Sunday School Notes: Revelation 11:7-8

⁷ And when they finished their testimony, the beast rising up from the abyss will make war with them and he will conquer them and he will kill them. ⁸ And their corpse [will be] upon the street of the great city, which is called spiritually “Sodom” and “Egypt”, where also their Lord was crucified.

Continuing the vision of the two witnesses, here we see an attack launched against them, and their defeat at the hands of “the beast.” We’ve said that these witnesses represent the faithful church, and if this is correct, then that time when the church has finished her testimony can only be the End Times. Christ’s intention in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) was for the church to be making disciples and baptizing until “the end of the age.” I’ve been cagey when it comes to time-lines in Revelation, but there does seem to be a sequence of events in this vision. If the end of the witness’ testimony is the end of the “church age,” then their testimony must refer to the continuous faithful testimony of the church–even if it’s just a remnant of the church–since Acts 2.

Notice that the beast is referred to with the definite article, and with the qualifier, “the one rising from the abyss.” Where have we seen such a beast before? So far, we haven’t encountered anything called “the beast,” but we have seen an abyss, and a fallen angel who has the keys to that abyss (9:1-3, 11). It is, perhaps, either this angel, or a creature from this same abyss, that John is referring to here. This beast will strike out against the church, making war on the witnesses, conquering and killing them. The language here is very similar to what we find in Daniel 7 and Daniel’s description of the four beast who come up from the sea. Daniel 7:19-22 is of particular interest, since it talks about one beast in particular that makes war with the saints and prevails over them until the Ancient of Days comes. Verses 23-27 go into more detail about the beast and his activities. We can debate about the horns and the ten kingdoms in Daniel, but the outcome is the same: A beast will arise and do much damage to the Earth. It’s king will speak against the Lord, and the saints will be given over to that king for three and a half “times.” However, the saints will be victorious and the beast will be destroyed. If Daniel 7 and Revelation 11 are speaking of the same thing, then this is further support for the idea that the two witnesses represent the church. Keep a mental finger in Daniel 7–this isn’t the last time we’ll be looking here. We’ll certainly meet this beast again in Revelation.

John says the corpse of two witnesses will lie in the street of the great city. Note the singular “corpse,” the two witnesses spoken of as one dead body. Perhaps this is another hint that they are both representative of a single entity? And this corpse is seen by people from all the tribes, tongues, people, and nations of the world for three and a half days. No-one wants to bury them. Why are they left out in the streets?

There may be nothing more to this than an indication of the world’s disdain for the witnesses, and hence for the church. In ancient times, and even today, it is a sign of great disrespect to leave a dead body in the street. In the ancient world, leaving your slain enemy as food for vultures and bacteria was the ultimate degradation. In 1 Samuel 17:44-46, David and Goliath taunt each other with threats of leaving each other’s bodies for the birds and beasts. In fact, it seems most, if not all, civilizations have burial rites for their dead, whether tombs, graves, or funeral pyres. Our desire to give fellow humans–especially loved ones–a “decent burial” is almost instinctive, beyond sanitary concerns. Cats and dogs don’t treat their dead with the same dignity. Indeed, the concept of dignity for the dead is distinctly human. From an atheistic, materialistic worldview, “dignity” has no meaning. If we are merely the chance product of random molecules, why bother with funerals? Of course, the Christian worldview recognizes that we are made in the image of God, and as such, every human being deserves to be treated with dignity.

Why three and a half days? Some suggest this is a parallel to Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. However, in every other place the indication is that Jesus rose on the third day, so I think this is a bit of a stretch. Does it fit somehow with the three and a half years of the witness’ testimony? Possibly. This could be “payback” for the “three and a half years” of the witness’ proclamation of judgment against these people. However, the time scale is in days, not years, indicating the relative brevity of the church’s demise, compared to her long life. The church may be defeated for a season, but it will be a very brief season. It’s also possible that leaving the bodies exposed exposed to the elements for and a half days is simply another way of showing disrespect. By Jewish law, the bodies of the dead were supposed to be buried within three days. That extra half day shows that the world didn’t care about honoring these witnesses even in death.

Lastly, we discussed the meaning of “the great city.” John identifies this place as “spiritually” (i.e., metaphorically) Sodom and Egypt. Some want to point back to 11:2 and connect the “great city” with the “holy city” and say it’s Jerusalem. However, we have said that the holy city in 11:2 refers to the church. Elsewhere in Revelation, when “the great city” is mentioned, it is in reference to Babylon (see 16:19, 17:18, and in chapter 18).

Further, we need to consider the three other names given to this “great city.” Sodom was a city rife with wickedness, whose people shunned God and gave no regard for Him or His people. The people of Sodom desired to practice their wickedness on God’s messengers, and as a result, they were struck blind, and God destroyed the city with fire and sulfur from heaven, leaving only a smoking pile (Genesis 18-19).

As for Egypt, up through the time of Joseph, it had a very positive connotation. It was where Joseph served as second-in-command to the Pharaoh. Israel prospered greatly there. But the Egypt of Genesis is not the Egypt of Exodus. Indeed, to John’s audience, the name Egypt would be associated with slavery, oppression, and persecution. Pharaoh denied the Israelites their God-ordained ability to leave and worship in the place God prescribed for them. Contrary to God’s commands, Pharaoh wanted to control the conditions under which Israel worshiped their God (see Genesis 7:16; 8:1; 8:20; 8:25-37; 9:1; 9:13; 10:3; 10:7-11; 10:24-26).

Finally, it is the place “where also their Lord was crucified.” Some see this as proof that John is talking about Jerusalem. However, Golgotha, the hill upon which Jesus died, is not actually within the city walls of Jerusalem. Crucifixion was supposed to be a public spectacle. The sight of traitors and criminals hanging on crosses was supposed to be a brutal deterrent to anyone plotting against the ruling authorities. By crucifying Jesus on a hill outside the city walls, he would have been visible from within the city, and by people passing by on their way into Jerusalem. It is possible John intended this to be a broad reference to Jerusalem, but even so, it wouldn’t be a positive reference. It certainly isn’t an indictment solely of the Jews, since, according to the Gospels and Acts, the Jewish authorities handed Jesus over to the Romans that they might execute him. Both are complicit in Jesus’ crucifixion.

I think what we have here is a reference to an unnamed city that, in accordance with all the other “code-named” people and places in Revelation, could be any godless city. I don’t think John is giving us geographical or historical references here, rather he is giving us a picture of the depravity of this city. It’s the kind of city that would practice wickedness on God’s people. It’s the kind of city that would enslave, oppress, and persecute God’s people. It’s even the kind of city that would crucify the Lord of glory himself.

We’ll continue with verse 10 next time, Lord willing.