REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 11.7

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

                                                                           

Chapter Eleven

The Great Tribulation

(Parenthesis)

Two Witnesses (Continued)

 

 

Preface

Bearing the semblance of a science fiction movie, two characters having supernatural powers appear on the pages of Scripture clothed in sackcloth. Fire emits from their mouths as they preach imminent global judgment. Acting as the lights for the Lord, they will lead a national movement of repentance for Israel and reconciliation with the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.

 

Keeping His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God will surely remember His remnant during Tribulation:

Leviticus 26:44 - And yet for all that, when they (Israel) be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.

 

No one, no power, no military might harm them until God gives permission. (See Job 1:12; 2:6). And as such, they become a terrible thwart and annoyance to Antichrist's program. And so, the two witnesses remain immortal until their ministry has been accomplished.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Please note one of the most profound, but overlooked, statements in the Bible:

And when they shall have finished their testimony

Do you realize that a child of God, living in the will of God, and being chosen by God for ministry is indestructible until his work is finished? But this does not mean there will be no obstacles to overcome. For example, David, giving edifying advice to his son Solomon said:

1 Chronicles 28:20 - …Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

 

The Beast

The word for a beast in Greek is thērion (Strong's G2342), meaning a dangerous venomous wild animal. There are thirty-six references to this creature in Revelation (this being the first), and they all refer to Antichrist.

 

In this passage, once the witnesses have finished their testimony, God will divinely permit the release of a beast from the Bottomless Pit (the deepest abyss of Hades). He will thus take on the form of a man and be a world ruler (Antichrist), empowered by Satan to make war with them, and the only one authorized to kill them. As the text continues, the result will be to God's glory.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Once the two witnesses are killed, their dead bodies (a corpse; singular in Greek, signifying the body of Christ) will be put on public display in the streets. This action is a violation according to Jewish law:

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 - And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

 

Death by Beheading

The form of their death is not stated. Even though hanging and crucifixion were common in the era of persecution, most likely they were beheaded, since beheading was traditionally prevalent because of its sadistic crude barbarism. Others at the time of John's writing met the same fate:

1.  John the Baptist – King Herod had his head presented to Herodias' daughter, Salome by honoring an oath:

Mark 6:26-28 - And the king (Herod) was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake…And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel (Salome): and the damsel gave it to her mother (Herodias).

 

2.  James the son of Zebedee – During the reign of Tiberius, Herod Agrippa I., grandson of Herod the Great, ordered James' death in this fashion:

Acts 12:1-2 - At that time King Herod caused terrible suffering for some members of the church. He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John. (CEV)

 

3.  The Apostle Paul – Although uncertainty remains, historian Eusebius and tradition suggest Paul's beheading by the Romans under Emperor Nero about 68 A.D. Subsequently, Paul's focus is sincerely expressed in his letter to Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:18 - And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly Kingdom: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Additionally, Revelation 20 speaks of the souls of beheaded martyrs: Revelation 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

The Great City

Many references in the Bible of the great city are to Babylon. However, this great city is citing the literal city of Jerusalem, but spiritually Jerusalem will be representative of the world because of its rebellion against God. The passage equates the great city to be no better than Sodom and Egypt. Sodom, once destroyed by fire, epitomizes gross immorality. Whereas Egypt, destroyed by plagues, typifies idolatry, and political oppression of its people. Thus, Sodom represents wickedness, and Egypt, worldliness.

 

In effect, Jerusalem will become similarly polluted and rebellious as once was Sodom and Egypt. Significantly, the two witnesses will be killed in the same city Christ was crucified. Furthermore, it will also be the seat of the Antichrist's rule:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 - Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

 

 

(Verse 8)

 

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 (allow) their dead bodies to be put in graves.

 

Demonstrating the tremendous impact of Tribulation, all people (unbelievers) dwelling on earth at this time will not only be overwhelmingly satisfied with their deaths, but they will gloat viewing their bodies for eighty-four hours – 3 ½ days, forbidding interment. Some have even suggested to these senses the probability of diverting another empty tomb.

 

Jewish Belief

Normally, Jews buried bodies on the day of death. In Jewish thought, it was considered a terrible thing for a body not to be buried. For instance:

1.  Without any remorse or conscience, comparing their bodies to food for beasts, and their blood to the value of water, the Psalmist laments:

Psalm 79:3 - The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood has they shed like water round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.

 

2.  Jews also believed the spirit of the dead hovered over a body for three days. In the following example, Lazarus had been dead for four days before Jesus called Lazarus forth.

John 11:17, 43-44 - Then when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already…And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go.

 

3.  Jesus rose on the third day:

1 Corinthians 15:4 - And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

 

And so, interestingly this brief time --- 3 ½ days they lay dead --- is congruent to the same length of time they prophesied and is also contrasted to the 3 ½ years of Tribulation.

 

 

(Verse 10)

 

And they that dwell upon the earth 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.

 

This passage marks the only mention of sinners rejoicing on earth. The Greek word for rejoice here is chairō. Unlike joyous exaltation or exceeding great joy, chairō is defined as being a joyful farewell greeting.

 

Hence, celebrating what the Antichrist has accomplished, an international happy holiday is inaugurated. Similar to the United States celebration of Mardi Gras and Rio De Janeiro's Carnival, but reserved as a symbol of victory, the holiday symbolizes the silencing of the prophets who denounced those who refused to believe in God.

 

Some have named this celebratory event "Happy Dead Prophets Day." Part of the celebration even involves exchanging gifts with one another. But be assured, one gift will not include a red-letter edition of the King James Bible. No, it will be more like bacchanalia clothed with hallucinogens. Remembering wise King Solomon's words: "There's nothing new under the sun" (cf. Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Isaiah 22:13 - And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink [and be merry]; for to morrow we shall die.

 

However, while the whole world is partying hard, something very extraordinary happens – Another supernatural event. This will be exhorted in the following study.

 

 

 QUESTIONS:

1.   Why are the two witnesses contrary to Antichrist's program?

2.   What happens when they finish their testimony?

3.   Describe the beast from the Bottomless Pit.

4.   How do they die?

5.   What happens to their bodies?

6.   What does the great City represent?

7.   How is their death honored?

 

 

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