About This Chapter: Revelation chapter eleven continues with an interim period between the sixth and seventh trumpets. John is instructed to measure the temple, and two witnesses are described who witness for a specified period of time. After their testimony, they are killed and later raised. The chapter concludes with the sounding of the seventh trumpet and a scene in heaven in which voices proclaim the reign of God and His Christ.
Revelation 11:1–2 — The Measuring of the Temple
Revelation 11:3–10 — The Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:11–13 — The Witnesses Raised
Revelation 11:14–19 — The Seventh Trumpet
Revelation 11:1–2 — The Measuring of the Temple
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months” (Revelation 11:1-2).
The opening verses of Revelation chapter eleven mark the emergence of the temple of God, a structure that is rich with historical significance. King Solomon oversaw the construction and subsequent dedication of Israel’s first temple in 953 B.C. That magnificent building stood until 586 B.C. when it was destroyed by the invading Babylonian army. It was later rebuilt around 517 B.C. as chronicled in the book of the Old Testament prophet Ezra (6:15-16).
Centuries later, another temple building project began under the patronage of a secular governor known to history as Herod the Great. An ancient account of that project tells us that the temple’s primary structure was built of stone and gold and took almost a decade to complete. It was also said that the sun reflected off the white stone and gold of the temple with such intense brilliance that it was impossible to gaze upon it from a distance in the daytime.
With this in mind, let’s consider Jesus’ message to His disciples concerning the temple of that era…
“As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’ ‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down’” (Mark 13:1-2 NIV).
That forewarning materialized roughly four decades after Jesus spoke those words. Beginning in A.D. 69, the Roman general Titus marched on the city of Jerusalem with 30,000 armed forces. His military objective involved a systematic and ruthless campaign to eliminate any remaining opposition to the Roman Empire. That military action leveled the city of Jerusalem along with the temple and every other major building. It also led to an estimated loss of one million lives.
The elaborate architecture of the temple reflected its role as a central component of Jewish spiritual and cultural identity. However, the Romans demolished the temple so thoroughly that modern scholars and archaeologists cannot pinpoint the exact location of several portions of it. Thus, Jesus’ prophetic statement came to pass just as He said: “…the time is coming when not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished” (Luke 21:6 CEB).
We’ll tie these historic elements together next.
“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there’” (Revelation 11:1 ESV).
Although the temple of Jesus’ day has long since disappeared, our author was told to conduct a survey of the temple structure along with those who worshipped there in Revelation 11:1. This has led some to predict the eventual construction of a future temple. That, along with details to be revealed later in the Book of Revelation, will culminate in the appearance of an individual known as the antichrist, according to this view.
The Biblical book of 2 Thessalonians speaks of such a person, a man “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Thus, he will attempt to substitute himself in place of God, claiming the title and worship that is reserved for God alone. We’ll discuss this subject at greater length when we reach Revelation chapter thirteen.
“But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months” (Revelation 11:2 NIV).
The “holy city” is associated with the city of Jerusalem. This passage tells us that those who are hostile to God will trample the city for forty-two months, or 3 1/2 years. This word “trample” from Revelation 11:2 means to ‘crush with the feet” and, ”to treat with insult and contempt.” (1) This indicates that the destruction associated with this period will be quite severe.
We are then introduced to two new characters in verse three…
“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire” (Revelation 11:3-6).
So God will dispatch two representatives during this period. These individuals will…
- Be empowered by God.
- Prophesy.
- Be clothed in sackcloth.
We’ll discuss these witnesses further in our next study.
(1) G3961 – pateo – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3961/kjv/tr/0-1/
Revelation 11:3–10 — The Two Witnesses
“I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3 HCSB).
We’ll begin our look at the witnesses of Revelation 11:3 with the second characteristic referenced here: prophecy. As mentioned earlier in our study of the church of Thyatira, a “prophet” is someone who possesses the unerring ability to offer God’s direction. This word also describes someone who conveys divinely inspired information regarding a specific circumstance or future event.
These individuals mentioned here in Revelation 11:3 will serve as God’s representatives during this interval. And much like an ambassador or spokesperson, these witnesses will communicate God’s message for a specific time period. However, their mission allows us to make a contemporary application as well.
While the ministry of these prophetic witnesses lay in the future, there are modern-day leaders who claim to fulfill a similar prophetic role today. With this in mind, the Scriptures encourage us to put those individuals to the test: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
That passage should also encourage us to follow the counsel given to us in the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians: “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NIV). Much like a jeweler who inspects a gemstone to verify its authenticity, these verses remind us to examine the alleged prophecies we may encounter and measure them against the Biblical Scriptures.
This is especially true of those individuals or organizations that self-identify as “Christian” but derive their doctrinal beliefs from sources other than the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. In the words of a source quoted earlier, “The ability to prophesy may involve predicting future events, but its main purpose is to communicate God’s message to people, providing insight, warning, correction, and encouragement.” (1) That definition serves to describe the role of God’s witnesses here in Revelation 11.
Today, we might best associate the use of a prophetic gift with the ability to bring a fresh application of Biblical truth as prompted by the Holy Spirit. But before we leave this subject, there is one final concern to discuss. That concern involves those who tend to perceive their internal thoughts, feelings, or impressions as “a word from the Lord.”
While God may speak to us in that manner, we should be mindful of Proverbs 30:5-6 before making such an assumption: ”Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge In him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke-you and prove you a liar” (NIV). Thus, it may be preferable to say, ”I believe God has spoken to me’‘ in such situations. That caveat acknowledges the reality of human imperfection as we pursue a well-intentioned desire to hear from God.
(1) Life Application Study Bible [1 Corinthians 14:1] Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.
“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3 ESV).
While “sackcloth” is largely unfamiliar to modern-day audiences, it was a material held deep cultural significance in the Old and New Testament periods.
Sackcloth was a coarse, rough, bag-like material with a texture and appearance that lived up to its name. Sackcloth was typically constructed from camel or goat hair in the Biblical era. Thus, a burlap bag or coarse brown sack would probably form the closest modern equivalent to this type of clothing material. The act of wearing sackcloth symbolized deep emotional distress and indifference to worldly comforts, especially during a time of emotional sorrow.
That brings us to these two witnesses and their God-given authority. Revelation 11:4 offers some additional insight into the power behind these individuals: “These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth” (GW). Therefore, we can say these witnesses possess authority along with humility as well (as symbolized by the act of wearing sackcloth).
The imagery associated with these olive trees and oil-fueled lamps is not unique to the Book of Revelation. For instance, the book of the Biblical prophet Zechariah presents us with a similar word-picture (see Zechariah chapter four). The idea is that these olive trees will yield a limitless supply of fuel, thus ensuring a continuous and inexhaustible source of illumination for these lamps. In addition, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who enables these witnesses to serve as a light to the world during this period.
The following verses tell us that God will also provide these witnesses with a variety of offensive and defensive weapons…
“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want” (Revelation 11:5-6).
While these witnesses may possess the ability to incinerate their enemies, this reference to fire may also pertain to the message God had given them, a message that will fully consume their enemies. Finally, their ability to call forth fire and ”every kind of plague” is reminiscent of the supernatural enablements that Elijah (2 Kings 1:9-12) and Moses (Exodus 7-12) possessed as well.
Image Attribution : PxHere
“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 graves.
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. 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. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:7-13).
It’s important to consider the time sequence associated with the series of events that take place here in Revelation 11:7-13. This portion of Scripture begins with the “end of watch” (1) for the witnesses who were introduced to us earlier in verse three. Thus, we can say that these witnesses are invincible until God dismisses them from their divinely appointed task.
Revelation 11:7 identifies the entity that kills these witnesses as “the beast.” This is the first of over two dozen references to this being in the book of Revelation. Much like the antichrist mentioned earlier in our study of this chapter, we will discuss this being at greater length when we reach Revelation chapter thirteen.
Revelation 11:8 then continues by saying, “Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And that city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt” (CEV). Much like the “holy city” referenced earlier, we can associate the reference with the historic city of Jerusalem. But how does this relate to Sodom and Egypt?
We can address that question when we consider these references in a Biblical context. Sodom is traditionally linked with the concept of sexual immorality, while Egypt was a place of enslavement for the people of Israel. Taken together, these references provide us with the image of a populace that lives in a paradoxical state. While many will embrace the concept of sexual freedom and liberation, they will actually be enslaved by their own immoral behaviors.
(1) In modern parlance, “end of watch” signifies the time and date at which a law enforcement officer was killed in the line of duty.
Revelation 11:11–13 — The Witnesses Raised
“After 3 1/2 days the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who watched them. The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, ‘Come up here.’ They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:11-13 GW).
Earlier in Revelation 11:9, we discovered that a globally diverse audience will convene to view the lifeless bodies of God’s witnesses and refuse to grant them an honorable burial. Prior to the dawn of the 20th century, a person reading that passage may have assumed that a large international audience had gathered to witness this spectacle in person.
But satellite and high-speed internet technologies now enable us to view global events as they happen. Those options didn’t exist when the book of Revelation was first written. But they exist today, and it’s easy to see how those technologies might enable populations from every tribe, language, and nation to view this exhibition in large screen, high definition color.
So for three and a half days, multitudes will celebrate the demise of these witnesses. Much like a festive holiday, people will exchange gifts “…and throw parties to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them so much…” (Revelation 11:10 TLB). These witnesses served as a painful and irritating reminder of the God they sought to dismiss, and many rejoiced over their deaths.
Then, as now, people are known by what they celebrate, and these joyous crowds were no exception. The witnesses of Revelation 11:3-7 inflicted great distress upon the populations of a world that rejected its Creator. From the perspective of these multitudes, their demise was cause for celebration. But that party will suddenly come to an abrupt end: “After three and a half days a life-giving breath came from God and entered them, and they stood up; and all who saw them were terrified” (Revelation 11:11 GNB).
So, those who held these witnesses in contempt will suddenly realize the enormity of their error. Revelation 11:13 tells us that seven thousand of them will pay for that mistake with their lives by way of an earthquake that destroys ten percent of the city. This event will be the catalyst that subsequently moves these remaining survivors to honor God with the respect and reverence He is rightfully due.
Revelation 11:14–19 — The Seventh Trumpet
“The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’
And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.’
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:14-19).
Much like a signpost that points the way to a destination that lay in the distance, our text from Revelation 11:15 points us to the ultimate conclusion of this book: “…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’” (ESV). While the world has always been the Lord’s kingdom in a sense, there have been relatively few who have recognized His sovereign rulership. That will begin to change as we transition into the second half of Revelation.
As noted earlier in our look at Revelation chapter ten, this passage marks a continuation of the beginning of the end for this current world order. That shift away from the influence of humanity’s spiritual enemy also brings a series of rewards and punishments: “…the time has come for the dead to be judged. It is time for you to reward your servants the prophets and all of your people who honor your name, no matter who they are. It is time to destroy everyone who has destroyed the earth” (Revelation 11:18 CEV).
This reference to “judging the dead” reminds us that everyone will be held accountable for their actions. God will reward those who have used their God-given talents, skills, and abilities to honor Him. But those who destroy God’s creation will be treated in a similar manner.
And now that “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ…” we should note that God has made His temple accessible. That prepares us for our entry into the second half of this book.
Image Attribution :Signpost” by maroubal2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.