“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:12).

The martyrs are raised to life in a special resurrection and God’s people, His witnesses, are delivered. The next prophetic event is John’s record that those saints hear a great voice from heaven. The word for “great” (megales) implies a loud voice. This expression is used twenty-four times in this Book – but only once with such an invitational message.

In Revelation 4:1 Jesus invited John to “Come up here.” It was a visionary period when God’s people were to look through a newly opened door into the heavenly sanctuary. That, in turn, related to the Philadelphia church, when God said, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut” (3:8).

Here the great voice says exactly the same thing, “Come up hither.” This time it is an invitation to all the saints, God’s church, the great body of witnesses: “Come up” to heaven. The first “Come up” was an invitation into the throne room in the heavenly temple. The second, to the remnant, “come” and be physically received in that divine home. One transitions into a time when the heavenly mission is changing. The other transitions the saints from earth to heaven. One parallels the era when the “Son of man” approached “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:13). The second, the time when the saints approach Jesus.

The saints ascended up into heaven in a “cloud.” This description is very interesting. The disciples had asked Jesus end-time questions as to when that period would occur, what would be a sign of the end of the world and His coming. The “sign” of His coming, Jesus said “will appear in the sky.” The “clouds” are the first sign of the Advent.

“And I saw a flaming cloud come where Jesus stood. Then Jesus ... took His place on the cloud which carried Him to the East, where it first appeared to the saints on earth – a small black cloud which was the sign of the Son of man.”[1]

In a remarkable cloud-and-Advent language, expositor White noted: “The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus’ new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and the wicked would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us, and they worshiped at our feet. Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer, and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over it, and around the cloud were ten thousand angels singing a most lovely song. And on it sat the Son of man, on his head were crowns, his hair was white and curly and lay on his shoulders. His feet had the appearance of fire, in his right hand was a sharp sickle, in his left a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched his children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless? Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke, Those who have clean hands and a pure heart shall be able to stand; my grace is sufficient for you. At this, our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sung again while the cloud drew still nearer the earth. Then Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as he descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised his eyes and hands to heaven and cried, Awake! Awake! Awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise. Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, Hallelujah! as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought along the crowns and with his own right hand placed them on our heads.”[2]

That “cloud” is not only linked to the eschaton (Matthew 24:30, Mark 14:62) but is related to Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:9), and even His resurrection (I Thessalonians 4:17).

In ancient Israel a cloud by day signified the Shekinah (Exodus 13:21), a term used to express the “presence of God” when anthropomorphic terms were inadequate. The cloud signified His theophanic appearances (Ezekiel 1:40). It is described also as encircling Him (Ezekiel 1:28, Daniel 7:13).

Therefore, the cloud gives a sense of God’s glory and His presence. In all such Biblical imagery, there is intuitive hope, protection and deliverance! Revelation opens with Jesus and clouds (Revelation 1:7), the epitome of the Shekinah glory with the physical presence of deity. It is thrilling imagery!

In that wonderful message, Gabriel said, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him” (1:7 – NIV). Here we are told that their (saints) enemies saw them ascend in the cloud to heaven. Though the wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of Jesus’ coming, they are permitted to witness the redeemed, who shortly before they were trying to kill, drawn to Jesus, then heaven. What a stunning message! What a solemn warning to the careless.

Those enemies that observe Jesus’ coming are more than contemporary wicked survivors. Gabriel specifically noted that “even those who pierced him” (1:7) would witness this event. That means that there is a special resurrection before the eschaton. Daniel tells us that at the deliverance of God’s people (the end of the persecution of 1260 days – time, times, and an half) there would also be a unique resurrection (Daniel 12:2). The deliverance of God’s people is a special apocalyptic timing point immediately preceding the second coming. It is then that a special resurrection of the wicked occurs.

From the references noted, we know that this group of enemies, who are final witnesses to Christ’s return, have been divinely selected. It appears that those who have been powerful against Jesus are forced to see His triumphant return. That is of legal interest to the universe. They will note, as witnesses themselves, the utter helpless submission to Jesus, Whom they previously so successfully resisted. Their acquiescence to Him is one of the significant steps that heaven has planned to vindicate God’s character. The enemies were intolerant of Christianity when Jesus was “visible” through the saints. Now, they will be intolerant of themselves as they momentarily cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them (6:16-17).

“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:13).

The expression “and the same hour” is tied to the previous verse when the saints ascended to heaven. It is a timing statement: kai en ekeine te hora – “in the same hour.” When John saw the witnesses rise heavenward, a great earthquake occurred.

A “great” earthquake was noted under the sixth Seal: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; ... And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.... And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:12a, 14, 16).

That depicts the second coming of Jesus just like we see here. God furnishes these amazing clues to help us see that they all occur right at the same time. That will be noted once again under the seventh Plague (Revelation 16:18-20) when “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (vs 20).

Here, the phrase “in that hour” is a strong suggestion that the events of the sixth Seal come right at the end of the period of Jacob’s trouble, which follows the close of probation. That period is 45 days long by the marvelous evidence we have from Daniel 12.

E. G. White described the results of that earthquake: “The earth looked like a desolate wilderness. Cities and villages, shaken down by the earthquake, lay in heaps. Mountains had been moved out of their places, leaving large caverns. Ragged rocks, thrown out by the sea, or torn out of the earth itself, were scattered all over its surface. Large trees had been uprooted and were strewn over the land. Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Here he will be confined, to wander up and down over the broken surface of the earth and see the effects of his rebellion against God’s law.”[3]

Ezekiel 38:19-20 describes a “great” earthquake when Gog attacks Israel. What happens? God’s people are delivered. This is another parallel prophecy.

A significant challenge is in the “numbers” within this verse:

•     One tenth of the city fell

•     7000 people were killed

The only place we find a parallel to this “7000 people” is in I Kings 19:18. Elijah had fled Queen Jezebel’s threat to kill him. In discouragement and fear, he lost his trust in the God of the recent amazing Mt. Carmel victory. Finally, leaving his servant at Beersheba, he went a day’s journey deep into the wilderness. There an angel strengthened him with food and water while resting under a juniper tree. That didn’t resolve his despondency, and he hiked another forty full days to a cave in Mt. Horeb (apparently the same as Mt. Sinai – Exodus 3:1).

There God confronted Him, “What are you doing here?” Elijah poured out his heart to God. He thought that in all of Israel he alone worshiped the true God. Then God said, “I have left me 7000 in Israel who have not bowed to Baal.” How does that parallel the earthquake deaths?

•    Elijah, at a time of great clashes between right and wrong, had fear and despondency, though a man of God. There were 7000 (representing the whole) who were loyal to God.

•    At the end of time when the final clashes between right and wrong come, God’s people are joyous in their deliverance. 7000 (representing the whole of the wicked) are destroyed.

In the sixth Seal the wicked want to be killed (Revelation 6:16) and, in reality, they lose their lives. I Thessalonians 2:8 says they succumb to the brightness of His coming. Perhaps the glory of His face even causes inanimate nature to rupture and convulse. The “seven thousand” report means that all the wicked are now dead.

What does a “tenth” of the “city” mean? From the seventh Plague description and the end-time imagery of the apostate city described in Revelation, it unquestionably refers to Babylon. That is the “great city” (cf. Daniel 4:30) that came up in remembrance before God “to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (Revelation 16:19, cf. 14:8).

In Revelation 16 it says that the earthquake divided Babylon into three parts. Babylon was a symbol of apostate Christianity, composed of apostate Protestantism, Catholicism and Spiritualism. The seventh Plague typology means that those end-of-time cooperative elements of rebellion are now powerless and no longer a threat. That verse immediately says “and the cities of the nations fell,” then “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (16:19a, 20).

By now most of the wicked are dead from the first four Trumpets to Armageddon of the sixth and to the first four Plagues. Apparently only one tenth now remain. As there is a select group who are raised at the special resurrection to see His return, so there will be a select group of wicked individuals preserved to witness that great advent. John says that they come from all walks of life (Revelation 6:15). The tenth represents the totality of the unbelievers remaining at the “same hour” of Jesus’ coming.

The evil nature of the city (11:8) and the hardness of the earth-dwellers (11:10) preclude any repentance. Why does it say that a remnant was terrified and then gave glory to God? Many commentators conclude that this “remnant” refers to the wicked who were not destroyed (i.e., nine tenths). This throws one’s understanding into space and misuses God’s thematic objective. The NIV accurately portrays the meaning. The righteous survivors were frightened from the great earthquake and its outcome, then gave glory to God.

This appears to be a parenthetic review statement. Notice the crescendoing contrast:

The wicked don’t give glory to God. God’s people do.

“Their faces, so lately pale, anxious, and haggard, are now aglow with wonder, faith, and love. Their voices rise in triumphant song: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.’ Psalm 46:1-3.”[4]

There is another beautiful contrast that E. G. White makes regarding “this same hour.” At His coming: “Before His presence ‘all faces are turned into paleness;’ upon the rejecters of God’s mercy falls the terror of eternal despair. ‘The heart melteth, and the knees smite together, ... and the faces of them all gather blackness.’ Jeremiah 30:6; Nahum 2:10. The righteous cry with trembling: ‘Who shall be able to stand?’ The angels’ song is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again as they draw still nearer to the earth.”[5]

This is an amazing echo from Micah 7:8-17:

1.   An enemy rejoices over Israel’s “defeat.”

2.   Israel is delivered and restored, seen as “rising” and likened to the exodus from Egypt.

3.   The enemies see the deliverance and cover their mouths in astonishment.

4.   The enemies are horrified and shamed.

5.   Their cities are destroyed.

6.   The enemies become afraid of God.

The verse ends with the striking little phrase that glory was given to the “God of heaven.” In Jewish thought this expression distinguished the sovereign, majestic God from all other gods (Genesis 24:7, II Chronicles 36:23, Nehemiah 1:4-5, Daniel 2:10-19).

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