“So
John [the Evangelist] and Josephus both described two individuals
in
Jerusalem who were hated, basically invincible for a while, finally killed,
and
not allowed to be buried”.
Adam Maarschalk, who has written, from a preterist
point of view, some compelling articles on the Book of the Apocalypse, has gone
a long way towards identifying the Two Witnesses: The Two Witnesses Killed by the Beast
(Revelation 11:3-13) – Pursuing Truth
….
Revelation 11:4
In Revelation 11:4, the two witnesses are identified as “the two
olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of
the earth.” As many scholars have recognized, this description draws on
Zechariah’s “Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees”:
“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man
who is wakened out of sleep. And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I said,
‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a
bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven
lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl
and the other at its left.’ … Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are
these two olive trees …?’ So he said, ‘These are the two anointed
ones, who stand before the Lord of the whole earth’” (Zechariah
4:1-3, 11, 14).
This vision came on the heels of Zechariah’s “Vision of
the High Priest,” concerning the high priest, Joshua (Zechariah 3), who served
alongside the governor, Zerubbabel (Zech. 4). As Albert Barnes said in his 1834 commentary on
Revelation 11:4,
“This representation, that the ministers of religion
“stand before the Lord,” is one that is not uncommon in the Bible. Thus
it is said of the priests and Levites: ‘The Lord separated the tribe of
Levi, to stand before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless
his name,’ Deuteronomy 10:8; compare Deuteronomy 18:7. The same thing is said of the prophets, as in the cases of Elijah and
Elisha: ‘As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand,’ 1 Kings 17:1;
also, 1 Kings 18:15; 2 Kings 3:14; 2 Kings 5:16; compare Jeremiah 15:19. The representation is that they ministered, as it were, constantly in
his presence and under his eye.”
In Zechariah’s vision, he saw one lampstand (Zech. 4:2).
In Revelation 1:12 John saw seven lampstands, which he was told were the seven
churches (Rev. 1:20). Here in Rev. 11:4 there were two lampstands, the two
witnesses.
Ananus ben Ananus and Jesus ben Gamaliel
I would like to propose that the two witnesses were two
first century high priests, Ananus ben Ananus and Jesus ben Gamaliel (also
known as Joshua). According to Josephus, they led the peace movement in
Jerusalem when the Zealots were determined to rebel and incite war with the
Romans, hoping to gain full independence for Israel. As we will see, their
roles, deaths, the aftermath of their deaths, and the timing of their deaths
line up with a number of details John saw in Revelation 11.
Here is a short summary of these two men.
1.
Ananus: The appointment of Ananus as high
priest is recorded in Antiquities
20.9.1. He was appointed in 62 AD. Josephus called
him “the ancientest of the high priests” and “a very prudent man” (Wars
4.3.7), “a prodigious lover of liberty” who
“preferred peace above all things,” and “a shrewd man in speaking and
persuading the people” (Wars
4.5.2). Ironically, in December 66 AD he was
appointed as a general over Jerusalem, one of 10 generals appointed to prepare
for war with Rome (Wars
2.20.3). A long speech given by Ananus against the
Zealots is recorded in Wars
4.3.10.
2. Jesus: The
appointment of Jesus as high priest is recorded in Antiquities
20.9.4. He was appointed in 63 or 64 AD, but only
for about a year (Ant. 20.9.7). From that time on, Josephus said, Jerusalem was
“greatly disordered” and “all things grew worse and worse” (Ant. 20.9.4).
Josephus referred to Jesus as “a friend and companion” (Life 41.204), and called him “the eldest of the high priests next to Ananus.”
Josephus added that “although he was inferior to [Ananus] upon the comparison,
he was superior to the rest” (Wars
4.5.2). Jesus also gave a long speech against the
Zealots, which is recorded in Wars
4.4.3.
The Zealot Temple Siege
Ananus and Jesus were both killed at the same time during
the Zealot
Temple Siege of February-March 68 AD. This siege
took place after the Zealots appointed a fake high priest, Phannias, who “did
not well know what the high priesthood was” (Wars
4.3.6-8), and he unworthily presided over that post
until Jerusalem was destroyed. In a sense, Ananus and Jesus represented the
final lampstands, the final oil-bearing olive trees, of the temple before it
was destroyed.
Phannias was a fraud, and the people of Jerusalem finally
had enough of the Zealots. Ananus and Jesus led them in an uprising:
“And now the people could no longer bear the insolence of this
procedure, but did altogether run zealously, in order to overthrow that
tyranny… The best esteemed also of the high priests, Jesus the son of Gamalas,
and Ananus the son of Ananus, when they were at their assemblies, bitterly
reproached the people for their sloth, and excited them against the zealots…” (Wars
4.3.9).
In his speech (Wars 4.3.10), Ananus said that he would
lead the people in an all-or-nothing attack against the Zealots, and that he
would not spare his own body in that effort. In that battle, Ananus and his
followers actually gained the upper hand against the Zealots, forcing them into
the inner temple and gaining control of the rest of the city (Wars
4.3.12). Ananus then chose 6000 armed men to keep
the Zealots surrounded and under guard. Unfortunately, as we will see, this
strategy came undone because of the trickery of John Levi of Gischala (Wars
4.3.13-14).
Revelation 11:5-6
In Revelation 11:5 we read that fire would proceed out of
the mouths of the two witnesses to devour their enemies who would try to harm
them. Compare this to what Jeremiah was told:
“Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your
mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them”
(Jeremiah 5:14).
For more on God’s word being like a fire, and having the
power to “slay” people, see Jeremiah 23:29 and Hosea 6:5.
Revelation 11:6 says that the two witnesses would “have
power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy…”
Note that during the days of Elijah “it did not rain for three years and six
months” (James 5:17; Luke 4:25). This matches the duration of time that the
two witnesses would prophesy (Rev. 11:3). During the Roman siege in 70 AD,
Josephus gave a speech to the Zealots in which he mentioned that the springs of
water were “almost dried up” while Jerusalem was in the hands of the Zealots,
but suddenly had more than enough water once the Romans arrived. This indicates
that there was a lack of rain during the time that the Zealots controlled
Jerusalem:
“…and as for Titus, those springs that were formerly almost
dried up when they were under your power since he is come, run more
plentifully than they did before; accordingly, you know that Siloam, as
well as all the other springs that were without the city, did so far fail, that
water was sold by distinct measures; whereas they now have such a great
quantity of water for your enemies, as is sufficient not only for drink both
for themselves and their cattle, but for watering their gardens also” (Wars
5.9.4.409-410).
Josephus said that Ananus had “the mastery of
those that opposed his designs, or were for the war” (Wars
4.5.2). Josephus didn’t give many details
about how he mastered his opponents, but this indicates that Ananus remained
untouchable for a significant period of time even while the Zealots had their
way in Jerusalem.
Revelation 11:7-9
Revelation 11:7-9 says this about the two witnesses:
“Now when they finish their testimony, the beast that
ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them,
and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street
of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,
where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes,
tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days,
and not allow their dead bodies to be put into the graves.”
Here “the beast” is mentioned for the very first
time in the book of Revelation. (As we discussed in the previous post, it seems
evident that John expected his readers to be familiar with Daniel’s description
of the fourth beast in Daniel 7.) Here is also the first mention of “the
great city” (later mentioned in Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18-19,
21). “The great city” is clearly defined as Jerusalem, the place where
Jesus was crucified (e.g. Luke 9:31).
It’s significant that the beast oversees the
deaths of the two witnesses in Jerusalem. This has
a bearing on whether the beast was Roman, as many suppose, or Jewish, which is
the view I’m presenting in this series. As we saw in our study of Daniel, the
Romans were not in Jerusalem from August 66 AD until April 70 AD, except for a
few days in November 66 AD when Cestius Gallus led a failed attack on the
city. If the events of Revelation 11 took place anytime between late 66
AD and the spring of 70 AD, the beast that overcame the two witnesses was
Jewish, not Roman. The events which I believe fulfilled this prophecy
took place in February-March 68 AD.
In February 68 AD, Ananus urged the people of Jerusalem
to oppose the lawless Jewish Zealots who had taken over the temple as
“blood-shedding villains.” John Levi of Gischala was a Zealot leader who had
recently come to Jerusalem, but he pretended to be on the side of Ananus and
was invited to be an ambassador to the Zealots (Wars
4.3.13). John quickly betrayed him and falsely
claimed that Ananus had invited the Roman general Vespasian to conquer
Jerusalem (Wars
4.3.14).
In response, the Zealot leaders Eleazar ben Simon
and Zacharias ben Phalek requested help from the Idumeans, who lived south of
Judea. The Zealots told the Idumeans that “unless they would come immediately
to their assistance… the city would be in the power of the Romans.”
Even though the Zealots were trapped in the inner temple,
they somehow managed to sneak out two messengers to deliver this message to the
Idumeans (Wars
4.4.2-3). In fulfillment of Revelation
9:13-16, the Idumeans quickly prepared an army
of 20,000 directed by four commanders (Wars
4.4.2):
“Now these [Idumean] rulers were greatly surprised at the contents of
the letter, and at what those that came with it further told them; whereupon
they ran about the nation like madmen, and made proclamation that the people
should come to war; so a multitude was suddenly got together, sooner indeed
than the time appointed in the proclamation, and everybody caught up their
arms, in order to maintain the liberty of their metropolis; and twenty
thousand of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under
four commanders, John, and Jacob the son of Sosas; and besides
these were Simon, the son of Cathlas, and Phineas, the son of
Clusothus.”
When the Idumeans came to Jerusalem, at first Ananus’
guards prevented them from coming into the city. Jesus gave a speech in which
he denied that anyone had betrayed Jerusalem to the Romans. He invited the
Idumeans to help deliver the city from the real enemies, the Zealots, but the
Idumeans were not persuaded (Wars
4.4.3-4).
In the midst of a terrible storm and an earthquake that
night, most of the guards were allowed to go home and some of the Zealots
managed to come out of the temple and use saws to cut through the gates. This
allowed the Idumeans to enter the city, and the Zealots joined them in
slaughtering the guards (Wars
4.5.1). The next day the Idumeans, working on
behalf of the Zealots, hunted down and killed Ananus and Jesus, who had long
tormented the Zealots by opposing their war and working for peace:
“[The Idumeans] sought for the high priests, and … went with the
greatest zeal against them; and as soon as they caught them they slew them, and
then standing upon their dead bodies, in way of jest, upbraided Ananus with his
kindness to the people, and Jesus with his speech made to them from the wall.
Nay, they proceeded to that degree of impiety, as to cast away
their dead bodies without burial … I should not mistake if I said that the
death of Ananus was the beginning of the destruction of the city… He … preferred
peace above all things; …h e was a shrewd man in speaking and persuading the
people, and had already gotten the mastery of those that opposed his
designs, or were for the war… And this at last was the end of
Ananus and Jesus” (Wars
4.5.2).
So John and Josephus both described two individuals in
Jerusalem who were hated, basically invincible for a while, finally killed, and
not allowed to be buried.
Revelation 11:10 (Festival of Purim?)
Revelation 11:10 describes the reaction of those who were
glad to be rid of the two witnesses:
“And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry,
and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who
dwell on the earth.”
The word “earth,” as we discussed earlier, often means
“land,” i.e. the land of Israel. This is certainly the case here, as the two
witnesses were based in, and killed in, Jerusalem.
In the previous verse we read that “peoples, tribes,
tongues, and nations” would see the dead bodies of the two witnesses. Why was
there such a diverse population at that time? Was it because it took place
during a festival, when Jews from various nations would be gathered in
Jerusalem? If so, the description in verse 10 sounds like the festival of
Purim:
“Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish
people from Haman, who was plotting to kill all the Jews. This took place in
the ancient Persian Empire … The day of deliverance became a day of feasting
and rejoicing. Based on the conclusions of the Scroll of Esther
(Esther 9:22): “…that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and
of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.” Purim is therefore
celebrated among Jews by: Exchanging reciprocal gifts of food
and drink… Eating a celebratory meal… Other customs include drinking
wine or any other alcoholic beverage, wearing of masks and costumes,
and public celebration (Wikipedia: Purim).
The deaths of Ananus and Jesus are commonly said to have
taken place in February or March 68 AD. The Fast of Esther and Purim are typically celebrated from the 13th –
16th of Adar. In the year 68 AD, the last day of Adar was March
22nd, according to our modern calendar (“The
Jewish war: a new tr.,” p. 191). Therefore,
since each Jewish month was 29 or 30 days, we can know that the Fast of Esther
and Purim took place around March 4-7 in 68 AD.
It appears that when the Zealots celebrated Purim in
March 68 AD, they not only celebrated the deliverance from Haman that took
place in Esther’s day, but they also celebrated being free from Ananus and
Jesus and all their efforts to oppose the Zealots and achieve peace with
Rome.
After all, they believed the lie told by John of Gischala
– that Ananus had invited Vespasian to capture Jerusalem, and that Ananus
intended for them all to be captured by the Romans.
A short while later, another Zealot leader, Simon Bar
Giora, found out that Ananus was dead. He was at Masada because Ananus had
previously driven him away from Acrabattene, a toparchy of Judea, because of
his tyranny there (Wars
2.22.1-2). When Simon “heard of the death of Ananus,
he … went into the mountainous part of the country. So he proclaimed
liberty to those in slavery, and a reward to those already free, and got
together a set of wicked men from all quarters” (Wars
4.9.3). This is just one example of how the
Zealots behaved as if they were free of the “torments” of Ananus and Jesus.
Revelation 11:11-12
“Now after the three and a half days the breath of life from God
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up
here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them”
(Revelation 11:11-12).
….
Revelation 11:13
Revelation 11:13 reads this way:
“In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the
city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand men were killed, and the rest were
afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
In Wars
4.4.5 Josephus described an earthquake that
took place the night the Idumeans broke into Jerusalem, the day before Ananus
and Jesus were killed:
“[F]or there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost
violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with
continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and
bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake … anyone
would guess that these wonders foreshowed some grand calamities that were
coming.”
That same night the Idumeans slaughtered those who had
prevented them from coming in:
“The zealots also joined in the shouts raised by the Idumeans; and the
storm itself rendered the cry more terrible; nor did the Idumeans spare
anybody; for as they are naturally a most barbarous and bloody nation, and had
been distressed by the tempest, they made use of their weapons against those
that had shut the gates against them… Now there was at present neither any
place for flight, nor any hope of preservation; but as they were driven one
upon another in heaps, so were they slain… And now the outer temple was all of
it overflowed with blood; and that day, as it came on, they saw eight
thousand five hundred dead bodies there” (Wars
4.5.1).
Did 7000 die in the earthquake, and another 1500 die by
the swords of the Idumeans? In any case, John’s prediction of 7000 deaths is
very close to the 8500 deaths mentioned by Josephus. Furthermore, this
earthquake and the deaths of Ananus and Jesus were less than 24 hours apart,
certainly qualifying as taking place “in the same hour.”
Typically, estimates of Jerusalem’s population in the
first century range from 30,000 to 100,000 people, so it’s very reasonable to conclude that 7000 deaths in 68
AD represented a tenth of the city falling. Even if the normal population was
closer to 30,000, it would have been higher at the time of that earthquake if
it took place around the festival of Purim. This was a minor festival, so the
population may have doubled, but it wouldn’t have swollen to 250,000 or more as
it would during the major festivals.
Jerusalem Took a Turn for the Worse
The deaths of Ananus and Jesus marked a significant
turning point for Jerusalem, according to Josephus:
“I should not mistake if I said that the death of Ananus was the
beginning of the destruction of the city, and that from this very day may be
dated the overthrow of her wall, and the ruin of her affairs, whereon they saw
their high priest, and the procurer of their preservation, slain in the midst
of their city… to say all in a word, if Ananus had survived they had certainly
compounded matters… And the Jews had then put abundance of delays in the way of
the Romans, if they had had such a general as he was” (Wars
4.5.2).
After their deaths, the Zealots and the Idumeans “fell
upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats.”
Others endured “terrible torments” before finally meeting their deaths. At
least 12,000 died in that massacre (Wars
4.5.3). Then one of the Zealots told the Idumeans
that they had been tricked, and that Ananus and the high priests never did plot
to betray Jerusalem to the Romans. So the Idumeans regretted their actions, saw
“the horrid barbarity of [the Zealots who] had invited them,” and they left
Jerusalem (Wars
4.5.5). The Zealots, no longer hindered by the
high priests or even the Idumeans, then increased their wickedness:
“[T]he zealots grew more insolent, not as deserted by their
confederates, but as freed from such men as might hinder their designs, and put
some stop to their wickedness. Accordingly they made no longer any delay, nor
took any deliberation in their enormous practices, but made use of the shortest
methods for all their executions, and what they had once resolved upon, they
put in practice sooner than anyone could imagine …” (Wars
4.6.1).
In summary, Ananus and Jesus were two former high
priests, and the most prominent of the high priests during the Jewish-Roman
War. As such, they fit the Old Testament imagery of olive trees and lampstands
representing those who stood before the Lord in the service of the temple.
Until the time of their deaths, they were immune to the harm that their enemies
wanted to inflict upon them. They gave speeches predicting the destruction that
would come to Jerusalem because of the Zealots and due to the rejection of
their message of peace. Jerusalem experienced a drought during that time.
They were killed by the Zealots (and their cohorts, the
Idumeans) just as the Zealots gained full control of the city. They were not
allowed to be buried, and their enemies rejoiced over their deaths. This
happened at the same time as an earthquake and the deaths of 8500 people.
