Revelation 11:13

13. Earthquake Anticipative image, in miniature, of the overthrow of Babylon, completed at close of chapter 19.

Tenth part… seven thousand Says Gebhardt, “A city, the tenth part of which is destroyed by an earthquake which slays 7,000 persons, can only be a real city,” that is, not a symbolical city. But the very exactitude of the round numbers ought to have warned the commentator of numerical symbol. No earthquake ever carefully smote down a city to the precise tenth part; so also, that the number of men slain was the cube of ten multiplied by seven. And by Gebhardt’s interpretation this ought to have been the literal fact with the literal Jerusalem. The writer who has not carefully studied the symbolical numbers of the Apocalypse will never attain its true interpretation.

If ten is a symbol of universality, then one tenth indicates that but a minority of the secular dominions of the earth will be plunged into absolute destruction in the great closing contest. As to the number of the slain men, the cube of ten raises our thoughts to a great number, yet limited by the divine seven. The universality of the ten refers to their universal diffusion through the secular world. All these limitations correspond with the fact, that in the final battle, while the destruction is great, yet the survivors are in still greater numbers, consisting of “the nations” of Revelation 19:15; Revelation 20:3; Revelation 20:8, who still remain undestroyed and roll on their generations.

Affrighted Were filled with salutary fear resulting in their conversion and entrance into the millennial age of Revelation 20:1-6.

Gave glory From fear to praise.

The God of heaven Whose spirit of life awakened the witnesses to a resurrection, and whose great voice bid them come by ascension into heaven. It may be rather hinted than explicitly narrated; yet all this hint is a fair miniature of what in chapters 19 and 20 is a full portraiture. And we trust we have made it clear to our readers that this passage (1-13) is an outline sketch of the victorious struggle of Christ with antichrist, of which the coming chapters are prophetic history.

The correspondences of the two appear in the following TABULATION:

The temple, the true Church. = The mystical temple and Jerusalem, Revelation 14-16. The beast. = The beast, Revelation 13:1.

The two persecuted witnesses. = The saints persecuted by the beast, Revelation 13:7; Revelation 13:16-17.

Slain three days and a half. = Martyred three and a half years, or 1260 days, Revelation 13:5.

Resurrection of witnesses. = Reign of souls of martyrs, Revelation 20:4.

Overthrow of city. = Downfall of Babylon, Revelation 16:19-21.

“Remainder gave glory to God.” = Millennial triumphs, Revelation 20:3-4.