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The measuring of the Temple 1 And there was given to me a reed like a rod: and it was said to me: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar and them that adore therein. 2 But the court, which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not: because it is given to the Gentiles, and the holy city they shall tread under foot forty two months: 3 And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. 11:1 reed: that is, Divine Scripture. rod: For in the rod we are to understand the rectitude of the Sacred Scripture, in which there is no lie, no error, (Haimo of Auxerre) temple and alter: He means the saints. As it is written, “For we are the temple of the living God.” (Bulus al-Bushi) measure: He orders an account to be taken of the Church, and that it be prepared for the last; as also of those that worship therein. . . . 'But the court which is without the temple, 'etc. Those are the court who seem to be in the Church, and yet are without, whether heretics or wickedly living so-called Catholics. (Tyconius) 11:2 court: The court which is without,' therefore cast out; that is, reckon them not as being within reckon them not among the number of the saints. For it is given to the Gentiles; that is, they will perish in the common punishment, and will be reckoned among those who worship idols; since those also are seen as worshipping images, who hold a lie for the truth. (Haimo of Auxerre) holy city: Jerusalem was formerly called the holy city, as we read in the Gospel; 'Many bodies of the saints which slept arose and appeared unto many in the holy city.' In the present passage however there is no mention made of this city, but rather of the Church (Haimo of Auxerre) forty two months: by the nations I think means that the faithful and the ones being tested will be trampled upon and persecuted in the three and a half year appearance of the Antichrist. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) The Church, which he before called the temple and court, he here calls the holy city. For Antichrist and Antichristians will pervert, destroy, and take possession of the greatest part of the Church for forty-two months. (St. Jacobus Tirinus) 11:3 two witnessess: Many of the teachers understood these to be Enoch and Elijah. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) Enoch no doubt was translated, Gen 5:24, and so was Elijah, 2 Kgs 2:11, nor did they experience death, it was postponed, and only postponed, most certainly. They are reserved for the suffering of death, that by their blood they may extinguish Antichrist. (Tertullian On Soul 50) Some by these two witnesses understand not two individual men, but two kinds of witnesses. Whence Pannonius asserts that these two witnesses are the teachers and preachers of the church, who teach and preach the two Testaments, namely, the Old and the New. (Cornelius a Lapide) The two witnessess 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouths, and shall devour their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he be slain. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and they have power over waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will. 11:4 To olives, because oil is the nutriment of light. To candlesticks, because they are appointed to be the vehicles of truth, which takes its name from the powers of true light and illuminates those who approach to it. (Arethas of Caesarea) Or the oil denotes the unction of the Holy Spirit, and the candlesticks the light of faith and its operations. (St. Ambrosius Autpertus) 11:4-6 During this time Elijah and Enoch will have power from God to work miracles, which will be necessary to serve as protection until they finish proclaiming the Word of God and preparing the way for the 2nd coming of Christ. (John Litteral Com Rev) Or by fire is figured forth holy preaching, because it inflames the hearts of the hearers to the love of God. By means of this fire the good are inflamed to go on to perfection, the evil more and more to defection. (Haimo of Auxerre) Elijah, when he saw that the people were averted from God, being moved with zeal, bound up the heavens that they should not rain for three years and six months. But the Apocalypse by no means makes mention of these circumstances in the literal sense; but rather admonishes us to seek out a spiritual heaven, spiritual rain, waters spiritually turned into blood. (St. Ambrosius Autpertus) that by waters are signified doctrines which are turned into blood; that is, into sin, either by being neglected or despised. (Rabanus Maurus) The beast will slay the two witnessess 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast, that ascends out of the abyss, shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which is called spiritually, Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord also was crucified. 9 And they of the tribes, and peoples, and tongues, and nations, shall see their bodies for three days and a half: and they shall not suffer their bodies to be laid in sepulchres. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry: and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth. 11:7 beast: The Antichrist is called beast because of his cruelty. (Nicholas of Lyra) Or "Beasts," according to St. Basil, "signify irrational, perverse, and hurtful affections, over which a man ought to exercise control." 11:8 bodies shall lie in the street: This is done to terrorize Christians. (Nicholas of Lyra) Sodom and Egypt: If the great city where the Lord was crucified is Jerusalem, and if the place of His crucifixion is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt; then as the Lord was crucified at Jerusalem, Jerusalem must be Sodom and Egypt. (St. Jerome Ep 46.6) Many Fathers of the Church believed that the Antichrist will be either Jewish or appear to be, in order to deceive the Jews to believe that he is the Messiah. And they also believed that he will rebuild the Temple that was erected by Solomon, see my catena on 2 Thess 2:4. This means that Jerusalem will be the city of the Antichrist. (John Litteral) or kill them: the meaning is, that the spiritual senses of the Old and New Testament will die in those who are slain by the Beast. (Joachim of Fiore) Their resurrection and Christ's triumph 11 And after three days and a half, the spirit of life from God entered into them. And they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them that saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying to them: Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud: and their enemies saw them. 13 And at that hour there was made a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell: and there were slain in the earthquake names of men seven thousand: and the rest were cast into a fear, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past: and behold the third woe will come quickly. 11:14-18 St. Victorinus calls the trumpet—" the word of power." Luis of Alcasar regards the seventh angel as representative of some of the ancient prophets; the sounding of the trumpet as signifying their prophetic announcements. Cornelius A. Lapide says, that the sounding of the seven trumpets at the end of the world, signifies, that God would send prophets and preachers, by whom, as by trumpets, the angels would announce the calamities predicted in the Apocalypse. St. Jacobus Tirinus says, that whether the trumpets used be material trumpets, or whether the proclamation is to be made by angels as by the sound of a trumpet; or whether the proclamation will be made by prophets through the medium of public discourses, which are a symbolical trumpet; must be learned from the event. John S. Menochius says, that the
sounding by the angels, at the end of the world, signifies, the
discourses of preachers, suggested to them by the angels. Or else, that
it may be a proclamation made by the angels themselves. "' Great voices;' by their being called great, is shewn the affection of great devotion, and intense desire (Gregory). The louder the voice which any one addresses to the ears of a spirit uncircumscribed by space, the more fully does he infuse himself into his desire. "'In the sight of God;' he stands in the sight of God, who considers his will, who is prompt to fulfil it, waiting upon God, who is present to him everywhere." "' Upon their faces;' that is, inwardly in their hearts. . . . As man is known by his face, so is it known by the will of his heart, whether he is one of the sheep of God. Moreover because the heart of man ought to look toward those things which are before, and not to those which are behind, so hath the face its aspect towards those things which are before." "' You have taken to you your great power;' or . . . from the Father according to the Humanity by rising again; which power thou hast now made manifest; and by it thou hast reigned, that is, hast shewn that thou reignest now as thou didst formerly." "' Them which corrupted the earth;' that is, the men dwelling on the earth. They have corrupted them, I say, by their writings, by their examples; as they did who in the time of Antichrist corrupted others by their heresies, Jer. li.; 'Behold I am against you, you pestiferous mountain which corrupts the whole earth.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas) The seventh trumpet 15 And the seventh angel sounded the trumpet: and there were great voices in heaven, saying: The kingdom of this world is become our Lord's and his Christ's, and he shall reign for ever and ever. Amen. 16 And the four and twenty ancients, who sit on their seats in the sight of God, fell on their faces and adored God, saying: 17 We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, and who was, and who is to come: because you have taken to you your great power, and you have reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should render reward to your servants the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear your name, little and great, and should destroy them who have corrupted the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail.11:18 What is it to corrupt the earth, but to pervert the minds of persons with depraved dogmas? What is it to corrupt the earth, but to deprave the life by wicked works? What is it to corrupt the earth, but to pollute the conduct with revelry, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, homicide, theft, perjury, false testimony, hatred, detraction, malediction, and the other actions of perverted men? (St. Ambrosius Autpertus) 11:19 The temple, therefore, in heaven is the divine mystery contained in the sacred oracles of God. Now the temple is opened in heaven, when as the Mediator between God and man came into the world, the mystery of our redemption became known in the page of divine revelation. And when the temple of God was opened in heaven, the ark of his testament was seen in the temple; because the divine mystery known in the sacred oracles being then completed, the ark of the Humanity assumed by the Word, in which was contained the manna of spiritual grace, and the rod of upright justice, and all the tables of wisdom and knowledge, was faithfully believed in, and made the subject of contemplation by all the elect. (Richard of St. Victor) Perhaps Mary is the Ark of the Covenant that St. John sees. Where the ark of the Old Covenant contained within it the "gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant, Heb. 9:4", the Ark of the New Covenant, that is Mary, contained within her the Bread of Life, the eternal Priest Himself, and the Word of God, not on tablets, but in the Flesh. (John Litteral Com Rev) see alternative interpretations below Alternative Commentary for Revelation 11:19 Haimo of Auxerre "' And the temple of God was opened in heaven.' Heaven is the church, which is the seat of God. By the 'temple in heaven' is understood the body of Christ, alluding to which he himself said to the Jews, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.' Whence the evangelist in explanation of the passage subjoins, 'This he spake concerning the temple of his body.' This temple was opened by his birth, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. For the temple of God is this very body itself, because in it dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. This temple is in heaven, because these mysteries are preached and retained in the church."* St. Ambrosius Autpertus " What are we in this passage to understand by the temple of God but the Lord Jesus Christ? Well is it said that the temple was seen opened, and not shut; because the Son of God was visibly incarnate, verily suffered in the flesh, was marvellously raised again in the flesh, and was manifestly exalted by divine power to heaven in the flesh. For although all the saints are truly called the temple of God, nevertheless it is that body which was assumed for the salvation of men, that is singularly and principally denominated the temple of God, in which dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; of which temple he spake when he said to the Jews, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again.' That it was this temple of which he spake, the evangelist explained in the sequel, saying, 'This he spake concerning the temple of his body.' This temple is opened in heaven, because it is preached and maintained in the church, that our Redeemer has accomplished the dispensation of the salvation of men." St. Thomas Aquinas "' There was opened;' that is, made manifest and unbarred, it being before shut. The temple of God; that is, the all-worthy and adorable secret or mystery of God, in the knowledge of which consists the efficacy of divine worship. . . . The temple of God is here called the all-worthy and adorable secret or mystery of God, which before the advent of Christ was shut up in Scripture; because it was not yet made manifest. This temple of God was, however, then opened in heaven when the secrets of the divine mysteries which were shut up in Scripture were made manifest by Christ assuming the flesh; because he then began to open the temple, that is, these mysteries. Also by Christ himself preaching, suffering, and dying. For then was opened in Scripture what at first was concealed. Also by Christ himself, after the resurrection, opening to his disciples the meaning of Scripture, that they might understand it. Also by his giving the Holy Spirit to his disciples and others of the faithful; by which those things are understood which before were shut up from them; as the Glossa, upon Ezekiel xliii., intimates; 'Son of Man, shew the temple to the house of Israel, and let them be confounded by their iniquities.' . . . ' The ark;' that is, Christ, who is that ark, which contains all the treasures of wisdom; Col. ii.: 'In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.' Also of grace; John i.: 'Full of grace and truth.'... The history of the ark of the Testament is here touched upon, as containing the Old Testament: this ark was in the second tabernacle, which is called the sancta sanctorum. This second tabernacle, which according to the Glossa seems here to be called the temple, signifies the mysteries of God concerning human redemption, as the Glossa intimates; in which mysteries was this ark; that is, Christ was latent in them. Because he it was concerning whom were those mysteries of the law which were veiled over under figures and prophecies. This ark, therefore, was now seen; because Christ, who before was invisible in his divinity, and who was concealed in the mysteries of Scripture, was made visible and manifest by the assumption of the flesh; by this was the temple opened, that is, the mysteries of the law as above explained were laid open." Francisco Ribera
"' The temple of God was opened in heaven' signifies that there was shewn to him how great would be the beatitude of the saints, so that for instance it might be known by man in this life. . . . The temple, therefore, was opened to John, when by a more illustrious and sublime knowledge which he had concerning the nature of God and the Humanity of Christ, there was shewn to him how great would be the joys of the saints; and to teach us that the knowledge he received was most exalted, and that he saw the arcana of God which it is not lawful for man to utter. He says, that the ark of the testament of God was seen in his temple, i. e., there were revealed to him great and hidden mysteries; for the ark was in the inmost part of the temple, which was called the Holy of Holies, and was protected by a partition and a large veil, nor could it be seen by any one except the high priest, and this only once a year."
Specific details about the Two Witnesses 1) They will be prophets: (verse 3) they will be given power to prophesy. 2) They will be on earth for most of the Great Tribulation: (verse 3) 1260 days, 3 and a half years. 3) They will have great power to do miracles: (verses 5-6) this power will serve as protection so that they will be able to proclaim the Gospel 4) The Antichrist will have them killed: (verses 7-10) their bodies will lay int he streets of Jerusalem for three days 5) The will rise from the dead and ascend to Heaven in front of everybody: (verses 11-12) Catechism Cross-reference
11:15 450 Key Words
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