Between the 6th and 7th Trumpets
Chapters 10:1–11:14
Since the judgments that have fallen thus far have brought us to the moment when Christ will personally appear out of heaven in judgment (as indicated in the sounding of the seventh trumpet – Rev. 11:15-1815And 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. 16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17Saying, 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. 18And 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. (Revelation 11:15‑18)), further details as to this monumental event are now given to us in a parenthesis. This parenthesis consists of two subjects.
The Mystery of God Being Finished
(Chap. 10:1-11)
The first is the declaration of “the mystery of God,” which involves the question as to why God has allowed evil to continue on earth unchecked. This mystery is now about to be finished by Christ (the “mighty Angel”) publicly intervening to claim His inheritance according to the prophecies of “the little book.” The contents of the little book are the sum of the prophecies of the Old Testament which promise that Israel’s Messiah will come and reign in a worldwide kingdom (Isa. 32:11Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (Isaiah 32:1); Psa. 45:1-51<<To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.>> My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 5Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. (Psalm 45:1‑5); Psa. 72; Zech. 14:9,9And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9) etc.). These Scriptures that pertain to the coming of the Messiah are called “the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:22Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:2)). The act of setting His foot on “the sea” and “the earth” is a picture of Christ asserting His rights to His inheritance, which is every created thing (Psa. 24:1; 95:51<<A Psalm of David.>> The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)
5The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95:5)). This is an answer to Psalm 2:8-98Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Psalm 2:8‑9).
The moment Christ publicly intervenes in judgment “the mystery of iniquity”—which is the working of “lawlessness” among men in opposition to the will of God in all things divine and secular—will be brought to a close. It is something that has been going on since the apostles’ day, and has continued to grow and will reach its culmination in the apostasy of “the man of sin”—the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:6-86And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (2 Thessalonians 2:6‑8)). God has put a restraint on the progress of evil today through two restrainers which He has set on earth to curtail its progress. The Apostle Paul defines these as:
“That which restrains” refers to the principle of law and order in human government which God put in man’s hand to exercise after the flood (Gen. 9:5-65And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:5‑6); Eccl. 5:88If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. (Ecclesiastes 5:8); Rom. 13:1-71Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1‑7)). J. N. Darby said, “‘That which hinders’ therefore, is the power of God acting in government here below as authorized by Him. The grossest abuse of power still bears this last character. Christ could say to Pilate, ‘Thou couldest have no power against Me, except it were given thee from above.’ Wicked as he might be, his power is owned as coming from God” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, on 2 Thessalonians 2). He also said, “‘That which restrains’ in the Greek means a thing. What is it? God has not told us what it is, and this, doubtless, because the thing which restrained then is not that which restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman Empire, as the fathers thought; who saw in the power of the Roman Empire a hindrance to the revelation of the man of sin, and thus prayed for the prosperity of that empire. At present the hindrance is the existence of the governments established by God in the world” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, pp. 302-303).
The second Restrainer is “He who restrains” (2 Thess. 2:77For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7)). This refers to a divine Person—the Holy Spirit residing on earth in the Church—acting to restrain evil in various spheres. The Apostle Paul says that the Spirit will restrain “until He be taken out of the way [be gone].” Thus, there will be a time when the Holy Spirit will no longer reside on earth. Presently, the Spirit dwells in the Church, but when the Church is called away from the earth at the Rapture, the Spirit will be “gone” from the earth at that time as well, for He dwells in the Church “forever” (John 14:1616And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16)). This does not mean that the Spirit will cease to work on earth. He will continue to work here, but it will be from heaven as He did in Old Testament times.
After the Rapture, evil will flow on at an accelerated pace, because the governments in the West will apostatize and the Spirit of God will no longer be residing on the earth to restrain evil. However, the working of evil will be halted abruptly at the Appearing of Christ, which is the point before us in Revelation 10.
An Adequate Witness Will Be Maintained in Jerusalem
(Chap. 11:1-14)
The second part of this parenthesis indicates that the Appearing of Christ will also be the time of the Jews’ deliverance and the nation’s blessing. And while they wait for it, God will use them in testimony during the Great Tribulation.
Vss. 1-2—The “Angel” (in the KJV) who speaks to John here is the same Angel mentioned in chapter 10:1, for the subject is connected with the word “and.” It is the Lord Himself. This is clear from verse 3—“I will give power to My two witnesses....” This could only be the Lord speaking. John is given a “rod” and is told to “measure” three things: “the temple of God,” “the altar,” and “them that worship therein.” As a rule in Scripture, when God measures something, it is a sign that He is about to take up with it with blessing in mind (Jer. 31:3939And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. (Jeremiah 31:39); Zech. 2:1-51I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. (Zechariah 2:1‑5); Ezek. 40-43). Measurement also implies that He knows and cares for that which He measures.
• “The temple of God”—signifies His dwelling place.
• “The altar”—signifies approach to God on the ground of a sacrifice.
• “Them that worship therein”—signifies the Jewish remnant.
Putting these three things together, we learn that at the time of the great apostasy, which will result from the Antichrist’s delusions, God will have a company of Jews (the remnant) that will remain faithful and will draw near into His presence in worship and prayer.
The “court” in the temple is where the mass of the people stood outside the sanctuary (Luke 1:10, 2210And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. (Luke 1:10)
22And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. (Luke 1:22)); it signifies the mass of the Jews in that coming day. It is not measured because these Jews will be faithless and apostate. They will have received the Antichrist and believed his lie, and thus will worship the image of the Beast. They most surely will not be taken up for blessing, but rather, given over “to the nations” (the western confederacy under the Beast) who will have control of “the holy city” Jerusalem and the land of Israel during the latter half of the coming prophetic week. Thus, the apostate mass of the Jews will be trodden “under foot” and will exist as captives and bond-servants in the empire of the Beast during that time. They will do his bidding in intensifying the persecution of their brethren—the faithful Jewish remnant.
Vs. 3—Regardless of how dark things will get in the Great Tribulation, when the lie of the Antichrist will deceive the western world and the apostate Jews in the land of Israel, God will maintain an adequate witness for Himself signified in “the two witnesses.” (“Two” is the number of adequate witness in Scripture – John 8:1717It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. (John 8:17); Deuteronomy 19:1515One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. (Deuteronomy 19:15).) These witnesses are not two literal persons, as many have thought. Rather, they symbolize a small but adequate portion of the Jewish remnant that will remain in the city of Jerusalem (where the Antichrist will reign) to witness for God in the face of the great apostasy. This portion of the Jewish remnant will be miraculously empowered by God for this special testimony. (The rest of the remnant will flee to the mountains for safety – Matt. 24:1616Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: (Matthew 24:16).)
F. B. Hole said, "The question naturally arises; are we to understand these verses as predicting the rise of two actual men, or is it rather that God raises up and maintains, for as long as it suits Him, a sufficient and powerful testimony having the characteristics of both Elijah and Moses? We incline to the latter view and that especially because of the symbolic character of the whole book. We think then that they indicate—not a large and abundant testimony; that would be indicated by three and not two—a sufficient testimony, divinely, indeed miraculously, preserved and sustained at this epoch" (The Revelation, p. 247).
W. Scott said, "On the question of the number of witnesses conjectures innumerable have been advanced, such as the two Testaments, the Law and the Gospel, Huss and Jerome, the Waldenses and the Albigenses, etc. Others with more show of reason, and with an apparent sanction of Scripture, suppose that Moses and Elijah are the two witnesses, quoting Malachi 4:55Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5) in proof of their contention. 'Remember ye the Law of Moses My servant' (v. 4) would not imply a personal presence of the great lawgiver in the scenes of the last days; whereas verse 5 does seem a very express declaration that the distinguished prophet has again to reappear in Palestine: 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' A full and adequate testimony is the thought purposely intended in the number of the witnesses. It seems to us that a larger number than actually two is called for in the solemn crisis before us, also that verse eight supposes a company of slain witnesses" (The Book of Revelation, p. 230).
The question was submitted to the editor of Help and Food magazine: "Ques. — Will you kindly explain the meaning of the 'two witnesses' of Rev. 11:33And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)? Ans. — We believe they are the faithful Jewish remnant during the second half of Daniel's last week—the time of the Great Tribulation. The number two is not necessarily literal, but denotes an adequate testimony, even as the Law required....Like Moses and Elias, whose testimony was under similar circumstances, and is analogous to theirs, they have with it, power against their enemies, though the King being yet away, they are in reproach and suffering" (Help and Food, vol. 19, p. 252).
Vss. 4-6—These “two olive trees” and “two candlesticks” will prophesy for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (1260 days) in the spirit of mourning (“sackcloth”). This is 18 days short of “forty and two months” (1278 days), which is the end of the prophetic week when the Lord will Appear. This shows that God in mercy will cut short the days of their suffering, becausef the intensity of the persecution against his elect will be so great (Matt. 24:2222And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:22)). Hence, the Great Tribulation caused by the Beast and the Antichrist will carry on for 1260 days. It is not mentioned here, but this great persecution will be stopped by the inroads of the King of the North and his Arab confederacy (Dan. 11:40-4240And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (Daniel 11:40‑42); Psa. 83). They will enter the land from the north and slaughter the apostate Jews—the persecutors of the remnant. This could be as many as ten million apostate Jews killed in a few days (Zech. 13:88And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (Zechariah 13:8)), after which the Appearing of Christ will occur.
Vss. 7-14—When the “testimony” of the two witnesses is finished they will be slain and then caught up to heaven in the last phase of the first resurrection (chap. 14:13). The “remnant” mentioned in verse 13 is not the God-fearing remnant of Jews, but simply the rest of the people in the city who were not killed by the earthquake. These are guilty, unrepentant, apostate Jews who wish that God would turn away from them. They give “glory to the God of heaven,” not in the sense of worship from their hearts, but as being forced to acknowledge that it has been His hand that has caused it to happen.