In his beloved novel The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien created some of the most memorable scenes in all of literature. My personal favorite is the mesmerizing conversation between the diminutive hobbit Bilbo Baggins (with his ring of invisibility) and great fire breathing dragon Smaug. After engaging the dragon in a battle of wits, Bilbo manages to abscond with a small bit of Smaug’s treasure. He barely escapes the dragon’s lair with his hair and cloak singed.
Are fire breathing creatures like Smaug only found in the realm of myth & magic? Today we’ll look at a part of the Bible which depicts fire breathing people!
We’ve been studying Revelation 11, arguably the most dense and difficult chapter in the Bible. This passage reveals the content of the scroll containing God’s plan for establishing His kingdom over all creation.
John began the chapter by using the temple as a symbol for God’s people (vv1-2). The inner sanctuary of the temple was marked out for protection while the nations would be allowed to trample the outer court for 42 months. These verses indicate that God would protect his people spiritually, even though they would endure a time of great suffering and possibly martyrdom.
The next section (vv3-13) vividly describes the prophetic ministry of two witnesses, who also represent the church. The number two signifies reliable testimony. During the time of tribulation (42 months or 1,260 days), God’s people are given the indispensable task of witnessing to the nations. They must warn humanity that if they persist in wickedness, they will be destroyed by God’s righteous judgment. The message of the two witnesses is ultimately intended to bring about redemption. They’re clothed in sackcloth, indicating God’s gracious willingness to forgive those who repent and turn away from iniquity.
John then elaborates on the ministry of the two witnesses. “If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them, that is how such a person must be killed. These two have authority to shut up the heavens, so that it will not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with any plague, as often as they see fit.”
This passage makes obvious allusions to Elijah and Moses, widely regarded as Israel’s greatest prophets. Elijah was most famous for his confrontation with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. He prayed that fire would rain down from heaven to consume the sacrificial bull, thereby proving that the God of Israel was the one true God.
But John here refers to another, less known incident. Near the end of his life, God commanded Elijah to convey a dark message to Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel. Because Ahaziah had consulted a false god, the LORD determined that he would certainly die. After receiving this word, King Ahaziah commanded a captain & 50 soldiers to bring Elijah to him. When confronted by this force, Elijah called upon the Lord who sent fire from heaven to consume the arrogant captain and his men. King Ahaziah sent a second company who were also incinerated. Finally, a third captain humbled himself and begged Elijah to spare his life and the lives of his men.
John perceived how the plight of the 1st century church closely paralleled the life of Elijah. Elijah spent his career confronting Israel on account of their idolatry & wickedness. His special nemesis was King Ahab, “who did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.” Ahab even took as his queen Jezebel, a pagan Sidonian princess of singular evil. She demanded the worship of Baal and murdered the prophets of the LORD. In response to Ahab & Jezebel’s villainy, Elijah had “shut up the sky” – announcing a severe drought as divine judgment on the land of Israel.
In the same way, John saw how the early church was called to confront the idolatry and iniquity of the pagan Roman world and warn them of God’s judgment. Just as Elijah was challenged by Ahaziah’s soldiers, so the church faced the seemingly irresistible military might of Rome. Just as Elijah was rescued by the hand of the LORD, so John promised that God’s faithful people would ultimately be delivered. (Even if they suffered martyrdom, God would raise them to new life and bring them safely into his eternal kingdom.) And just as the third captain was spared on account of his repentance, so the call for repentance would be at the heart of the church’s prophetic witness to the nations.
John also alludes to the exodus narrative when Moses confronted Pharoah, the wicked king of Egypt. Pharoah and the Egyptians held the children of Israel in slavery, making their lives miserable with harsh labor. He even commanded that Israel’s firstborn sons be slaughtered by throwing them into the Nile River.
Through Moses, God inflicted his “mighty acts of judgment” upon Egypt. There were, of course, ten of these mighty acts of judgment, also known as the ten plagues. The first plague involved turning the water of the Nile into blood. The Nile was (and is) by far the most vital resource in the land of Egypt, providing fresh water for man and beast. Sediment from the river’s annual floods made the soil very fertile, producing abundant crops. The Nile was the source of life in Egypt and was even worshiped as a god. Turning the river’s water into blood was a fitting act of justice, since this was where the Hebrew babies had been killed.
John describes how the two witnesses will have authority to turn water into blood, “and to strike the earth with any plague as often as they see fit.” John explicitly mentions the first plague but clearly wants his readers to have the whole sequence in mind.
Note how the two witnesses are described as having power over the heavens (to shut them up), the waters (to turn them to blood) & the earth (to strike it with any plague). In John’s cosmic geography, these were the three spheres which constituted the whole creation. John thereby gives us a subtle indicator of (a) the universal scope of the church’s witness and (b) the nature of the judgments as coming from the hand of the creator.
John’s breathtaking portrayal invariably raises the question: does he truly expect that the church will literally perform such mighty acts? Many Christians living in the modern world can scarcely imagine themselves exercising the kind of powers wielded by Elijah and Moses. How can we properly comprehend this passage today?
We should first remind ourselves that we’re studying the book of Revelation, a work of apocalyptic literature. By its very nature, apocalyptic literature is deliberately hyperbolic. In other words, John has dramatized the ministry of the two witnesses in order to most clearly communicate the stark nature of the church’s confrontation with the unbelieving world.
This mindset might seem foreign to those of us living comfortably in the United States. While one can certainly find examples of Christian persecution in America, we still enjoy broad freedom to worship as we please. But we must never forget that John’s letter was originally written to 1st century Christians facing great tribulation. That is the context to which the book of Revelation speaks most clearly.
Indeed, countless Christians around the world face relentless persecution. In many countries and cultures, the choice to follow Jesus comes at great cost. Muslims and Jews who convert to Christianity are often abandoned by their families and communities. They may suffer the loss of their job and the confiscation of their property. Many fear for their very lives.
But even as we acknowledge the nature of apocalyptic literature, we should not at all dismiss the power which God bestows upon his people. I’m not aware of any Christian whose fiery breath has consumed their enemies. But I have certainly heard about remarkable moments when God has protected his faithful people and brought judgment upon their enemies. And I strongly suspect that God’s mighty hand is most clearly displayed when his people are suffering the greatest distress.
