Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Revelation
Book: Revelation
Chapter: 11
Overview:
The state of the
Church is represented under the figure of a
Temple measured.
(1,2) Two witnesses prophesy is
Sackcloth.
(3-6) They are slain, after which they arise and ascend to
Heaven.
(7-13) Under the seventh trumpet, all antichristian
powers are to be destroyed and there will be a glorious state of
Christ's kingdom upon
Earth.
(14-19)
1,2 This prophetical
Passage about measuring the
Temple seems
to refer to
Ezekiel's
Vision. The design of this measuring seems
to be the preservation of the
Church in times of public danger;
or for its trial, or for its reformation. The worshippers must
be measured; whether they make
God's
Glory their
End, and his
Word their rule, in all their
Acts of
Worship. Those in the
outer
Court,
Worship in a false manner, or with dissembling
hearts, and will be found among his enemies.
God will have a
Temple and an
Altar in the world, till the
End of time. He looks
strictly to his
Temple. The holy
City, the visible
Church, is
trodden under foot; is filled with idolaters, infidels, and
hypocrites. But the desolations of the
Church are limited, and
she shall be delivered out of all her troubles.
3-13 In the time of treading down,
God kept his
Faithful
witnesses to attest the
Truth of his
Word and
Worship, and the
excellence of his ways, The number of these witnesses is small,
yet enough. They prophesy in
Sackcloth. It shows their
afflicted, persecuted state, and
Deep sorrow for the
abominations against which they protested. They are supported
during their great and hard work, till it is done. When they had
prophesied in
Sackcloth the greatest part of 1260 years,
Antichrist, the great instrument of the
Devil, would
War against
them, with force and violence for a time. Determined rebels
against the
Light rejoice, as
On some happy event, when they can
silence, drive to a distance, or destroy the
Faithful servants
of
Christ, whose doctrine and conduct
Torment them. It does not
appear that the term is yet expired, and the witnesses are not at
present exposed to endure such terrible outward sufferings as in
former times; but such things may again happen, and there is
abundant cause to prophesy in
Sackcloth,
On account of the state
of religion. The depressed state of real Christianity may relate
only to the western
Church. The
Spirit of
Life from
God,
quickens dead souls, and shall quicken the dead bodies of his
people, and his dying interest in the world. The revival of
God's work and witnesses, will strike terror into the souls of
his enemies. Where there is guilt, there is fear; and a
persecuting
Spirit, though cruel, is a cowardly
Spirit. It will
be
No small part of the
Punishment of persecutors, both in this
world, and at the great
Day, that they see the
Faithful servants
of
God honoured and advanced. The
Lord's witnesses must not be
weary of suffering and service, nor hastily grasp at the reward;
but must stay till their Master calls them. The consequence of
their being thus exalted was a mighty shock and convulsion in
the antichristian empire. Events alone can show the meaning of
this. But whenever
God's work and witnesses revive, the
Devil's
work and witnesses fall before him. And that the slaying of the
witnesses is future, appears to be probable.
14-19 Before the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet,
there is the usual demand of attention. The saints and angels in
Heaven know the right of our
God and
Saviour to rule over all
the world. But the nations met
God's wrath with their own
Anger.
It was a time in which he was beginning to reward his people's
Faithful services, and sufferings; and their enemies fretted
against
God, and
So increased their guilt, and hastened their
Destruction.
By the opening the
Temple of
God in
Heaven, may be
meant, that there was a more free communication between
Heaven
and
Earth;
Prayer and praises more freely and frequently going
up, graces and blessings plentifully coming down. But it rather
seems to refer to the
Church of
God On Earth. In the reign of
Antichrist,
God's
Law was laid aside, and made void
By
traditions and decrees; the Scriptures were locked up from the
people, but now they are brought to the view of all. This, like
the
Ark, is a token of the presence of
God returned to his
people, and his favour toward them in
Jesus Christ, as the
Propitiation for their sins. The great blessing of the
Reformation was attended with very awful providences; as
By
terrible things in
Righteousness God answered the prayers
presented in his holy
Temple now opened.