And the temple of God, &c.— Bishop Newton, with Grotius, is of opinion, that this verse should introduce the twelfth chapter, as it appears to begin a new subject: it is much in the same spirit with the vision of Isaiah, (ch. Revelation 6:1.) and of our divine prophet, ch. Revelation 4:1-2. The temple of God was opened in heaven, &c. that is, more open discoveries were now made, and the mystery of God was revealed to the prophet. Lightnings and voices, &c. are the usual concomitants of the divine presence, and especially at giving new laws and new revelations: see Exodus 19:16; Exodus 19:25.Revelation 4:5; Revelation 8:5 and with as much reason they are made in this place the signs and preludes of the revelations and judgments which are to follow. It is no just objection, that a new subject is supposed to begin with the conjunction and; for this is frequent in the style of the Hebrews; some books, as Numbers, Joshua, and the two books of Samuel, &c. begin with the Hebrew particle ו, vau, or and.
Inferences.—Long has the court of God's temple been trodden under foot by the Gentiles, and a party of very corrupt and degenerate Christians (if they at all deserve the name, though they proudly arrogate to themselves the title of the Catholic church) been introducing and countenancing all the fopperies and absurdities of pagan superstition, as well as more than the horrors of pagan cruelty, so as indeed to have disgraced not the gospel alone, but human nature itself. A wise and gracious Providence hath raised up witnesses for the truth in all ages; and it is a signal honour to bear a faithful and courageous testimony against these enormous corruptions, though it were unto bonds and imprisonment, and even at the expence of life. Those noble and heroic confessors God hath remarkably supported; and even when they have been in a state of mourning and oppression, they have borne their testimony and prophesied; their prayers have been remembered before God, and many have been smitten, who injured and oppressed them. But, notwithstanding this, the beast continued his war upon the saints, and their oppressions increased, until, in many places, they have been cast down, and trodden in the dust, and their blood hath been poured out like water on the earth. Thus has the great city, the metropolis of the world, once faithful and celebrated, become even as Sodom and Egypt, or even as Jerusalem, where Christ himself, our divine Master, was crucified. Thus have the enemies of the truth triumphed over the servants of the Lord, and have erected trophies of their victory. But, thanks be to God, their triumph shall not be perpetual; Christ our Redeemer will revive his expiring cause, in a manner as glorious and wonderful as a resurrection from the dead: he will glorify his faithful people; he will cause the earth to tremble, and shake down the towers of the enemy; and when the first and second woes are past, will bring upon them a third and more terrible woe. In the faith of this triumphal event let us rejoice; and let us consider it as approaching, when the seventh angel shall sound, and when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ. Let our prayers do all that the most earnest prayers can do, towards promoting this great event. O Lord God Almighty, who art, and art to come, we beseech thee to take to thyself thy great power and reign; for the proudest of the enemies who oppose thy kingdom reign, and even live, only by thy permission. Overbear, by thy superior rebuke, the rage of the angry nations; and give patience to thy afflicted servants, that they may never resign the hope of the reward, which thou wilt at length confer upon thy faithful people,—not only on the prophets, and most eminent and distinguished of the saints, but on all those that fear thy glorious and tremendous name; on the small, as well as on the great; when the destroyers of the church, and of the earth, shall be destroyed together. Amen.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, A general description is given of the state both of the true and the antichristian church during 1260 years, from the time that the temporal power of the Pope arose, about 756.
1. St. John is commanded to measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the worshippers; for, in the worst of times, and the darkest days, God would still maintain his own cause; and all his servants who would improve the light bestowed upon them, should be preserved from the general apostacy. The outer court he may not measure; that is left to the Gentiles, to those who indeed profess to bear the Christian name, but by the idolatry, superstitions, and frauds which they encourage and maintain, are returned in reality to the worship of Paganism, Popery being Heathenism revived: and during forty-two months, or 1260 years, these Gentile Papists shall tread the holy city under foot, and exercise their tyrannical government over the professors of the Christian name.
2. During the prevalence of the antichristian tyranny, God will not leave the world without warning, nor the corrupters of his worship without witness; a succession of faithful ministers shall arise, a few indeed, here spoken of but as two, and clothed in sackcloth, deeply affected with the miseries of the church, and the persecutions of the faithful. These are the two olive trees, &c. like Zerubbabel and Joshua (Zechariah 4:6-14.), whom God will supply with the continual influences of his grace, and endue with light and zeal to remonstrate against the corruptions of the antichristian church. And if any attempt to hurt them, the word of the Lord, which proceedeth out of their mouths as fire, denounces spiritual and eternal death upon them. These have power, like Elijah, to shut up heaven, and to bring the heaviest plagues, like those of Egypt, on their enemies; even the spiritual plagues of a famine of the word, obduracy of heart, and all the dreadful judgments which, in answer to their prayers, God will inflict on their persecutors, and which they denounce upon them, not from a spirit of revenge, but for the vindication of God's injured honour.
3. The witnesses shall be slain, while they are performing their testimony, though God will always raise up others, and avenge their blood on their persecutors; and their dead bodies shall be forbidden burial, and be insulted in the streets of that great city, spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified, Rome papal being as notorious for filthiness as Sodom, and, like Egypt, the cruel oppressor of God's people, and red with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, which is, as it were, afresh to crucify him.
Some suppose that this slaying of the witnesses by the antichristian beast and his adherents, is yet to come; and that the three days and a half, refer not to the time and times and half times, or 1260 years, the whole period of popery, but to some more dreadful persecution, and general prevalence of the power of antichrist, which, towards the close of this period, will be permitted; and that for a short space the inhabitants of the papal countries will congratulate each other, as if they had now finally triumphed over those who troubled their consciences with remonstrances against their impieties, idolatries, and all their abominations. See the Annotations and the Appendix.
4. After three days and an half, at the close of the period of 1260 years, the witnesses are miraculously raised to life, to the terror of their enemies; not the same persons, but others, endued with their spirit, boldness, and zeal; and God, in testimony of his approbation, caught them up to heaven in the sight of their enemies, not literally, but figuratively; he exalted them to a state of eminent dignity and safety, above all the malice of their foes: and thereupon a great earthquake shook down a great part of the city of the beast, and seven thousand men were slain; a vast number of his dependants and abettors, men of note and influence, fell, and his jurisdiction was in part demolished; while the remnant, affrighted by these prodigies, renounced their idolatries and superstitions, and, converted to the faith of Jesus, glorified God. Note; (1.) The enemies of God's witnessing servants shall one day, with confusion, behold their exaltation, and know that God hath sent them. (2.) When God's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants thereof should learn righteousness; and they who fly to God for refuge, and give him glory, shall be saved from fear of evil.
2nd, The seventh trumpet sounds, and lo, the third and the last woe is denounced, when the Mahometan and papal powers, the Eastern and Western antichrists, are to be utterly destroyed. On which,
1. Loud acclamations of joy fill all the courts of heaven; the wished for time is come, when Jesus shall erect his throne, and all nations shall bow before the sceptre of his grace, owning him as their rightful King, who shall reign over his faithful saints for ever and ever. And for this, the four-and-twenty elders pour forth their thanks to the Lord, and, in humble adoration, prostrate themselves before his throne, ascribing praise to the eternal and almighty Jesus, that he hath now signally made bare his arm, avenging the deaths of his martyred servants, and, in return for the indignation shewn by the antichristian persecutors, has poured forth his vials of wrath upon them; while his faithful ministers and people now receive their glorious reward; they see their foes become their foot-stool; and enjoy peace, comfort, mutual communion, and free liberty of all gospel ordinances, in their highest purity. And every gracious soul, looking forward to this happy season, cannot but pray that God would hasten it in his good time.
2. The temple of God was opened in heaven; the exercise of the true evangelical worship was now restored; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament, intimating the peculiar manifestations of God's presence to all his people, the boldness they will have to approach the holiest of all, and the sweet communion which they shall enjoy with the Lord, seeing him, as it were, face to face.
3. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail, as if the dissolution of all things was at hand; intimating the entire demolition of all the church's enemies. Note; Though the struggle be long and sharp, the gospel shall be finally triumphant, and the truth at last prevail over all opposition.