Vision Two - The Seven Trumpets
Revelation Chapter 11
The writing style of this next passage (11:1-13) is sufficiently distinct to indicate a break in
the flow of Revelation. Some theologians consider differences in the writing style as an indication that this passage
was taken from earlier prophetic writing, and doesn't belong in Revelation. They propose that it has similarity
to apocalyptic writings around 50 A.D., which is why the fall of the temple is still considered in the future. However,
to me, this passage fits too well into the structure and the message. I agree with Robertson and Morris, who read in the
parenthetical nature of this passage that what follows is exactly the message that John took in with the little scroll,
which he must declare. What we have is a parable or teaching story, embedded within apocalyptic prophesy.
Measuring the temple (11:1 - 11:2)
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.
The parallel to this passage is in
Ezekiel 40:1-44:8,
where Ezekiel is taken by God to a "very high mountain," where a man who "shone like bronze" led him around the temple,
measuring as they went with a measuring rod. The purpose of this vision was to demonstrate the attentiveness that Israel
should give to God, to gather and preserve those who are true followers, and to condemn the others for not
measuring up to God's standards.
By the way, these measuring rods, or measuring reeds, were similar to bamboo and very tall. The official Hebrew unit of
measurement of a "rod" was equal to about nine feet.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the
holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The court left out was the court of the Gentiles. Measuring those that are inside, but not those
outside, is the same as identifying the faithful, just as counting the 144,000 was a validation of the faithful.
Barclay recounts a critical history lesson that leads to a proper understanding of the impact of this passage
on the listeners. Recall that this temple had been destroyed over twenty years before the writing of Revelation,
so there was nothing on earth left for John to measure. It is in the Jewish account of this destruction that we learn
that the Zealots, Jews fighting to the death to overthrow Roman rule, were driven back again and again by the Roman
troops until they were near the Temple. They retreated into the inner court of the temple, hopeful because they believed
that God would destroy any Gentile who would dare enter into the temple beyond the outer courts. Their faith was
misplaced, and the Roman soldiers marched in and killed all the Zealots and destroyed the temple. This massacre would have
been at the forefront of the minds of the first century Christians hearing of the measuring of the inner courts of
the temple. The message would have been sobering, with the reminder of the death of the zealots, and to come, the death
of the two witnesses. However, the act of John in following God's order to measure the temple also brings assurance
that even in destruction of the temple, God is in control and will protect his people beyond death.
The reference to "holy city" is a little confusing. In this interlude, it doesn't mean simply Jerusalem as much as
it represents the whole world, where God's holy people sojourn.
The "forty and two months" appears in
Daniel 7:25 and
12:7. The same
time duration is also called 1260 days in Revelation 11:3 and "time, times and half a time" in Revelation 12:14. It also
comes up, as 3 1/2 days rather than years, with the two witnesses. This common time reference, which is half of seven,
means a limited duration, a time cut short, that evil holds sway.
Barclay has another interpretation of 3 1/2 years. In 168 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, tried to
force Greek language, culture, and worship on the Jewish people. For three and a half years, Antiochus defiled the temple,
outlawed Jewish beliefs, and killed faithful Jews. Finally, he was driven out of Judah by Judas Maccabaeus, and the
temple was cleansed and restored. The Jewish holiday of the Festival of Hanukah came out of this historical victory.
Barclay, and many other scholars, believe the book of Daniel was written around the time of Judas Maccabaeus, and
so the "Abomination of the Desolation" and the time period of 3 1/2 years = 42 months = 1260 days are historical
references. Many other scholars, however, believe the book was indeed written by a historical Daniel in the sixth century
B.C., so that the book foretells accurately about the conquering of Judah by Antiochus. My conclusion: the book of Daniel
is even tougher to understand than the book of Revelation!
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore
days, clothed in sackcloth.
The most significant point of having "two witnesses" is the veracity of this message - Jewish legal
statutes, based on
Deuteronomy 19:15,
required that a charge be brought by two witnesses if it was to be accepted as the truth. Notice that their attire,
sackcloth, fit their message.
The Greek wording indicates that these witnesses were two famous persons, in line with Van Kampen's identification of
these as Elijah and Moses. The argument for Moses and Elijah seems obvious. The powers to be given them are references to
works of Moses and Elijah on earth. The transfiguration of Jesus, given in
Matthew 17:1-8,
has him talking with Moses and Elijah. Likewise,
Malachi 4:5 says
that "I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes." This is another case
of "near - far" prophesy, for Jesus teaches his disciples after the transfiguration that Elijah had already come, in the
person of John the Baptist. He also taught that just as John was killed, so would he be killed, and so will these two witnesses
be killed.
Moses and Elijah both were famous for being irritating messengers of God, just as these two witnesses are later said
to "torment" the people! Moses continually faced down the Pharaoh. Elijah the Tishbite (a "foreigner" from Gilead) was
a constant irritant to King Ahab and King Ahaziah of Samaria.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
In
Zechariah 4:1-14,
the lampstand is Israel, and the two olive trees are the high priest Joshua and faithful King Zerubbabel. These two
led the effort to reestablish the temple once the Jews had been released from exile in Babylon, as in
Ezra 5:1-2. Their
message is one of restoration, and of a call to the exiled Jews to repent and consider the temple that God will create
for them. However, in mixing the references between Elijah & Moses and Zerubbabel & Joshua, and using reference to
lampstands, as were used in chapters 1 - 3, the message of the parable is that the witnesses are representative
of all God's followers.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will
hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
The significance of this verse is that nothing can stop them from spreading their witness. The fire
here is similar to
2 Kings 1:9-12,
where wicked King Ahaziah twice sent troops to bring him Elijah, and Elijah called fire from heaven to consume the
troops. The repetition in these verses, as in the repetition of Elijah's fire from heaven, validates the certainty of this protection.
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
to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Elijah declared a drought on Israel in
1 Kings 17:1. In
Luke 4:25, Jesus
identifies the duration of the drought Elijah called forth -- as 3 1/2 years! As discussed earlier, Moses turned water into blood in
Exodus 7:20.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make
war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
This is apparently the same beast, the Antichrist, that will appear in 13:1 and 17:8, but we'll review the
background and role of the Antichrist in more detail when we study chapter 13.
The certain murder of the two prophets is troubling, just as when the martyrs cried to God at the fifth seal, and God responded
that more believers needed to be killed for their faith. In
Daniel chapter 7,
which prophesies about the Antichrist beast, also describes that the beast "made war with the holy ones and was
prevailing over them." The early Christians needed to know that persecution was not a sign that God had lost
control, but that persecution was part of the plan.
However, we can't stop our understanding of the murder of the two witnesses without recognizing that their time
had come! The Greek word translated "finished" means that their work had reached it end or its aim. Only when God had
seen that they had "run the good race," in Paul's analogy, did God see fit to take them home.
8 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.
Judah is called Sodom in both
Isaiah 1:10 and
Ezekiel 16:46. The
name "Egypt" is not applied to Israel or Jerusalem in the Old Testament, but it is an obvious symbol of slavery
and oppression from the days of Moses. The city is condemned for sinfulness, for oppression of the faithful, and
specifically for putting to death God's Son then and the two witnesses now.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and
shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth ["inhabitants", not "sojourners"] shall rejoice over them, and make merry,
and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The custom of the time was for a person's body to be buried the same day as the death, so leaving
a body without burial was a serious indignity. Here the Greek phrase for "inhabitants of the earth" appears again,
meaning non-believers. Gift giving was a common practice of celebration, which the Jewish people may have
picked up when they were in exile in Babylon, since the practice is described in
Nehemiah 8:9-12 and
Esther 9:18-23. In
our modern vernacular, this was a "Hallmark moment" - a man-made reason for celebration.
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet;
and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
As modern day Christians, our first thoughts are probably to the resurrection of Jesus, but
there are many other Old Testament examples of ordinary men being brought back to life as a demonstration of
God's power, as was intended in this passage. The reference to the "Spirit of life" could also be translated as
God's "breath of life", which brought life to Adam in
Genesis 2:7. The
same phrase is used again applying to all life on earth in
Genesis 6:17. A
better parallel to this passage is
Ezekiel 37:1-14,
where the vision of dried bones coming to life is a promise of God for his people. There is even a story in
2 Kings 13:21, where
as Elisha is being buried, a marauding band of Moabites threw a dead man in the same grave with Elisha, and that dead man
came back to life. (May marauding bands of Moabites stay far away from your funeral...)
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven
in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
While Christ rose to heaven viewed by his friends, and Elijah
(2 Kings 2:11) was
taken up with just Elisha watching, these two witnesses are taken up in full view of a crowd of enemies. Also like
Elijah and like Jesus, they were taken in a cloud. This is also similar to the rapture Paul describes in
1 Thessalonians 4:17.
This resurrection marks the end of the power of the Antichrist and of evil on the earth. Just as Jesus' resurrection conquered
death, so does this resurrection show a victory, and this victory is marked by immediate progress to the seventh trumpet.
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 [literally "the names of men"] seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
These 7,000 killed are more specifically identified than other groups in Revelation. This identification
is indicated by the Greek word onomata, which is used in Revelation 3:4 ("yet you have still a few persons
in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes") and
Acts 1:15 ("together,
the crown numbered about 120 names"). The point here is different from the warnings that were given when a fraction
of people were killed -- this wording makes it more specific, more purposeful, and more frightening.
Did these people actually become followers? Was this salvation? I believe so, because the only way to give glory to God is
to turn from sin and follow Him. This salvation would be in keeping with God's whole purpose for these activities.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
The third "woe" is the second coming of Christ, and the final judgement.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, ...
Notice the contrast to the seventh seal in vision one, which was followed by silence! This is part of the
story telling, as each repetition reveals more of the final victory.
... saying, The kingdoms of this world are [better translated "did"] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ ["Messiah"]; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, 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 hast reigned.
This is as close as John wants to take us for now to the celebration for all eternity -- like at the end of the seven seals, he teases us, gives us a little more detail, but leaves us hanging, ready to go back and tell the story one more t
ime.
The KJV inserts the three-fold recognition ("was", "is", "is to come"), so apparently the translators assumed part of the
text had been lost, and that this passage should parallel the three-fold description in Revelation 1:4, 1:8, and 4:8. Modern
translations translate this passage correctly from the Greek manuscripts as simply "who are and who were," for
there is no more need at the final victory to praise the One who will come, because He has already come.
18 And the nations were angry [raged], and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that
thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and
great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy [corrupt] the earth.
God's response to evil is measured and appropriate, shown in the choice of Greek words for "raged"
and "wrath," both of which have the same root. The word for "reward" can also be translated "to give what is due," and
likely references the parable of the workers in
Matthew 20:1-16
with the "reward" to the workers given at the end of the day.
There is a play on words with the Greek diaphtheirai, which means "to destroy." This word is translated correctly in
1 Timothy 6:5 as
part of the phrase "corrupted in mind." So, while the meaning is "destroyed those who corrupted the earth," the
poetry of the line is met with "destroyed those who destroyed the earth," as translated in the KJV.
Application for today
Marva Dawn identifies a common thread between the two interludes after the sixth seal and the two
interludes after the sixth trumpet. In both, the first of the interludes (the four angels holding the winds and the mighty
angel) answer the human plea of "how long?," but the second interludes (the gathering of martyrs in heaven and the two
witnesses) answer the more important question of what God's people should be doing in the mean time. This core principle
commands us, in Dawn's words, "to wait because of who God is, even when things don't change."
Dawn includes a modern illustration of this spiritual patience in a work by a favorite composer of mine, Olivier
Messaien. While in a German concentration camp, he and several other prisoners were allowed to play damaged musical
instruments that were in the camp, including a violin, a cello, a clarinet, and a piano. Messaien wrote a piece of
music for this unusual instrumentation called Quatuor pour la fin du temps, or "Quartet for the End of Time." In
secular terms, it is a marvelous example of the triumph of the human spirit over heinous circumstances.
The (translated) names for the movements of this piece show the inspiration and hope in this piece:
- Crystalline Liturgy
- Vocalise for the Angel Who Announce the End of Time
- The Abyss of the Birds
- Interlude
- Praise to the Eternity of Jesus
- Dance of the Fury for the Seven Trumpets
- Tangles of Rainbows for the Angel Who Announces the End of Time
- Praise to the Immortality of Jesus
I did not know until I read Dawn's book that Messaien used this passage as the inspiration for his piece. In doing so, he
grasp the hope of Christ in the despair of a prison camp, seized the lesson of acting for God even while waiting for God
to conquer Nazi evil, and delivered a powerful testimony of God's love and eternal victory.
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