THE SIXTH TRUMPET (Part 3) continued

Revelation Chapter 11

VERSE 11 “Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from god entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.”

But, as we read in Smith’s book, this all lasted only 3 ½ years. Those who would not permit the burial triumphed in the French Assembly, and the Bible was not only PERMITTED again, but LIVED in a sense never possible before the Revolution. The “Breath of life from God came into them” in the sense that they were now protected so that their persecution was over (See Smith for details.)

They STOOD ON THEIR FEET — they now walked “under their own steam” so to speak. They no longer had to be supported by the efforts of others to hold them up. GREAT FEAR fell on the beholders: This may refer to the reverence which the opening Bible gained in the eyes of Christians, or it may refer to the apprehension of the Roman Church which realized the genie was out of the bottle.

VERSE 12 “And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “come up here.” and they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”

The LOUD VOICE from heaven could, of course, be representative of God’s labors having exalted the Scriptures out of their sackcloth condition. It is more likely, however, the voice of the Protestants which exalt the Scriptures on a world-wide basis with the formation of Bible societies beginning in 1804. They go up into heaven — they re-assume their position in the religious world — IN THE CLOUD. This suggests that the exaltation of the Bible began before the trouble (cloud) of the revolution had ended. This agrees with Smith’s interpretation.

THEIR ENEMIES BEHELD THEM— not just NOTICED them! But they realized that they now had a force with which to reckon which they could not put down or suppress as they had in the old days.

VERSE 13 “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

The placement of this verse is important. We had already learned from Chapter 9 about the angels released for a specific hour. We had already learned from Rev 6:12 that this period experienced a great earthquake (revolution). But Rev 11:13 is placed where it is to let us know that WHILE the two witnesses were going through their peculiar experiences while finishing their testimony in sackcloth, a great earthquake was going on.

IN THE SAME HOUR THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE:

This verse is here NOT to concentrate on the quake, but to draw to our attention its relationship to the Bible’s experience.

AND A TENTH OF THE CITY FELL:

Which city?

The very city mentioned in Verse 8. The city is Babylon; its street was in France; France was 1/10th of the fall of Babylon. Nine-tenths are yet to come under the Seventh Trumpet.

IN THE EARTHQUAKE SEVEN THOUSAND PEOPLE WERE KILLED:

The fall of 1/10th of the city had a great leveling effect. The 7000 NAMES OF MEN which were killed in the quake (see margin or good Greek text) seems to refer to the abolition by the Republic of all titles, aristocratic and clerical. It has been claimed (but there seems no available documentation) that there were literally 7000 different titles abolished. Everyone was then known by the common title “citizen.”

THERE VERY WELL MIGHT BE another viable explanation. This is hinted at in the following phrase: “and the rest were terrified…”

Why would this group known here as “the rest” be contrasted to those who lost their titles? (See the alternative explanation below)

AND THE REST WERE TERRIFIED AND GAVE GLORY TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN:

The revolution DID frighten France and much of the rest of Europe. Under Napoleon, the Papacy was again established as the official state religion, and France has remained eminently Catholic since. Therefore, the “God of heaven” (the ecclesiastical heavens) here is almost certainly the Pope.

A note to consider: Since France — a 10th part of the fall of Babylon — is typical of the greater trouble with which Babylon will ultimately and totally fall, it is quite possible that the leveling effect of the removal of titles, aristocratic and clerical, is something which will have a parallel in the final trouble. This sort of thing was tried in the Communist world when all became “comrades.” While there is a truth to the concept of the equality of all, it must be remembered that there is also a basic error to this concept. God has set up, even among men, a priority system, a chain of command. The Apostles, for instance, have more Scriptural authority than do the Seven messengers to the Church. The messengers, on the other hand, have an authority beyond the elders, etc., etc. In the world also, the refusal to recognize legitimate authority structures is contributing rapidly to the disintegration of the secular order.

---

An alternative interpretation of Verse 13

AND THERE WERE KILLED SEVEN THOUSAND (CHARACTERS) OF MEN. . .AND THE REST WERE TERRIFIED AND GAVE GLORY TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN

A comparison with 1 Kings 19:18 suggests a possible symbolic answer to this text. 7,000 in Elijah’s day had not bowed the knee to Baal. This would well represent those who are still true worshipers of Jehovah in Elijah’s day. In the context of Rev.11:13, the French Revolution, the 7,000 might well represent true Christians in France. When religion was outlawed by the revolutionary government, the names (the professions, the Christian characters) of these individuals were unrecognized. As Christianity was “slain”, so was the reputation of anyone claiming it.

Thus, ‘the rest’ would refer to the general populace — nominal Christians — who, upon the re-establishment of Papacy and religion, having been terrified by the revolutionary events, again gave glory to the Papacy. With Elijah, this event occurred at the close of the 3-½ symbolic years (1260 days) and also related to the literal 3-½ years spoken of in Rev.11:9.

Continued with next post.