Rob Dalrymple, «These Are the Ones», Vol. 86 (2005) 396-406
The thematic features relating to John’s depiction of the righteous in the
intercalations of Rev 11,3-13 and 7,1-17 as well as how these features might
affect our understanding of Revelation 7,1-17 are examined. Four foci pertaining
to the righteous are explicitly present in the account of the Two Witnesses (11,3-
13). All four foci, also, materialize in the description of the 144,000 (7,1-8) and
the Great Multitude (7,9-17). However, when we examine Rev 7,1-8, we find that
John only incorporates the first two of the four foci (Divine Protection and
Witnesses) while in the account of 7,9-17, only the latter two appear (Enduring
Persecution and Vindication of the Righteous). If, however, we read Rev 7,1-17
as the account of one group, then the thematic parallels with the intercalation of
Rev 11,3-13 are retained.
398 Rob Dalrymple
previously only implicit (15). Thus, I assert that by means of this method the
account of the Two Witnesses may be viewed as developing and expanding
the account of the 144,000 and the Great Multitude of Rev 7.
How might this influence the determination of the identity of the two
groups depicted in Revelation 7? It is my contention that the same four foci
explicitly present in the account of the Two Witnesses (11,3-13) materialize
in the description of the 144,000 and the Great Multitude (7,1-17) with two
caveats. First, the four foci are not as explicitly present in the account of the
144,000 and the Great Multitude as it is in the account of the Two Witnesses.
Secondly, when we examine Rev 7,1-8 and 7,9-17 we find that each
incorporates only two of the four foci. That is, the account of the 144,000
incorporates only the first two foci, and the account of the Great Multitude
the latter two. If John intends in these two intercalations to highlight the state
of the righteous before, during, and after the accompanying judgments, and if
these portraits are thematically parallel, then the application of all four foci to
the Two Witnesses in Rev 11 may well contend for the understanding of Rev
7 as depicting one group of persons from two perspectives. For it seems
strange that John would apply only two attributes to each of the groups. If all
four foci are to be applied to both the 144,000 and the Great Multitude in Rev
7, then I suggest that a simpler solution would be to identify the two groups.
2. 11,3-13 The Two Witnesses and the Four Foci
The account of the Two Witnesses provides the clearest evidence for the
presence of each of the four foci (16). First, divine protection is accorded the
Two Witnesses in 11,5. Secondly, that the two individuals in 11,3-13 are
explicitly identified as the “Two Witnesses†(11,3) serves to justify the
assertion that this text focuses on the witnessing activity of the righteous (17).
Thirdly, they are persecuted and eventually killed (11,7). Finally, they are
vindicated in the presence of their enemies by means of their resurrection
(11,11-13).
a) Focus #1: Divine Protection (18)
Our first of the four foci relates to the divine protection of the righteous.
That God divinely protects the Two Witnesses reasonably derives from
(15) Vern Poythress suggests that Revelation displays a literary growth in which early
on the author “doesn’t want to give away too muchâ€. Hendriksen claims that Revelation
reveals, “a glorious unity and gradual blossoming of thought.’ Later he adds, ‘The book
reveals a gradual progress in eschatological thought†(W. HENDRIKSEN, More than
Conquerors [Grand Rapids 1962] 33, 35). Since, however, it is well beyond the purpose of
this paper to defend this assertion, I will attempt to defend it in part through the analysis
below.
(16) However, it does not constitute, in accord with the literary suggestion proposed
here, the most expansive passage detailing the fate of the righteous in relation to each of
the foci.
(17) Again, it is not crucial to this work whether these “Two Witnesses†constitute two
particular individuals, or whether they represent the church universal. The point here is that
“two†righteous men are set in a context that delineates each of the four foci.
(18) I do not intend to delineate the parameters of what ‘protection’ entails: whether
this be protection from physical or psychological harm, or spiritual protection.