The Witnesses, Woman, Dragon, and Beast

Just before the seventh trumpet is blown, two witnesses appear to preaching the gospel. Thy are not named, but scholars believe one of them to be Elijah and the other to be either Enoch, John the Baptist, or Moses. They will be killed by the Antichrist but their bodies will be resurrected 3 1/2 (the mid-point of 7) days later. As John was given this vision of the witnesses, he was also told to measure the Temple. At the time of his writing however, there was no Temple. It had been destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. This passage, along with several others in the New Testament, (Matt. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:1-13), point to the fact that the Temple must be rebuilt prior to the Tribulation. Devout Jews strongly desire to do so, but the Dome of the Rock, Islam's second most holy place, is built on the site of the Temple mound.

The seventh trumpet initiates the seven bowls of judgement to come in the last half of the Tribulation. But John pauses to introduce some of the key figures of the Tribulation. The "woman" described has been thought to be Mary or the church or the nation of Israel. The fact that she wears a crown of twelve stars points to Israel. The man-child she bore is definitely thought to be Jesus. The war described in heaven is Satan's (the dragon) fall, along with his angels. It is not clear when exactly this war took place, as the text seems to be a recap of things that have taken place much earlier (birth and ascension of Christ). Although Satan's fall occurred before the creation of Adam and Eve, he was not thrown out of heaven until this battle. Up until this point, he has had access to heaven to accuse believers before the throne of God. This battle forever restricts his access to heaven and limits his realm to the earth.

While the dragon is definitely understood to be Satan, his human instruments are known as the "beast that comes out of the Sea" and the "beast that comes out of the earth'. The first beast is representative of oppressive government and will be headed by the Antichrist. At the beginning of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will make a pact with Israel but will break it midway through the 7 years. He will establish a one-world government, one-world economy (currency), one-world religion (over which he will set himself as god at the midway point of the tribulation), and will die and be resurrected by Satan, who will personally inhabit his body.

The "beast that comes out of the earth" is thought to be religious power. It's leader will be the "false prophet" who will incite people to worship the Antichrist. He may well be described as the High Priest of the Antichrist's religious system. Satan, together with the Antichrist and False Prophet, mirrors the Trinity.

Tomorrow's reading: Rev. 15:1-18:24