Revelation 11:8
and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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{ "themes": [ "Spiritual prostitution and sin", "Tyrannical oppression of God's people", "The Lord's ultimate crucifixion", "Public disgrace of God's servants" ] }
After a period of prophetic ministry performed in suffering and obscurity, these two witnesses are finally overcome by a brutal force identified by its spiritual resemblance to the ancient wicked cities of Sodom and Egypt. Their silenced bodies are publicly displayed in the "street" of this great city, a place deeply symbolic of corruption and opposition to God, and notably, the very location where their Lord himself was crucified. This ignominious exposure leads to rejoicing among their enemies, highlighting the intensity of their persecution.
Revelation calls the city where the witnesses lie dead the 'great city.' What makes it so great, and why does it bear such infamous names?
The 'great city' in Revelation isn't just a large metropolis; it's a symbol of concentrated evil and rebellion against God.
A Symbol of Impenitent Evil
Together, these names paint a picture of a powerful, influential center of wickedness characterized by sexual immorality, oppression, and hatred for God and His people. It’s a place that, despite its claims or appearances, actively opposes God’s will.
Why is it so significant that the bodies of God's witnesses lie exposed in the street? What does this public display of death represent?
The imagery of the witnesses' bodies lying unburied in the street is a powerful symbol of ultimate disgrace and the complete triumph the enemies believe they have achieved.
Public Humiliation and Defeat
Understand the original words
polis · Greek Noun
A prominent, often vast, and corrupt urban center that opposes God and is characterized by idolatry, pride, and rebellion.
Sodom · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to a place synonymous with extreme immorality, wickedness, and divine judgment.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
Symbolically associated with slavery, oppression, and hostility toward God's people.
stauroō · Greek Verb
The death of Jesus on the cross, the atoning sacrifice that provides salvation but is often rejected by the world.
The imagery of Jerusalem as 'spiritually Sodom and Egypt' and the place of crucifixion points to a city deeply embodying the same spirit of rebellion against God and persecution of His people that led to Jesus' death, even if not literally Jerusalem itself.
c. 30 AD
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus is crucified by Roman authorities in Jerusalem, a pivotal event in Christian theology.
c. 30-60 AD
Early Christian Persecution
Following Jesus' crucifixion, early Christians faced persecution from Jewish authorities and eventually Roman rulers.
c. 64 AD
Great Fire of Rome
Emperor Nero blames Christians for the fire, leading to widespread and severe persecution in Rome.
c. 70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army destroys Jerusalem and the Second Temple, a catastrophic event for Jewish people.
Late 1st Century AD— this verse
This passage describes a vision of a valley filled with dry bones that are brought back to life, paralleling the idea of the silenced witnesses being divinely revived after a period of apparent death.
Jeremiah 11:19Jeremiah speaks of the people plotting against him, saying, 'Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be mentioned no more,' which echoes the desire of those in Revelation to silence and desecrate the witnesses.
Psalm 79:1-3This psalm laments the desecration of Jerusalem, stating, 'They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them,' a vivid parallel to the unburied bodies of the witnesses in the street.
Hebrews 6:6This passage speaks of those who 'fall away, to restore them again to repentance, since they crucify once again the Son of God to themselves and subject him to contempt.' This connects to the idea in Revelation that the treatment of the witnesses is equivalent to a renewed contempt or 'crucifixion' of Christ in his followers.
Luke 13:33Jesus laments, 'Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day after, for it is impossible for a prophet to be slain outside Jerusalem.' This highlights the prophetic significance of Jerusalem as a place where God's messengers meet their end, reinforcing the symbolic weight of the city in Revelation 11.
barnesRevelation 11:8: "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street - Prof. Stuart, "Shall be in the street." The words "shall lie" are supplied by the translators, but not improperly. The literal rendering would be, "and their corpses upon the street of the great city"; and the meaning is, that there would be a state of things in regard to them which wou…
clarkeRevelation 11:8: "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."
The great city - Some say Rome, which may be spiritually called Sodom for its abominations, Egypt for its tyrannous cruelty, and the place where our Lord was crucified, because of its persecution of the members of Christ; but Jerusalem itself may be intended. All these things I must leave to others.
{ "themes": [ "Spiritual prostitution and sin", "Tyrannical oppression of God's people", "The Lord's ultimate crucifixion", "Public disgrace of God's servants" ] }
After a period of prophetic ministry performed in suffering and obscurity, these two witnesses are finally overcome by a brutal force identified by its spiritual resemblance to the ancient wicked cities of Sodom and Egypt. Their silenced bodies are publicly displayed in the "street" of this great city, a place deeply symbolic of corruption and opposition to God, and notably, the very location where their Lord himself was crucified. This ignominious exposure leads to rejoicing among their enemies, highlighting the intensity of their persecution.
After a period of prophetic ministry performed in suffering and obscurity, these two witnesses are finally overcome by a brutal force identified by its spiritual resemblance to the ancient wicked cities of Sodom and Egypt. Their silenced bodies are publicly displayed in the "street" of this great city, a place deeply symbolic of corruption and opposition to God, and notably, the very location where their Lord himself was crucified. This ignominious exposure leads to rejoicing among their enemies, highlighting the intensity of their persecution.
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The scene is designed to shock and convey the extreme opposition and hatred directed towards God’s faithful testimony in this 'great city.'
The verse climaxes with a stark reminder: 'where their Lord was crucified.' How does this connect the fate of the witnesses to Jesus' own suffering?
The location of the witnesses' demise is deliberately linked to the crucifixion of Jesus. This connection reveals a profound theological truth: the suffering of God's servants is intrinsically tied to the suffering of Christ.
Echoes of the Cross
The mention of the crucifixion serves as a solemn reminder that the witnesses' suffering is not random or meaningless; it's part of the ongoing conflict between God’s kingdom and the forces arrayed against it, a conflict epitomized by the cross.
Writing of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is written by the Apostle John, likely during his exile on the island of Patmos.
c. 110 AD
Pliny the Younger's Persecution
Governor Pliny the Younger's letters reveal systematic persecution of Christians in Bithynia (modern-day Turkey).
c. 250-303 AD
Decian, Valerian, and Diocletianic Persecutions
Rome enacts major, empire-wide persecutions against Christians, intensifying the conflict.
"and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified." — { "themes": [ "Spiritual prostitution and sin", "Tyrannical oppression of God's people", "The Lord's ultimate crucifixion", "Public disgrace of God's servants" ] }
