1Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. 2But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.
3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.” 4These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. 6They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
7When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. 8And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusdalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. 9And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. 10All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them. 11But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. 13At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.
Revelation 11:1-14
Notice the adversative “But” at the start of verse 11. What follows is set over against what has gone before it.
- God gives John the command to measure the temple. (Figuratively speaking) 11:1
- God gives power and protection to his two witnesses. 11:3-6
- Their witness completed, the beast appears and the witnesses are killed. 11:7-10
- After three and a half days dead, they are given breath, stand up and ascend. 11:11-13
What follows is set in contrast with what has gone before it. But God! After those three and a half days, when all the world is made to gaze on the bodies of the witnesses, then the drama unfolds again. Believe me this is a drama played out for ALL to see. Did you gain any sense from reading that text that you had encountered this before? I surely did.
- God breathed life into them.
- They stood up.
- A loud voice from heaven said “Come up here.”
- They ascended to heaven in a cloud.
- A terrible earthquake destroyed a tenth of the city.
- 7,000 died.
What happened to the onlookers? In the midst of their euphoria and celebration they were terrified.
- Terror struck all who were staring at them. 11:11
- Everyone else [minus 7,000] was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 11:13
Does this feel a little like deja vu to you? Do you get the sense that this has happened before in life from death scenarios? Well, it’s true and we are supposed to recall “Ezekiel” and “Jesus.”
3Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign LORD,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” 4Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! 5This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
7So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” 10So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Ezekiel 37:3-10
By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.”
Luke 23:44-47
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
Acts 1:8-9
Matthew’s account adds the detail of the three hours of darkness, the earthquake and the graves opening. It is interesting that natural phenomena occurs matching the time of when things are happening with the bones and with the witnesses.
- Can these dry bones become living people again?
- Can these two witnesses become living people again?
- Can the Son of God, the Lamb come back to life?
The dry bones in Ezekiel 37 were ‘completely dried out and scattered everywhere across the ground’. The bones were long past time to live again. The two witnesses had been dead for three and half days. Lazarus had been in the grave four days (John 11:17). Jesus waited past the time when the spirit supposedly had left the body. Do you realise there is a play on words here between these accounts of resurrection. Both the Hebrew word [Ruach] and the Greek word [Pneuma] mean ‘breath’, ‘wind’, ‘spirit’ and ‘Spirit’. Remember, Then he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22)
The words recorded in Revelation 11:11: ‘But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them‘ are filled with gold.
Let’s ponder a moment the significance of these words. I explained the scale of those who witnessed the resurrection of the two witnesses in Gem 2285. All those who belonged to this world witnessed this happening from all peoples, tribes, languages and nations! The beast insisted on it. Now when God breathed life into them they stood up just like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s valley. Only this time all the world heard the loud voice from heaven call to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. Wow! How spectacular, how arresting must that sight and sound have been! Just like in the days of Ezekiel, just like in the days of Elijah, just like in the days of Jesus these witnesses live again, stand on their feet and begin to ascend just like Christ.
These people across the globe who have been rejoicing, euphoric in their so called victory, have gone from euphoria to being scared witless. As I pointed out above in this Gem, they were doubly terrified according to the text of Revelation 11.
- Terror struck all who were staring at them. 11:11
- Everyone else [minus 7,000] was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 11:13
The bodies had been left there as planned so that the whole world could see the triumph of the Beast. Well, dare I say, it backfired big time. Now I have just one more piece of gold to spring on you. A number of you have asked or told me you are confused by the concluding words . . .
“At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
Revelation 11:13
How could these people who remained, go from euphoria at the demise of the two witnesses to giving glory or worshipping the God of heaven? In Gem 2284 I gave you a little hint with the words: At least the enemies end up giving glory to the God of heaven – but do they? Let’s examine this statement in verse 13. What exactly does it mean to give glory to God? How do we give {more} glory to God who is already all glorious? Well, the simple answer is we can’t. Some translations read ‘praised the greatness of the God of heaven’. Or another “acknowledged the weight of His awesomeness.” I like that, after all that is the essence of the word ‘kabod’ in Hebrew – the weightiness of His glory, the word for glory in Hebrew means “weight”.
I think what is going on here is akin to what I wrote about in Gems 1938 to 1940 related to every knee bowing. The Greek word [proskuneō] is one of the Greek verbs used for ‘worship’. In essence it means to lie prostrate with your face to the ground. In the Gems I have linked here I had the thought these people who had rejected Christ to this point I believe would indeed fall to their knees in shock. Their reaction being what else could they do after rejecting Christ’s teaching and warning that He was coming again, only to realise now He is here. What could you do but fall at His feet begging for mercy? Or perhaps fall at his feet and prostrate yourself in shock at the horror and weightiness of all of this being real. That for me would explain why those who remain would give glory and prostrate themselves. What else could they do? It is not that they have gone from rejoicing in the death of the witnesses who tormented them to suddenly fall in adoration and worship of the God behind it all. Rather it fits more the revelation I had in Gem 1938 to 1940.
In the next Gem we will return to wrap up all of this detail in Revelation 11. Remember again it is the pause before the next woe or terror. I think you can now understand the true depth of meaning contained in the extent of the celebration of the people who belong to the world. Ian
The immensity of the number of those celebrating is mind blowing, but ultimately they will bow the knee either in worship or in fear and trembling.
Ian
Now I hope I have answered your questions as to how those who celebrated the death of the two witnesses could end up acknowledging the weightiness of God’s glory.
Ian
Our problem is that we go from toy to toy rather than from glory to glory.
A W Tozer
A man or woman can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.
C S Lewis