Jerusalem, he asserts that
Jerusalem is wicked because it is where Jesus was crucified and it “has thus
far rejected the witness of the two prophets sent by God to turn Israel to her
Messiah.” (158)
·
Myself:
The city seems to be Jerusalem.
However, it definitely is Jerusalem in league with the world. It is what is outside that measured-off area
where the people of God are. It has been
trampled by the Gentiles—probably both physically and spiritually. It will join the rest of the world in leaving
the bodies of the witnesses exposed and in rejoicing over their death.
The Beast:
·
Metzger: The
“demonic monster” from the bottomless pit is the one described in chapters 13
and 17.
·
Rist: “This
beast is the first of four of his kind in Revelation: the others are…Satan (12:3); the
beast…(13:1); and the beast with two horns…(13:11). These beasts are different, and yet they are
all incarnations…of Satan, and all are determined enemies of God, Christ, and
the Christians. Further, those in ch. 13
are identified with the deified emperors, and with the dead Nero, who will come
back to life to slay the faithful. The
beast in this chapter partakes of the character of these and for convenience
may be termed the Antichrist.” (446)
·
Morris: He
considers “the beast” to be the same as the beast that “is prominent throughout
the second part of this book.”
·
Ladd: He
refers to the beasts of Daniel 7 and to the Abomination of Desolation of
Matthew 24:15. He also refers to the
description in II Thessalonians 2. (155-156) He sums up and describes the
beast: “He is primarily an
eschatological figure in whom will be concentrated the centuries-long hostility
to God manifested in the history of godless nations; but this hostility is also
foreshadowed in Rome and its emperor as it was in Antiochus Epiphanes.” (156)
The beast in chapter 11, he says, represents all the powers that persecute
God’s people, but especially the Beast of the last days. (156)
·
Myself:
It seems certain that this is a mention of the Beast/Antichrist of
chapter 13 and following. It anticipates
the fuller explanations that will follow.
Degree of symbolism:
·
Metzger: Summary: “What John is concerned to bring out…is that
the church, whose lot is to suffer persecution..., will nevertheless continue
to give faithful witness to the truth.”
The safety of the Temple symbolizes the security of the church’s “true
life.” (70) The death and resurrection
of the witnesses are not “historical events” but symbolize the resurrection of
the church, which seems at times defeated but will live. (70-71)
·
Rist:
o
Identity of witnesses: literal—Elijah and Moses
o
Purpose:
forerunner(s) and witness to truth
o
Beast:
Emperors, esp. Nero revived
o
City:
this world order
o
Message:
martyrs ultimately triumph
·
Morris:
o
Identity:
symbolize the church
o
Purpose:
Christian witness
o
City:
civilized man in organized community
o
Beast: somewhat
a combination of symbolism and a real antichrist
o
Message: He
takes their resurrection as purely symbolical:
“History has often seen the church oppressed to the very verge of
extinction, but it has always seen it rise again…” but also believes their resurrection and
ascension is the rapture of I Thessalonians 4
·
Ladd
o
Identity:
not symbolic, real people
o
Purpose:
witness to Israel
o
City:
literally Jerusalem
o
Beast:
foreshadowed in Rome, but a real eschatological person
o
Message: “The
conversion of Israel is to be accomplished by a miracle of resurrection.” He states that this reminds one of the
revival of Israel described in Ezekiel 37:10 (when the dry bones are
resurrected). (158) He rejects those suggestions that this narrative is
symbolic of the perseverance of the church under persecution or that it
describes the rapture of the church. (158-159)
·
Myself:
There is constantly a spiritual message in Revelation that does not
detract from a non-symbolic interpretation.
The witnesses certainly represent all who are martyred for their
testimony. The city of Jerusalem as
spiritual Sodom and Egypt represents the anti-Christ civilization of all
people. The beast is a symbol of all of Satan’s henchmen, especially those who
gain great power and who persecute the people of God. The message of the ultimate victory of all
Christian martyrs and of all Christians should not be ignored. These symbolic or spiritual interpretations
do not undercut the literal anticipation of last-day events.
VERSE-BY-VERSE
11:3. Their commission: The unnamed voice of 11:1b-2
continues: “I will…” This seems to be God speaking. The Greek does not have “power” (NIV) or
“authority” (ESV). It just says “I will
give.” Dictionary says “appoint” is a
possibility for didomi. God is granting the full responsibility and
powers of the office of prophet to these two.
They are described as prophesying while they are dressed in
sackcloth. Sackcloth is a sign of
mourning. (Rist, 444) We should keep in mind that they are in mourning. This is important as we consider their
powers. The 1260-day duration of their
prophetic activity corresponds to 3 ½ years (with 12 30-day months). (Rist,
444-445)
11:4. Their identity as “olive trees”: First they are referred to as “two olive
trees” and “two lamp stands.” These both
are probably references to Zechariah 4.
Zechariah saw a vision of a lamp stand with two olive trees that poured
oil into the lamp stand. The vision was
interpreted, first, to mean that “’not by might nor by power, but by my
Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
(Zechariah 4:6) Second, the olive trees are said to be “the two anointed
ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:14) The wording in Revelation 11:4 is almost
exactly the same. The literal
translation of “anointed ones” in Zechariah 4:14 is “sons of the new oil.” (ESVSB)
That is: the trees are the sources of
the oil that flows freely into the lamp stand.
The following table sorts out the two interpretations:
|
Verse
|
Summary
|
Interpretation given
|
Location of interpretation
(verse)
|
|
2
|
Vision of two trees and lamp
stand with bowl and channels to the lights
|
This is the word to
Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power
but by might Spirit…
|
6
|
|
14
|
|
The two trees are the anointed
who stand by the Lord of the whole earth
|
14
|
Thus, the total picture we get is that God will work in the
rebuilding of the Temple through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Some interpret the two olive trees as
Zerubbabel and Jeshua—the governor and the High Priest. (NIVSB) Others
interpret them as Haggai and Zechariah. (ESVSB) The latter seems more logical,
because they are the prophetic conduit.
They announce the word of the Lord to those who have the responsibility,
i.e., Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
Now, in
Revelation 11, two last-day olive trees and lamp stands are predicted. They will be a prophetic conduit announcing
the word of the Lord. The word creates
light, just as a lamp stand does. The
fuel for the lamps is oil, which comes from the olive trees. (See also Morris, 148.) They are God’s
anointed ones, or sons of the new oil.
They stand before the Lord of the whole earth. Prophets—in fact all people of God—stand
before the Lord. They live out their
lives with a consciousness that they do so before God. Those who live carelessly, who have not
spiritual sensitivity—they live out their lives oblivious to what God thinks or
is doing. Rist takes a negative view of
the allusion: “John…completely discards
the meaning of the symbols for Zechariah.
For him the…lampstands and…olive trees are the two witnesses…” (445) I do not see the reference in a negative
way. I understand that John is using the
reference to Zechariah’s vision to enhance the reader’s understanding of the
two witnesses.
Morris
draws detailed conclusions from the symbolism that is used. He notes that lampstands were the symbols of
the churches in Revelation 1:12-20. From
this reference, he concludes that these witnesses represent the church. The fact that there are two witnesses rather
than seven, which is the number of churches in Revelation 1-3, plus the fact
that the witnesses are eventually killed (11:7), leads him to believe that
these witnesses represent all the martyrs of the church. (Morris, 148) I disagree with this analysis. First, the reference is obviously to
Zechariah 4. In that context, the olive
trees are individuals, and that fact cannot be ignored. The use of lampstands is also a reference to
Zechariah 4, although only one lampstand is mentioned in Zechariah. Thus, the lampstands point to the same
persons as the olive trees. The use of
lampstands to symbolize churches in Revelation 1 does not seem to apply
here. The statement is made that these
are unique individuals who stand before the Lord (11:4). Again, this is language very similar to
Zechariah 4:14: “Then he said, ‘These
are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.’” This latter verse seems to apply to
individuals, and so Revelation 11:4 also seems to apply to individuals.
Ladd’s
analysis of the identities of the witnesses flows from his theory that verses
11:1-2 are evidence that the passage is focused on the nation of Israel. Thus, the role of the witnesses is to
proclaim the message of Jesus to Israel and to bring about her conversion. He considers these witnesses to be symbolic
of the church’s witness to Israel throughout history, but he also considers
them to be two specific men who will prophesy in the last days. (Ladd, 154) The
references to Zechariah 4 affirm the “divine authorization of the two witnesses
and the source of their prophetic utterances.”
By the “source” he means the two-fold source of the Law and the
Prophets. (Ladd, 154-155) I disagree
with the role that Ladd assigns to the witnesses. He is imposing a viewpoint on the entire
passage (11:1-14) that does not seem warranted.
Although the chapter begins by focusing on Jerusalem, eventually the
whole world is involved. This we can
infer from two facts. First, the Beast—who
is a world dictator—becomes the archenemy of the witnesses (verse 11:7). Second, people from many nations are involved
in the decision not to bury them (verse 11:9), and they—the earth-dwellers—celebrate
because the witnesses are dead (verse 11:10).
Thus, the prophetic ministry of the witnesses is not specified as being
directed toward Israel, but the implication is that it is directed toward all
peoples.
11:5-6. Their powers: These
prophets have remarkable power:
- Fire can come out of their mouths and consume their enemies.
- They can prevent it from raining.
- They can turn water into blood.
- They can bring about any plague to harm the people of the earth.
Although the fire reminds many people of Elijah, it really
is a somewhat different type of power.
Elijah called fire down from heaven, whereas these prophets can spew
fire out of their mouth. (See Ladd’s interpretation below.) Elijah did prevent it from raining for a
period of years. Moses brought about a
plague in which water was turned to blood.
Moses also brought about nine other plagues. Thus, these two remind many of Elijah and
Moses, and some have speculated that they are those exact persons. Jesus and the disciples discussed the idea
that Elijah would come before the Kingdom came.
(Mark 9:11ff, Matthew 11:14 and 17:11-13) The origin of the discussion
of Elijah is in Malachi. In Malachi 3:1
a messenger is promised who will go before the Lord. In Malachi 4:5-6 the coming of the Day of the
Lord will be preceded by the coming of Elijah.
John the Baptist fulfilled the promise of this messenger by his
ministry. He denied he was Elijah (John
1:21), yet Jesus said he was Elijah.
Most likely, John denied that he was literally Elijah who had come back
to life. Jesus confirmed the prophecy of
the angel who spoke to John’s father Zechariah (Luke 1:17): “And he [the son who was being promised to
Zechariah and Elizabeth] will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
The
idea that these prophets have an Elijah-like ministry comes from two
ideas. One is that their powers (fire
and stopping the rain) are similar to those of Elijah. The other is that Elijah is connected to the
Day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5-6).
Pentecost discusses this extensively (309-313) and concludes that one or
both of the two witnesses will come in the spirit and power of Elijah and not
personally. This seems a reasonable
understanding.
Rist
gives the background that both Jews and Christians believed that three Old
Testament persons were residents of heaven—Enoch, Moses, and Elijah. Malachi had prophesied concerning Elijah
(4:4-6 and 3:1) that he would return before the Day of the Lord and that he
would be the forerunner of the Messiah. (Rist, 445) Moreover, the “clues” from the
witnesses’ powers lead many to believe they will be “Elijah and Moses returned
to the earth.” (Rist, 445)
Morris
ignores the allusions to the powers of Elijah and Moses. He believes that the fire from the mouths of
the witnesses is figurative. “The word
of the faithful witness is a consuming fire.” (148-149) On the other hand, he
takes the other powers more literally, though in a roundabout way: “…the faithful performance of the church’s
duty is itself one of the ways in which the judgments of God are set in motion
against an evil world…” (149)
Ladd refers
to Elijah’s calling down fire but believes that the reference is “more clearly
to Jeremiah,” whose words were “a fire devouring a rebellious people (Jer.
5:14). Thus, he interprets the fire as
figurative: they destroy their enemies
“by the words they utter.” (Ladd, 155) The description of their powers suggests
to him that they are Elijah and Moses.
They are not the prophets returning to earth, but they will be the
“embodiment” of them. (Ladd, 155)
Metzger
writes that the powers of the witnesses “brings to mind Elijah (2 Kings 1:10)
and Moses (Exod. 7:17, 19).” (Metzger, 70)
11:7. Their death: I believe that English translations
cannot fully convey the meaning of the dependent temporal clause (“And when
they have finished their testimony…”).
The verb is in the subjunctive, which is “the mood of moderate
contingency.” It expresses what is
“objectively possible.” “It is the mood
of probability.” The introductory
temporal adverb is hotan, which means
“whenever.” (All quotations are from
Brooks and Winbery, 122.) In this case
the clause is not expressing doubt, but
contingency. A
paraphrase of the clause might be: “Once
they have completed their testimony…” So, the Beast/Antichrist will not be able
to kill them until they have finished their testimony. The “Beast” is identified immediately: he is the one who is coming up out of the
Abyss. The Abyss, or “Bottomless Pit,”
was introduced in Revelation 9. In that
chapter, demonic locusts who are led by the “angel of the Abyss” came up out of
the pit to torment people. The Beast
will be described in chapters 13 and 17.
Those descriptions, together with the material in II Thessalonians 2,
create a picture of the person that most of us refer to as the Antichrist (from
I John 2:18). He is referred to as the
“Beast” in Revelation (actually the word—therion—can
be translated as “animal”). Incidentally,
no commentator seems to identify the Beast with Apollyon, the “angel of the
Abyss,” who is the leader of the demonic locusts that come from the Abyss. In verse 11:7, the brief mention of the Beast
is an anticipation of the fuller descriptions in Revelation 13 and 17. This kind of anticipation is found elsewhere
in the book. See, for example, the
promises to the conquerors in chapters 2 and 3.
There
are three stages that lead to the death of the witness: the Beast makes war on them, he defeats them,
and he kills them. Notice that they have
the ability to spew fire out of their mouths and burn up anyone who attacks them
(11:5). However, they have completed
their testimony, so now they no longer use this defense. This may be because they no longer have that
power, they no longer are allowed to use it, or they choose not to use it. As a consequence they are defeated—perhaps
this means that they are overpowered.
Without much detail, we are told that they are killed. One assumes that all of this is done by the
Beast’s agents and not him personally.
Rist
notes that the word for “martyr” and for “witness” is the same in Greek. The witnesses become martyrs, for “a demonic
beast” will kill them. Rist’s
understanding is that there are four different beasts in Revelation, including
the beast of 11:7: ”the others are…Satan
(12:3); the beast…(13:1); and the beast with two horns…(13:11). These beasts are different, and yet they are
all incarnations…of Satan, and all are determined enemies of God, Christ, and
the Christians. Further, those in ch. 13
are identified with the deified emperors, and with the dead Nero, who will come
back to life to slay the faithful. The
beast in this chapter partakes of the character of these and for convenience
may be termed the Antichrist.” (Rist, 446)
Morris considers
“the beast” to be the same as the beast that “is prominent throughout the
second part of this book.” He concludes
that the witnesses are a “mighty host” on the basis that the beast makes war
with them. He comments on the victory of
the beast: “When Christ’s martyrs have
completed their task they are removed from the scene. The words have relevance to every persecution
the church has suffered.” He quotes W.
Hendricksen, who applies the idea to the church in Russia. This, of course, is a very dated commentary
(I do not have an original copyright date—the reprint date is 1980), and
Hendricksen wrote in 1962 (He was referring to the Soviet Union.). (Morris, 149-150)
Ladd discusses
the beast, which he says was familiar to Jewish-Christian thought. He refers to the beasts of Daniel 7 and to
the Abomination of Desolation of Matthew 24:15.
He also refers to the description in II Thessalonians 2. (Ladd, 155-156)
He sums up and describes the beast: “He
is primarily an eschatological figure in whom will be concentrated the
centuries-long hostility to God manifested in the history of godless nations;
but this hostility is also foreshadowed in Rome and its emperor as it was in
Antiochus Epiphanes.” (Ladd, 156) The beast in chapter 11, he says, represents
all the powers that persecute God’s people, but especially the Beast of the
last days. (156) Ladd says that one should not make too much of the mention of
“war.” It is “simply conquest by
whatever means, not necessarily military weapons.” (Note above that Morris
interprets “war” to mean that the witnesses represent a host.) (Ladd, 157)
It
seems clear that the Beast of 11:7 is the same as the first Beast that is
described in chapter 13 as well as chapter 17.
This is the Beast/Antichrist, a prominent figure in Revelation. The prophetic ministry of the two witnesses
opposes the program of the Beast/Antichrist, so he kills the two
witnesses. These events should be
interpreted, I believe, with a futurist understanding: these are last-day events. At the same time, as the other interpreters
have remarked, these witnesses are part of the great tradition of martyrdom
among the people of God. Jesus declared
a blessing on those who are persecuted for doing the right thing and for being
associated with His name (Matthew 5:10-11).
11:8. Their bodies are exposed: To add to their defeat and death, the
witnesses are disgraced by not being buried, but having their bodies lie in the
streets of Jerusalem. This was great
indignity for the ancient people of the Middle East. I am not sure what is involved, but one can
assume what anyone of any day would feel.
A dead body is a defeated body.
It has been overcome either by violence or natural disease
processes. Such a body cannot create any
dignity for itself: it cannot stand
erect or sit with head held high. It
cannot move itself nor clothe itself nor speak for itself. It is at the utter mercy of those who have
possession of it. In this case the
witnesses’ enemies are in charge, and they have decided there will be no
burial.
The bodies lie in the city
that has the spiritual characterization of Sodom and Egypt. Sodom was known as a center of homosexual
perversion and known as the place that sought to rape visitors (Genesis
19:1-11). Egypt was the oppressor of
God’s people before the Exodus (Exodus 1:8-22).
The city is further characterized as the place where the witnesses’ Lord
was crucified. This, of course, makes
certain that the identity of the city is Jerusalem. The implication is that, since their bodies
end up in Jerusalem, they were killed in Jerusalem. The facts that the city was the site of the
crucifixion of Jesus and will be the site of the execution of the two witnesses
are evidence of the spiritual character of that city and the people it
represents. To those facts probably was
added the persecution of Christians in the first century. Note also that the city appears to be in
league with the Beast/Antichrist. Thus,
the capital of the people of God, the location of Mount Zion, the Temple, the
city of David, the place where pilgrims gathered over the centuries to
demonstrate their loyalty to God—this great city is now described as anti-God
and anti-Christ. Yet, one must keep in
mind that it also is called, in verse 11:2, the “Holy City.” It was beloved by Jesus, who wanted to gather
its people as a hen gathers her chicks (Matthew 23:37). And it will someday give its name to the
great city of God, the New Jerusalem.
Metzger
believes the martyrdom of the two witnesses “is likened to that of Christ in
Jerusalem.” (Metzger, 70) He interprets
the comparison of Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt as reference to “moral
degradation” (Genesis 19:4-11) and “oppression and slavery.” (Metzger, 70)
“To deny proper burial was considered a great disgrace and insult to the
dead.” (Metzger, 70)
Rist
comments that the city that is described in verse 11:8 “would certainly be
taken to mean Rome” except for the last clause.
He refers to Kiddle who believes that the “great city” is not a specific
place, but rather a symbol of “the evil ‘great city’ of this world order, the
earthly and temporal in contrast to the heavenly and the eternal.” This “city” is the place of Jesus’ death, of
persecution, and of the death of the two witnesses. (Rist, 447)
Morris
agrees with Rist’s analysis. Egypt and
Sodom stand for “wickedness and oppression.” (Morris, 150) He argues that the
city is not Jerusalem, but “is every city and no city. It is civilized man in organized community.”
(This also is his understanding of Babylon.
See Morris, 202-203.) (Morris, 150)
Ladd,
however, interprets the verse more literally.
He believes that the literal city of Jerusalem is being referred
to. He notes that the narrative would
not have any meaning in John’s day, since Jerusalem had been destroyed about 20
years before. (This assumes Revelation was written in the 90’s.) Therefore, he
believes this indicates that Jerusalem will become important and a center of
Beast activity in the last days. It will be “rebuilt and inhabited by Jews.” (Ladd,
157) In reflecting on the use of “Sodom” and “Egypt” to describe Jerusalem, he
asserts that Jerusalem is wicked because it is where Jesus was crucified and it
“has thus far rejected the witness of the two prophets sent by God to turn
Israel to her Messiah.” (Ladd, 158)
I
believe that the explicit designation of the city as where Christ was crucified
cannot be spiritualized; Jerusalem is being designated. At the same time, the characterization of the
city—not as the “holy city” but as a city that is spiritually akin to Sodom and
Egypt—links Jerusalem to what is going on throughout the world. It is certainly a part of Babylon (chapters
17 and 18) and of the same nature of Rome.
Jesus characterized Jerusalem of His day in a similar way: “your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:38)
11:9. The nations gaze on their
bodies: As the bodies of the
witnesses lie in the main street of Jerusalem, people from many nations and
ethnic groups are able to see them. They
make the decision not to bury the corpses.
Metzger
considers that the mention of nations and ethnic groups means that the vision
is “enlarged” from Jerusalem to the entire world. Morris believes the mention of the nations
and ethnic groups is evidence for his belief that a certain city was not in
mind, but all of sinful humanity (see above).
(Morris, 150) Ladd infers from the mention of people from all over the
world that the Jews are in alliance with the Gentile nations that surround
them. He comments that 3 ½ days or years
is symbolic of a time of trouble and is not to be taken with strict
literalness. (Ladd, 158)
I think
that this verse is key to understanding the role of the witnesses and how they
fit into the narrative of Revelation. People
from peoples, tribes, languages, and nations look on the corpses of the
witnesses. These same people make the
decision not to allow them to be buried.
I think this is good evidence that the prophetic role of these witnesses
is to all peoples rather than to Israel.
No doubt their ministry will have an effect on Israel, but their role is
to call all to repentance.
11:10.
The earth-dwellers gloat: The people
take the death of the two witnesses as an occasion to celebrate. It is Christmas in July, so to speak. They party, send gifts, and have a good time. They are utterly relieved that these
witnesses are dead. The two witnesses
had tormented them. This word is used in
cases of “torture,” extreme pain, and torment—such as a woman in childbirth or
demons suffering in hell. We can infer
that the suffering that the witnesses inflicted came in two ways. First, their powers—to burn people up, to
bring about drought, and to inflict plagues—would certainly cause torment. Second, they were “prophets” and “witnesses”
who spoke the word of God to the people.
No doubt this brought about feelings of guilt and defensiveness that
tortured them.
The
people who were tormented were the “earth dwellers.” This expression (it can also be
translated: “those who dwell on the
earth”) is found in Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 8:13, 13:8, 13:12, 13:14, 17:2, and
17:8. It is more than a description of
where these people lived. It is a
characterization of their spiritual condition.
For example the earth-dwellers worship the Beast/Antichrist (13:8, 12). They are deceived by the False Prophet
(13:14). They are intoxicated with the
wine of the adulteries of Babylon (17:2).
They are astonished at the Beast/Antichrist (17:8). Very likely the following
characterization—which Paul wrote to describe the people who will be deceived
by the Man of Lawlessness—applies to the earth-dwellers:
The coming of the lawless one is by the
activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all
wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the
truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they
may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Metzger
considers that the torment that the people suffered was the vexing of their
consciences when the prophets called people to repentance. (Metzger, 70) Rist
agrees with this analysis. (Rist, 448-449)
Ladd (along with other commentators) remarks that “those who dwell on
the earth” is an “idiom” for the pagan world.
He infers that the witnesses not only call Jews to repentance but also
rebuke the Gentiles and this leads to celebration of their death. (158)
Ladd
consistently imposes his view that the major mission of the witnesses is to
call Israel to repentance and conversion.
He recognizes that verses 11:9-10 imply that the witnesses’ ministry has
had an impact on many other nations besides Israel, but he seems to downplay
that role. It seems to me that there is
an almost total absence of support for his thesis about the role of the
witnesses. He bases his thesis solely on
the mention of the Temple in verse 11:1.
It strikes me that the information in verse 11:2 should be more
“controlling” in understanding the context of the witnesses’ mission. The “nations” or Gentiles will trample the
holy city for 42 months. That time
period is also the time period of the ministry of the two witnesses. Thus, it seems that the witnesses will be
sent to rebuke the trampling Gentiles.
For this reason, they rejoice when the Beast—their hero—kills the
witnesses. In all of this, Israel is
hardly in view.
11:11. The resurrection of the
witnesses: The time frame for the
bodies to lie in the street is 3 ½ days.
This was already given in verse 9.
This kind of anticipation is typical for the style of Revelation. The period is slightly longer than Jesus’
wait for resurrection. Perhaps, this is
to defer to Jesus as the First Fruit of the Resurrection. The witnesses are resurrected when the
“breath of life from God” enters them.
In Genesis 2:7, God formed man from dust and breathed into him the
“breath of life.” The Holy Spirit is
called the “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead” in Romans
8:11. Keep in mind that the word for
“spirit” and “breath” are the same in Greek.
So, it is not incorrect to think of the Holy Spirit as being the agent
of the resurrection. The witnesses
demonstrate their resurrection by standing up.
And that really scares people. A
moment before, these people were having a party because their tormentors were
dead. Now, they are standing on their
feet.
Morris
notes that in verse 11:11, the tense is past tense, because John believes the
events are so certain that he can refer to them as already completed. He takes their resurrection as purely
symbolical: “History has often seen the
church oppressed to the very verge of extinction, but it has always seen it
rise again…” (However, he understands
their ascension literally—see below.) (Morris, 151) Ladd, however, asserts that this description
of the resurrection of the witnesses is intended as a literal statement. He further states: “The conversion of Israel is to be
accomplished by a miracle of resurrection.”
He states that this reminds one of the revival of Israel described in
Ezekiel 37:10 (when the dry bones are resurrected). (158) He rejects those
suggestions that this narrative is symbolic of the perseverance of the church
under persecution or that it describes the rapture of the church. (158-159)
In most
of the visions that are described in Revelation, one can see possibilities for
symbolic interpretations. Nevertheless,
within the context of the book, these visions are understood to be descriptions
of future events. Thus, the witnesses will
literally be resurrected. The issue of
whether this is a description of the rapture of the church is not so easily
dismissed. Those holding to the
Mid-Tribulation Rapture theory believe that the experience of the witnesses,
including their ascension, represents the experience of Christians in the
church as it is described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. (Pentecost, 186) They believe the rapture will take place in
the middle of the seven-year period that is generally called the Tribulation
period. I believe the entire narrative
of the two witnesses consistently depicts two individuals and not the
church. Moreover, I think there is good
evidence that a chronology of Revelation would put the events of 11:3-14 close
to, but not quite concurrent with the Second Coming of Christ. I believe that the description of the seventh
trumpet is a brief statement of the Second Coming (11:15-19). Thus, it appears that the two witnesses are
killed shortly before the end of the seven-year Tribulation and not in the
middle of that period. I believe that
the Rapture will not occur until the Second Coming. Therefore, the witnesses are killed—and
resurrected—shortly before the Second Coming and the Rapture. This chronology for Revelation is taken
largely from Pentecost (Pentecost, 187-188).
11:12. Their ascension: A loud voice speaks and tells them to come up
to heaven. There is some ambiguity as
well as some textual divide on this sentence.
It could be “they heard” or it could be “I heard.” The latter would mean that John heard the
voice. This does not track with the
narrative, since the focus has been on the scene and not John’s role. However, such a consideration does not decide
the matter, since John jumps in and out of the narrative throughout the
book. If “they heard” is the correct
reading, then the question is: does
“they” refer to the spectators or to the witnesses? That cannot be answered for certain. None of this is particularly important. The important thing is that they go to heaven
in a cloud. There is the ironic
notation: their enemies see this happen. Their death is not permanent, and their
defeat is temporary. The fear of all who
see this is, no doubt, intensified.
Metzger
understands the death and resurrection of the witnesses not to be “historical
events” but symbolize the resurrection of the church, which seems at times
defeated but will live. (Metzger, 70-71)
Rist considers that the resurrection and ascension of the witnesses is a “great
triumph.” Their victory is a “sure
pledge” that Christians who suffer and die for their testimony will also
triumph. (449) Rist takes the fact that Elijah and Moses (which he considers to
be the identity of the witnesses) are not mentioned again as evidence that
“John has inserted an apocalyptic tradition which he has not thoroughly
integrated and harmonized with what is to follow. (Rist, 448-449) I do not see why there is any
necessity to mention the two witnesses again.
They recede into the background much as John the Baptist did.
Morris
goes in two directions in interpreting the ascension. First, he asserts that it will be literally
fulfilled “in the rapture Paul describes (I Thess. iv. 17).” But he also
asserts that the ascension of the witnesses can be interpreted
symbolically: the honor that eventually
is paid to those who are martyred for their testimony—this is a kind of
rapture. (Morris, 151) Ladd notes that
the wording of their ascension is almost the same as John’s entrance into
heaven in 4:1, but that the events are different. John “was caught up in spirit, in ecstasy,”
but the witnesses will go bodily into heaven. (Ladd, 159)
The
resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses is a complete victory over
their enemies. First, they are brought
back to life, and this action reverses their murder. Then, they ascend into heaven, just as Jesus
did. Their dead bodies have been left in
the street to be mocked and partied over.
But now their living bodies are carried with triumph into heaven. The consequence is that “great fear fell” on
those who witnessed these events. This is
powerful proof of the validity of their ministry and the validity of who they are. But more than that, it is proof of the
reality of the living God.
11:13. An earthquake: The story of the two witnesses ends with an
earthquake. The location of the
earthquake is “the city.” Since the
bodies of the two witnesses are in Jerusalem, their resurrection would also be
there. So, we have no reason to believe
that the location has changed and assume that the earthquake strikes
Jerusalem. A tenth of the city falls. I take this to mean that a sector of the
city, amounting to one-tenth of its area, is destroyed by the earthquake. Most translations say that “seven thousand
people” or “men” are killed. However,
the Greek has an odd expression: “seven
thousand names of men were killed by the earthquake.” This probably was just an idiomatic
expression, but it does highlight the idea that death has a way of wiping one’s
name off of wherever it might be recorded in the lists of the living. The “rest were terrified…” The “rest” would be those left in the
city. Although there is a world-wide
perspective in this passage, there is also a local perspective. The Beast/Antichrist is an international
figure, and he makes it his business to make war on the witnesses. When their bodies lie exposed, people from
various nations and ethnic groups rejoice over their deaths. Yet they lie in the street of a specific
city, and it is struck by an earthquake.
Those of that specific city now are in awestruck terror. Their response is to give the glory to God. The context implies that this praise is a
grudging praise (see various commentators below for various opinions). Very likely it is the testimony of these two
that has set the stage for the praise of God.
In other words, they have testified to the true God and his rightful
claim on people. When they are
resurrected from the dead and translated to heaven, their testimony is verified
and the people of Jerusalem are now willing to give God the glory.
Metzger
notes that, after the earthquake, the survivors are “shocked out of their
lethargy…and give glory to the God of heaven…How often the blood of the martyrs
becomes the seed of the church! (Tertullian).” (Metzger, 70)
Rist
states that the devastation by the earthquake is “but a token of the total
annihilation which is to occur.” He does not explain what he has in mind in
this context. (Rist, 449) He does not consider the fact that the survivors gave
glory to God is evidence of their repentance. (See other interpretations
below.) The apologists of the second and third centuries hoped for a change of
attitude among the heathen authorities, but “John was convinced that no such
transformation would occur; consequently Rome must and will be destroyed.” (Rist,
449) He considers that John wrote the
“little book” (10:2, 8-11) and that its contents are probably the narrative of
the two witnesses (11:1-13). (Rist, 449)
Morris
points out that the report of the devastation of the earthquake is, for him,
not consistent with the rest of the book, for two reasons. First, the proportion of the city destroyed
is one-tenth, rather than the usual one-fourth or one-third. Second, the number of deaths is given as a
number rather than a fraction (7,000).
He refers to Martin Kiddle, who believes that 7,000 represents one-tenth
of 70,000, which is a perfect number (7 X 10 to the fourth) and represents the
whole human race. (Morris, 151-152) He takes the giving of glory to God at face
value: “even sinful men could not
forbear from ascribing glory to Him.” But he does not equate this with
conversion. (Morris, 152)
Ladd
notes that an earthquake is one of the “convulsive events that presage the
end.” (Ladd, 159) The 7,000 deaths is a “limited catastrophe.” He estimates the city to have a population of
about 100,000, and thus about 10% are killed.
(I do not know where he comes up with the 100,000.) He asserts that the
“rest” refers to the rest of the Jews of Jerusalem. He infers that their giving glory to God is a
“symbolic way of describing the final conversion of the Jewish people as a
whole.” He rejects that the “rest” could
refer to the Gentiles, who are always depicted as unrepentant in
Revelation. He says that the giving
glory to God “suggest repentance, not merely remorse.” (159) He rejects the
suggestion that they gave glory out of fear and terror but did not repent. He cites the following uses of the phrase
(“give glory to God”):
- Joshua 7:19 Achan is told to give glory to
God and confess his sin.
- Isaiah 42:12 In the first “servant
song”: nations are called to give
glory to God
- Jeremiah 13:16 a call to repent under threat of captivity
- I Peter 2:12 a call to live lives that will cause “Gentiles” to give glory to God—implying their repentance
- Revelation 14:7 The angel with the eternal gospel calls people to fear God and give him the glory
- Revelation 15:4 In a praise to God the
question is asked: who will not
fear and give God the glory and worship Him
- Revelation 16:9 People did not “repent and give Him glory”
- Revelation 19:7 a multitude rejoices as the
marriage of the Lamb comes and calls all to rejoice and give God the glory
- Revelation 21:24 kings will come to the city
and bring their glory into it
I have highlighted those references that are doubtful in
support (one might say borderline support) of the thesis.
I think
that one cannot draw strong conclusions from the brief statement that after the
earthquake people give God the glory. It
could imply conversion, but it could be a grudging acknowledgment of God’s
power. I think that the giving of glory
to God does not represent a wholesale conversion of Israel. First of all, though the location is probably
Jerusalem, the people who are described as giving glory to God are not
necessarily limited to Hebrew people, since many ethnic groups are involved in
these events, as verses 11:9-10 indicate.
Second, the conversion of “all Israel” is predicted in Romans 11:26,
Zechariah 12:10-13:1, and Jeremiah 31:33.
This conversion seems to be very close to or simultaneous with the
Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10). These
events—the death, resurrection, and ascension of the two witnesses and the
earthquake that follows—do not seem to correspond to the Second Coming. It may be that the career and ultimate
victory of the two witnesses will have a powerful effect on the Hebrew people
who observe those events and play an important role in Israel’s ultimate
conversion.
Metzger’s summary of the narrative of the
two witnesses: “What John is
concerned to bring out…is that the church, whose lot is to suffer
persecution..., will nevertheless continue to give faithful witness to the
truth.” The safety of the Temple
symbolizes the security of the church’s “true life.” (70) The death and resurrection of the witnesses
are not “historical events” but symbolize the resurrection of the church, which
seems at times defeated but will live. (Metzger,
70-71) Metzger’s assessment comes from a
presupposition that Revelation is not predicting literal events, but is using
the “apocalyptic” to give a message to the first century church. Certainly, we should recognize the
“spiritual” or symbolic message of this narrative. God is more powerful than our enemies. Our faithful witness in the face of
opposition will be honored by God. There
is a final victory for the Christian.
However, the book is not written as a parable, metaphor, or other
literary device. It proclaims that the
events that it describes will “soon take place.” (1:1 and 22:6) So, I believe that one should interpret this
book from a futurist perspective with due regard for the spiritual messages
that it gives us.
11:4. Enumeration of the woes: One more piece of information completes
the narrative: This completes the second
woe, and the third woe is coming. In
8:13, an angel announces that the final three of the trumpets are “woes.” The events of the fifth trumpet are described
in 9:1-12. Those events constitute the
first woe. Rist believes that the
earthquake is the second woe of 8:13 and that the third woe will be described
in 11:19. The commentaries do not
further elaborate on verse 11:14.
Contrary
to Rist, I believe all of the events following the sixth trumpet make up the
second woe. The sixth trumpet sounds in 9:13.
The events associated with that trumpet are given, for the most part, in
9:13-21. The narrative of 10:1 through
11:13 is generally classified by an “interlude.” However, the announcement of 10:14 brings us
back to the framework of the “woes” and seems to include in the second woe all
that has been described after the blowing of the sixth trumpet. That is not of great consequence. One can think of the events of 9:13-21 as the
major events of the sixth trumpet—and the second woe. The narrative of 10:1-11:13 functions as an
interlude but, structurally, is also part of the second woe. This brings us “up to date” and prepares us
for the seventh trumpet and the third woe.
CONCLUSION: The narrative of the two witnesses
follows the command to measure the Temple and its worshipers and the information
that Jerusalem would be trampled by the Gentiles (or “nations”) for 3 ½ years. These witnesses have a powerful prophetic
ministry to all peoples that pricks their consciences so that they hate the
witnesses. Finally, after they have
completed their ministry, they are killed by the Beast/Antichrist in Jerusalem
and their bodies are allowed to lie exposed in the street. The earth-dwellers, who are determined
enemies of Christ and the people of God, rejoice over the sight of their dead
bodies, because the prophetic ministry of the witnesses has tormented
them. Suddenly, God’s Spirit revives
them and they stand to their feet and then are translated to heaven in a
cloud. This greatly frightens those who
see it happen. Then, an earthquake kills
7,000 people in Jerusalem. In their
fear, the survivors give glory to God.
This may be a grudging admission of God’s power, or it may be an
expression of genuine repentance and conversion. It does not appear to be wholesale conversion
of the nation of Israel that is predicted in Romans 11:26. This narrative completes the second of the
three woes that are predicted in 8:13.
We are now prepared for the seventh trumpet and the third woe.
REFERENCES
Brooks, James A. and Carlton L. Winbery. Syntax
of New Testament Greek. Lanham,
MD:
University
Press of America, 1979.
Crossway Bibles (2009-04-09). ESV Study Bible. Good News
Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary on the Revelation of John. Grand Rapids:
William B.
Eerdmans
Publ. Co., 1972.
Metzger, Bruce M. Breaking the Code. Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville:
Abingdon
Press, 1993.
Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol.
20.
R. V.
G. Tasker, Gen. Ed. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1980.
Pentecost, J. Dwight.
Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publ. House, 1958.
Rist, Martin. “The
Revelation of St. John the Divine” Exegesis.
The Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. XII.
Nolan
B. Harmon, Ed. New York: Abingdon Press, 1957.
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