Revelation 11 is arguably the most dense & difficult chapter in the entire Bible. It’s apocalyptic literature, full of highly figurative and symbolic language which leaves many readers perplexed. One of the keys to understanding this passage is to recognize that the two witnesses represent the church, called by God to bear witness to all nations.
But God’s people will be opposed by a dark and deadly enemy. For John, the author of Revelation, the beast most immediately referred to the Roman Empire. In the first century world, the military might of the empire (the beast from the sea) seemed irresistible; the Roman legions crushed all resistance. Meanwhile, the emperor cult (the beast from the land) demanded ultimate allegiance. Those Christians who refused to worship Caesar were brutally persecuted or executed.
Centuries before, the prophet Daniel had foreseen that God’s holy people would suffer at the hands of the beast for “a time, two times and half a time” – an expression which indicates a limited period of time. But eventually the divine court would be seated, and the Ancient of Days would pronounce his righteous judgment. The beast would be condemned, and God’s eternal kingdom would be given to “the saints of the Most High.”
Writing about 90 AD, John prophesied that this time of tribulation was now at hand. John himself had already been exiled to the Island of Patmos on account of his loyalty to the Messiah. And he saw in the future an escalating confrontation between the cosmic forces of good and evil. Following Daniel, John symbolized this time of strife in various ways: 3 1/2 years, 42 months or 1,260 days. The struggle would not end until Jesus rode forth like a warrior mounted on a white horse (Revelation 19:11) to abolish evil and establish his reign over all creation.
During this apocalyptic time frame, the church was given the task of calling the sinful world to repentance and loyalty to the one true God. But the beast would not yield his sovereignty over the world without a savage fight. He would do everything in his power to attack and kill God’s witnesses. And John prophesied that the beast would prevail: “[The beast] was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.” From the viewpoint of the world, it would appear that the beast had utterly defeated the church.
But from John’s heavenly perspective, the Christian martyrs were the real victors. By bearing faithful witness even unto death, Jesus had won the comprehensive victory over all the dark forces of evil. The martyrs would conquer in the same way: “They triumphed over [the dragon/Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
But how could John regard the shameful death of the martyrs as a glorious victory? He could only make this assertion in light of his unshakeable belief that God had vindicated Jesus as the Messiah by raising him from the dead. Likewise, the Christian martyrs would also be vindicated: God would keep them safe in his care until the day of resurrection. This reality is depicted in Revelation 11:11-12, when the two witnesses are raised to new life and ascend to heaven.
John has already described the martyr’s vindication in Revelation 7, where we see the followers of Jesus who have laid down their lives during the great tribulation: “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17)
But there is yet a further dimension of the martyr’s victory which John has not yet unveiled until this very moment. And this new revelation is crucially important.
“13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
This verse is the culmination of the tale of the two witnesses; it describes the effect which the martyrs’ deaths will have upon the nations of the world.
Verse 13 begins with an earthquake, an obvious sign of judgment. A tenth of the city collapses, killing 7,000 people. Like all numbers in the book of Revelation, these values hold great significance.
The Old Testament prophets frequently spoke about judgment coming upon the wicked and wayward people of Israel. However, the prophets sometimes envisioned a remnant of a tenth being spared. (Amos 5:3, Isaiah 6:13)
The figure of seven thousand comes from the story of Elijah. The book of 1 Kings records Elijah’s epic contest with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. There the LORD spectacularly revealed himself as the one true God by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. Elijah then ordered the execution of the 450 prophets of Baal.
When the wicked Queen Jezebel learned what Elijah had done, she vowed to take revenge. In great fear, Elijah fled to Mt. Horeb, where he spoke with God. Elijah complained, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” But the LORD reminded Elijah that he was not the only faithful Israelite: “I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Thus, we learn that in the time of Elijah, the great majority of Israel worshiped Baal, while only a small minority of seven thousand remained faithful to the LORD. In Revelation 11, John reverses this pattern. We might have expected the earthquake to ruin most of the city but spare a tenth. Instead, the earthquake destroys only a tenth of the city and kills only the minority of seven thousand. The majority are spared and give glory to the God of heaven.
The importance of this verse is often overlooked. This is the only time in the book of Revelation when we see the nations turn to God in repentance and loyalty.
We’ve already noted one key passage at the end of chapter 9: despite the warning judgments unleashed by the seven seals and the seven trumpets, humanity refused to stop worshiping idols. “Nor did they repent of their murders, their sorcery, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
In Revelation 15 and 16, we read about the seven bowls filled with the final and complete wrath of Almighty God. Unlike the seals and the trumpets which affected only part of creation, the bowls are universal judgments which accomplish the complete annihilation of evil. And those people upon whom the bowls are poured out “curse the name of God…they refuse to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:9)
These visions (rightly) seem severe to us; they reveal the just judgment of God upon the wicked forces which threaten his creation. Yet in between these visions, the contents of the scroll have been unveiled. The scroll contains God’s plan to establish his kingdom over all creation. By virtue of his death and resurrection, Jesus won the comprehensive victory over evil. Now the church is called to implement the victory of Jesus by testifying faithfully even at the cost of their lives. And the suffering witness of God’s people will be the mechanism which brings the nations to repentance and faith. That is the central message of the scroll.
John offers us a subtle yet remarkably optimistic vision regarding the effect of the church’s witness. Whereas in Elijah’s time, the seven thousand were a small faithful minority, here they’re the minority who fall under judgment. The large majority turn to God in repentance!
Now we must remember once more that this is apocalyptic literature. By no means does John intend to offer us an arithmetically precise prophesy revealing exactly how many people will be saved or lost. But it does leave us with the impression that, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church will succeed in bringing many more people from every nation into God’s eternal kingdom.
