Problem: While many interpretations have been offered for the identity of the two witnesses,[1] there are two primary interpretations of this passage: literal and symbolic. Should we view these two witnesses as future, historical people? Or should we interpret them in a symbolic fashion to refer to the witnessing of the church?
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Problem: Amillennial and historical pre-millennial commentators argue that “the Temple” (v.1) must be symbolic of God protecting the church through the tribulation. Jesus said, “The gates of Hades will not overpower it [the church]” (Mt. 16:18). Therefore, this must be an apocalyptic way to explain how God will protect his church in the future. They offer two primary biblical arguments in support of this view.
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Problem: This Greek word deo (“bound”) is later used for the binding of Satan during the millennium (Rev. 20:2). In the same way, these angels are said to be “bound” to the river Euphrates. Why?
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Problem: John writes, “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him” (Rev. 9:1). Does this refer to Satan?
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The plant Artemesia absinthium (or “wormwood”) is mentioned several times throughout the Bible. Solomon writes that the adulteress is as “bitter as wormwood” (Prov. 5:4).
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Problem: John says that he saw “a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers…” (Rev. 8:10). Some dispensational commentators hold that this might be a picture of missile (How else would a first century author describe such a vision?). However, the Greek word for “torch” is lampas, which is also translated as a “lamp” (Mt. 25:1, 3-4; Acts 20:8; Rev. 4:5). Is this dispensational speculation nullified on this basis?
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Problem: There are many lists which contain the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 35:22ff, 46:8ff, Ex. 1:1 ff, Num. 1, 2, 13:4ff, Deut. 27:11ff, 33:6ff, Josh. 13-22, Judg. 5, 1 Chron. 2-8, 12:24ff, 27:16ff, Ezek. 48). Osborne writes, “There are twenty lists of tribes in the OT, and they disagree quite remarkably with one another.”[1] Since Jacob had thirteen sons, the Bible typically cuts out one of the tribes when it speaks of the “twelve tribes of Israel.” Typically, the tribe of Levi is cut from the list, because this was the tribe that created the priests, and it was set aside as special.
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Problem: In this passage, John mentions a specific group of 144,000 believers. Is this an exact number, and does it mean only this many will be saved? If not who are they?
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This is most likely an allusion back to Ezekiel 9:4-6, where the faithful believers are marked by angels, because they had fled the idolatry of the rest of people (chapter 8-9). Thus the faithful are protected from the judgment of God. Osborne writes, “A brand or tattoo on the forehead of a slave was common in the ancient world as a sign of ownership, and there were also religious tattoos to show allegiance to a particular god. Similarly, God’s slaves had his sign on their foreheads to indicate both ownership and allegiance.”[1] While some commentators associate this “seal” with baptism, this is not the view of this author. Paul regularly refers to believers being sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22), but there is no mention of the Holy Spirit here or baptism into Christ. Moreover, angels are never said to carry out the baptism of believers; this is done by God himself. This is, therefore, a special kind of sealing for this specific dispensation in salvation history.
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