A Revelation Invitation

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on [the two witnesses] and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For 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, and 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. But 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. Then 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. And 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.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. (Revelation 11:7-14 ESV)

The most exciting basketball game I ever witnessed was a game between my college and our archrival. With fifteen seconds remaining we were down by five and they had the ball. (This game was played in the days before the three-point shot had been instituted.) While the other school was celebrating with cheers and high-fives, many of our fans headed for the exits because we were dead. However, our rival’s celebration was short-lived. Our point guard stole the inbound pass and immediately sank a jump shot as he was fouled. After making the free throw he again stole the inbound pass and again sank a shot to tie the game! It was a miraculous comeback. We had new life and went on to win the game in double overtime. We were as good as dead, but miraculously raised to new life. In the end we celebrated while the other school watched in disbelief. Admittedly this is a trivial example in light of the life-threatening circumstances described by John. But the comparison holds up in this way: John describes the resurrection, not of an individual, but of a community, the church.

We will learn in a future chapter that this beast that rises from the bottomless pit is identified as the Roman Empire. The great city is its capital, Rome, seen as a combination of three historically infamous cities: the morally debauched and inhospitable Sodom, the ruthlessly enslaving Egypt, and the religiously corrupt Jerusalem (where their Lord was crucified). Rome neatly encapsulated all of this evil within itself. The two witnesses (the church) were its victim. Historically, Rome’s persecution of the church was so relentless, the slaughter so vicious, that for a short time (that three and a half days) the church went underground as though dead. Rome believed that they had stamped out this movement. The people of the empire rejoiced that this politically subversive and socially corrupting party had been snuffed out. But it hadn’t. They had grown stronger and more numerous eventually emerging from the catacombs like dead men rising.

Christians in the West tend not to think about martyrdom except as it happens in other places. Because we really don’t know where history is headed, we need to consider that possibility for ourselves. Am I ready to lose all that I have—even my life—in service to Christ? While most of us have never had to face that test, who’s to say that we won’t some day. Second century church father Tertullian observed that “the more often we are mowed down by you [the Roman authorities], the more in number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.” That’s a sobering reflection from a man who lived through it and likely watched as loved ones died for Christ. It’s also a sobering prospect for us to wrestle with today.

When God sent the plagues on the world earlier in Revelation, it was in hopes that people would repent. Most did not. However, when the church endured horrendous persecution and remarkably prevailed, the world took notice in fear and gave glory to the God of heaven. N.T. Wright insightfully points out that “[t]he martyr-witness of the church … will succeed where the plagues have failed.” The world is watching especially as to how we handle suffering for our faith. Jesus promised that even the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. We should recall that God wiped out Sodom by fire, crushed Egypt with plagues drowning its army in the sea and besieged and destroyed Jerusalem by invaders on two occasions. God’s enemies, like Rome, are destined for destruction. The church prevails, not by military or political power, but in weakness characterized by selfless love, bold faith and unwavering hope. May a watching world glorify our God in heaven.

My Lord and Savior, I am sobered to consider the suffering that my brothers in previous generations have endured. I pray that I will stand with them and with you should I face persecution. Thank you for your promises of victory for your church no matter how perilous the circumstances. Your own resurrection means victory for your church. Amen.