[§182] Rev 11:18: Mortals and Spirits Judged During the Third Woe

This podcast explains the symbolism and imagery used by John in Revelation 11:19 to introduce the seven vial plagues of the third woe. In this verse, John sees the temple of God opened in heaven, which is the heavenly counterpart of the earthly temple in Jerusalem. The heavenly temple is God's residence and his celestial kingdom. When the veil of heaven is drawn back so that John could see into the heavenly temple, he saw the ark of the covenant, which is called the ark of his testament in this verse.The ark is a symbol for Jesus Christ. Therefore, the ark of his testimony represents Jesus Christ himself. The ark also symbolizes the covenants made between God and his faithful children because it contained the stone tablets on which the 10 Commandments had been engraved. The Lord's blessings promised by covenant were conditioned upon faithfulness to God's law represented by the 10 Commandments. The ark also contained a pot of manna in the rod of iron, representing the tokens and symbols of life and mercy. The meaning of these objects inside the ark of the covenant was enhanced by the mercy seat located on the lid of the ark located between two cherubim with outstretched wings.In addition to the symbols of mercy associated with the ark of the covenant, John also saw lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail representing the seven vile plagues. Thus, while great mercy is extended to the righteous in Revelation 11:19, the destroyers of the earth will be destroyed by the seven final plagues of the third woe.