Revelation

11.1-19

Recapping - Revelation Chapters 1-3, a message to the seven churches. Chapters 4-5, John sees into heaven as Christ appears and receives the title deed (sealed scroll) of earth. Chapter 6, the first six seals are opened. Chapter 7, a pause to reassure the redeemed. Chapter 8, the seventh seal is opened, unleashing the first four of seven trumpet judgments (physical/natural). Chapter 9, the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments (demonic) *the last three are so bad they are referred to as "woes." Chapter 10, another pause, as the strong angel cries out seven peals of thunder and declares the wait is over.
Chapter 11 opens with John being told to measure off what belongs to God - the Temple in Jerusalem (v1). But this is not to include the outer courtyard (v2), which is turned over for the last 3 ½ years of tribulation, marking the final period of the time of the Gentiles (Lk 21:24). God speaks now, declaring that His two witnesses (martus) will prophesy for 1260 days (v3), unharmed (v5), performing great miracles (vv5-6) until the beast (Satan) of the fifth trumpet (9:1;12:3,9) kills them (v7). But even though the people celebrate (v10) for 3 ½ days (vv9,11) while their bodies lay in the street of Jerusalem (v8), God Himself will breathe life into them and call them up into heaven (vv11-12). In the earthquake that follows, a tenth of Jerusalem will fall, and 7000 "names of men" (people) are killed (v13). But the Jews that yet remain will be terrified and come to faith in Christ (Rom 11:3-4,26). Then the seventh angel will sound (v15), bringing praise (vv15-17), rage (v18a), and promise of both judgment (v18b) and communion (v19).

CHAPTER 11

The Two Witnesses

1 Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, “Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2 “And leave out the court which is outside the sanctuary and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.
3 “And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
5 And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
6 These have the authority to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; they also have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish.
7 And when they have finished their witness, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
9 And those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying,
“We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
18 “And the nations were enraged, and Your rage came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and to give reward to Your slaves—the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great—and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 And the sanctuary of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.