TUESDAY
Next, we come to another short interlude story of the temple and the two witnesses.
Revelation 11:1-3
The Two Witnesses
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Lots of interpretations have been presented on this text, even on the first two verses! Some take the temple literally to mean that the temple will be rebuilt in the end times and Jewish believers will be persecuted. Some see this as an allusion to the destruction of the temple in AD 70 (about 20 years before John wrote this). Or some take it as evidence of an early date of writing, mid 60’s before the temple was destroyed. Perhaps those in the outer court refer to those who are lax in their faith and are facing judgment. I think it’s best to take the temple as a symbol for the people of God. This text is then revealing that the people of God will be protected amidst the persecution of the current era of redemption history. In this interpretation, the 3.5 years are not literal as some would take them to be referring to the first half of the tribulation, but again to the time from Christ’s ascension until his return. This indicates the time is short until Jesus’ return. The church will be persecuted but it will also be sheltered and protected by God in this time.
The following story emphasizes a similar idea.
Revelation 11:4-14
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 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, 8 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. 9 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, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The identity of the two witnesses is the topic of much discussion as well, as one can assume. Some take them to be two literal prophets in the end times tribulation. Some have taken them to be Peter and Paul, Elijah and Moses, Enoch and Elijah, etc. The preterist view would take this as a dramatic telling of Jesus’ witness, death and resurrection. It seems best to take the two witnesses as symbols of the church. They are called lampstands, which in chapter 1 we see the lampstands are explicitly said to be churches. The olive trees are taken from Zechariah 4 which point forward to the church.
Verses 4-6 call the church to continue in its prophetic ministry. The witnesses are clothed in sackloth indicating their call for repentance and message of judgment. The church is to continue declaring the truth of the gospel, with the power of God to the world. The church is to prophecy in the spirit of Elijah and Moses as the signs they perform harken back to those great prophets.
Verses 7-10 speak of the humiliation and suffering of the church. The beast kills them. The beast we will be introduced to next week and refers to Rome and Rome’s power. Believers will be martyred, mocked as non-believers (those who dwell on the earth) will rejoice over their deaths.
The church, however, will be vindicated in the resurrection. The “breath of God” (life hyperlinking to creation in Genesis 1 and new life in the Christian life through the Spirit as breath and spirit are the same words in Greek) will enter them after a short time (symbolized by the 3.5 days) and they will be brought into the presence of God. Then the judgment of God will come upon the earth against the evil in God’s good creation.
Note, at the end of verse 13 some were terrified and gave glory to God. We noted a few weeks ago that the judgments of God caused the people of the earth to curse God and harden their hearts against him further. Here, what leads people to give glory to God is the prophetic witness of the church, the humiliation that comes with it, and the vindication that God brings by raising the church from the dead, coupled with God’s judgment. All of this together leads to the salvation of some.
This is a comfort for the church facing persecution from the Roman empire to remain faithful to Christ even unto death. God will preserve and protect his people to be in his presence with him. God will vindicate his people by raising them from the dead with Christ. This is also a call to the church to remain faithful to Jesus even unto martyrdom. It is through their faithful witness, vindication and the realization of God’s judgment that many will come to glorify God.
So people of God, be comforted that God will protect you against any trial. Take courage and continue boldly declaring the prophetic truth of the gospel to a world that doesn’t want to hear it. Even if it leads to martyrdom, continue declaring the gospel, loving your enemies and praying for those who would persecute you. Be hopeful, for God will vindicate you in the resurrection of the dead.