Revelation 11

Revelation 11:1

G. The Two Witnesses (11:1-14) 11:1, 2 John was now commanded to measure the temple and the altar, and to number the worshipers. Measuring here seems to carry the idea of preservation. He was not to measure the court of the Gentiles because it would be trampled by the nations for forty-two monthsthe latter half of the Tribulation Period (see Luk_21:24). The temple mentioned here is the one that will be standing in Jerusalem during the Tribulation. The act of numbering the worshipers may signify that God will preserve a remnant of worshipers for Himself. The altar pictures the means by which they will approach Him, that is, the work of Christ at Calvary. 11:3 God will raise up two witnesses during the last half of the Tribulation. Clothed in sackcloth, a symbol of mourning, they will cry out against the sins of the people and announce God’s coming indignation. 11:4 The two witnesses are compared to two olive trees and two lamp stands. As olive trees they are filled with the Spirit (oil). As lampstands they bear testimony to the truth of God in a day of darkness. (For an OT parallel see Zec_4:2-14.) 11:5 For three and one half years, the witnesses are miraculously preserved from harm. Fire proceeding from their mouth consumes their foes, and even the effort to harm them is punished by death. 11:6 They have power to bring drought on the earth, to turn the waters to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues. It is not surprising that they have been commonly associated with Moses and Elijah. Their power to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues reminds us of what Moses did in Egypt (Exo_7:14-20; 8:1-12:29). Their power over fire and weather reminds us of Elijah’s ministry (1Ki_17:1; 1Ki_18:41-45; 2Ki_1:9-12). McConkey says: They will warn the people who crowd the temple of the Man of Sin whom they come to worship. They will admonish them of the shortness of his time of triumph; of the coming of Jesus to destroy him; of the perils which the tribulation will bring; of the need of counting not their lives dear unto themselves when the test of life and death shall come; of their need to fear not him who can kill the body only but to fear Him who can cast both body and soul into hell; of the splendor and nearness of the King and His kingdom after they have suffered awhile; of the sureness that if they suffer with Him they shall reign with Him; and of the eternal peace, righteousness and glory that shall be theirs who endure unto the end, even though it may mean martyrdom in the great hour of trial through which they are passing. Mighty indeed will be their testimony from the Book. 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the beast from the bottomless pit will kill them. This beast seems to be the same as the one in 13:8the head of the revived Roman Empire. 11:8 The dead bodies of the witnesses lie in the street of Jerusalem for three and one half days. Jerusalem is here called Sodom because of its pride, indulgence, prosperous ease, and indifference to the needs of others (see Eze_16:49). And it is called Egypt because of its idolatry, persecution, and enslavement to sin and unrighteousness. 11:9 People from all nations view their dead bodies but do not allow them to be buried, a tremendous indignity in almost all cultures. 11:10 Great rejoicing breaks out because their unpopular prophecies have been silenced, and people exchange gifts, much as they do today at Christmas time. The only prophets people love are dead ones. 11:11, 12 After the three-and-a-half days, … God raises them from the dead, much to the consternation of the populace, and takes them to heaven as their enemies watch. 11:13, 14 At the same time, Jerusalem is shaken by a great earthquake, one tenth of the city falls, and seven thousand people are killed. The survivors give glory to God, not genuine worship, but a grudging admission of His power. The second woe is past. This does not mean that everything from 9:13 to 11:13 comprises the second woe. On the contrary, chapter 10 and 11:1-13 are a parenthesis between the second woe (sixth trumpet) and the third woe (seventh trumpet).

Revelation 11:15

H. The Seventh Trumpet (11:15-19) 11:15 The blowing of the seventh trumpet reveals that the Great Tribulation is over and the reign of Christ has begun. The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!11:16, 17 Falling on their faces before God, the twenty-four elders express thanks to Him because He has assumed His great power and inaugurated His reign. 11:18 The unbelieving nations are angry with Him, and try to prevent His coronation. But now the time has come for Him to be angry with them, to judge those who do not have spiritual life, to destroy the destroyers. And it is time for the Lord to reward His own, prophets and people, small and great. 11:19 God has not forgotten His covenant with His people, Israel. When the temple of God is opened in heaven, the ark of His covenant appears, a symbol that all He promised to Israel will come to pass. There are lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.