Revelation 12:1-2 The Second Sign

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

First let’s look at what John is telling us or what we can glean from this particular chapter 

This is another sort of interlude that is placed in between the judgments 

John seems to take a very different approach in this chapter as well as chapter 11, if they can be tied together 

Some say that the chapter doesn’t start in the right place and claim that the end of chapter 11 is where this chapter should begin so let’s just look at that first 

Revelation 11:19

19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^c peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Revelation 12

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 

So then we could say that the Ark being seen in the heavenly Temple was the first sign in heaven 

If we tie chapters 11 and 12 together in astrological terms, then I could see how one see the two witnesses representing ethnic and spiritual Israel or Old and New Testaments

Some scholars see these two as the people of God

Resisting the defilement of the nations

Resisting the overrunning of this outer court for 1260 days by prophesying 

They see the present future mirroring the past in Daniel 8-11, the intertestamental National Jewish Maccabean revolt against defilement 

Against paganism, against the persecution of the Temple, and protecting sacred space 

They see the same thing going on except this time they see the Church involved 

They see the body of Christ 

I could see that working 

In this chapter we have a few characters who we deal with 

First we have the woman but we are not told who she is at first 

Secondly we are introduced to the red dragon and eventually his angels 

We are given his name 

Then we meet the male child born to the woman 

We see Michael and his angels 

Then the rest of the woman’s offspring 

We can insinuate who most of the nameless characters are from their descriptions and what they do

First let’s take a look at the male child who was born to the woman and why He was born in the first place 

If you ask most people “Why is this world so wicked?” 

The majority of Christians and some non believers will probably agree that it was the fall of Adam and Eve 

If you asked a first century Jewish person you would get a different response 

The fall of mankind is partly the true reason but it’s not the full story 

Now we know that the male child from the description given is the Messiah 

Israel is still looking for that male 

We believe (know) beyond doubt that it is Jesus Christ, Yeshua, the Anointed One

The Messianic profile for what the Jews are looking for and what is evident in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is partly the reversal of the transgression of not just the fall of mankind but of all beings spiritual and mortal 

Actually the fall is one of three elements 

Sadly we are only taught the one element of rebellion 

The second element (or really the first in timing) is the rebellion of Genesis 6 and the belief that there was a rebellion there that started actually before the fall 

There are those who disagree with this view and see this all as a particularly human thing 

This idea makes most completely oblivious to the Babel event in Genesis 11 and how Deuteronomy 32:8-9 fits in but it’s right there in the text 

Ancient Jews and Christians looked up to the heavens and considered what was going on there as signs from God working out His will 

Christians and Jews had negative views towards astrology especially as we see it today, especially in terms of astral religion 

They were offended by the foreign gods concept and the pagan belief that the movements of heavenly objects controlled the fates and destinies of mankind 

All this was God’s territory 

That’s not to say that this concept was real to them because we see it all throughout the prophets and in the Gospels

These foreign powers were real 

For example, God defeated the gods of Egypt but if they were not real then God defeated nothing more than Superman and His defeat of nothing means nothing 

In Mesopotamia and Egypt the notion of astrology and astronomy were blended into a very religious belief and they knew what they were doing in regards to how they used and understood it 

Even Paul preached on it

Romans 10

5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.6But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)7“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?^c And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

Paul tells us of the necessity of calling on the name of the Lord for salvation 

And he immediately follows this with a question:

“How are people supposed to do that if they have never heard the Gospel? For them to hear there must be someone there to physically preach and that’s why we evangelize”

But then he asks the question:

“But I ask, have they not heard?”

And you would expect that he would say “They have not heard! That’s why we need to preach!”

But he doesn’t say that 

He says the opposite:

He says “Indeed they have”

And to strengthen his case he quotes Psalms 19 from the Septuagint 

Psalms 19

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

Whose voice is Paul talking about?

Psalm 19

1The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above^a proclaims his handiwork.

2Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

4Their voice^b goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

The heavens and the sky

Heavenly objects 

Some bibles follow the Masoretic text which says:

19:4 Their line 6957 is gone out 3318 z8804 through allx3605 the earth, 776 and their words 4405 to the end 7097 of the world. 8398 In them hath he set 7760 z8804 a tabernacle168 for the sun, 8121

This all gives us the idea that the heavens communicate information and this message goes out to all the earth so that all have heard the speech and they have seen the wonders 

How did Paul think the heavens communicated the coming of Jesus?

Now some believe that the starry sky, specifically the zodiac, tells the whole story of Gods plan 

I believe that there is enough evidence to make that claim 

But, we don’t have enough evidence that the disciples, or Paul, expressly used this as an example 

Paul is talking about the stars communicating the arrival of the divine King so much so that everyone should have known because the heavens declare it 

This is the great mystery that Paul mentions so often 

The plan of salvation for the Jew and Gentile, united in the same Savior 

But there are those who don’t agree with the theory of the constellations telling the salvation story 

Mainly because Jesus sent His disciples to preach and spread the gospel 

Why the need for preaching if the stars could tell the story for you 

The disciples weren’t teaching how to read the stars and the stars don’t tell the story of the cross

I do believe that they tell us a story but this story, about Jesus, is for mankind to tell 

It’s a story we must share 

If the mystery of Christ was told in the heavens then the disciples would have understood what He undertook on the cross 

We have examples to show that they really didn’t understand until after the ascension 

Luke 24

1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8And they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Paul is evidently thinking of the star, or planet in Matthew chapter 2

1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^a from the east came to Jerusalem,2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose^b and have come to worship him.” 

Most astronomers say that what they saw was Jupiter’s retrograde motion

We wouldn’t get that

But the audience of that time would 

The Magi also got it because they studied that kind of thing 

They followed the heavenly objects and could track their movements even during the day 

Where we fall short is noticing the same kind of context in the rest of the Bible 

And that is where we currently are in Revelation 

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 

We have the same idea from John here as signs that told all who could see that the birth of the Messiah had come 

The only connection with the Old Testament is from Isaiah 

Isaiah 7

10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11“Ask a sign of the LORD your^f God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13And he^g said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.^h 

Some scholars claim that the Israelites were just as interested in astral deities and prophecy as their Gentile counterparts in the Hellenistic world 

The way the ancients in various eras understood the happenings in the heavens was complex with various regions in the sky where different “beings,” the constellations, stars, planets, comets, and meteors were known to “act”

None of the “happenings” in this chapter were Old Testament Messianic prophecies 

John is seeing what the Magi saw and this was not a vision of current events 

This was what happened before the birth of Christ 

Of course, this is purely speculation, because I have no way of knowing what or how this information is given to John

Looking at this from the text indicates that he is seeing it in real time although it appears to have happened in the past 

John could have had a source from which he used for this chapter 

But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t see it in his vision 

Who is the woman?

Astral prophecy:

The woman is what we know of as the constellation of Virgo

To the ancient reader Virgo once lived on earth but left for her present place in the sky to avoid the wickedness of the world 

Here in chapter 12, she is pregnant, other astrological concepts of this constellation understand her to be nursing a child like Isis with Horus

She is clothed with the sun

The moon is under her feet

On her head is a crown with 12 stars 

She is pregnant and about to give birth 

Her being pregnant brings Mary to mind 

These other descriptions of the woman cause us to think more broadly 

The sun, moon, and crown of stars, along with Genesis 37 and the dream of Joseph, concludes that this must be Israel

Genesis 37

9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

This is the faithful community of Israel, the “Virgin of Zion”

How do we know that this is Israel and not just Mary?

5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule^a all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 

We see that she clearly gives birth to the Messiah from the quote from Psalms 2

We also see a representation of the ascension of Jesus, as the Messiah is taken up to be with God

Here is the reason why this must be Israel 

6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Mary’s circumstances would have been unknown to the Jews in that regard and she would never have had to flee into the wilderness but Israel will 

So this must reference, not the believing community, but ethnic Judaism, before the Messiah’s birth and well after His ascension 

The meaning of the virgin and the twelve stars around her head would be known through Second Temple literature as well as rabbinic texts 

We can see it mentioned in the Testament of Naphtali chapter 5 just as the Old Testament contains a picture of Israel as Jacob, his wife, and the 12 tribes

This depiction can also be a reference to Abraham and his descendants as well 

Testament of Abraham B 7:4–16

These heavenly objects were seen as indestructible because they were so far away from the earth 

This makes Israel indestructible 

Midr. Rab. Gen. 9

The woman’s appearance may have also reflected Israel’s priestly character

Philo’s and Josephus’s explanations of Exodus 28 and 39 use the imagery of a crown, the sun, the moon, and twelve stars to describe the vestments of the Israelite high priests

The priests represented the twelve tribes before Yahweh in the temple service

Josephus, Ant. 3.164–72, 179–87; Philo, Vit. Mos. 2.111–12, 122–24; 

As far as the sky is concerned, the idea that the woman is a constellation is right in the text 

Virgo, the woman, is clothed with the sun

In astronomical speak, the sun is adorning the woman or is in the midst of the constellation 

The moon is at her feet

For this to occur, the constellation of the woman must be on the ecliptic, the imaginary line that both the sun and moon follow in the sky through the zodiac constellations

We see it in the masoretic text of Psalms 19 that Paul quotes 

It says: “their line goes out through all the earth.”

The line is the ecliptic 

The interesting part about this scene is that “clothing” of the woman indicates that the sun was located somewhere midway to the woman 

Between her neck and knees

Where a pregnant woman would carry her child 

Somewhere between about 150 to 170 degrees along the ecliptic 

If it had been situated anywhere else, it wouldn’t be said to clothe her 

This “clothing” by the sun occurs for a 20 day period each year 

This 20 degree spread and what John is seeing would have indicated the general time when the Messiah was born and what the Magi would have seen when Jesus was born 

Especially had they known Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7

10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11“Ask a sign of the LORD your^f God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13And he^g said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.^h 

The Magi were from Babylon where there would have been plenty of Jews from the exile 

Daniel himself was rumored to have taught many of them 

The very fact that they went to Bethlehem shows that they had some knowledge of Scripture 

The moon, being located under the feet of the woman, must have been simultaneous with the clothing of the sun

This would narrow the 20 day window to a roughly 90 minute window in which to pinpoint the birth of the child here in chapter 12

So let’s look at the virgin again 

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule^a all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne

We know that this is what happened in the past 

We see Satan’s attempts to destroy the Messiah 

We see the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus 

6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

So now the woman (Israel) flees into the wilderness where she will be nourished for 1,260 days

This seems to tie in with the two witnesses account because of the 1,260 days, but we will also have a reference to the same time frame that is another reference to the book of Daniel 

Is this in the past or the future?

Are the two witnesses past or future?

Are each both?

We know that there are similarities between the past and probably the future is in view as well

This next section is definitely in Johns future 

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 

Obviously, again, the woman is Israel 

But is this all of ethnic Israel?

Is this just a reference to AD 70?

We know this from the reference of “eagles wings”

Exodus 19

 4‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

We then see the church in the rest of her (Israel’s) offspring 

17Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus

Satan becomes furious when he can’t get his hands on the woman 

So he goes after her offspring 

They are described as:

Those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus 

This is obviously Gentile and ethnic Jews who believe in Jesus 

Does this mean he gives up on one group to pursue the other?

And to add to the confusion, most Western Christians have been taught that the “woman” is the church since it has replaced Israel in the plan of Yahweh 

They are taught that the those who flee into the wilderness are strictly Gentile Christians

While others say they are Messianic Jews

I believe that the proper identification of these people is both Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ 

It’s just that this phrase “those who keep the commandments of God” doesn’t always reflect Christianity 

The term “God’s commandments” usually means the Law of Moses and for most Christians that law is dead and superseded by grace 

Does this describe Christians who follow the Torah Law or who keep God’s commandments by being believers in Christ?

Is truly living in Christ the actual definition or is this living in Christ while obeying Torah?

Today, Israel is in the land, at least the tribes of Judah and Benjamin

But, I believe, that the Jewish people are in exile in their hearts, just as when they were in Babylon and when they rejected Jesus 

Most follow the Talmud

But they are still in exile and God is not done dealing with their transgressions 

At the same time, Christians are living like the world, claiming grace, and yet being light years away from what God expects

God is not done with either 

Revelation 11:13-19 The Second Woe, The Kingdom Established, and the Heavenly Ark

13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,17saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
18The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^c peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Last time we looked at the two witnesses and their ministry 

We saw that for 3 and a half years they were to proclaim the Word of God to a very non receptive audience which consisted of not only Jerusalem but the world 

We learn the state of Israel and the world by learning that symbolically Jerusalem and the world were pretty much Sodom and Egypt 

We see that when their God appointed time on this earth was over, the beast from the abyss made war with them and killed them

The whole world celebrated their deaths and refused to let them be buried for 3 and a half days 

But, to their surprise, the two witnesses are brought back to life by God and taken up into heaven in front of all of their enemies 

Strangely enough no one admits that God had a hand in anything that had just transpired 

But now we receive a little good news 

Well sort of 

13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

Verse 13 tells us that in the very same hour that the two witnesses are called up to heaven there is a divine severe judgment administered in the form of a high magnitude earthquake 

A tenth of the city collapses and 7,000 people die 

These are round numbers and may mean that this is a warning and a cause for repentance 

A tenth of the city collapsing means that 90 percent still stands but I’m sure that some of the 90 percent will be damaged 

7,000 people dying is a substantial amount no matter how big a population is 

Remember that this is happening in Jerusalem so this is affecting the Jewish population but will probably be witnessed by the whole world 

Those who survive the earthquake were so in awe of all that has just happened that they turn to God and give Him glory

Verse 14 brings us back to the timeline of God’s predetermined process 

The second woe has passed but the third woe (7th trumpet) is coming quickly 

15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 

So now in verse 15 comes the blowing of the 7th Trumpet (shofar) and the accompanying judgment is announced 

This interlude is the opposite of the previous in that during the last interlude there was silence in heaven 

Now there are loud voices heard speaking, not of righteous anger but of unbelievable joy shouting:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 

This is obviously day of the Lord language 

The kingdom of God and His Christ is not coming it has come it is here and this fulfills so much prophecy in the New and Old Testaments

Here’s one that we’ve already looked at 

Daniel 2

44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

We see this even in the Lord’s Prayer 

“Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

It’s also important that through this book we get a clear aspect of the distinction between the Father and the Son 

We see it all throughout Revelation 

The Ancient One and the Lamb

Here the term is “The Lord and His Messiah”

The kingdom is Yahwehs

Yet He has given full authority to the Son, Yeshua to rule forever 

16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,17saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.

In verses 16 and 17 we see the first part of the joyous hymn sung by the 24 elders concerning the unequivocal establishment of God’s kingdom 

We also get clarification of a phrase used in early chapters of this book 

Notice here they refer to Yahweh as “The One who is and Who was”

In the earlier chapters He is “The One who is, Who was, and is coming” Revelation 1:8

Now He is no longer coming, He is here

He has assumed power 

This is still a future event

We are still in the “Already but not yet” idea of Heavenly Father 

He is still the One who is, was, and is coming for us

This is just confirmation of what will happen in the future 

18The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

The 24 elders continue their praise 

Verse 18 begins:

“The nations raged,” the Greek word used is “Ethnos,” and means “A group of people or a nation” and could rightfully be translated “The Gentiles, or pagans raged”

Mainly because this would be speaking of non Jews, who do not worship the One true God

This is a picture of what we see today 

The Gentile nations of the world

The non-God worshippers who form the governments and elites of the nations as being enraged against God and His people 

The West consists of secular humanistic governments and the elite who influence them are the very same ones who might feign religion but who only give it lip service 

Then the East that consists of largely Islamic based governments that are worshiping a false god

Then we have the entirety godless Communist nations 

All these nations, whether overtly or covertly are against God and Israel and truth be known, stand with Israel (if they do) only for political reasons and for gain 

These nations are the ones being called out because they are about to be judged along with their spiritual leaders in the heavens and condemned to eternal destruction 

Psalms 2

1Why do the nations rage^a
and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
3“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”

7I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9You shall break^b them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

God is going to destroy the nations because they have troubled His people endlessly, rebelled against Him endlessly, and ultimately ruined the Earth that God had created. God is destroying the destroyers

This is the human nations and their spiritual equivalent (fallen gods) getting what they deserve 

Complete and total destruction 

But we also see here the dead being judged and those who love God being rewarded 

19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^c peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

To end this chapter we see the Heavenly Temple of God being opened and in it we find the Ark of the Covenant 

On earth, the Ark of the Covenant went missing sometime around the Babylonian destruction of the Temple 

A new Ark was never built so since around 600 BC the Jews have not possessed an Ark 

Even when the Temple was rebuilt and eventually refurbished by Herod, the Holy of Holies was empty 

There are several theories as to what really happened to the Ark here on earth

The first theory is called the Samaritan view 

In this theory we have Samaritans believing and claiming that the Ark never made it to the Promised Land 

They claim that Eli the Priest (from the books of Samuel) created a rival cult center/holy place other than what would become Jerusalem after the conquest under Moses and Joshua and in the time of David 

In this rival holy place, Eli had a replica Ark, Tabernacle, and all the vessels made so he could use them 

Supposedly, a high priest named Uzzi hid the real Ark and the tabernacle furniture and all its vessels in a cave on Mount Gerazim. 

The Samaritans believe the Ark will remain hidden there until true worship is restored 

Josephus alludes to this idea by recording that during the time of Pontus Pilate, a Samaritan in the community promised to lead a group of people to Mt Gerazim and show them the Ark and the other vessels 

Theory two: The Ark was removed from the temple by Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt

1 Kings 14

25In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 27and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

So Pharaoh Shishak goes to Jerusalem and loots the place 

This is the actual view of the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

There’s a particular conversation

with Indiana Jones at the University of Chicago and they refer to Shishak taking

the Ark and taking it to Tanis. 

Tanis was the capital city of the Egyptian Pharaoh and most scholars believe that the counterpart to Shishak is the Pharaoh Shoshenq

This theory was prominent in the nineteenth century and early into the twentieth century 

One scholar added the idea that the Ark was replaced with a replica that the Israelites used until 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed everything 

Today this view is mostly rejected by scholars for some very substantial reasons 

The reference in 1 Kings doesn’t mention the Ark

Shishak’s or Shoshenq’s own account, if they are actually the same person, doesn’t mention Jerusalem or the Ark

His itinerary still survives today in Egypt 

No one really knows what happened to the Ark and we can’t rightfully say that the authors of the Bible would hide the fact that it was taken 

That would implicate God if you believe that Yahweh inspired the whole thing 

Because we do have an instance where the Ark is taken in 1 Samuel chapters 4 and 5

You also have some allusions to the Ark still being in the Temple in the eighth century – Isaiah 37

14Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: 16“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

It’s mentioned in David’s time

1 Samuel 4

3And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it^a may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

This is where the Philistines captured the Ark

10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.11And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

But the Ark is returned to Israel because God terrorized the Philistines that they gladly gave it back

1 Chronicles 13

6And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD who sits enthroned above the cherubim. 

It’s mentioned in Ezekiel 

Ezekiel 9

3Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house.

Theory 3: The Ark is hidden by faithful priests or a Godly king

The rest of the views vary as to the priests and Godly kings who might have hidden the Ark, mostly due to idolatry and the wicked king Mannaseh, who, among the many wicked things he did, is accused of putting an idol of Ashtaroth near the Altar 

2 Kings 21

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” 5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6And he burned his son as an offering^a and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 7And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.

Theory 4: The Ark ends up in Ethiopia 

This was made famous by a man named Graham Hancock and his best selling book, “The Sign and the Seal,” written in the 90s

Hancock agrees that the Ark was removed during Manasseh’s reign and then was moved to Elephantine, where there was a

Jewish colony

Elephantine is a little island in the Nile, way down from the delta

There was also a temple there at that colony and Hancock makes it sound like the temple was constructed according to the

dimensions of Solomon’s temple

Eventually, he argues that the Ark was transported up the Nile

into Ethiopia, where it stayed and where it is still safe today 

Why Ethiopia? 

Solomon 

There is a long standing legend within medieval Ethiopian material regarding Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The legend is that the Queen

of Sheba, of course, was from Ethiopia and when she visited Solomon, he gave her, according to 1 Kings 10:13, 

“all that she desired”

Which, it is speculated by the

Ethiopians, and Hancock, included a child

So she left pregnant with Solomons child 

This belief is entrenched in  Ethiopian legend in a book

called the Kebra Nagast, which is translated “The Glory of Kings.”

In the  Kebra Nagast, the queen’s child is born (the son of Solomon) and she names him Menelik

All of the modern Ethiopian monarchs bear that name

The last one was Heile Selassie,

who died in 1975. The throne was then offered to his son, Amha Selassie, in 1975 by those who had deposed his father but Amha refused the throne

The monarchy was then declared defunct by the military coup that had overthrown the elder Salassie, and Amha later died in 1997

The Ethiopian Jews are called

“Falashas” and they still practice the Mosaic Law and certain

Mosaic sacrifices

Their status as “practicing Jews” is not questioned, only their genetic origins from actual Old Testament Israelites

They believe that they are descended from Menelik the First, the first son of Solomon 

We do know that there was a Jewish colony in Elephantine

We also have the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts and it falls into the theme that all the Jews hear the Gospel first before the Gentiles 

Another interesting thing is that Ethiopia was, at one time, predominantly Christian and there is still a Christian presence there 

The Book of Enoch, still considered canonical by Ethiopian Christians today, is preserved entirely only in ancient Ethiopic, which is Ge’ez

Hancock believes that the Ark is now in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia

Even today, when celebrating the New Year’s festival, they bring the Ark out of the church 

It’s not really the Ark, rather, it is something called a “tabot,” which is a replica of the two tablets of the Mosaic Law which, of course, were kept in the Ark and what they have is a replica 

A major problem with this view starts with the Queen of Sheba

Sheba is not Ethiopia 

Sheba is the land of Saba in the southwest Arabian Peninsula, which is modern Yemen

Also we have another book that shows the errors of Hancocks theory 

It’s a book on the Ark of the Covenant by Stuart Munro-Hay,

and he discusses the Abu Salih record 

“Abu Salih resided in Egypt in the late 12th to early 13th century. He therefore probably lived during the latter part of the reign of the saintly Zagwé king Yimrehana Krestos, and the reign of Harbay 

Abu Salih’s record is fascinating, but it is certainly not the ‘eye-witness account of the Ark’ that Graham Hancock affirms: very far from it. Abu Salih’s comments on Ethiopia amount to repetition of things he was told in Egypt, though his description of the ‘Ark’ is evidently based on some genuine information. This probably came from the Ethiopians or Egyptians involved in a cause célèbre of the time… Abu Salih’s report is very valuable, all we have concerning Ethiopian sacred paraphernalia at so early a period.

[Stuart]

According to Abu Salih, the Ark of the Covenant, which he referred to, in Arabic, as tabutu al-‘ahdi, contained ‘the two tables of stone, inscribed by the finger of God with the commandments which he ordained for the children of Israel’:

[Abu Salih]

The Ark of the Covenant is placed upon the altar, but is not so wide as the altar; it is as high as the knee of a man, and is overlaid with gold; and upon its lid there are crosses of gold; and there are five precious stones upon it, one at each of the four corners, and one in the middle. The liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times in the year, within the palace of the king; and a canopy is spread over it when it is taken out from [its own] church to the church which is in the palace of the king”

The description of the Ark doesn’t match the Old Testament description 

Theory 5: The Ark was removed by Manasseh himself when he installed the Asherah

This theory is that Manasseh didn’t want competition

This is the idea that Manasseh wa thinking:

“I’m going to move Asherah in there and I’m going to move Yahweh out”

There is no specific reference to this and we don’t have him actually putting Asherah in the Holy of Holies 

It’s also doubtful that he would be thinking this way 

Apostate Israelites would have thought that Yahweh was Asherah’s husband, since

Yahweh and El were merged in the Israelite mind and Canaanite El and Asherah were seen as a divine couple

The thinking would be:

“This is Yahweh and Asherah, they are married and they are a couple”

We actually have references to “Yahweh and his Asherah ” from Kuntillet Ajrud and Kirbet el-Qom and a few other places. 

Theory 6: The Ark was hidden by the prophet Jeremiah

The legend is that Jeremiah hides the Ark in a cave under the Temple and on the cross, where Jesus was crucified, His blood seeps down into the cave onto the Mercy Seat

This view is another fairly famous one but still has its flaws with Ezekiel language and the references in Isaiah 37 but it goes back to the Second Temple period and is preserved in a few sources from that era 

One such source is Eupolemos, a Jewish historian, in the mid-first century Greek history of Alexander Polyhistor, in his work entitled “On the Jews” preserved by Eusebius

“When Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians, had heard of the predictions of Jeremiah, he summoned Astibares, the king of the Medes, to join him in an expedition. And having taken with him Babylonians and Medes, and collected a hundred and eighty thousand infantry and a hundred and twenty thousand cavalry, and ten thousand chariots, he first subdued Samaria, and Galilee, and Scythopolis, and the Jews who lived in the region of Gilead; and afterwards took Jerusalem, and made Jonachim, the king of the Jews, a prisoner. And the gold that was in the temple, and the silver and brass, they chose out and sent to Babylon, except the Ark and the tables that were in it: but this Jeremiah retained”

(Praeparatio Evangelica 9.39.5)

2 Maccabees 2

One finds in the records that Jeremiah the prophet ordered those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has been told, ² and that the prophet after giving them the law instructed those who were being deported not to forget the commandments of the Lord, nor to be led astray in their thoughts upon seeing the gold and silver statues and their adornment. ³ And with other similar words he exhorted them that the law should not depart from their hearts.

⁴ It was also in the writing that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. ⁵ And Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and he sealed up the entrance. ⁶ Some of those who followed him came up to mark the way, but could not find it. ⁷ When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: “The place shall be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. ⁸ And then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated.”

⁹ It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom Solomon^[a] offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple. ¹⁰ Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifices, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the whole burnt offerings. ¹¹ And Moses said, “They were consumed because the sin offering had not been eaten.” ¹² Likewise Solomon also kept the eight days.

¹³ The same things are reported in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemi′ah, and also that he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings. ¹⁴ In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had been lost on account of the war which had come upon us, and they are in our possession. ¹⁵ So if you have need of them, send people to get them for you.

¹⁶ Since, therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification, we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days? ¹⁷ It is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the inheritance to all, and the kingship and priesthood and consecration, ¹⁸ as he promised through the law. For we have hope in God that he will soon have mercy upon us and will gather us from everywhere under heaven into his holy place, for he has rescued us from great evils and has purified the place.

Jeremiah [P rmya] was from Anathoth, of the tribe of the Levites;

and in Pit6s and Egypt he was stoned by the people of the Jews, and there he died, and was buried. But he was laid, also, in the place of

Beth Pher’6n [House, or Place, of Pharaoh], and the Egyptians

honored him, because by his hands they had help. And they loved

him greatly, because that in his life he prayed, and the serpents died, which were accustomed to come out of the Nile and devour men.

And they were called qdzrqldd [i.e. KpOKOS&8OLI, that is hardane [crocodiles]. And to-day the faithful pray beside his sepulchre, and

take of the dust of that place, and it becomes healing to them from the bites of the asps and of the crocodiles. And when Alexander the Macedonian came thither, and learned of that wonder, he took the bones of the prophet up to Alexandria, and set them in great honor. From that time the race of asps and of crocodiles was inter- dicted from that place. Moreover during his lifetime the prophet gave signs to the (idolatrous) priests of Egypt, that the also to fall when an unmarried virgin should give b son be laid in a manger. On this account the Egypt the custom of honoring virgins, and of putting an infan and worshiping it. And to King Ptolemy, who aske this, it was said, that it is the tradition of our father received from a saint of God; and we expect that ther a fulfillment.’ This prophet, before the temple was des the ark of the law and the mysteries that were in it, an to be swallowed up in the rock; and he said to those th “The Lord has gone up from Sinai to heaven, and will and this is the sign of his coming: when all peoples sh wood.3 This ark, indeed, no man is to take out, except the tables that are in it, no man is to open, except Mo resurrection is to go forth from the ark. And it is lai mount of Sinai, and all the saints shall be gathered un

that prophet sealed the rock with his finger in the nam that imprint was like the graving of iron; and a cloud c place. And the place was that where the ark formerly the two mountains in which Moses and Aaron put t God showed kindness to Jeremiah, that he should perf of the mysteries, that which should make him to be a Moses and of Aaron; and they are together

“Lives of the Prophets”

In 2 Baruch 6 has Jeremiah’s scribe seeing an angel take the Ark and sacred vessels of the temple and swallow them.

Then you have the words of the prophet himself 

Jeremiah 3

14Return, O faithless children,
declares the LORD;
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.

15“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage.

And again, Jeremiah tells us in Lamentations 2:

1How the Lord in his anger

has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!

He has cast down from heaven to earth

the splendor of Israel;

he has not remembered his footstool

in the day of his anger.

The Ark is described as “the Lord’s footstool” in several passages:

1 Chronicles 28:2, 

Psalm 99:5, 

Psalm 132:7

This, of course, is end times language and brings us around to where we are now in Revelation 

This Ark we are now seeing is not the Ark from the earth 

God did not take it

This merely serves as a reminder of the Covenants God made with Israel and His presence 

This sight of the Ark tells all that God’s covenants and promises remain intact and what is happening now is the culmination of those covenants and promises even though the process is not complete 

One more crazy theory for you

The late David Flynn has a book called “Temple at the Center of Time,” where he talks about how Isaac Newton believed that Scriptures contained a hidden code revealing the Ark’s location and that the measurements of the first temple were the key to solving that equation. 

Hidden though is the proper description of most of this because I believe that it was cryptic intentionally the first time around 

And it’s going to be cryptic the second time by design 

I wouldn’t want it any other way and so we find out what happens when it happens 

Our job is to talk about Jesus and be ready 

We don’t need cosmic enemies being able to just look up what God intends to do just by reading His Words 

What we can speculate about is that some of the numbers in Daniel refer to the Maccabean period 

When Antiochus is alive and defiling the temple 

The other numbers are reflecting the resurrection of the dead at the last day 

These three numbers are 1260, 1290, and 1335

The first number leads us to Passover – about Jesus, our Passover Lamb

The next 30 days (1290) leads us to the marriage supper of the Lamb at the Day of the Lord when He comes back 

The next 30 days (1335) sees us at the feast of Weeks in the Israelite calendar 

The time when the harvest is brought in 

The work is done 

This is where Daniel leaves us in chapter 11 and 12 and Revelation picks up 

There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^c peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

The manifestations speak of impending judgment of the seven bowls which are in accordance with the wrath of God based upon the righteous law as recorded in the Ark

The Ark is revealed after the seventh trumpet but before the seven bowl judgments are poured out 

When the final bowl is poured, the manifestations of judgment are delivered to the earth in lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail

This just underscores the connection between the heavenly Ark, containing the same elements as the earthly Ark and the judgment of the God rejecting world 

Revelation 11:3-12 The Two Witnesses

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit^a will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^b is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

One more thing about what was called the outer court:

It was called this in Herods day and that gives us another clue which temple John is talking about 

The Temple and it’s grounds were to be fashioned after the Wilderness Tabernacle 

It was not a place for the Gentiles ever

It was for Israel and Israel only

This was the case for the Temple but when Herod extensively expanded the Temple and the courts built by Nehemiah and Zerubbabel and to show it off, he invited Gentiles to see how great and lavish this expansion would be to see

So many Gentles came from all over Rome to visit 

It was such a magnificent experience and thing to see that it was considered one of the eight wonders of the world 

It’s understandable that, even the average Jew would see this as an affront to their faith 

Hundreds of thousands of Gentiles evidently came to visit Jerusalem every year and even though they meant no harm, nor were they allowed anywhere near the Temple courtyard, the most zealous and militant Jews were outraged and regularly started riots 

It got so bad that a garrison of Roman soldiers was stationed nearby to interrupt the disturbances before they got out of hand 

Here in chapter 11 we see possibly the very same Temple where Gentiles will once again be allowed in 

However here in John’s vision the amount of Gentiles will be so great that they evidently will have an expanded role in both the operating of the Temple and the governance of Jerusalem that it is seen as the Gentiles defiling or trampling upon not just the Temple but also the entire city of Jerusalem 

This will go on for 42 months 

Now we know that Rome had full control over the Temple for that amount of time after 70 AD and the timing of the writing of Revelation either helps or hinders this view 

So this happens in the past and might happen again in the future it all depends on what views we have 

What we do know is that this trampling will go on for 42 months and either before or during this period two people come onto the scene 

3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 

They are identified as “My two witnesses” and they will prophesy for 1260 days dressed in the garments of mourning 

Their ministry is either before the 42 months of the Gentiles or during the same period 

Some claim that the Greek is different (present for the 42 months and past for the 1260)

Why two witnesses?

Deuteronomy 19

15“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,19then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil^cfrom your midst. 

God is going to judge the people and the city

They are about to be condemned and there needs to be a minimum of two witnesses against them by Torah Law

There will actually be three (the two earthly witnesses and God)

They are the two olive trees 

They are the two lampstands

This refers to Zechariah and the two “Sons of new oil,” the “beney-yitshar”

Zechariah 4

11Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil^a is poured out?”13He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones^b who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

We have already learned that these two “anointed ones” are to prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth 

We already know that this is a period of tribulation for three and a half years where the nations trample the outer court of the Temple and the Beast, the Antichrist rules with a heavy hand 

These two witnesses have a specific ministry 

5And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit^a will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^b is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 

Who are these two witnesses?

Some claim they are just symbolic of God’s people being delivered through symbolic acts similar to Exodus 

Some claim these two symbolically represent the witness of the Old and New Testament 

Others see them as symbolically representing the Word and the Spirit of God

Then there is the house of Israel and Aaron 

The believing Jewish remnant and Gentiles during the Tribulation 

The two nations (Jewish and Arab) descended from Abraham 

I believe that they will be human(like) beings 

They have bodies 

They desire

They stand on their feet 

These two are supernaturally protected by God as they perform their jobs as prophets 

They are to chastise and warn both Jews and Gentiles while they are ministering to Jerusalem 

Clearly they will not be popular among either group and they will be in constant danger 

Yet if they are accosted, the text tells us, then fire will come out of their mouths to destroy those who would harm them 

This is something that is hard for mortals to imagine and so the immediate message from church doctrine has been that this is not literally fire but the Word of God

I believe that it is literal fire, unexplainable I know, but this fire kills 

And the text never says that they actually use it

Because they are prophets and they issue fire supernaturally then we must relate these two in some way to Elijah 

2 Kings 1

2Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” 3But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.

5The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”6And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” 7He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”10But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’” 12But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.14Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15Then the angel of the LORDsaid to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king 16and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”

Verse 6 says that the two witnesses also have the authority to stop the rain from falling

This is another allusion to Elijah 

1 Kings 17

1Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe^a in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 

Keep in mind that the period that Elijah referenced was for three and a half years 

The two witnesses can also turn waters into blood and strike the earth with plagues 

This refers to Moses doing battle for God’s people with Pharaoh 

Could we see them both return to Earth as the two witnesses or could this be others?

There is much similarity between these two witnesses and Elijah and Moses in that both had purpose in their destructive activities to turn people from sin and seek God

The identities of the two witnesses has been doctrinally all over the place but these two play a very critical part in the end times scenario 

So who are they and when do they appear?

Oecumenius, who lived in the 900’s A.D. himself drew heavily on the recorded thoughts of the earliest Church Fathers from the 2nd and 3rd centuries 

His assertion was that the two witnesses will be Elijah and Enoch and their primary purpose is to announce the 2nd coming of Messiah.

Hippolytus, writing around 200 A.D. agreed with Oecumenius but he added that John the Baptist could very well return too

Victorinus, in the mid-200’s A.D., wrote in his commentary on Revelation that instead of John, he believed that it would be Jeremiah who along with Elijah returned to announce the Lord’s coming

Tyconius, writing in the late 300’s A.D. believed that the two witnesses were figurative of the Old and New Testaments

Primasius who lived in the mid 500’s A.D. says: The two witnesses are said to be two olive trees and two lamp stands, for they represent the one church, which is formed from the two peoples of the Jews and the Gentiles……and is illuminated by the two Testaments, which pour the oil of knowledge into the Church. 

Most of these church fathers believed that the two witnesses would come around parallel to the Antichrist 

Hippolytus also thinks this: Yet tradition says that the Anti-Christ will arise by God’s allowance from the tribe of Dan and hence from the iniquitous hearts of the Jews. 

So early on there were some sects of the Gentile church who formed the doctrine that the Antichrist would be a Jew from the tribe of Dan mainly because their view of Israel was that the Jews hearts were incorrigibly sinful 

Oecumenius had this to say when commenting on Revelation 11: The Jerusalem of the Anti-Christ will be as Sodom and Egypt because it will enslave and abuse the servants of Christ and will be noted for its licentiousness

The term “servants of Christ” are referring to Believers in general, who, apparently, are still on earth.

The early comments seemed unanimous on the fact that Elijah would be one of the witnesses 

And we have good reasoning from Scripture 

Malachi 4

5“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORDcomes. 6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”^c

It is because of this very passage that Jews look for Elijah to appear in the future, where he will announce the arrival of a Messiah. 

They believe that he will come on Passover and so that is why it is traditional to set an extra place setting at the Passover table just in case Elijah shows up

Add to this the fact that the witnesses stop the rain and breathe supernatural fire it is hard to come to any other conclusions about at least one of the two

Now the turning water to blood and striking the ground with plagues exactly fits the role of Moses

We also have another witness from Scripture that could strongly identify the two witnesses 

Matthew 17

1And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,^a with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

The significance of all three, Moses, Elijah, and Yeshua all appearing together is to show us the unity of God’s Word 

Elijah is the chief of prophets 

Moses is the chief of the Torah and the Law

Yeshua is the Messiah that both point to 

So we have both the chief representatives of the Old Testament with the Chief representative of the New Testament 

This provides us with the evidence that both spoke of Jesus Christ 

When Jesus swears His disciples to secrecy after they witnessed something so amazing they were understandably shocked and amazed and so asked him why then do the Torah teachers say that Elijah must come first?

His answer at first was confusing but then they get it

Elijah was to come in two different senses

The first sense is that he is coming in the future

The second sense is that Elijah had already come but the people didn’t recognize him 

They then understood his coming as symbolically meaning John the Baptist 

Elijah will most certainly return before the Day of the Lord and just by the ministry of the two witnesses it seems that the other will be Moses

Or these two will be different mortal men who come in the spirit of Moses and Elijah but verse 4 here makes just any mortal seem unlikely 

Revelation 11:4 tells us that 

“These are the two olive trees and the two menorahs standing before the Lord of the earth.”

The key word is “standing” 

They are described as being the two “live trees” and “two menorahs”

They are “standing before the Lord”

They are already in heaven with the Lord 

This would not make sense if they were just two mortal men because evidently they are right now standing before the Lord 

Since this is still unfulfilled prophecy then we truly don’t know and everything we do with this is speculation 

As far as we know these two could end up being angels 

Others have different theories on the two witnesses 

Of course Preterists believe that these two witnesses have already come to the forefront in the first century 

This is based mostly on the fact that John sees people worshiping in the Temple of God that hasn’t yet been destroyed 

Some Preterists claim that the witnesses are James, the brother of Jesus, and Peter or John (the author), or Peter and Paul 

Josephus says that James was killed in AD 62 just before the war 

Another historian, Hegesippus, claims that James was thrown off the temple, stoned, then clubbed to death just before the city fell in 70 AD

And of course you have the deaths of Peter that most claim was before 70 AD and most claim John survived into the second century 

Some believe that the two witnesses could be Ananus and Jesus, the two high priests who withstood the zealots in Jerusalem 

but for these theories to hold everything revolves around the first century 

But 70 AD, although good to know for historical reasons as well as a reference for what could happen in the future, was not concrete or final 

Jesus did not return, even though they claim He spiritually returned in a cluster of stars

We know that Daniel tells us about Antiochus and the 70 weeks and the abomination and the Jews of Jesus day would have seen all that 

But Jesus alludes to the abomination being future so it could seem that Jesus was actually talking about 70 AD

But He didn’t return at least not how He states He will

He says “Immediately” after the Tribulation that starts after the abomination not “eons later”

So 70 AD can’t be the reference point 

Abomination doesn’t necessarily equate with destruction either 

Antiochus had a lot to do with the abomination of desolation but he didn’t destroy the Temple 

Many associate the abomination with the fact that there must be a literal Temple 

I do think that there could be a future Temple mainly because of Ezekiel 40-48

This literal functional temple will also be desecrated and possibly destroyed and could come about in only one way 

Now this is all speculation but this temple will be functioning as the other two temples were, meaning that the Levitical sacrifices will once again be done 

I firmly believe that this could only happen if Israel is at peace and that this peace comes through the dispatch of all the enemies of Israel 

It is currently October 11th, 2023 and Israel has declared war on Hamas after a surprise attack on Israel that was called “Israel’s 911”

Many other Palestinian supporters are destined to get involved 

I don’t know the outcome and we are closely monitoring what is happening 

But imagine that Israel moves all Palestinians out of Gaza and at the moment Israelites are coming back to Israel to join in the military while foreigners are leaving as quickly as possible 

What if this kept going?

What if there is an ethnic cleanse of all who are not Jewish?

What if all foreigners leave?

What if Israel defeats Hamas and forces the Palestinians to leave?

Then there would be nothing stopping them from building a new Temple however that comes about 

This is purely speculation as we are watching what is happening right now and whatever happens it won’t be pretty or easy for all involved 

7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit^a will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^b is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 

It’s not hard to understand why the earth dwellers will be looking to blame their calamity on, especially with the catastrophic events brought on by the seal and trumpet judgments 

They will obviously blame the two witnesses 

This same group will also be looking for someone to fix all the miserable devastation that they are experiencing 

That someone will be the “False Messiah”

We see that, at the end of their God appointed ministry, the Beast from the Abyss will make war with them and kill them

Some think that this beast is the same one that comes out of the sea

Some believe this is the Antichrist while others think this could be Satan

Either way it seems that the two witnesses will be active while the Antichrist is also active 

Many commentators and scholars say that the witnesses are active first for 1260 days (the first half of the Tribulation) and that the trampling of the Holy city by the Gentiles will be the second half (42 months)

Only when the two witnesses have completed their ministry does God allow their deaths

They are so hated, even by the Jews, that their dead bodies are allowed to lay rotting on the street for three and a half days 

This violates Torah Law and shows how much they were hated 

The Jews of the land and the world for that matter are so ecstatic over the deaths of these two that they celebrate it and the Jews send each other gifts 

This could mean that this happens during Purim or Hanukkah but the entire world blames these two for the plagues of God

Then suddenly after 3 and a half days the breath of life brings them back to life 

They stand up 

This is a direct reference to Ezekiel 37 and the dry bones or the restoration of Israel 

Ezekiel 37

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley;^a it was full of bones. 2And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath^b to enter you, and you shall live. 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,^c and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

Ezekiel 37 speaks symbolically, but clearly, of the restoration of the tribes of Israel to the land of Israel. The dry bones that grow ligaments and flesh upon them and are then reanimated by the breath of God represent a type of resurrection for the Hebrew people. 

They are both resurrected spiritually and physically in the land 

Similarly we see the two witnesses resurrected in the same way 

The Jewish readers of John’s day would have readily understood this statement and have hope in the fact that God would make good on His promise 

that all of the tribes, including the ten lost tribes, would once again return to the Holy Land and occupy the full extent of what God had promised Abraham 

But this holy city was not being very holy

8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^b is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 

We don’t know what or how the system will explain what just happened but the earth dwellers will readily accept and believe it 

Because we learn that most of the world will continue to deny that God had a Hand in it

Revelation 11:2-3 Time References in Revelation and Daniel

2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Coincidentally, the time allotted for the nations to trample the outer court is the same amount of time the Two Witnesses are to prophesy in their ministry 

We have three things mentioned here and in chapters 12 and 13 that have to do with 42 months or 1,260 days 

The nations will trample the outer courtyard 

The two witnesses will prophesy for this period 

The beast will exercise authority for this period of time 

We know that this number represents a divinely restricted period of time, here a period of eschatological tribulation 

John mentioning both draws us to the book of Daniel 

Specifically Daniel 7:25 and 12:7

42 months is 1,260 days, or three and a half years, and time, times, and half a time 

John uses each but the last time reference assures us that he is alluding to Daniel 

To do that we must look at Second Temple Judaism and the use of calendars 

Some Jews preferred using a lunar calendar 

The month in a lunar calendar could have 29, 30, or 31 days because you go by the phases of the moon and periodically you have to insert an extra month in order to figure out when festivals could happen in order to align your civil and ecclesiastical calendars

The other calendar was a solar calendar 

This calendar consists of twelve months, each with thirty days

The year consists of twelve months and equaled 360 days

At Qumran, the Essenes would add a day in between four quadrants of 90 days

This calendar was precise because, if  you ignore the astronomy, your feasts and festivals occurred on the same day every year 

There was another 360 day calendar in use at the time 

It was used by a different sect called the Zadokites

In regards to Daniels numbers 

We know he is getting them from somewhere not just out of thin air 

He is using a specific calendar and his numbers are meaningful in the context of that specific calendar 

Daniel 7:25 is unanimously seen as blaming Antiochus Epiphanes for changing times in Temple worship 

25He shall speak words against the Most High,

and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,

and shall think to change the times and the law;

and they shall be given into his hand

for a time, times, and half a time.

Many believe that this was when the Hellenistic lunar calendar replaced the solar Zadokite calendar 

The calendar used by the Jewish people today, the lunar calendar, was seen as an apostate, abomination by the Essenes at Qumran

This is what led to the creation of that community and they do their best to revert everyone back to the solar calendar after the Maccabean revolt 

This was a spiritual thing for them

To them the lunar calendar was a man made thing that was so imperfect that you had to add a month to it every so often to make it work as opposed to God’s mathematically perfect calendar 

This community is where we get the books of Jubilees and Enoch and in both books the solar calendar is used

The hypothesis involving the book of Daniel is that it uses the solar calendar 

Now the “half week” of Daniel 9 and the “time, times, and half time” of Daniel 7 and 12 are consistent indications you still have some other time indicators that don’t seem to add up

The “2,300 evenings and mornings” of Daniel 8 fall short of the three and a half years and the “1290 to 1335 days” of Daniel 12 are too long 

Granted these numbers don’t support a lunar or solar calendar system explicitly, it does indicate that Daniel may well be based on some form of solar calendar 

The difference between 1,335 and 1,290 is 45 days

This only makes sense if you have two consecutive 30 day months, one month plus a half 

This only works with a solar calendar 

According to the Qumran and Jubilee calendar, which is a 364 day calendar, three and a half years equals 1,274 days 

So you would have to add 16 days to reach 1,290 and 61 days to reach 1,335

Neither is divisible by 30

The only clue we get for Daniel’s numbers come from Revelation

The three and a half years equals 42 months or 1260 days

This means that Daniel knew a calendar of twelve 30 day months

Some scholars believe that Daniel used a Mesopotamian calendar but then again Daniel 10:4 only makes sense if Daniel was using a sabbatical calendar in which each day of the week falls on the same day of the week, year after year 

The 24th day of the first month must be a Friday and the traditional beginning of Passover 

So the question many have is:

How can Daniel use a 360 day calendar and a sabbatical one at the same time?

It would seem that Daniel shows awareness of two Second Temple period calendars

The Enochian 364 day and the Zadokite 364 day calendars

These two calendars differed on how they handled the solstices

One counted them as days while the other didn’t 

It seems Daniel was a blend of the two and scholars say that the differences in the times proved that 

When Daniel referred to the period of Antiochus persecution, the figure of the half week (of years) is given, or “a time, (two) times, and a half time 

We get a different figure in the other time references and they don’t work with a solar source, one’s a little long and the other short

From the text, we understand that the author expected certain things to happen immediately before and after the death of Antiochus 

So in chapter 8 to 9 the focus seems to be the restoration of the Temple and its sacrifices at the end of days

Chapters 10 through 12 seems to be focused on the hope of the resurrection of the dead at the end

We have two very different things going on so that is the reasoning for the different configurations of numbers 

Unlike the Essenes, Daniel does not view the second Temple as impure and apostate and argues that God would restore the daily sacrifices before the end as an act of justice for Israel

The Essene community came from the fact that they didn’t like the priesthood that operated in Jerusalem so they separated themselves and they applauded the fact that, what they saw as pagan anyway, sacrifices were taken away

So we have the author of Daniel taking a very different approach on the end of days 

Very different from the Essenes and the books of Enoch, Jubilees, and other Dead Sea books 

Daniel also deals with two very different aspects of the end

The distinction of the collective destiny of Israel and the destiny of each individual person 

He doesn’t agree with the Enochian system where the watchers ruined everything for the believer 

The claim that their (the angels) sin deprived the human race from personal responsibility and freedom 

Qumran literature taught two lots, two spirits, and two destinies 

You were either one or the other, you weren’t free to move 

Daniel is not going there

His figures in the judgment of the nations and then the judgment of the individuals and the 360+4 day calendar makes everything seem cohesive 

In the Zadokite calendar, the half year (of weeks) is 1,260, or 360+720+180, or three and a half years of tribulation and then the end

And he seems to be giving the scene for the end in adding the 2 and a half months 

He adds one month and this gives us (1,260 + 30) or the 1,290 days, which would be Passover 

Then one and a half months are added (1,290 +30+15) or 1,335 days

This gets us to the third month, which according to the Zadokite calendar was the “Month of the Oaths”

2 Chronicles 15

10They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.

The 15th of the third month is the feast of Shevu’ot 

This is the most appropriate feast as it is the feast of the renewal of the covenant and a celebration of the final judgment 

Some see the 2,300 evenings and mornings as Daniel calculating for Hanukkah as the period involving the restoration of the Temple after Antiochus 

But these other numbers, the1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 are future events for Daniel, and through John, for us

They denote a physical resurrection of people 

But you have to use the Zadokite calendar and for that to make sense, you have to believe that the author of Daniel knew about this Second Temple Judaism, which means that some of Daniel had to be written during this time 

But we are in Revelation, so the obvious question is “What does all this have to do with John’s visions?”

“How does this work out in his esachatological system?”

The answer seems to be that, in order for this to make sense, we have to look at the context of Revelation 11 and 12

John uses the same language in both chapters 

One will use a number and the other will use the phrase “Time, times, and half a time,” yet they are referencing the same thing 

There are also a lot of “Day of the Lord” references  and to the “End times”

There are those who believe that the figures mentioned by John not only call attention to Daniel and Antiochus but are themselves a focus of a Chiasm

It is not a Hebrew invention but you can find many of its examples in Scripture because it was commonly used by the Hebrew people 

A Chiasm, also called a Chiasmus, is a literary technique in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order 

An example of a Chiasm is one we use all the time

“When the going gets tough the tough get going”

It’s as simple as that and it is something that is used by almost everyone 

On his website, “Biblical Blueprints” Phillip G Kayser has broken down the whole book of Revelation as a Chiasm

I recommend his site 

On it you will get the Post Millennial partial Preterist view of Revelation from a man of God

The result of a Chiasm is a mirrored effect as the ideas are reflected back and each idea is connected to its reflection by a repeated word that is often in a related form 

Explaining the concept of the structure of a Chiasm usually involves the use of the letters “A” and “B” to indicate the different ideas:

The structure ABBA represents the two “ideas” being written down and then repeated in reverse order 

Many times another idea will be written down in the middle of the structure; ABCBA

The placement of this extra idea in the middle of the structure shows that it is the focus of the structure 

This concept is difficult to spot in our time and in modern Bibles because of the use of chapter and verse markers 

We are taught to start at the beginning of a chapter or series of verses and end at the closing of the chapter but the original books of the Bible were mostly written as continual thoughts 

Breaking them down into parts can cause us to lose thoughts that relate one section to another 

This has been the case with Chiasms use in Scripture 

Some claim that the very numbers in Daniel and repurposed in Revelation are laid out in a chaismic manner 

They are in a ABCCBA structure and here’s how they are laid out 

A = 42 found in 11:2

B = 1260 is found in 11:3

C = 3 1/2 is found in 11:9

Then, the mirror image of this order begins in Revelation 11:11 

C = 3 1/2 is found in 11:11

B = 1260 is found in 12:6

A = 42 is found in 13:5

Yet there is more to it 

If we look at the reference that each has to days and some to months 

When we record that we get:

A = 42 months

B = 1260 days

C = 3 1/2 days

And then in the mirror image of this order that beings in Revelation 11:11

C = 3 1/2 days

B = 1260 days 

A = 42 months

Of course we may never really know what all this means until we get there 

We do have some information from history as to some of the things that happened before and after 70 AD and just because each of these time references are the same just written differently doesn’t necessarily mean that they apply to the same time period 

This time period is essentially three and a half years and symbolically it represents half of the seven year period, which symbolizes a perfect time so this halfway point has always been seen as bad

We see it in Antiochus and in the future, it is believed that we will see it again in the Antichrist 

Mostly though, commentators and others related all three time designations as referring to the same period but John seems to be showing that they might not be 

We already looked at the fact that the Greek referencing the 42 months and then the 1260 days is different and calls for the ministry of the two witnesses to come before the nations trample the outer court for 42 months 

Almost every commentator or scholar I have read has made it a point to say that the most important thing to remember is that we can’t be hardline about the time references here and I get it

You know, it’s the idea that just because it says “42 months” doesn’t mean exactly how long the time will be, it could be 41 and a half or a few days more or less 

So no one wants to be dogmatic about it and call it false because it doesn’t last exactly as long as has been referenced 

I don’t think that has been the intention in any of the times referenced in Scripture except where God has called for certain days to be remembered and times for the feasts 

I do believe that all that does play into the end times and we will see the exactness of our Father after these things occur 

But wait, there’s more, we then eventually will get to the last time reference alluding to Daniel in Revelation 

A time, times, and half a time 

First we get the reference of 1,260 days 

Revelation 12

5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule^a all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Then we get the next reference 

Revelation 12

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

This takes us back to Daniel 7 and 12

Daniel 7

21As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,22until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

23“Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

And then we get this from Daniel 

27And the kingdom and the dominion

and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;

his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’^c

We can see the reference to the future for Daniel, as In Antiochus Epiphanes, but this also seems to go further 

Daniel 12

5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,^b “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”7And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

In the New Testament the Greek for “time” is “kairos.”

It is a general term and not very specific 

It means “due measure, a measure of time, a large or small portion of time, or season”

In Daniel 7 where this phrase is first used, the word is “iddan”

It is Aramaic and means “time, non specific time” much like “kairos”

This brings us to the question:

Why use such ambiguous language?

Why be so mysterious?

The answer could be that God was not really ready to reveal what He had planned and now here in Revelation He is ready

These verses are tied to Daniel in order for us to read them and then the “time phase” and the 1,260 days obviously tied together with the end of days

But we still have a symbolic meaning with the “time phrase” in that it doesn’t specify something that is written in stone and even if it lasts for 3 and a half years, it still doesn’t mean something that is not some kind of interruption or something short of perfection 

The Red Heifer and Israel

Check out these interesting articles 

The Red Heifer

https://www.timesofisrael.com/red-heifer-temple-institute

https://m.jpost.com/judaism/article-717650

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-war-hamas-red-heifers-from-texas-jerusalem-jewish-temple-al-aqsa

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Revelation 11:1-3 Different Views of the Temple

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

We are still in the middle of an interlude or what some call a parenthesis between the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet 

Here we see John is given a measuring rod, or reed and told to measure the Temple of God and the altar 

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not

measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 

The measuring rod tells us that this section is drawn from Ezekiel 40-48 

Something that we already looked at in depth 

I wonder if John is giving us a slight clue as to the timing of this vision 

John has done a very thorough job thus far in relating his visions and their Old Testament examples to show that these aren’t the ravings of an overzealous follower of Jesus who wants to make all of this true 

He is showing that this is the will and program of the Father and the Son together 

It is interesting that he mentions the measuring rod to draw our attention to Ezekiel 40-48

The time marker for Ezekiel is the 25th year of the exile after the city had been destroyed 

What he is seeing is, either a physical city or something more symbolic of transformative 

Could this be where we are with John?

Could this be in a similar timeframe?

After the Temple has been destroyed?

After 70 AD?

Here in Ezekiel, he is brought to a very high mountain and showed a large city like temple 

A man is there to measure this building Ezekiel 40:1-4

John, on the other hand, is given the measuring rod or reed, and told to “Get up and measure the Temple, the altar, and the people who worship there

He is told not to measure the outer court because it was given to the nations to trample for 42 months 

Ezekiel tells us that he was in exile when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the 1st Temple 

Most agree that the 2nd Temple was destroyed by Titus in 70 AD

It seems that either John is dealing with the 2nd Temple in the time frame before this Temple is destroyed 

Or it is around 95 AD and John is envisioning a third Temple not yet built and not the idealized Temple that Ezekiel sees in Ezekiel 40-48

Many see this as a future fourth Temple that will stand during the millennium after the third is heavily modified or destroyed 

Pre-Millennial Dispensationalists see this third Temple built and standing during the time period that they label “The Great Tribulation”

They also see believing Jews, or Christian Jews as the worshippers who are being measured 

Preterists see this very Temple as the 2nd Temple, or Herod’s Temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD

The Modified Futurist does not see this as a literal Temple but symbolic of the measuring or counting of the remnant of Israel who will be saved

Commentators run the gamut as far as what they interpret within the first two verses

The first is symbolic as far as this Temple is concerned 

The Temple represents the church with Christ as the altar 

The Temple and altar represents Christ in His twofold nature as the Temple of God and the altar of the church 

The outer court represents heretics and pseudo Christians who are left out, or ex communicated 

Yet there are things in the text that may help us get an idea of what John is pointing out 

The first thing we will look at is: The timing of this Temple 

There are groups who claim that this is the physical Temple in Jerusalem still standing and the clue lies in 11:1

“I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who are worshiping there.”

The Greek is in the present ongoing tense 

Much smarter people than myself have indicated this 

This indicates that there were people worshiping in the Temple at that very moment 

It is also important to note that the “Mighty Angel” is standing on the earth

He was straddling the land and the sea but now He is standing on the earth, evidently the land of Israel 

To have this view, you must believe that Revelation was written before 70 AD and that John was looking at the Temple that stood at the time and not a future one 

They claim that this first present verse is distinct from the second verse which is future tense and they claim indicates the war in Jerusalem that was about to begin with the Gentiles, the Romans, trampling the outer court 

So we have verse 3 in a future tense and comparing this with verse 7, indicates that this will happen during the time of the beast

Of course to believe this you must keep this information between 66 and 70 AD and see the beast as a demon who influences Nero

You also have to see the trampling of the outer court by the Gentiles as the time period of 42 months from 70-74 AD, the last half of the Jewish war

I do believe that this happened but I also believe that this was an example of what will happen in the future 

It also leads me to believe that the times mentioned in Revelation could very well indicate different events and not just the same ones 

It would seem that these verses imply that the two witnesses will prophesy for their allotted time before the nations trample the outer court 

Here is where we learn that Ezekiel’s Temple and Johns might be the same physical temple 

Both visions involve being in Israel, not heaven 

Ezekiel 40

1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^a 2In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.

Here John sees the mighty angel who is standing on earth before he is told to measure the temple 

Some claim that the temple that Ezekiel sees is the very physical temple that John is supposed to measure and that this temple is Zerubbabel’s temple that Herod fixed up

This was the replacement temple for Solomon’s temple and there are similarities 

1 Kings 6:16,17 – Ezekiel 41:2

1 Kings 6:19,20 – Ezekiel 41:4

1 Kings 6:31-35 – Ezekiel 41:23,24

1 Kings 6:32 – Ezekiel 41:25

1 Kings 6:20,22 – Ezekiel 41:22

1 Kings 6:3 – Ezekiel 40:48,49

1 Kings 7:21 – Ezekiel 40:49

1 Kings 6:5-10 – Ezekiel 41:5-7

7 day dedication 2 Chron 7:9

7 day dedication Ez. 43:26

There are also many other indicators that Ezekiel is referring to a literal temple 

The priests of Ezekiel’s temple sweat (44:18)

Ezekiel 44:22 gives the commandments of marriage to the priests of this temple 

“They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.” 

They can’t drink wine while on duty in the Holy Place (44:21)

They have no inheritance in the land (44:28)

They could go astray and sin (44:10-14) 

They are supposed to take off their priestly garments when they leave the temple (44:19)

They are not supposed to shave their heads or let their hair grow long (44:20) 

By all the indications it seems that this temple measured to be built in Ezekiel will be the same temple that is measured for destruction here in Revelation 11

We know that the temple buildings and altar, everything that has to do with sacrifice and the Levitical system, are 100% destroyed 

The rest, non ceremonial places, are preserved for a season (42 months)

This temple is both literal and symbolic in that we see the beginnings or the trickle of the waters of Life (47:1-12) into a river and we see the trees 

With the coming of Jesus (The Temple) and the Holy Spirit, we see that we are no longer required to hold to the ceremonial Law 

The Spirit of God is tabernacled within the Body of Christ and we are now temples of God because we are the body of Christ 

Other verses where measurements are taken of regions for destruction 

Lamentations 2

8The LORD determined to lay in ruins

the wall of the daughter of Zion;

he stretched out the measuring line;

he did not restrain his hand from destroying;

he caused rampart and wall to lament;

they languished together.

Isaiah 28

17And I will make justice the line,

and righteousness the plumb line;

and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,

and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

Amos 7

7This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass by them;
9the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

2 Kings 21

12therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster^b that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

Psalms 60

6God has spoken in his holiness:^c

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

Scholars claim that even mentioning the measuring reed that is actually like a rod is a nod towards destruction 

Measuring can be a metaphor for destruction or preservation 

Yet no measurement is done by John, or if he does measure anything, we aren’t told what and when 

Now in Revelation 21, John reports the same kind of vision as Ezekiel 

Revelation 21

9Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 

It seems that John’s experience here more closely resembles the vision of Zechariah because no measurements are recorded 

Zechariah 2

1^a And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”3And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.5And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

It would seem that, taking all of these passages together, that the focus is on divine protection 

An angel measures the heavenly Jerusalem in a fragmented Qumran apocalypse 

The Jerusalem temple is measured in 11QTemple 3-48

In 1 Enoch 61:1-5, angels are given long cords for measuring the righteous or the future heritage of the righteous 

This is all for protection because we see God delivering the city when He wipes out all of His enemies in Revelation 20

Where the confusion starts is with the phrase 

“Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.” 

No most scholars believe that two things here clue us into the fact that this timeframe is before 70 AD

“Measuring,” or counting those who worship there would indicate that John may very well be looking at the physical temple of his day in Jerusalem 

The Greek phrase, “To naov tou theou,” “Temple of God,” may also be a clue

It is used twice in this chapter

It is used again in verse 19 only this time it is qualified with the phrase 

“Ho en te ouranē,” which translates as “Which is in heaven”

And many scholars believe that this distinguishes one from the other 

Now we are back at the beginning because, if this is true, it would mean that this book was written before 70 AD

There are differences in each temple mentioned other than the temple proper as well as the courts are all identified as the Temple 

Solomon’s temple- In addition to the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place, this temple had two courts 

The inner court surrounded by a wall (1 Kings 6:36, 7:12)

The outer court surrounded the royal palace and the temple precincts (1 Kings 7:9,12)

The temple in Ezekiel also has two courts

An oblong inner court (Ezekiel 40:23)

A square outer court (Ezekiel 40:17-20)

The Herodian Temple 

This temple had four courts

The inner court of priests, the court of Israelites, and the court of women 

The court of priests was separated from the court of Israelites by a sine cubit high barrier 

The whole inner precinct, the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place, and the three courts, was enclosed by a high wall with gates

The outer court was called the court of Gentiles, it was a huge marketplace, and was on the outside of the wall

On this small stone barrier that surrounded the large wall, were warnings posted that Gentiles were prohibited from passing through on pain of death

Josephus mentions this in his work: Antiquities of the Jews 15.417

This barrier is what Paul mentions in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2

11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

This outer court, this court of the nations is not to be measured because it is given over to the nations to trample for 42 months 

Revelation 11:1-2 The Temple – Real or Symbolic?

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

We are still in the middle of an interlude or what some call a parenthesis between the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet 

Here we see John is given a measuring rod, or reed and told to measure the Temple of God and the altar 

1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not

measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 

The measuring rod tells us that this section is drawn from Ezekiel 40-48

Of course this is a vision that Ezekiel is experiencing as well 

Ezekiel 40

1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^a 2In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Chapters 40-48 can be broken down into three sections:

40-43 Describes the vision of the Temple of God

44-46 Describes the rules governing going into and back out of the Temple 

47-48 Describes the appointment of the future land among the tribes of Israel

In the first section Ezekiel sees a “Man,” probably an angel, who is about to measure the Temple and the rest of the chapter gives the measurements 

First we”ll look at that Temple that he sees in this vision 

But first, is this supposed to be a physical, working, Temple during the Millennium and does this have any bearing on what John is experiencing?

Here in Ezekiel there are three characters mentioned:

Ezekiel 

The unidentified “Man”

The “Nasi,” or “Prince”

Again, the first thing that comes to mind is the question:

Is this a physical temple that will be in use in conjunction with the second coming of Christ?

Some believe it 

The second thing that should come to mind is the issue of the “Nasi,” or Prince 

Prophecy experts are all over the Temple but the Prince gets overlooked, although his identity can help explain these visions 

Now there are those who claim that this vision is not about a future literal building but about something else that Yahweh has in mind 

Many times this thinking comes along with the belief that there won’t be a Millennial kingdom that some see described in Revelation but actually the New Heaven and Earth also described in Scripture 

The late Dr Mike Heiser was a proponent for this view and his reasoning came from three things 

Of course we will look at that theory when we get there 

Here are the reasons why some believe that this Temple does not speak of a physical Temple on earth 

The first argument against a literal building is that there are features of the text that argue against literalism and promote something that transcends it

For example, there are disconnections that we normally see in other Old Testament passages about building the Tabernacle and later the Temple 

In Exodus 25-30, we are given a narrative describing the actual design and building of that structure in Exodus 35-40

There is also a narrative description of the building of Solomon’s Temple in 1 Kings 6

Here we don’t get instructions for building this structure, we only get descriptions of it and Ezekiel is told to take note of everything he is shown so that he can deliver it to Israel 

This structure is already built, it already exists 

It seems that this structure is not something to be built by the people of God but something built for them by God

There are irregularities in the architecture as well as the furniture of what Ezekiel describes in these chapters 

There are things that you would expect to see in a working Temple, at least from what we have seen, that are not there or we have something odd in their descriptions

Height is absent in these descriptions except in only two places 

40:5 and 43:13

There is no description of a roof over the structure 

There is Temple talk in the New Testament but no real expectation that a new temple will be built 

The size of the gatehouses, 25×50 cubits, exceeds the size of the main hall, 20×40, and their length is half that of the inner court, 100 cubits 

There is no wall around the inner court mentioned to connect the three massive gates

The lavers or bronze sea or their equivalent is mentioned for the priests to wash

Of course, the Ark and the Lamp are both missing

The only furniture mentioned is an altar of wood 

These irregularities seem to argue in their own way that this can’t be about a functioning future literal building if we take the other two buildings, that are described down to the minute details, into consideration 

Those who believe in the literal Millennium claim that there are five distinct temples alluded to in Scripture 

Solomon’s temple – Destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC

In 168 BC Antiochus Epiphanes pillaged and consecrated to Jupiter the Temple of Zerubbabel

In 70 AD Herod’s temple was reduced to ashes by Titus 

The Temple that John sees here in Revelation 11 is believed to be the fourth temple that exists during the Great Tribulation 

The Temple seen in Ezekiel 40-48 is believed to be the Millennial Temple 

So what if the literal futurist is right?

What if there are still two more Temples to come?

There is a group in Israel who, right now, are getting ready to build the fourth temple, but they claim that this won’t be the fourth 

There is a group who are preparing stones right now to build the third Jewish temple, it seems they don’t count Herod’s temple as his was an embellishment upon Zerubbabels’

It’s an Indepence Day event, organized by Rabbi Aryeh Lipo in honor of Rabbi Kanievsky

He claims that he and a friend we’re learning a halachic (Torah law) ruling written by Kanievsky that stated that the stones for the Temple must be cut by Jews with the intention of honoring God’s Name 

Lipo claims that they have a commandment to build the temple that is neither time bound nor conditional other than the stones can’t be cut on site, they must be prepared beforehand

And he has already begun collecting the stones 

Another group is claiming that they have everything ready to construct the next Temple

Rabbi Nachman Kahane, whose students started “The Temple Institute” in 1987, has trained everyone who will lead this effort 

The Institute itself has trained and is training men, who believe they are from the tribe of Levi and the priestly lines, how to serve in Temple services

Many of the priestly garments, after years of research and accumulation of the proper materials and colors, are made and currently in storage 

It has also accumulated all the implements needed for the Temple, this includes, the table of showbread, altar of incense, and the golden menorah 

They also believe that they know the current location of the Ark of the Covenant 

They have a cornerstone ready for construction to begin, it has been consecrated with water from the pool of Siloam and cut with diamonds

For this group, they see this Temple as the Great Tribulation temple 

They also believe that this Temple will be built following the details of Ezekiel 40-46

Many of the proponents of this view claim that the description in Ezekiel is vividly detailed 

But some claim that Ezekiel’s Temple is the Millennial Temple 

So let’s say they are correct 

And they very well could be 

It seems that the overall expectation for a future temple makes sense for an observant Jew because the language involves only Israel

It brings back the priestly work, the festivals, and all the Old Testament traditions of Israel

There is even the prohibition of Gentiles in the Temple 

This is where you have to make a decision when dealing with the Temple mentioned in Ezekiel 

Either this is a future physical temple where the sacrifices are reinstated, ignoring the entirety of the New Testament and the New Covenant under the blood of Jesus 

Or this is a spiritual temple where all these measurements and tribal allotments and laws were recorded for nothing?

I can agree with the spiritual ideas on a few things 

But why include all of the measurements if it is only symbolic and what is it symbolic of?

Some claim the symbology concerns the church 

Now Ezekiel never tells us that any of these descriptions are symbolic and it’s not particularly obvious that that this speaks about the church 

The time period does give us a sense that, and because there will be another Temple in the near future, as far as Ezekiel is concerned this represents a physical, working temple 

At the same time the language also points beyond the next Temple but to the end times and what Israel as a community expected

Others would say that this just predicts the rebuilding of Solomon’s temple after the captivity in Babylon ends

This view doesn’t match either because this kingdom is supposed to last forever 

Ezekiel 43

7and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies^b of their kings at their high places,^c 8by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. 9Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

Israel was destroyed in 70 AD That nation didn’t last forever and only recently, in 1948, did they return to the land that God had given them

They didn’t receive all of the land promised and there still is no temple there

This is a future Temple going past all the known temples even for us and here is where those with a certain interpretation will differ 

This Temple and the activities that occur within it does differ from all the others though 

First is the inclusion of a man in Ezekiel who is called the “Prince”

Evidently this prince is part of 4 Messianic figures in Judaism 

First we’ll look at the two messianic figures that are believed to usher in the future 

A rabbi named Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi gave two verses showing opposite messianic figures 

One is:

‘with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man came.’

The other:

‘lowly and riding on an ass.’

The belief is that, if Israel merits the one coming with the clouds at the time of the end, then they will see the return of Messiah ben David 

If not, and Israel is not honoring Yahweh, then they will receive Messiah ben Joseph, who will prepare them for Ben David 

Messiah ben Joseph is the suffering servant who will come in humility and riding on an ass

Ring any bells?

The Hebrew term “Messiah” does not occur at all in the Tenach but the title “The Anointed One” does

It denotes a prophet, a priest, and especially a king

How does this relate to the physical and spiritual or conceptual idea of the Temple?

First we need to understand the idea of the cosmic mountain 

The idea that the Temple as 

Yahweh’s presence is situated at the center of everything on the highest mountain 

It’s where He decides how things will go from here 

His council is here

Isaiah 2

‘2. And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3. And many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the G-d of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4. And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’

In Isaiah 11 we have the same themes but a little more expanded

Also information about a leader who will arise from Judah and the fact that Judah and Ephraim will no longer strive against each other 

Isaiah 11

‘1. And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a twig shall grow forth out of his roots.

2. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

3. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears;

4. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the land; and he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6. And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk’s den.

9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.

11. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, that shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12. And He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

14. And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together shall they spoil the children of the east; they shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15. And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with His scorching wind will He shake His hand over the River, and will smite it into seven streams, and cause men to march over dry-shod.

16. And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, that shall remain from Assyria, like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.’

Ezekiel 37 gives us more information about the reconciliation between Judah and Ephraim along with the In gathering of the people

Ezekiel 37

‘15. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

16. ‘And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it: For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions;

17. and join them for thee one to another into one stick, that they may become one in thy hand.

18. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by these?

19. say into them: Thus saith the Lord G-D: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them unto him together with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand.

20. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.

21. And say unto them: Thus saith the Lord G-D: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land;

22. and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;

23. neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be My people, and I will be their G-d.

24. And My servant David shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd; they shall also walk in Mine ordinances, and observe My statutes, and do them.

25. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever.

26. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them—it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.

27. My dwelling-place also shall be over them; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be My people.

28. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD that sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.’

Here we see Ephraim and Judah joined together with Judah as the leader 

This leader will be David’s descendant 

He will be called the king, prince, and leader of that time 

There will be a sanctuary 

So Ephraim and Judah will be on the same level as both will have leaders but Judahs will be sole leader 

So what happens to Ephraims leader?

This may be the prince of Ezekiel 40-48

Also these chapters introduce us to another figure

Ezekiel 44:26-27

26After he^d has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. 27And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.

Malachi 3 gives us more information 

Malach 3

‘23. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

24. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction.’

So according to this thinking, in the end times, there will be a Davidic king or leader, a priest, and a prophet Elijah 

In the late second Temple period, these are termed as “Messiahs”

We see this in the Dead Sea Scrolls 

1QS (Rule of the Community)

(IX 11) ‘until the prophet comes and the messiahs of Aaron and Israel.’ 

To understand what the Rabbis taught about these figures that have a role in the end times we must look at Zechariah 2

Zechariah 2

‘1. And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 

2. And I said unto the angel that spoke with me: ‘What are these?’ And he said unto me: ‘These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’ 

3. And the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 

4. Then said I: ‘What come these to do?’ And he spoke, saying: ‘These—the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head—these then are come to frighten them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.’ 

5. And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 

6. Then 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.’ 

7. And, behold, the angel that spoke with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 

8 and said unto him: ‘Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein. 

9. For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her. 

10. Ho, ho, flee then from the land of the north, saith the LORD; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. 

11. Ho, Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.’ 

12. For thus saith the LORD of hosts who sent me after glory unto the nations which spoiled you: ‘Surely, he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 

13. For, behold, I will shake My hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them’; and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.’

Here we learn about the four horns, who represent the enemies of Israel, who sent them into exile 

Opposing the horns are four craftsmen 

Very important end times figures who cut these horns down

The Rabbis teach that these four craftsmen are distinct figures:

Moshiach Ben David 

Moshiach Ben Yosef

Elijah 

The Righteous Priest, Melchizedek 

Now three of these figures are listed in the Dead Sea Scrolls 

What about the leader from Ephraim?

One hint is in the book of Obadiah

17. But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 

18. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken. 

19. And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the Lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 

20. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. 

21. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.’

According to the teachings, the House of Joseph (Ephraim) has a military role in this end times drama but this will be a joint effort between both Houses of Israel

From this we learn that the time when Moshiach Ben Yosef appears on the scene that this period ends with peace 

This would bring about world peace and a renewal of the Davidic kingdom 

One Rabbi stated:

“There will be a period of about seven years of terrible famines and other troubles. The land of Israel will at that time be under Non-Jewish control, and a leader of the tribe of Ephraim, will arise to lead militarily against these nations who control Jerusalem. He will be successful, but after his initial victory he will die in battle. This will cause a great mourning and many will lose faith. At that time (still within the seven years) the Moshiach Ben David will be revealed, he shall finish the battle. After which, he will resurrect all the dead, starting with the Moshiach Ben Yosef. Both of them will go up to Mount Zion to fulfill the prophecy in Ovadiah verse 21: “And the saviors (plural – both Messiahs) shall go up onto Mount Tzion and judge Mount Esav, and the kingdom will be for Hashem.” There is the fulfillment of ALL the major prophesies like an end to war and a world at peace with the Jewish people in a restored Jerusalem with the third Temple.”

There is another important aspect that the Rabbis taught concerning both of these Messiahs

In “Emunah V’Deos,”

Rabbi Saadiah Gaon wrote:

“If we do not repent, the events of Ben Joseph will come to pass. But if we repent, they will not, and Messiah ben David will appear to us suddenly.”

This fact that ethnic Israel does not look to Jesus as the Messiah and they are looking to the coming of the Messiah could explain why, to them, the physical Temple is real and expected 

This would also include this individual, who seems to be the Moshiach Ben Yosef, or the prince, the “Nasi”

There are two interpretations that scholars fall into when trying to categorize just who this may be 

The first view is that this prince is also a “Melek,” or a king and probably from the house of David 

The second view is that this Prince is not a Davidic king because at this point in Israel’s history they have despaired of having the monarchy returned as well as the Messianic hope 

This second one doesn’t really make sense in that only a small portion of Israelites aren’t looking for Moshiach to return 

The rest are eagerly awaiting his return 

As far as the Jewish view is concerned, this “Nasi” would seem to fit the bill 

The Messiah will be human and must be Jewish and descended from Judah 

The prince, if this is the culmination of a physical temple, is not Jesus for several reasons 

The prince offers sacrifices for himself 

The prince produces children 

The prince is not a priest, although he is allowed to supply the animals for the sacrifices

The prince is a human being in all his humanity just as they see the Mosiach Ben Yosef

The Messiah will be well versed in Jewish law and be observant of its commandments 

He will be a great righteous judge 

He will bring spiritual and political redemption for Israel by bringing them all back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem 

He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world governments 

He will rebuild the Temple and reestablish its worship 

He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land 

Tradition holds that a messiah is born in every generation and whether or not his identity is revealed depends upon whether Israel merits his coming

Merit also determines whether Israel will get a Messiah who fights wars (Ben David) or who will lead them into the Messianic Era without war (Ben Yosef)

To me this prince seems to be Moshiach Ben Yosef but I haven’t found any evidence that anyone else sees that connection 

And of course this is a Christian study so in no way does this prince ever seem to be representative of Jesus Christ and may not completely represent the Jewish Messiah figure either 

He is mainly seen in relation to the temple, along with the priests and Levites, but separated from the temple by the priests 

His allowance of land appears to give him “geographical importance” in its position 

He is near the center of importance but not the center of importance, that is the Temple 

The Priests are next to the Temple geographically and the “Nasi” is next to them 

He is given land on either side of the Temple which gives him a special place but also holds him to certain conditions:

Importance – He has an important place beside the Temple 

Independence – He doesn’t have to rely on taxes from other tribes as support 

Illegality – He is forbidden to extend his allotment of land by taking what is allotted to the tribes 

He is also prohibited from oppressing people and directed to promote justice and righteousness 

Allocation prohibition – He is not to dispose of his land, it is to remain in his family as a possession 

So he does have a place of honor 

He is the only one who may eat bread before Yahweh in the East gate and make his offerings there

This gate was to remain closed because the glory of God entered through this gate 

The “Nasi” is not a priest or Levite and not permitted to serve in the Temple or offer sacrifice, although he has an important place in the functioning of the Temple service 

He is to provide or insure that provision is made for the sacrifices

The feasts draw a separation here as well 

There are some significant differences in Ezekiel’s worship and the worship described by Moses

There is no Day of Atonement 

There is no Pentecost 

Literalists and PreMills claim that the millennial sacrifices will be memorials of the work of Jesus as evidence for Israel

Most Evangelicals believe that the Old Testament sacrifices concerning atonement mean atonement for sin 

Most think that this involves moral forgiveness and having your sins wiped away individually, superimposing Jesus talk onto the sacrificial system 

The sacrificial system is actually about purifying objects and sacred spaces 

So if the sacrificial system is reinstated physically as atonement for sin, then it nullifies the complete and finished work of Jesus 

There would be no reason for this 

If the temple is to be considered literal then the sacrifices have to be literal 

You can’t have a temple without sacrifices 

There is no need for a temple without sacrifices

There would also be no reason for the animal sacrifices to be brought back 

Especially as a memorial, to teach the people of the millennium 

It would be no different than what we have now 

Why would animal sacrifices be required for those in the future 

The work of Jesus  on the cross is just as adequate and complete now as it would be in the future 

People, especially Jews still have come to believe in Jesus without this memorial 

So let’s look at the fact that animal sacrifices are actually about decontamination 

The decontamination of sacred objects and sacred spaces 

It’s now about keeping this new temple pure just as in Leviticus 

But the question comes up again 

Why do we need to revert to purification of sacred space in this future Temple when we, as believers according to the New Testament, are sacred space 

The New Testament describes believers as the Temple of God because Jesus referred to His body as the Temple and we are the body of Christ 

John 2

18So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,^c and will you raise it up in three days?”21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

The Spirit of God, the same glory of God that filled the Temple, is tabernacled within us

1 Peter 2

4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”^a

8and

“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We are sacred space 

Here Peter also puts it together 

Jesus whose body is the Temple is the precious cornerstone 

We are living stones as the body of Christ put together to form a spiritual house because we are the Holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifice 

Why the need for a spiritual house or Temple?

Because we are the priesthood with Jesus as our High Priest and you can’t have one without the other, except here we don’t need a physical building because together we make sacred space 

Now this is something that the disciples only picked up after the resurrection and John shows us that they picked up on the three days statement only then

No ethnic Jew was expecting something like that 

You had the Temple where the glory of God was supposed to be, but it was long gone 

No one expected the glory of God to be right in front of them in the body of Christ 

So this concept is expanded as we are the Temple of God because we are the body of Christ 

John 1

14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^d from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 6

14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Belial?^b Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Paul puts it all together for us

Ephesians 2

12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,^d but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by^e the Spirit.

Many of these verses are just kinda skipped over in terms of the Temple language and what it means 

2 Corinthians 5

1For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,3if indeed by putting it on^a we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Because this kind of talk was going on at this time

2 Peter 1:13-15

13I think it right, as long as I am in this body,^h to stir you up by way of reminder, 14since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Peter says:

13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder…

“Body” here in Greek is the term 

 “skēnōma,” and it’s related to the term “skēnos or skēnoō”

This is the term in Greek that is used to translate the term for “Tabernacle” in the Old Testament, so someone in this time period would automatically understand what Peter is talking about 

They are thinking in terms of their bodies as tabernacles and temples because the Spirit of God is dwelling in each believer 

The glory of God that left the physical temple is now dwelling in each of them

If this is true, and it is, then why would we need to have a temple?

For that matter, who would be looking for a physical temple?

Why would we need a space to decontaminate and purify?

I understand that, in Ezekiel’s time, no one would ever imagine that the physical bodies of the people would or could be considered as the place where the glory of God dwelled 

They also couldn’t imagine Jerusalem without a Temple because of that but after Jesus, the Apostles were telling everyone that what they were teaching in relation to the Old Testament concept and what it was speaking to 

So if the temple was supposed to be physical then we run into all sorts of issues 

If they built a temple right now it wouldn’t have an effect on anything 

I’m sure it wouldn’t match Ezekiel’s and literalism would still explain it in the tense that this one will be destroyed to make way for the Millennium temple 

Also, if this temple in Ezekiel is physical, it doesn’t have anywhere for the priests to wash and many of the objects of the temple that get sprinkled with blood are not there

There are inconsistencies in the boundaries of the tribes in the Promised Land 

The boundaries here are roughly those found in the book of Numbers 

Scholars claim that the Aramean kingdoms conquered by David to the north are excluded 

The trans Jordanian domains of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh on the East are excluded 

To the south, the Edomite territory down to Ezion-Geber, once part of the Judahite kingdom, is excluded 

Some scholars claim that Ezekiel is not showing us a spiritual or literal temple here, and we’ve already seen a hint of it in the text, but a transcendent reality view of the new Eden and the cosmic mountain idea

Ezekiel 40

1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^a 2In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.

Most claim that the “very high mountain” clues is to the fact that we aren’t looking at literalism here because it’s not even the highest mountain in the area

The “highest” is where the cosmic language begins because it’s not the height that matters most; it’s the most important mountain by the fact that it’s the most important to Yahweh 

In Ezekiel 47 we get the idea of the new Eden, the revitalized edenic creation 

Something the Jews were looking forward to 

Ezekiel 47

6Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;^bwhen the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.^c 9And wherever the river goes,^d every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea^emay become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.^f 11But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

We will see it when the New Jerusalem comes down to earth and I imagine that John is speaking about this very same thing in Revelation 21 and 22 but to reconcile the matter with these chapters is the fact that John sees no Temple 

Revelation 21

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 

22And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 

So we will eventually see all this coming together in Revelation 

We see another mention of the idea of the cosmic mountain idea in Ezekiel 38 where we see what Gog is thinking 

Ezekiel 38

7“Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. 8After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them. 9You will advance, coming on like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.

10“Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme 11and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ 12to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth.

The center (Tabbur) of the earth is the place where God dwells, the place where He holds council and in like manner is called the cosmic mountain, Mount Zion, the highest mountain, not physically but spiritually because it is important to God

This is where God runs the cosmos 

Where He issues decrees that affect the destiny of humanity and where He tasks His human “imagers” with their role in His program 

In Ezekiel’s day this place would have been the Temple in Jerusalem 

Ezekiel 38 and 39 shows us the invasion of Jerusalem 

Ezekiel 5

5“Thus says the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.

Here God says Jerusalem is in the center of the nations

In Ezekiel 48, most scholars see the arrangement of the tribes in the book as a reflection of this fact, as it is renamed “Yahweh to there”

Jerusalem is put into the center of the tribes, whereas historically, eleven tribes were placed to the north and only one was to the south 

Josephus tells us that, not just the shrine, but the whole tabernacle and then the temple exemplifies the universe 

“every one of these objects is intended to recall and represent the universe, as [the reader] will find if he will but consent to examine them without prejudice and with understanding.” (Josephus Jewish War 3, 7:7)

Even the elements of this temple relate to the cosmic mountain idea

Ezekiel 43:13-17

13“These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth):^d its base shall be one cubit high^e and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span^f around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: 14from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; 15and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns. 16The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad.17The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east.”

In verse 14, the reference to the altar being from the “base of the ground”

The Hebrew used there is “Mekek ha aretz” and it literally means “The bosom of the earth”

We see it also in the use of “Tabbur,” or “Center” as translated “The navel of the earth” so we get the idea of total centrality

We also see it in one of the items in Solomon’s temple 

This item wasn’t in the Tabernacle 

This item shows us how the earlier temples were conceived as a cosmic mountain and as the center of the universe and everything 

That item is the “Yom mutsach,” translated as “The Copper, molten, or bronze sea”

It was a very large bronze bowl that held a lot of water

It was said to have stood in the courtyard of the temple 

1 Kings 7:23-26 

23Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24Under its brim were gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26Its thickness was a handbreadth,^h and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.

2 Chronicles 4:2-6. 

1He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits^along and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3Under it were figures of gourds,^b for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 4It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 5Its thickness was a handbreadth.^c And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths.^d 6He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

We also get this idea in the sea’s ornamentation 

Under its brim, or rim was a series of decorations 

These were two rows of gourds

The brim itself was made of lily work

Even the way the Sea was supported features this idea

It was supported on four sets of bronze oxen, with three in each set

Each set of oxen faced a direction of the compass with their hind parts facing inward to support the basin

This orientation follows the vision of the cherubim’s four faces in Ezekiel 1

This arrangement signifies that the temple was the center of the universe for Israel 

The garden imagery signifies that this was the cosmic mountain of God, also the center of the universe and here it relates the coming New Eden to the first Eden 

That is why it was designed this way 

Chronicles 4 notes that the Molten sea held 3,000 baths of water 

A bath was roughly about 6 gallons 

That’s a lot of water 

We are not told what this sea was used for 

There were also ten large lavers, also large and spectacular inside the courtyard as well where the priests were to wash

We see this same features in other temples as well 

The temple of Marduk at Babylon had its own artificial sea, called “Ta-am-tu” in its precinct 

Some Babylonian temples had an “apsû‐ sea,” a large basin. 

These kinds of features symbolize the ordering of the universe by the conquest or silencing of chaos as we see in Genesis chapter one 

It’s the idea that God had to subdue this chaos, this evil darkness in order to make the world fit for human existence 

The Temple is supposed to be symbolic of this victory 

It also signifies the waters of life at the holy center 

Eden was formed out of the waters of chaos that had been subdued 

And the molten sea represents the power and control of Yahweh over everything

Next in Ezekiel 43 we have mention of the actual altar as an “Altar hearth”

Ezekiel 43

 15and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns.

In Hebrew this term “Altar hearth,” is the term “Ha har’el” and literally translates to 

“The mountain of El,” or “The mountain of God.” 

Moshe Wienfeld, a professor of the Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote an article examining the creation story of Genesis chapter 2 where he compared God’s creation of the universe to the building of the Tabernacle in Exodus 39 and 40

His claim was that the creation account is really about Yahweh’s construction of the heavens and earth as a cosmic temple building project 

Weinfeld’s thesis is that ‘the priesthood in Israel actualized by means of the Sabbath the completion of the acts of creation in the same way that the peoples of the ancient Near East actualized in their cultic dramas the primordial event. 

For example, In the Babylonian creation story, “The Enuma Elish,” Esagila, or Esangil, the Temple of Marduk, crowns and consummated creation in its construction 

The Sabbath does the same thing in God’s creation story 

The account of creation and the construction of the Temple are both synonymous with Yahwehs bringing about an environment in which He could find rest

God rested on the seventh day 

Exodus 20

8“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORDblessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

David swore he would build a resting place for God

Psalm 132

1Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2how he swore to the LORD
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7“Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”

8Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

But it was David’s son, Solomon, who was tasked with building the Temple 

It took him seven years to build the Temple 

1 Kings 6:38 

37In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv.38And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.

Solomon dedicated the Temple during the Feast of Booths, or Sukkot which occurs in the seventh month and lasts seven days 

1 Kings 8

1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORDout of the city of David, which is Zion. 2And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 

Deuteronomy 16

13“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15For seven days you shall keep the feast to the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Solomon’s dedication speech is structured around seven petitions 

1 Kings 8:31-55

31“If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

33“When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 34then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.

35“When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

37“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates,^b whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

41“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake 42(for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

44“If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

46“If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 48if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,49then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause50and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace). 52Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. 53For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

Solomon’s Benediction

54Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.

“The Body of Christ is the temple. We are his body, in whom dwells the glory-Spirit of God. 

Our rest is in Christ. Period. He is our Sabbath rest.

We are, therefore, the current cosmic mountain—the already cosmic mountain, the place on earth where God dwells and through which he runs his program. 

This, of course, is the restoration of Eden. The integral point to that is the Gospel.

The future (we’re the already, but the “not yet”) cosmic mountain is the New Jerusalem, in which there is no temple (Revelation 21:22 says that explicitly).

There’s no temple. Why is there no temple? 

Because it’s been replaced by the Lord Almighty and the Lamb returned to earth—the Lamb of God, Jesus, who is the temple (back in John and other passages).

This New Jerusalem is also the New Zion, the cosmic mountain made Edenic. 

It is the center of the global Eden.

If Old Testament temple-talk points to the temple being the cosmic center, what the New Testament described (doing so in far more than literal terms) points to precisely the same idea. We are already the cosmic mountain. We are the temple. We are the central thing… 

Dr Michael Heiser

Naked Bible Podcast Episode 157: Ezekiel 40-48, Part 2

We see the cosmic mountain idea with the revitalization of Eden, the new creation, all connected to what some scholars call the consummation of the Jubilees

Jubilee refers to the fiftieth year occurring at the end of seven Sabbatical cycles of seven years each 

During this Jubilee all land is returned to its ancestral owners and all Israelite slaves were freed 

Leviticus 25

8“You shall count seven weeks^c of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 9Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 11That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.^d

13“In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. 16If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. 17You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God.

23“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. 24And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.

25“If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. 28But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

29“If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, he may redeem it within a year of its sale. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption. 30If it is not redeemed within a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong in perpetuity to the buyer, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the jubilee. 31But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them shall be classified with the fields of the land. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee. 32As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem at any time the houses in the cities they possess. 33And if one of the Levites exercises his right of redemption, then the house that was sold in a city they possess shall be released in the jubilee. For the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the people of Israel. 34But the fields of pastureland belonging to their cities may not be sold, for that is their possession forever.

Kindness for Poor Brothers

35“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. 38I am the LORDyour God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

39“If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: 40he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee.41Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers.42For they are my servants,^e whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God. 44As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you.45You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. 46You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.

Redeeming a Poor Man

47“If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan, 48then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself. 50He shall calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his sale shall vary with the number of years. The time he was with his owner shall be rated as the time of a hired worker. 51If there are still many years left, he shall pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price. 52If there remain but a few years until the year of jubilee, he shall calculate and pay for his redemption in proportion to his years of service. 53He shall treat him as a worker hired year by year. He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight. 54And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee.55For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants.^f They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORDyour God.

Leviticus 27

16“If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the land that is his possession, then the valuation shall be in proportion to its seed. A homer^c of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, the valuation shall stand, 18but if he dedicates his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the price according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and a deduction shall be made from the valuation.19And if he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth to its valuation price, and it shall remain his. 20But if he does not wish to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore. 21But the field, when it is released in the jubilee, shall be a holy gift to the LORD, like a field that has been devoted. The priest shall be in possession of it. 22If he dedicates to the LORD a field that he has bought, which is not a part of his possession,23then the priest shall calculate the amount of the valuation for it up to the year of jubilee, and the man shall give the valuation on that day as a holy gift to the LORD. 24In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession. 25Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs^d shall make a shekel.

Jubilee was proclaimed with the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made of ram’s horn on the Day of Atonement 

The year of jubilee came at the end of the cycle of seven Sabbatical years 

Leviticus 25:8-10 specifies it as the fiftieth year

Where this temple in Ezekiel comes into play is the idea that the dimensions of this restored temple are focused around the number 50

There is mention of the destruction of the city in Ezekiel 40:1

1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city.^a 2In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 

It’s the twenty fifth year of their exile and most see this as significant

It’s around 571 BC and there is no event to connect this vision to other than 25 years is half a jubilee, the year of release or the year of liberty (46:17)

While we see the fullness of this number (50) and the multiples (100, 500, 5,000, 10,000, and 25,000) show in the measurements of the Temple and the land

If this chronological marker is a symbolic significance then it lines up with the interpretation of the return from exile as being seen as a jubilee event 

Isaiah 61

 1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;^a

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;^b

2to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

3to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.^c

4They shall build up the ancient ruins;

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

This identification of twenty‐five years as half a jubilee is strengthened by the phrase “at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month.”… 

The only other passage in the Hebrew Bible which indicates that the year began on the tenth day of the month is Lev 25:9‐10, in which the jubilee year, began in the seventh month, the month of Tishri, on the tenth day of the month, the Day of Atonement 

The tenth day of the month was the start of the watch for the Passover Lamb – Exodus 12:3

A new year celebration would precede the Day of Atonement and the jubilee year began actually starting at Tishri 1

The Day of Atonement was the reset for everyone 

Everyone is now in a right relationship with Yahweh 

So we have all of this coming together 

You have the Jubilee year, the Day of Atonement, the Passover lamb, and Tishri 1

Why is all of this significant?

Tishri 1 was the ceremonial date for the inauguration of a new king

In this scenario, you have all the elements needed 

Everything was evident in the mind of the Jewish audience 

The only thing missing is Jesus 

Tishri 1, September 11, 3 BC is also believed to be the birthday of Jesus 

The Passover Lamb

The True Jubilee 

The end of the exile 

The King of the Cosmic Mountain 

The Temple 

Our High Priest 

Our purification 

Our rest

Revelation 10:5-11 The mystery revealed in the little scroll

5And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

5And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

This gives us a glimpse of what is coming up as we see another aspect of what we have seen when this Angel has appeared 

This mighty Angel raised his right hand to heaven 

By the way, this is where we get our ritual of taking an oath and swearing to tell the truth

This Angel swears by God, the One Who created everything 

At first glance, this seems odd

Christ, the Creator, God in flesh, swearing by Himself?

We learn this mystery in the book of Hebrews 6:13

When God wanted to swear an oath to Abraham that He would keep His promises to him, we are told that because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself 

This is what we are seeing here 

There will no longer be any more delay

The mystery of God is about to be fulfilled 

8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 

The Angel hands John a little scroll

Is this opened scroll the very same scroll that Jesus took from the Father?

Or is this a different one?

Now there is a doctrine that is believed by most Western Christians that any pre-New Testament appearance of Yahweh on the earth is actually the pre incarnation of Jesus 

While that could be possible, especially with some of the names given to the unidentified man in the Old Testament, it seems that this Angel of Yahweh is not either the Father nor the Son but an outward presence of both, especially since now we see them back together in Heaven and here the angel is representing Jesus 

The Greek word for this little scroll is “Bibliaridion,” and means “Very small book,” as opposed to the word used to describe the scroll, or book, with seven seals, which is “Biblion”

The picture of this is that by ingesting this scroll, John is taking in this oracle in order to be able to prophesy about its contents 

It was sweet because it is the Word of the Lord but turns sour when John realizes that it has some ghastly content 

Often, like here, God will demand strange things from the prophet, as we see in Ezekiel, in order to create a living illustration of the divine message 

Hoshea was commanded to marry a prostitute and then have three children with her, each to be given a name that symbolized how God intended to deal with Israel 

The Jews study and interpret Scripture, especially prophetic texts, on many levels 

They speak of these levels using terms such as:

P’shat – Plain and literal 

Sod – Mysterious, secret, and hidden 

In the Old Testament, the sort of symbolic illustrations, as seen with John but especially Hosea, that involve an action of some sort by Prophets is called “‘Ot”

A dramatic, sometimes bizarre, enactment designed to make an emphatic point 

‘Ot is used especially by Ezekiel and his prophecies heavily influenced the book of Revelation 

Some claim that this ordeal that John has just gone through symbolizes the sweetness of sin and the bitter pain from the outcome 

Job 20

12Though evil is sweet in his mouth,

Though he hides it under his tongue,

13though he is loath to let it go 

and holds it in his mouth,

14yet his food is turned in his stomach;

it is the venom of cobras within him. 

15He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;

This would symbolize how mankind has turned from God and not just Israel 

And at the same time it calls to mind how God is dealing with Israel caught in the act of adultery

This ‘Ot is slightly similar to the ritual of Numbers 5

It is the law of testing a woman accused of adultery by means of the ordeal of bitter water. 

The ater ordeal for the woman accused of adultery went like this: 

first the local court would question her and if she wouldn’t confess she was sent to the East Gate of the Temple. 

There a priest (often the High Priest) would perform the ceremony found in Numbers 5. 

At the gate she was shamed and publicly humiliated. A special offering of barley, the food of animals and of the very poor, was given to her. 

The High Priest took dust from the Temple floor and mixed it with a cup of water taken from the laver where the priests and Levites would wash their feet and hands before performing their Temple duties.

A curse upon her is written on a scroll, along with God’s name, and then the ink is washed off into the cup

Wormwood and some bitter herbs were added to the mix and the priest had the woman swear an oath. 

Then she drank the bitter water. 

If she was guilty then her belly would swell up. If innocent, nothing bad happened. 

The Jewish audience of the time in the churches would have noticed this immediately 

The symbolism here of eating the scroll or the word of God is also a way of taking the truth and making it personal 

It is now assimilated and becoming part of you

When John eats the scroll it is a symbol that he is taking it into himself and becoming personally involved with it 

We see almost the same thing in Ezekiel chapters two and three 

Ezekiel 2:9-3:3 NIV

Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. 

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.”

So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.”

So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth 

Ezekiel was sent to deliver the message to Israel 

Later in the chapter he says:

Ezekiel 3:14 NIV

The Spirit then lifted me up, and I went In bitterness and in the anger of my spirit with the strong hand of the Lord upon me 

Ezekiel experienced what John is experiencing here

The prophecy tasted sweet at first 

We taste the sweet promises of God as to exactly how He will work His will and purpose in this world, the mercy and judgment of perfect justice 

Though, as we take it in and assimilate this word, becoming personally involved, it begins to become sour 

We begin to understand how we are personally involved, not only in the outcome but in the need for judgments as well 

We are overjoyed to see God deal with an ungodly world up until we realize from these sweet promises that we also have some things that we need to let go of and learn if we are to be a part of God’s plan 

We have things that we hide in our hearts that need to be ripped away 

There are biases, pet sins, and attitudes that need to be put away 

We think of sin as a mistake but in actuality, any kind of sin is active rebellion and God wants us to be part of His program; not outside of it because of rebellion 

This is where the word becomes sour; when we are affected by it, when it becomes part of us and just like the act of metabolism in our bodies, it becomes part of us

It shows in our lives and we flinch when the Word touches us personally 

We discover that we aren’t as holy and godly as we once thought 

We realize that we need to change because we were only listening to ourselves and not God

We must allow this Word to burrow into the deepest darkest parts of our hearts and change us

This is what is happening to John right here in chapter 10

He ate the scroll and it was sweet in his mouth but turned sour in his stomach 

Other parallels to this are found in the book of Jeremiah 

Jeremiah 15:16-17

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart…. 

You filled me with anger.” 

The LXX has the word “Pikria,” or “Bitterness” instead of “anger or indignation” as some translations do

But then, and only then was he given a new assignment 

11And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

In Greek, he says “They said unto me,”

Who were They?

John doesn’t tell us but some speculate that it is the mighty angel while others say that it might have been the four living creatures 

And he will do just that in the next couple of chapters as we see God and the Lamb serve judgment and justice in the chapters to come 

Many commentators agree that this small scroll is the Book of Revelation being added to the Canon and being given to John to write 

Revelation 10:1-4 The Mighty Angel

1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 

John sees another mighty angel coming down from heaven but notice the description of this angel 

wrapped in a cloud

This sounds like Daniel 7 and the “Son of man,” but it’s not exactly the same

In Daniel the Son of Man comes “on the clouds,” or “with the clouds” but it still seems like a pretty good connection 

This also sounds like the Angel of the Lord or Yahweh Himself when He lead Israel in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud

What scholars call “The cloud rider” motif is mostly in reference to God in the Old Testament and then you have the one of the Son of Man that we just looked at 

with a rainbow over his head

This sounds like Revelation 4:3 where we get a description of God on the throne, surrounded by an emerald rainbow

Ezekiel has a similar description 

Ezekiel 1

28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. 

What’s interesting is that, in Genesis 9, we have both mentioned and this has to do with the covenant God made between Himself and the earth

Genesis 9

I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth 

So again we’ll see John using these descriptions of both the Father and Son interchangeably, and now we have the same with this mighty angel 

his face was like the sun

This doesn’t just sound like Revelation 1:16, it is Jesus John is talking about 

Revelation 1

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength

This also reminds us of His transfiguration in the Gospels 

Matthew 17:2

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light 

his legs like pillars of fire. 

We also see this in chapter one 

Revelation 1

14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace 

So far, as we’ve seen, you have language that describes both the Father and Son interchangeably and now we have the same language describing an angel 

Some claim that this is something known as “Jewish Christology,” or “Jewish Binitarian Monotheism,” or as many call it “The Two Powers motif”

The idea is that Jewish theology held the belief that there was two powers of Yahweh in action in Israel’s history and that this was not a New Testament Christian creation 

It had roots in early Judaism but eventually became thought of as heretical in the case of acknowledging Jesus 

You have the invisible power and the visible, in the form of the Angel of the Lord 

This is the idea that it was a common belief in Judaism up until the second century

The original concept of this idea is based on a broader ancient near East idea of the divine warrior and the Canaanite idea of the role of the vice-regent of the divine council, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible 

It’s the imagery of a high sovereign God, such as El, who rules heaven and earth through the agency of a second, appointed god, namely Baal

This modified idea became part of Israel’s religious concept

For the orthodox Israelite, Yahweh was both sovereign and vice-regent, occupying both spots and heading the divine council 

They believed that there were two Yahwehs – one invisible, the spirit, and one visible, often in human form 

These two Yahwehs at times appeared together in the text, at time distinguishable, and other times not at all

This belief was not a violation of monotheism because since both figures were Yahweh 

This all changed when early Jewish Christians connected Jesus with this idea 

This explains why these people could worship both God and Jesus while refusing to acknowledge other gods 

They saw Jesus as the second incarnation of the two powers 

In response to this, Judaism pronounced the Two Powers teachings as a heresy sometime in the second century 

All these details, that we have seen in Revelat t f c bc in. Hhhg bc B My you tion already, are descriptions of only the Father and Son so, just from that, we can rightfully assume that this mighty angel is not a regular angel but the Angel of Yahweh 

The second person of the Two Powers, God Himself in human form 

He is seen all throughout the Old Testament and the Gospels

This great angel accompanied Israel in the wilderness and always appeared when Israel comes to the forefront of God’s program 

This should give us hope as the earth and those on it are about to go through great difficulties 

We have seen the Father on His throne and we have seen the Lamb standing in the midst of the throne 

Here we see the Angel of the Lord coming down from heaven and looking, in appearance, as though he were a mixture of both 

In the Old Testament and the Gospels, this Angel is God in human form, and we are seeing the same thing happening here 

Yet we are seeing something different here in Revelation 

Scholars call it “Angelomorphic Christology”

Through this we find that John uses these Old Testament theophany motifs that were used to describe three figures:

1. God
2. The Angel of the Lord 
3. The Divine Man

The Divine Man is never given a name, but we learn in Daniel that he is over Michael and Gabriel

We see him in Daniel 8

In verses 15-26, a man comes to assist Daniel in understanding the vision he has been given 

Dan 8:15–17

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 

This unidentified man is speaking to and commanding Gabriel to help Daniel make sense of the vision and by this we know that he is superior to Gabriel 

His voice is coming out between the banks of the Ulai river 

In Daniel 10:4–6, 9–21 the prophet once again sees a vision involving a glorious “man clothed in linen”

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (the Tigris) I lifted up my eyes and

looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.

His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude….

Much of this we have already seen so far to describe Jesus, or the Angel of the Lord 

(Dan 10:4–6, 9–21)

“Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day

that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you

understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

So this “man,” who is superior to both Gabriel and Michael, who was assisting Him, was sent by God

It doesn’t say that but it is unquestionably implied that God is sending His Angel 

“When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips” Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. 

How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no

breath is left in me.”

Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me.

And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.”

And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed

in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince. 

One thing that we know about this unidentified “man” is that he is not Gabriel or Michael but superior to both of them 

We see him again in chapter 12

Daniel 12

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the

book…. 

The man in linen is not Michael, because Michael is being talked about 

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on

this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And

someone said to the man clothed in linen…

Someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” (Dan 12:1, 5)

The man clothed in linen takes us back to the mysterious figure in Daniel 10

Many scholars believe that, from his description and what little we are told about his position as the highest ranking angel, this mysterious figure/man clothed in linen is identified with “The Prince of the Host”

He is the prince who is above the whole heavenly host mentioned in Daniel 8:11 whom the little horn opposes 

In 8:25 he is called “The Prince of princes”

In Joshua 5:14 he calls himself the “Commander (Prince) of the Lord’s army (Host)

Again, we know him as the Angel of the Lord, or the Lord Himself 

Through this idea, most argue that this angelic figure here in Revelation is Jesus 

He is called an angel here because we are seeing Jesus, the Lamb, take on the supreme deity role in this instance in the end times and in the context of Revelation 

It is just as we see the close association between God and the Angel of the Lord, this is not Christ but the language is associating Christ with the Angel who is God

Some claim that this unique role given to the angel and the majestic way he is described suggests that he should only be identified as the revelatory messenger of Revelation 1:1 and 22:16 partly because the scroll he is given contains the primary content of Johns prophetic messages 

For example 

Exodus 23

20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 “When my angel goes before you…

God is telling Moses:

“I am sending My Angel to lead you, but listen and obey Him because My Name is in Him”

Essentially God is telling Moses that He is sending Himself to lead them

These verses tell us that Jesus sent His angel to deliver the message that He had been given 

Revelation 1:1

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw

Revelation 22:16

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Perhaps that is who John was describing at first the whole time

Perhaps this Angel takes on the characteristics of Whomever has sent Him 

So here we have Jesus filling the slot of God in the Two Powers motif and sending His angel, the Angel of the Lord, to deliver the opened scroll to John

This Angel is the same one who has the Name of God in him

He is also called “The Angel,” “The Word,” and He is called “The Name”

2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 

If we see this angel as the Angel of the Lord, as Jesus, but not then these verses make sense 

We see him taking ownership of both the land and the sea, as he holds the little scroll 

So John sees this angel, who is Jesus, but not, but he is is standing like a giant Colossus claiming the earth for Himself 

That which he places his feet upon he demonstrates his authority over

Deuteronomy 11:24

His right foot, the side of favor, is planted on the sea but his left, the side of disfavor, is planted on the land 

This has a possible secondary symbolism 

The sea and land depict the entire physical globe 

And 

The sea represents the Gentile nations 

While the land represents the Jewish nation as stewards of the Promised Land and the side of disfavor shows that judgment will begin with Israel

The next description only solidifies this “Two Powers” idea 

3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.

This takes us back to Revelation chapter 4 where we see the Lamb, the Lion of Judah 

Here he roars in triumph over the earth 

In response to this roar, which signifies something more than just an angel, John hears seven great peals of thunder reply

3bWhen he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 

John hears the thunder, and he was about to write down their response, but he is told to seal up their response 

This is the only part of Revelation that remains sealed to this day

Thunder always has something to do with judgment and John doesn’t tell us why he was told not to write that part down 

We don’t know if he even knew why

Some have speculated that there might be a clue in the Psalms as to what this reply from the seven thunders 

Psalm 29

In this Psalm we have seven utterances about the voice of the Lord 

Like I said, it’s speculation but interesting because that part of John’s vision is sealed for now

Some have also speculated that the voices are sealed because they give exact time references to when this is happening 

Revelation 10:1-4 The Interludes of Revelation

1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Here in Revelation chapter 10 we have what has become a sort of pattern that we have seen in these various judgments 

A hiatus 

Here we have a hiatus, or what some call “parenthetical period,” from the trumpet judgments in between the sixth and seventh 

Essentially, what these “parentheses passages” are used for is to explain certain things about the subject involved or information relevant to whatever judgment has transpired 

The first occurrence is in chapter 7 and it is inserted between the sixth and seventh seal

It contains explanatory information about things that will transpire during the time that the sixth seal takes place 

The seventh seal does not follow the sixth immediately, instead, we receive an explanation of two companies of redeemed groups and what is happening in and between the main order of events 

(1)The sealed Israelites 

Revelation 7:1-8

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

(2)A multitude, saved during the Tribulation 

Revelation 7

9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

An interesting but unbiblical doctrine by the Pre-Tribulationatonal adherents has them using this first interlude, or parenthesis, and claiming that chapters 6 and 7 must be out of order so they interpret and read chapter 7 before chapter 6 in order to make their doctrine right 

It’s also interesting that this is the only time that they do so

We are about to experience the second “parentheses” in this chapter and this one comes between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments 

(1)The small scroll 

Revelation 10

(2)The two witnesses 

Revelation 11

The third parenthesis, coming between the seventh trumpet and the vial judgments, reveals seven personages:

(1) The Sun Clothed Woman (Revelation 12:1-2) 

(2) The Dragon (Revelation 12:3-4)

(3) The Man Child (Revelation 12:5-6)

(4) The Archangel (Revelation 12:7-12)

(5) The Jewish Remnant (Revelation 12:13-17)

(6) The Beast out of the Sea (Revelation 13:1-10)

(7) The Beast out of the earth (Rev. 13:11-19-18)

The fourth parenthesis, also, coming between the seventh trumpet and the seven vial judgments, reveals certain events, that take place during this period of time 

(1) The Lamb on Mt. Zion (Revelation 14:1-5) 

(2) The Three Angels (Revelation 14:6-12)

(3) The Blessed Dead (Revelation 14:13

(4) The Harvest and Vintage (Revelation 14:14-20)

The fifth parenthesis, coming between the sixth and seventh vial judgments, reveals what else is happening during the period of time 

Three unclean spirits (Revelation 16:13-16)

The sixth parenthesis, coming between the 2nd and the 3rd doom.

The seventh parenthesis, coming between the 4th and the 5th doom reveals:

(1) Satan bound (Revelation 20:1-7)

(2) The First Resurrection (Revelation 20:4-5)

(3) The Millennium (Revelation 20:6)

(4) Satan loosed for a little while (Revelation 20:7)

So here we are in the second parentheses of the seven 

This chapter describes a “mighty angel” who holds a scroll that John will take out of his hand and eat