R
E V E L A T I O N
CHAP. XI.
In
this chapter we have an account, I. Of the measuring--reed given to the
apostle, to take the dimensions of the temple, ver. 1, 2. II. Of the two
witnesses of God, ver. 3-13. III. Of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and
what followed upon it, ver. 14, &c.
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The
Measuring of the
Temple.
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A. D. 95.
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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. 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.
This prophetical passage about measuring the temple is a plain reference to
what we find in Ezekiel's vision, Ezek. xl. 3, &c. But how to understand
either the one or the other is not so easy. It should seem the design of
measuring the temple in the former case was in order to the rebuilding of it,
and that with advantage; the design of this measurement seems to be either, 1.
For the preservation of it in those times of public danger and calamity that
are here foretold; or, 2. For its trial; that it may be seen how far it agrees
with the standard, or pattern, in the mount; or, 3. For its reformation; that
what is redundant, deficient, or changed, may be regulated according to the
true model. Observe,
I. How much was to be measured. 1. The temple; the gospel church in
general, whether it be so built, so constituted, as the gospel rule directs,
whether it be too narrow or too large, the door too wide or too strait. 2. The
altar. That which was the place of the most solemn acts of worship may be
put for religious worship in general; whether the church has the true altars,
both as to substance and situation: as to substance, whether they take Christ
for their altar, and lay down all their offerings there; and in situation,
whether the altar be in the holiest; that is, whether they worship God in the
Spirit and in truth. 3. The worshippers too must be measured, whether they
make God's glory their end and his word their rule, in all their acts of
worship; and whether they come to God with suitable affections, and whether
their conversation be as becomes the gospel.
II. What was not to be measured (v. 2), and why it should be left out.
1. What was not to be measured: The court which is without the temple
measure it not. Some say that Herod, in the additions made to the temple,
built an outer court, and called it the court of the Gentiles. Some
tell us that Adrian built the city and an outer court, and called it Ælia,
and gave it to the Gentiles. 2. Why was not the outer court measured? This was
no part of the temple, according to the model either of Solomon or Zerubbabel,
and therefore God would have no regard to it. He would not mark it out for
preservation; but as it was designed for the Gentiles, to bring pagan
ceremonies and customs and to annex them to the gospel churches, so Christ
abandoned it to them, to be used as they pleased; and both that and the city
were trodden under foot for a certain time--forty and two months, which
some would have to be the whole time of the reign of antichrist. Those who
worship in the outer court are either such as worship in a false manner or
with hypocritical hearts; and these are rejected of God, and will be found
among his enemies. 3. From the whole observe, (1.) God will have a temple and
an altar in the world, till the end of time. (2.) He has a strict regard to
this temple, and observes how every thing is managed in it. (3.) Those who
worship in the outer court will be rejected, and only those who worship within
the veil accepted. (4.) The holy city, the visible church, is very much
trampled upon in the world. But, (5.) The desolations of the church are for a
limited time, and for a short time, and she shall be delivered out of all her
troubles.
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The
Two Witnesses.
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A. D. 95.
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3 And I will give power unto my two
witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and
threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive
trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
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. 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. 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. 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. 9 And they of the people and
kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a
half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
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. 11 And after three days and a 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. 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. 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 seven thousand: and the remnant were
affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
In this time of treading down, God has reserved to himself his faithful
witnesses, who will not fail to attest the truth of his word and worship, and
the excellency of his ways. Here observe,
I. The number of these witnesses: it is but a small number and yet it is
sufficient. 1. It is but small. Many will own and acknowledge Christ in times
of prosperity who will desert and deny him in times of persecution; one
witness, when the cause is upon trial, is worth many at other times. 2. It is
a sufficient number; for in the mouth of two witnesses every cause shall be
established. Christ sent out his disciples two by two, to preach the gospel.
Some think these two witnesses are Enoch and Elias, who are to return to the
earth for a time: others, the church of the believing Jews and that of the
Gentiles: it should rather seem that they are God's eminent faithful
ministers, who shall not only continue to profess the Christian religion, but
to preach it, in the worst of times.
II. The time of their prophesying, or bearing their testimony for Christ. A
thousand two hundred and threescore days; that is (as many think), to the
period of the reign of antichrist; and, if the beginning of that interval
could be ascertained, this number of prophetic days, taking a day for a year,
would give us a prospect when the end shall be.
III. Their habit, and posture: they prophesy in sackcloth, as those that are
deeply affected with the low and distressed state of the churches and interest
of Christ in the world.
IV. How they were supported and supplied during the discharge of their great
and hard work: they stood before the God of the whole earth, and he gave them
power to prophesy. He made them to be like Zerubbabel and Joshua, the two
olive-trees and candlestick in the vision of Zechariah, ch. iv. 2,
&c. God gave them the oil of holy zeal, and courage, and strength, and
comfort; he made them olive-trees, and their lamps of profession were kept
burning by the oil of inward gracious principles, which they received from
God. They had oil not only in their lamps, but in their vessels--habits of
spiritual life, light, and zeal.
V. Their security and defence during the time of their prophesying: If any
attempted to hurt them, fire proceeded out of their mouths, and devoured them,
v. 5. Some think this alludes to Elias's calling for the fire from
heaven, to consume the captains and their companies that came to seize him, 2
Kings i. 12. God promised the prophet Jeremiah (ch. v. 14), Behold,
I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people shall be wood, and it
shall devour them. By their praying and preaching, and courage in
suffering, they shall gall and wound the very hearts and consciences of many
of their persecutors, who shall go away self-condemned, and be even terrors to
themselves; like Pashur, at the words of the prophet Jeremiah, ch. xx.
4. They shall have that free access to God, and that interest in him, that, at
their prayers, God will inflict plagues and judgments upon their enemies, as
he did on Pharaoh, turning their rivers into blood, and restraining the
dews of heaven, shutting heaven up, that no rain shall fall for many days, as
he did at the prayers of Elias, 1 Kings xvii. 1. God has ordained his arrows
for the persecutors, and is often plaguing them while they are persecuting his
people; they find it hard work to kick against the pricks.
VI. The slaying of the witnesses. To make their testimony more strong, they
must seal it with their blood. Here observe, 1. The time when they should be
killed: When they have finished their testimony. They are immortal,
they are invulnerable, till their work be done. Some think it ought to be
rendered, when they were about to finish their testimony. When they had
prophesied in sackcloth the greatest part of the 1260 years, then they should
feel the last effect of antichristian malice. 2. The enemy that should
overcome and slay them--the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.
Antichrist, the great instrument of the devil, should make war against them,
not only with the arms of subtle and sophistical learning, but chiefly with
open force and violence; and God would permit his enemies to prevail against
his witnesses for a time. 3. The barbarous usage of these slain witnesses; the
malice of their enemies was not satiated with their blood and death, but
pursued even their dead bodies. (1.) They would not allow them a quiet grave;
their bodies were cast out in the open street, the high street of Babylon, or
in the high road leading to the city. This city is spiritually called Sodom
for monstrous wickedness, and Egypt for idolatry and tyranny; and here Christ
in his mystical body has suffered more than in any place in the world. (2.)
Their dead bodies were insulted by the inhabitants of the earth, and their
death was a matter of mirth and joy to the antichristian world, v. 10.
They were glad to be rid of these witnesses, who by their doctrine and example
had teased, terrified, and tormented the consciences of their enemies; these
spiritual weapons cut wicked men to the heart, and fill them with the greatest
rage and malice against the faithful.
VII. The resurrection of these witnesses, and the consequences thereof.
Observe, 1. The time of their rising again; after they had lain dead three
days and a half (v. 11), a short time in comparison of that in
which they had prophesied. Here may be a reference to the resurrection of
Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they arise. Or there may be a reference
to the resurrection of Lazarus on the fourth day, when they thought it
impossible. God's witnesses may be slain, but they shall rise again: not in
their persons, till the general resurrection, but in their successors. God
will revive his work, when it seems to be dead in the world. 2. The power by
which they were raised: The spirit of life from God entered into them, and
they stood upon their feet. God put not only life, but courage into them.
God can make the dry bones to life; it is the Spirit of life from God that
quickens dead souls, and shall quicken the dead bodies of his people, and his
dying interest in the world. 3. The effect of their resurrection upon their
enemies: Great fear fell upon them. The reviving of God's work and
witnesses will strike terror into the souls of his enemies. Where there is
guilt, there is fear; and a persecuting spirit, though cruel, is not a
courageous, but a cowardly spirit. Herod feared John the Baptist.
VIII. The ascension of the witnesses into heaven and the consequences thereof,
v. 12, 13. Observe, 1. Their ascension. By heaven we may understand
either some more eminent station in the church, the kingdom of grace in this
world, or a high place in the kingdom of glory above. The former seems to be
the meaning: They ascended to heaven in a cloud (in a figurative, not
in a literal sense) and their enemies saw them. It will be no small
part of the punishment of persecutors, both in this world and at the great
day, that they shall see the faithful servants of God greatly honoured and
advanced. To this honour they did not attempt to ascend, till God called them,
and said, Come up hither. The Lord's witnesses must wait for their
advancement, both in the church and in heaven, till God calls them; they must
not be weary of suffering and service, nor too hastily grasp at the reward;
but stay till their Master calls them, and then they may gladly ascend to him.
2. The consequences of their ascension--a mighty shock and convulsion in the
antichristian empire and the fall of a tenth part of the city. Some
refer this to the beginning of the reformation from popery, when many princes
and states fell off from their subjection to Rome. This great work met with
great opposition; all the western world felt a great concussion, and the
antichristian interest received a great blow, and lost a great deal of ground
and interest, (1.) By the sword of war, which was then drawn; and many of
those who fought under the banner of antichrist were slain by it. (2.) By the
sword of the Spirit: The fear of God fell upon many. They were
convinced of their errors, superstition, and idolatry; and by true repentance,
and embracing the truth, they gave glory to the God of heaven. Thus,
when God's work and witnesses revive, the devil's work and witnesses fall
before him.
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The
Seventh Trumpet.
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A. D. 95.
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14 The second woe is past; and, behold,
the third woe cometh quickly. 15 And the seventh angel sounded;
and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; 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. 18 And the nations were angry, 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 the
earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there
was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings,
and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
We have here the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, which is ushered in
by the usual warning and demand of attention: The second woe is past, and,
behold, the third woe cometh quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded. This
had been suspended for some time, till the apostle had been made acquainted
with some intervening occurrences of very great moment, and worthy of his
notice and observation. But what he before expected he now heard--the seventh
angel sounding. Here observe the effects and consequences of this trumpet,
thus sounded.
I. Here were loud and joyful acclamations of the saints and angels in heaven.
Observe, 1. The manner of their adorations: they rose from their seats, and
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God; they did it with reverence and
humility. 2. The matter of their adorations. (1.) They thankfully recognize
the right of our God and Saviour to rule and reign over all the world: The
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ,
v. 15. They were always so in title, both by creation and purchase.
(2.) They thankfully observe his actual possession of them, and reign over
them; they give him thanks because he had taken to him his great power,
asserted his rights, exerted his power, and so turned title into possession.
(3.) They rejoice that this his reign shall never end: He shall reign for
ever and ever, till all enemies be put under his feet; none shall ever
wrest the sceptre out of his hand.
II. Here were angry resentments in the world at these just appearances and
actings of the power of God (v. 18): The nations were angry; not
only had been so, but were so still: their hearts rose up against God; they
met his wrath with their own anger. It was a time when God was taking a just
revenge upon the enemies of his people, recompensing tribulation to those who
had troubled them. It was a time in which he was beginning to reward his
people's faithful services and sufferings; and their enemies could not bear
it, they fretted against God, and so increased their guilt and hastened their
destruction.
III. Another consequence was the opening of the temple of God in heaven. By
this may be meant that here is now a more free communication between heaven
and earth, prayer and praises more freely and frequently ascending and graces
and blessings plentifully descending. But it rather seems to intend the church
of God on earth, a heavenly temple. It is an allusion to the various
circumstances of things in the time of the first temple. Under idolatrous and
wicked princes, it was shut up and neglected; but, under religious and
reforming princes, it was opened and frequented. So, during the power of
antichrist, the temple of God seemed to be shut up, and was so in a great
degree; but now it was opened again. At this opening of it observe, 1. What
was seen there: the ark of God's testament. This was in the holy of
holies; in this ark the tables of the law were kept. As before Josiah's time
the law of God had been lost, but was then found, so in the reign of
antichrist God's law was laid aside, and made void by their traditions and
decrees; the scriptures were locked up from the people, and they must not look
into these divine oracles; now they are opened, now they are brought to the
view of all. This was an unspeakable and invaluable privilege; and this, like
the ark of the testament, was a token of the presence of God returned to his
people, and his favour towards them in Jesus Christ the propitiation. 2. What
was heard and felt there: Lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake,
and great hail. The great blessing of the reformation was attended with
very awful providences; and by terrible things in righteousness God would
answer those prayers that were presented in his holy temple, now opened. All
the great revolutions of the world are concerted in heaven, and are the
answers of the prayers of the saints.
Contents
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