What is perhaps even more bone chilling than this, beloved, is the reaction of the world to the death of the true church institute:
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. Revelation 11:8–10, KJV
The bodies lie in the streets of the great city Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified – a city that is described as spiritually Sodom and Egypt. [That is] another reference to the false and apostatizing church that is supposed to be Jerusalem. It is supposed to be holy, but is spiritually in fact worse than Sodom. The false church has a hand in the death of these two witnesses. She hates the truth of God’s Word, perhaps even more than anybody else. She gloats over the dead bodies lying in her streets.
And then, all
they that dwell upon the earthjoin the false church and rejoice together over the death of the witness of God’s truth in the world. Theymake merry(Revelation 11:10). Theysend giftsto each other (Revelation 11:10). It is like Christmas to them when this happens. When the church is snuffed out it is a day for celebration. They send presents! They are celebrating the death of the voice of the truth of God’s Word in the midst of the world.Because,
these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth(Revelation 11:10). God’s people, throughout the New Testament age, cry against the workings of the world in their rebellion against Jehovah God. They don’t let the world continue in their sin without bearing testimony to God’s mind on the matter. And you know how it is, when a person knows that what they are doing is wrong but they want to do it anyways, and when somebody else tells them,No, what you are doing is wrong, they feel tormented and they hate it and they want this to stop. So too the world is tormented by the church of Jesus Christ, because the church of Christ is speaking what the world herself at the end of the day knows is true. Deep down, the world and the false church know that its ignoring of God’s Word is wrong and evil. But they don’t want to hear it! They want to continue in their love for all that is sinful and against His law, and pursue the glory of man. And the church just won’t shut her mouth about it throughout this whole age.So when the church is finally squashed and when her voice is no more, there is rejoicing.
Cory GriessWe finally have achieved what we have desired: A one world of all men united in the pursuit of whatever our depraved desires have been, and no one to speak against us doing so! Bring out the presents! Come out into the streets and sing and dance! We are free! Finally we are free.1
8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.