Revelation 11:13

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

And in that hour there was a great earthquake ... "Here we have the same picture as in Revelation 6:12f."[72] The whole verse deals with the disastrous events associated with the onset of the final judgment.

And the tenth part of the city fell ... Many have marveled that only a tenth of it fell. This remarkable statement makes it impossible to refer this to the literal Jerusalem, no matter when the book of Revelation was written. If it was written before 70 A.D., which is our conviction, then this prophecy of the fall of a tenth of Jerusalem (literally) and the death of a mere 7,000 people, was totally disproved by events within a year or so that saw all of the city totally destroyed and the death of 1,100,000 people! In such an event, the church would never have received this book as canonical. On the other hand, if it was written near the end of the first century, John could hardly have applied this to a literal city whose destruction had been so extensively beyond what is indicated here. Therefore, we conclude that there can be no intelligent way of applying this prophecy to a literal Jerusalem.

Furthermore, when accurately understood, what is described here is a devastating worldwide judgment of the most extensive dimensions. "The first complete stone (one-tenth) falls out of the arch, so that the complete arch (ten-tenths) shall cave in."[73] What is actually meant here is that a tenth of all the great cities on earth shall totally collapse. Remember who the great city is! When wickedness shall at last so predominate in the earth that the organized cities of the earth begin to collapse, one by one, everywhere, the judgment is near. The collapse of a tenth (God's tithe) of all the great earthly cities (think of such a disaster) shall be attended by enormous casualties, as indicated in the next clause.

Seven thousand persons were killed ... This is not a literal number at all, but a symbolical depiction of an infinitely greater number. Caird, Plummer, Roberson, Mounce, and others can attach "no special significance"[74] to this number; and yet it obviously stands for the slain resulting from the urban collapse of human civilization in the world! As Cox observed, "Of those who deserved divine judgment, none escaped."[75]

The rest were affrighted and gave glory to God ... Some hail this as a prophecy of the repentance of nine-tenths of the earth! When people are either watching, or have just witnessed the resurrection of the dead, it will be too late to repent. There cannot be here, "A hint of God's uncovenanted mercies,"[76] nor any suggestion whatever that, "The rest of the people were aroused to repentance."[77] These people's giving "glory to God" was in the same category as that of the wicked in Revelation 6:16f. Repentance is not even mentioned here. No. What we have is a glimpse of the universal terror of the wicked when they behold the Son of Man coming in the glory of his Second Advent, exactly the same as in Revelation 6:12ff. Many, of course, have discerned this:

This cannot mean that now at last those not slain repented. Repentance without the Word is impossible.[78]

There is no sign that they repented, nor did John expect that they would.[79]

There is no repentance; there is terror; there is a tribute of awe to the God of heaven who has vindicated his cause; but there is nothing more.[80]

And in that hour ... Although first in this verse, this is reviewed here to emphasize the truth that all the events foretold here are connected in time with the final judgment visible in Revelation 11:12. All of the judgment scene in this whole chapter belongs to the Second Woe, despite some past-tense references to it, as in Revelation 11:18. The judgment scene was accomplished in the Second Woe, not merely introduced.

[72] Ibid.

[73] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 350.

[74] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 292.

[75] Frank L. Cox, op. cit., p. 75.

[76] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 293.

[77] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 603.

[78] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 351.

[79] Martin Rist, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. XII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 448.

[80] Charles H. Roberson, op. cit., p. 75.