CompleteConcise
In this chapter we have an account, I. Of the measuringreedgiven to the apostle, to take the dimensions of the temple (v. 1, 2). II. Of thetwo witnesses of God (v. 3-13). III. Of the sounding of the seventh trumpet,and what followed upon it (v. 14, etc.).
This prophetical passage about measuring the temple is a plainreference to what we find in Ezekiel's vision, Eze. 40:3, etc. But how tounderstand either the one or the other is not so easy. It should seem the designof measuring the temple in the former case was in order to the rebuilding of it,and that with advantage; the design of this measurement seems to be either, 1.For the preservation of it in those times of public danger and calamity that arehere foretold; or, 2. For its trial; that it may be seen how far it agrees withthe standard, or pattern, in the mount; or, 3. For its reformation; that what isredundant, deficient, or changed, may be regulated according to the true model.Observe,
I. How much was to be measured. 1. The temple; the gospelchurch in general, whether it be so built, so constituted, as the gospel ruledirects, whether it be too narrow or too large, the door too wide or too strait.2. The altar. That which was the place of the most solemn acts of worshipmay be put for religious worship in general; whether the church has the truealtars, both as to substance and situation: as to substance, whether they takeChrist for their altar, and lay down all their offerings there; and insituation, whether the altar be in the holiest; that is, whether they worshipGod in the Spirit and in truth. 3. The worshippers too must be measured, whetherthey make God's glory their end and his word their rule, in all their acts ofworship; and whether they come to God with suitable affections, and whethertheir conversation be as becomes the gospel.
II. What was not to be measured (v. 2), and why it should beleft out. 1. What was not to be measured: The court which is without thetemple measure it not. Some say that Herod, in the additions made to thetemple, built an outer court, and called it the court of the Gentiles.Some tell us that Adrian built the city and an outer court, and called it Aelia,and gave it to the Gentiles. 2. Why was not the outer court measured? This wasno part of the temple, according to the model either of Solomon or Zerubbabel,and therefore God would have no regard to it. He would not mark it out forpreservation; but as it was designed for the Gentiles, to bring pagan ceremoniesand customs and to annex them to the gospel churches, so Christ abandoned it tothem, to be used as they pleased; and both that and the city were trodden underfoot for a certain timeforty and two months, which some would have tobe the whole time of the reign of antichrist. Those who worship in the outercourt are either such as worship in a false manner or with hypocritical hearts;and these are rejected of God, and will be found among his enemies. 3. From thewhole observe, (1.) God will have a temple and an altar in the world, till theend of time. (2.) He has a strict regard to this temple, and observes how everything is managed in it. (3.) Those who worship in the outer court will berejected, and only those who worship within the veil accepted. (4.) The holycity, the visible church, is very much trampled upon in the world. But, (5.) Thedesolations of the church are for a limited time, and for a short time, and sheshall be delivered out of all her troubles.
In this time of treading down, God has reserved to himself hisfaithful witnesses, who will not fail to attest the truth of his word andworship, and the excellency of his ways. Here observe,
I. The number of these witnesses: it is but a small number andyet it is sufficient. 1. It is but small. Many will own and acknowledge Christin times of prosperity who will desert and deny him in times of persecution; onewitness, when the cause is upon trial, is worth many at other times. 2. It is asufficient number; for in the mouth of two witnesses every cause shall beestablished. Christ sent out his disciples two by two, to preach the gospel.Some think these two witnesses are Enoch and Elias, who are to return to theearth for a time: others, the church of the believing Jews and that of theGentiles: it should rather seem that they are God's eminent faithfulministers, who shall not only continue to profess the Christian religion, but topreach it, in the worst of times.
II. The time of their prophesying, or bearing their testimonyfor Christ. A thousand two hundred and threescore days; that is (as manythink), to the period of the reign of antichrist; and, if the beginning of thatinterval could be ascertained, this number of prophetic days, taking a day for ayear, would give us a prospect when the end shall be.
III. Their habit, and posture: they prophesy in sackcloth, asthose that are deeply affected with the low and distressed state of the churchesand interest of Christ in the world.
IV. How they were supported and supplied during the discharge oftheir great and hard work: they stood before the God of the whole earth, and hegave them power to prophesy. He made them to be like Zerubbabel and Joshua, thetwo olive-trees and candlestick in the vision of Zechariah, ch. 4:2, etc. Godgave them the oil of holy zeal, and courage, and strength, and comfort; he madethem olive-trees, and their lamps of profession were kept burning by the oil ofinward gracious principles, which they received from God. They had oil not onlyin their lamps, but in their vessels-habits of spiritual life, light, and zeal.
V. Their security and defence during the time of theirprophesying: If any attempted to hurt them, fire proceeded out of theirmouths, and devoured them, v. 5. Some think this alludes to Elias'scalling for the fire from heaven, to consume the captains and their companiesthat came to seize him, 2 Ki. 1:12. God promised the prophet Jeremiah (ch.5:14), Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people shallbe wood, and it shall devour them. By their praying and preaching, andcourage in suffering, they shall gall and wound the very hearts and consciencesof many of their persecutors, who shall go away self-condemned, and be eventerrors to themselves; like Pashur, at the words of the prophet Jeremiah, ch.20:4. They shall have that free access to God, and that interest in him, that,at their prayers, God will inflict plagues and judgments upon their enemies, ashe did on Pharaoh, turning their rivers into blood, and restraining thedews of heaven, shutting heaven up, that no rain shall fall for many days, as hedid at the prayers of Elias, 1 Ki. 17:1. God has ordained his arrows for thepersecutors, and is often plaguing them while they are persecuting his people;they find it hard work to kick against the pricks.
VI. The slaying of the witnesses. To make their testimony morestrong, they must seal it with their blood. Here observe, 1. The time when theyshould be killed: When they have finished their testimony. They areimmortal, they are invulnerable, till their work be done. Some think it ought tobe rendered, when they were about to finish their testimony. When theyhad prophesied in sackcloth the greatest part of the 1260 years, then theyshould feel the last effect of antichristian malice. 2. The enemy that shouldovercome and slay themthe beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.Antichrist, the great instrument of the devil, should make war against them, notonly with the arms of subtle and sophistical learning, but chiefly with openforce and violence; and God would permit his enemies to prevail against hiswitnesses for a time. 3. The barbarous usage of these slain witnesses; themalice of their enemies was not satiated with their blood and death, but pursuedeven their dead bodies. (1.) They would not allow them a quiet grave; theirbodies were cast out in the open street, the high street of Babylon, or in thehigh road leading to the city. This city is spiritually called Sodom formonstrous wickedness, and Egypt for idolatry and tyranny; and here Christ in hismystical body has suffered more than in any place in the world. (2.) Their deadbodies were insulted by the inhabitants of the earth, and their death was amatter of mirth and joy to the antichristian world, v. 10. They were glad to berid of these witnesses, who by their doctrine and example had teased, terrified,and tormented the consciences of their enemies; these spiritual weapons cutwicked men to the heart, and fill them with the greatest rage and malice againstthe faithful.
VII. The resurrection of these witnesses, and the consequencesthereof. Observe, 1. The time of their rising again; after they had lain dead threedays and a half (v. 11), a short time in comparison of that in which theyhad prophesied. Here may be a reference to the resurrection of Christ, who is theresurrection and the life. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead bodyshall they arise. Or there may be a reference to the resurrection of Lazaruson the fourth day, when they thought it impossible. God's witnesses may beslain, but they shall rise again: not in their persons, till the generalresurrection, but in their successors. God will revive his work, when it seemsto be dead in the world. 2. The power by which they were raised: The spiritof life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet. God putnot only life, but courage into them. God can make the dry bones to life; it isthe Spirit of life from God that quickens dead souls, and shall quicken the deadbodies of his people, and his dying interest in the world. 3. The effect oftheir resurrection upon their enemies: Great fear fell upon them. Thereviving of God's work and witnesses will strike terror into the souls of hisenemies. Where there is guilt, there is fear; and a persecuting spirit, thoughcruel, is not a courageous, but a cowardly spirit. Herod feared John theBaptist.
VIII. The ascension of the witnesses into heaven and theconsequences thereof, v. 12, 13. Observe, 1. Their ascension. By heaven we mayunderstand either some more eminent station in the church, the kingdom of gracein this world, or a high place in the kingdom of glory above. The former seemsto be the meaning: They ascended to heaven in a cloud (in a figurative,not in a literal sense) and their enemies saw them. It will be no smallpart of the punishment of persecutors, both in this world and at the great day,that they shall see the faithful servants of God greatly honoured and advanced.To this honour they did not attempt to ascend, till God called them, and said, Comeup hither. The Lord's witnesses must wait for their advancement, both inthe church and in heaven, till God calls them; they must not be weary ofsuffering and service, nor too hastily grasp at the reward; but stay till theirMaster calls them, and then they may gladly ascend to him. 2. The consequencesof their ascensiona mighty shock and convulsion in the antichristian empireand the fall of a tenth part of the city. Some refer this to thebeginning of the reformation from popery, when many princes and states fell offfrom their subjection to Rome. This great work met with great opposition; allthe western world felt a great concussion, and the antichristian interestreceived a great blow, and lost a great deal of ground and interest, (1.) By thesword of war, which was then drawn; and many of those who fought under thebanner of antichrist were slain by it. (2.) By the sword of the Spirit: Thefear of God fell upon many. They were convinced of their errors,superstition, and idolatry; and by true repentance, and embracing the truth, theygave glory to the God of heaven. Thus, when God's work and witnessesrevive, the devil's work and witnesses fall before him.
We have here the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, whichis ushered in by the usual warning and demand of attention: The second woe ispast, and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded.This had been suspended for some time, till the apostle had been made acquaintedwith some intervening occurrences of very great moment, and worthy of his noticeand observation. But what he before expected he now heardthe seventh angelsounding. Here observe the effects and consequences of this trumpet, thussounded.
I. Here were loud and joyful acclamations of the saints andangels in heaven. Observe, 1. The manner of their adorations: they rose fromtheir seats, and fell upon their faces, and worshipped God; they did itwith reverence and humility. 2. The matter of their adorations. (1.) Theythankfully recognize the right of our God and Saviour to rule and reign over allthe world: The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lordand of his Christ, v. 15. They were always so in title, both by creation andpurchase. (2.) They thankfully observe his actual possession of them, and reignover them; they give him thanks because he had taken to him his great power,asserted his rights, exerted his power, and so turned title into possession.(3.) They rejoice that this his reign shall never end: He shall reign forever and ever, till all enemies be put under his feet; none shall ever wrestthe sceptre out of his hand.
II. Here were angry resentments in the world at these justappearances and actings of the power of God (v. 18): The nations were angry;not only had been so, but were so still: their hearts rose up against God; theymet his wrath with their own anger. It was a time when God was taking a justrevenge upon the enemies of his people, recompensing tribulation to those whohad troubled them. It was a time in which he was beginning to reward his people'sfaithful services and sufferings; and their enemies could not bear it, theyfretted against God, and so increased their guilt and hastened theirdestruction.
III. Another consequence was the opening of the temple of God inheaven. By this may be meant that here is now a more free communication betweenheaven and earth, prayer and praises more freely and frequently ascending andgraces and blessings plentifully descending. But it rather seems to intend thechurch of God on earth, a heavenly temple. It is an allusion to the variouscirc*mstances of things in the time of the first temple. Under idolatrous andwicked princes, it was shut up and neglected; but, under religious and reformingprinces, it was opened and frequented. So, during the power of antichrist, thetemple of God seemed to be shut up, and was so in a great degree; but now it wasopened again. At this opening of it observe, 1. What was seen there: the arkof God's testament. This was in the holy of holies; in this ark the tablesof the law were kept. As before Josiah's time the law of God had been lost,but was then found, so in the reign of antichrist God's law was laid aside,and made void by their traditions and decrees; the scriptures were locked upfrom the people, and they must not look into these divine oracles; now they areopened, now they are brought to the view of all. This was an unspeakable andinvaluable privilege; and this, like the ark of the testament, was a token ofthe presence of God returned to his people, and his favour towards them in JesusChrist the propitiation. 2. What was heard and felt there: Lightnings,voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. The great blessing ofthe reformation was attended with very awful providences; and by terrible thingsin righteousness God would answer those prayers that were presented in his holytemple, now opened. All the great revolutions of the world are concerted inheaven, and are the answers of the prayers of the saints.
