Why are Sodom and Egypt referenced in Revelation 11:8? Text “‘Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.’ ” (Revelation 11:8) Literary And Historical Setting John is describing the aftermath of the two witnesses’ martyrdom (Revelation 11:3–7). The phrase “the great city” appears repeatedly in Revelation (11:8; 16:19; 17:18; 18:10), always denoting a center of rebellion against God. Here, however, the added clause “where also their Lord was crucified” pinpoints Jerusalem geographically while the double epithet “Sodom and Egypt” exposes her spiritual state. “Sodom” — A Biblical Shorthand For Depravity And Impending Judgment 1. Genesis 19 records Sodom’s pervasive sexual immorality, pride, and violence, provoking direct divine fire. 2. Prophets used “Sodom” figuratively for covenant-breaking Israel: Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:9; Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:46-56. 3. Jesus Himself warned unrepentant towns they would fare worse than Sodom (Matthew 11:23-24). Thus, calling Jerusalem “Sodom” indicts her for ethical rot, especially the rejection and murder of the Messiah (Acts 2:23). “Egypt” — Pattern Of Oppression, Idolatry, And God’S Deliverance 1. Egypt enslaved Israel, murdered infants, worshiped animal-gods, and resisted Yahweh (Exodus 1–14). 2. Later prophets described apostate Judah as wanting to “return to Egypt” (Hosea 11:5; Isaiah 30:1-3), symbolizing reliance on pagan power instead of God. 3. Egypt therefore signifies bondage, political oppression, and idolatrous worldliness. Why The Two Names Are Linked Combining Sodom and Egypt compresses the full spectrum of covenant infidelity: moral perversion (Sodom) plus systemic oppression and idolatry (Egypt). Together they portray a city that: • Violates God’s holiness inwardly (ethics) and outwardly (alliances). • Persecutes God’s covenant people (enslaving Israel, killing the witnesses). • Is poised for an Exodus-like and Sodom-like judgment (Revelation 11:13; 16:19). Identifying “The Great City” As Jerusalem • “Where also their Lord was crucified” can refer to no other locale (cf. Luke 23:33). • Revelation 11’s temple, altar, and court (11:1-2) evoke a Jerusalem setting. • Prophetic precedent: the OT repeatedly labels Jerusalem with foreign or wicked names when she mirrors their sins (Ezekiel 23:3-4, “Oholah” and “Oholibah”). Therefore, John confronts Jerusalem for becoming, in God’s eyes, the moral twin of her ancient enemies. Prophecy Fulfilled In History And Projected Into Eschatology Pre-AD 70 Fulfillment: Within one generation of Christ’s crucifixion, Jerusalem’s leadership persecuted believers (Acts 8:1-3) and was destroyed by Rome in AD 70, echoing Sodom’s fire and Egypt’s plagues (Luke 19:41-44). Josephus (Wars 6.3.4) reports flames engulfing the Temple, reminiscent of Genesis 19:24. Continuing Typology: Revelation’s future-looking structure allows Jerusalem—or any city replicating her apostasy—to bear the same indictment in the end-times (cf. Zechariah 14; Revelation 16:19), keeping the warning ever relevant. Old Testament TYPOLOGY OF THE TWO WITNESSES AND THEIR SETTING • Moses faced Egypt; Elijah denounced Israel’s Baal-like immorality comparable to Sodom (1 Kings 17–19). • Revelation 11’s witnesses mimic Moses (plagues, water to blood) and Elijah (fire, drought), making the location labels an intentional backdrop. Archaeological And Extra-Biblical Corroboration • Sodom: The destruction layer at Tall el-Hammam on the Jordan plain shows an intense, sudden conflagration that melted pottery at 2,400 °C, matching Genesis 19’s description. • Egypt: The Ipuwer Papyrus (Leiden 344) laments Nile turned to blood, darkness, and widespread death; its parallels to Exodus plagues affirm Egypt’s biblical reputation. • Jerusalem: First-century strata at the Temple Mount reveal burn layers and catapult stones from AD 70, confirming a historical judgment shadowing Revelation’s vision. Theological Implications 1. God judges covenant communities more severely when they reject greater light (Luke 12:48). 2. External religiosity without repentance can morph the holy city into a new Sodom/Egypt. 3. Believers must confront cultural sins prophetically, even unto martyrdom, trusting the certainty of resurrection (Revelation 11:11) anchored in Christ’s own (1 Corinthians 15:20). Practical And Evangelistic Applications Just as Lot was rescued from Sodom and Israel delivered from Egypt, so salvation today rests solely in the risen Christ (Romans 10:9). The passage warns against complacent religiosity and invites all hearers—whatever city they occupy—to flee moral compromise and idolatrous bondage by embracing the Lamb who was slain yet lives forever (Revelation 5:6; 1 Peter 1:18-19). |
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