Chapter Eleven

The measuring of the temple of God, the altar and those worshipping in the temple (1–2), the appearance of two witnesses, the duration of their preaching, their might and the power of their miracles (3–6). The death of the witnesses from the beast of the abyss, the joy of sinners at this and their fear at the resurrection and ascension of the witnesses (7–12). A great earthquake (verse 13). The heavenly triumph beginning at the sound of the trumpet of the seventh Angel (14–17); explanation of the heavenly joy (18); the concluding vision of the opened temple of God (19).

Revelation 11:1. And a reed was given to me, like a rod, and it was said: arise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Revelation 11:2. But the outer court of the temple leave out and do not measure it, for it is given to the nations: they will trample the holy city forty-two months. The first thing in which John’s prophetic service was expressed was the given to him commission to measure the temple. A measuring rod was given to him, but by whom, John himself in his elevated and intense state did not notice: it was as if it appeared in the hand of the seer on its own. A voice, obviously belonging to the Lord Himself, commands John to rise, which was equivalent to a summons to begin an urgent action: begin, start. In accord with this summons John immediately must begin the measuring of the temple of God. This measuring has the sense of a description, a determination of boundaries for the purpose of preserving and communicating inviolability to the measured and described object. The measuring applies first of all to the temple itself, that is, to the Holy of Holies and the sanctuary, as well as the altar of burnt offering, which is taken instead of the space where it was placed, that is, the courtyard for the people. Finally, the subject of measuring should also be those worshipping in the temple. By those worshipping (in the Holy of Holies and the sanctuary) are meant only persons of priestly rank. Therefore, the measuring of the temple is necessary only insofar as through this the thought of measuring those worshipping is clarified. And the thought or purpose of this measuring is that (cf. verse 2) to separate and distinguish them from other people, – to separate the Church of Christ from the antichristian world 52. These other people are envisioned in verse 2 under the outer court, which was intended for ordinary worshippers and for proselytes. The outer court is not commanded to be measured because it is given by the permission of God to be trampled by Gentiles. Gentiles – these are all people not belonging to the number of true worshippers of the Lord God. The trampling of Gentiles, that is, of unbelievers and godless ones, of the Divine temple is to be referred to the time of the antichrist, and it means both destruction and devastation and desecration of holy places, actions closely connected with hostility to God, which will be the distinguishing characteristic of the time of the antichrist 53. The time of the dominion of those hostile to God will last 42 months. This number is repeated several times in the Apocalypse (Rev 11:3; cf. Dan 7:25), indicates the period of time of the activity of the antichrist and in accord with the teaching of the Orthodox Church is a period determined not only for Divine Providence, but also for people, that is, precisely as it is said: 42 months or 3.5 years. The vision of the measuring of the temple and those worshipping in it speaks of the separation of the Christian Church, the society of true Christians from the rest of society. Thus the holy city Jerusalem in the vision represents the entire world; the temple of God – the society of those believing in Jesus Christ. This inner temple, inner church, that is, the society of the truly faithful, will ultimately be separated; true Christians will worship God in spirit and truth. True Christians, being true priests (1 Pet 2:9), will have access to God, as true children in the house of God, as true priests in the sanctuary 54. But the outer court of the temple, that is, the unbelieving and impious world, instead of church and Christian guidance, gives itself under the guidance of its godless representatives. These will trample the outer court of the temple, that is, will destroy all that is holy and Christian in the soul and life of the sinful humanity that has submitted to them. And this will continue for all 42 months of the dominion of the antichrist until the very second coming.

Revelation 11:3. And I will give to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, being clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:4. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, standing before the God of the earth. The designation of witnesses is used in the general sense of preachers of Divine truth, Christian teaching. They were prophets and preachers in the broadest sense of the word, and the purpose of their preaching was not so much the correction of the impious as the general edification and comfort of the righteous through the prediction of the coming judgment of God 55. Thus, and their clothing in sackcloth (cf. Jer 4:8; Matt 11:21) can be understood in the general meaning of the garb of preachers. The period of their preaching – 1260 days (42 months, 3.5 years) should be regarded as an indication of a definite time. The very accuracy of the expression, reaching such a small unit as a day, and such a large quantity as 1260, requires this. Two witnesses – undoubtedly two separate actual persons. Such understanding is required not only by the description of their personal characteristics, but also by their comparison with the antichrist and with his false prophet. There are two events in the Bible which have remained unexplained: namely, the denial of the fact of Enoch’s death and the taking alive to heaven of the prophet Elijah. How could these two people escape death, when it is the common lot of all humanity (Heb 9:27)? Are they not therefore those two apocalyptic witnesses who will come at the end of time? 56 The fact that some features of the depiction of the witnesses (the shutting of heaven, the bringing forth of fire from their mouths) seem to be taken from the historical personality of the prophet Elijah speaks in favor of this. In favor of this interpretation speaks, finally, the authority of ancient patristic interpretations (St. Hippolytus, St. Ephrem the Syrian, St. John of Damascus, St. Andrew of Caesarea). In the subsequent verses are revealed more in detail some features of the life and activity of the witnesses. They are – two olive trees and two lampstands (Zech 4:2-3). This speaks of their special endowment with Divine gifts, by virtue of which they appear as mighty and authoritative preachers of Divine truth and enlightenment. They thus stand before God, that is, are sent, appointed by God to be His witnesses before men (“earth”), living in all the universe, before all humanity.

Revelation 11:5. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he is bound to be killed. Revelation 11:6. They have power to shut up heaven, so that no rain falls on the earth during the days of their prophecy, and have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, whenever they wish. By the fire from the mouths of the witnesses (cf. Rev 1:16) can be understood the special miraculous power of their words. The one who will not accept their preaching of repentance and even dares to show himself so stubborn as to decide to cause them harm will destroy himself, as one rejecting the word of God. The power to perform miracles, this might of the witnesses will continue through all the days of their prophetic ministry, through all 1260 days; and only then, when the witnesses complete their work of testimony, having done all that was appointed to them by God, will the time of their might and safety also end.

Revelation 11:7. And when they finish their testimony, the beast coming out of the abyss will make war against them, and will overcome them, and will kill them, Revelation 11:8. and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:9. And many from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their bodies to be placed in tombs. Revelation 11:10. And those living on the earth will rejoice over this and will make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those living on the earth. The expression of the power of evil (in the struggle against good – the witnesses) and its representative, according to the depiction in the Apocalypse, will be the beast coming from the abyss. The designation of the beast as coming from the abyss gives opportunity to come closer to understanding this apocalyptic image. Earlier, Rev 9:1-11, John spoke of the abyss and of an Angel of the abyss. This beast from the abyss – it is the same Angel of the abyss, the same Apollyon – the destroyer, the only difference being in the time of their appearance, their activity on earth. Under it one must see the devil; and if the designation of the beast can be applied also to the antichrist, then only in the sense and meaning that this latter will receive his power and authority on earth from the devil, and in particular his victory over the witnesses from the devil, (Rev 13:2 – the dragon-beast). In the vision under consideration is depicted not the very person of the antichrist (about him there will be discourse later, in Rev 13), but only his deed, which in reality will be the deed of the devil. And therefore the significance of the antichrist in the society of that time will be so great that the killing by him of the holy witnesses will not only not be condemned, but fully approved, and their bodies will be cast into mockery on the streets of the city. This city is the future kingdom of antichristianity, the ancient historical Jerusalem, because the antichrist, intending to overthrow Christianity, will naturally strive to act in those places which are especially sacred for Christians. Such understanding is in accord with the designation of the city as Sodom and Egypt, and the word “prophetically” indicates that this city in its religious and moral, “prophetic” state is like Sodom and Egypt. In the same way the final characteristic of the city: “where also their Lord was crucified” is an indication of the actual historical Jerusalem, which will also be the place of death of the two witnesses of the final time. The people will rejoice at their death for a period of 3.5 days (longer than the usual time for burial) not only the inhabitants of the city as adherents of the antichrist, but also those living outside the city of Jerusalem. The reason for the joy of the impious will undoubtedly be contained in the fact that the preaching of the witnesses disturbed the complete peace of their sinful complacency and troubled them with those plagues which struck all who dared to offend the righteous.

Revelation 11:11. But after three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they both stood on their feet; and great fear fell on those who looked at them. Both the death and the revival of the witnesses were not apparent, but actual events for those who observed their dead bodies; and their rising from the dead was a proof of God’s omnipotence, of which they were servants. At the same time, the ascension of the witnesses to heaven was an indication of the extraordinary unlawfulness revealed in their killing. Therefore, it is said that their enemies were seized with great fear, for they saw an actual miracle of God 57.

Revelation 11:12. And they heard a loud voice from heaven, saying to them: come up here. And they went up to heaven on a cloud; and their enemies looked at them. Revelation 11:13. And in that same hour a great earthquake occurred, and a tenth part of the city fell, and seven thousand names of men were killed in the earthquake; and the rest were seized with fear and gave glory to the God of heaven. The earthquake that followed the ascension of the witnesses, the destruction of a tenth of the city and the death of seven thousand people point to the beginning of those terrible disasters that must follow soon. The numbers 10 and 7 are taken here as customary numbers of Holy Scripture. The earthquake and its consequences can be considered a punishment of the impious as a just retribution for their lawlessness and impenitence. The punishment was so obvious that the rest of the people, that is, those who remained alive among the corpses and ruins of the city, were seized with fear and gave glory to God. But since here the discourse is about the impious, under fear must be seen not repentance and conversion to God, but simple fear, not promising reform.

Revelation 11:14. The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe comes soon. Revelation 11:15. And the seventh Angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying: the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever. Revelation 11:16. And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and bowed down to God, Revelation 11:17. saying: we thank You, Lord God Almighty, Who are and were and are to come, that You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The third and final woe is not unfolded in detail in the second series of apocalyptic visions. The seer is only pointed forward to this woe (verse 18), and the series ends with the depiction of a vision of the heavenly inhabitants and the heavenly temple. – At the sound of the trumpet of the seventh Angel the seer heard new loud heavenly sounds and voices – probably those very ones which always resounded around the throne of God and which belonged to the four seraphim – the living creatures (Rev 4:8), Angels (Rev 5:11) and the multitude of the holy glorified (Rev 7:9). The voices said that in place of the kingdom of the world there came the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the kingly power 58 (dominion) of the antichrist over the world has ceased.

Revelation 11:18. And the nations raged; and Your wrath came, and the time to judge the dead and to give reward to Your servants, the prophets and saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. To these voices the elders joined themselves, who in their praise, calling the Lord God the Almighty, add yet another epithet: “who are and who were, because you have taken your great power.” – In accordance with this the elders further point to the fact that for all the evil deeds and intentions of the impious, for their impenitence and stubbornness, the punishing wrath of God falls upon them. The expression of theirs: “judging the dead” can be understood as equivalent to the expression: the time of resurrection and judgment has come – a judgment not only over the dead, but also over the living, over both the righteous and sinners, destroying the earth with their sins and abuses.

Revelation 11:19. And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple; and there came lightnings and voices, and thunders and an earthquake and great hail. And the mysterious vision of the opened temple and the ark of the covenant standing within it speaks of the future most perfect union of God with people. Just as (in the vision) the temple (the Holy of Holies), previously inaccessible, became accessible, and the ark of the covenant, previously hidden and invisible, became visible, so also for the righteous and perfect people after the terrible judgment will become accessible the most intimate communion with God, the most intimate and inner union 59. The revelation of this mystery was accompanied by lightning (a threat of judgment), voices and thunders (an indication of the judgment itself), an earthquake (a symbol of change of things) and great hail (the terrible consequences of judgment) 60. * * * Pare. Andrew of Caesarea, Kliefoth, Krementz. Andrew of Caesarea Andrew of Caesarea, Primasius, Calmet, Lutardt. Cornel a Lapide, Krementz. Kliefoth, Ewald. Hengstenberg, Kliefoth, Ebrard. Andrew of Caesarea Pare. Hengstenberg.