Day 249, Revelation 11
In chapter 10 John is commanded to prophesy, and this chapter (concluding the first half of this revelation) is the prophecy of John. It is a confusing chapter in some ways, and difficult to interpret, but we shall seek to understand through the lens of this being just one part of a wider, multifaceted revelation of Jesus’ victory.
John uses symbolic actions and a story intended as a parable to convey important truth and bring this portion of his account to a conclusion.
The symbolic action is to measure the temple. This is not the structure in Jerusalem, which was likely destroyed by this time, but the temple of the Holy Spirit: The Church. Notice that measuring the place where God now dwells must exclude the outer court, indicating that there is a portion of church history (or of the presumed church in any age) that is under the impact of the nations of this world.
The story of the two witnesses is a parable of the witness of The Church – authority, victory over opposition, signs & wonders, prophecy, and finally death at the hands of the ungodly. Throughout this account, take heart from the use of the measure “three and a half” in this parable. Three and a half years to have this role, and three and a half days dead before being resurrected by the breath of God. This number is half of seven, the number of perfect completions, so this is only a part of the whole revelation God is giving through John. Ultimately, the witnesses (the Church Valiant) are summoned to heaven. It is possible that John is shown two witnesses to represent the Church because two bold witnesses are our inspiration in this season: Moses who opposed Pharaoh and Elijah who opposed the prophets of Baal. If this is the case, then the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) are foundational to our witness as we see the kingdom come.
And the chapter concludes with the declaration that the Kingdom truly has come. If you compare verses 15 & 16 of chapter 11 with chapter 1 verse 4, you will see that the revelation begins with the truth that Jesus is the king who was, and is, and is coming. Past, present, and future. Here in 11:15, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our God. In 11:16, the Lord God Almighty was and is. There is no more “is coming.” The future is here. Eternity IS. There is no “one day” to anticipate: God’s promised kingdom is here.
Remember that this whole book is a revelation: the scenes are more didactic than sequential. Each new section shows us the same truths from a different angle, and with greater clarity of impact as a result. Here, in verses 16 and 17, the elders are worshiping in ways that recall chapter 4. But here in chapter 11, we see that the time has come to wrap up the evil, sort out the injustices, penalize the corruptors, and open the presence of God to all.
Have a great day!
Mark.