What is the significance of "the great city" in Revelation 11:8? Scriptural Text and Immediate Context “‘Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.’ ” (Revelation 11:8). The verse appears in the narrative of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-13), placed between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The phrase “the great city” (Greek: τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, tēs poleōs tēs megalēs) demands identification, because it becomes a theological and prophetic pivot in the Apocalypse. Geographic Identification: Jerusalem The phrase “where their Lord was crucified” anchors the referent geographically and historically: Jesus was crucified at Jerusalem (Matthew 27:33; Luke 23:33; John 19:17-18). Early patristic writers—e.g., Hippolytus (Commentary on Daniel 4.14) and Victorinus of Pettau (Commentary on the Apocalypse 11.8)—read the verse as Jerusalem. Archaeology corroborates the location: the 1st-century rock-cut tomb complex unearthed beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre aligns with Roman-era burial customs (cf. Shimon Gibson, Final Report of the Giv’at ha-Mivtar Excavations, 2019). Symbolic Designations: “Sodom” and “Egypt” By calling the city “figuratively [πνευματικῶς, ‘spiritually’] Sodom and Egypt,” John joins prophetic tradition: • Sodom—archetype of moral depravity and impending judgment (Genesis 19; Isaiah 1:10). • Egypt—archetype of oppression and idolatry from which God delivers (Exodus 1-14). Thus Jerusalem, though covenantally privileged (Psalm 48:1-2), can be indicted for the same sins when she rejects Messiah (Luke 13:34). Isaiah similarly labels apostate Jerusalem “Sodom” (Isaiah 1:9-10). Usage of “The Great City” Across Revelation Revelation later transfers “the great city” to eschatological Babylon (14:8; 16:19; 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21). This dual use functions typologically: • Jerusalem (historic, covenant city) = present seat of rebellion in chap. 11. • Babylon (global, commercial-religious system) = climax of rebellion in chaps. 17-18. John’s literary strategy shows how covenant unfaithfulness escalates into worldwide apostasy. Theological Significance 1. Covenant Accountability: Privilege heightens culpability. The city that once housed God’s temple becomes a symbol of hostility toward His prophets and Son (Matthew 23:37). 2. Judicial Irony: As Jerusalem handed Christ to Rome, so future enemies will gloat over slain witnesses (Revelation 11:9-10), only to face resurrection power and judgment (11:11-13). 3. Continuity of Redemptive History: The setting ties crucifixion, resurrection, and future triumph into one narrative thread (cf. Hebrews 13:12). Historical and Archaeological Corroboration • The 1867 discovery of the Siloam Inscription authenticates Hezekiah’s tunnel (2 Kings 20:20), confirming Jerusalem’s 8th-cent. BC engineering prowess and covenant narrative. • First-century ossuaries bearing Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek inscriptions (e.g., the Caiaphas family tomb, 1990) verify the priestly milieu confronting Jesus and the apostles. • The 1969 Temple Mount burn layer and coins dated AD 69 provide forensic evidence of the city’s devastation predicted by Christ (Matthew 24:2), highlighting prophetic accuracy. Prophetic and Eschatological Implications Futurist expositors view Revelation 11:8 as forecasting a literal, end-time Jerusalem under Gentile trampling (11:2; cf. Zechariah 12-14). Preterists see AD 70 fulfillment. Either way, the city’s transformation—from “Sodom/Egypt” to the millennial center (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14:16) and finally the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2)—demonstrates God’s redemptive trajectory. Relationship to the Two Witnesses The two witnesses’ death in “the great city” recalls Old Testament prophet-martyrs and Christ Himself. Their subsequent resurrection “after the three and a half days” (11:11) prefigures national and global vindication of divine truth (Ezekiel 37; Romans 11:15). The great earthquake (11:13) echoes divine visitations at Sinai (Exodus 19:18) and Calvary (Matthew 27:51). Practical and Devotional Application • Warning: Proximity to religious privilege does not shield from judgment if hearts remain rebellious. • Hope: God resurrects His witnesses; final victory belongs to the Lamb (Revelation 17:14). • Mission: Believers today are called to prophetic witness “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Summary “The great city” in Revelation 11:8 is historically Jerusalem, portrayed under the prophetic epithets “Sodom” and “Egypt” to expose covenant infidelity. Its identification connects Christ’s crucifixion, the martyrdom of the two witnesses, and the ultimate outworking of God’s redemptive plan. The phrase also lays a literary foundation for Babylon imagery later in Revelation, highlighting the contrast between earthly rebellion and the coming New Jerusalem. |
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