1And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
This chapter, together with the next two chapters, goes back to fill in background information concerning the last half of the seven-year Tribulation period. That these chapters form a unit is made plain in that the seventh verse of this chapter speaks of “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit,” though the beast is not shown to John until chapter 13 and more specifically in 17:8. The trumpet judgments in the previous chapters have been revealed to John without provision of information about background events or time frame. Now, just before John hears the sounding of the seventh trumpet, he begins to receive this background information. The time designations during these chapters will be frequent and specific. The vision John sees in chapter 11 goes back to just prior to the mid-Tribulation attack on Jerusalem.
John was given a reed with which to measure the temple in Jerusalem, the brazen altar just outside the entrance to the temple, and those who worshipped there. There will be a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem during the seven-year Tribulation period. John is told not to include the outer court of the temple grounds in his measurement. The fact that John was told to measure both objects and people and the fact that no results of his measurement are given indicate that this is not a measurement to determine distances. Rather, this is a measurement to set boundaries. Jerusalem will be tread under foot by the nations for 42 months, the last half of the seven-year Tribulation period. But the rebuilt temple, its altar, and those who worship in it will be protected during that occupation of the city.
The new existence of a temple and the expression “those who worship therein” does not imply God’s approval of a return to confidence in the Old Covenant. We know that there will also be a New Covenant temple on earth during Christ’s thousand year reign (Ezekiel 40-47). Rather, the boundary of protection for “those who worship therein” indicates that a remnant of Jews will be protected by God when the city is taken by Antichrist and his armies. We should note also that there is no mention at all of the church or of protection for the church. The church will have been taken out of the world by the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation.
A similar scene is found in one of the visions of the prophet Zechariah:
I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her (Zechariah 2:1-5).
Zechariah’s vision looked to the time of Christ’s kingdom on earth. The measurement which he saw was a measurement of boundaries for protection for the whole city during Christ’s reign.
3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
During the same 42 months in which the city of Jerusalem will be tread under foot by outside nations, God will use two people as His witnesses in the city. According to the Jewish calendar with 30 days in each month, 1260 days equals 42 months. These two witnesses will be clothed in sackcloth. Their message will be a call for repentance.
The descriptions in verse 4 clearly express a similarity between these two people and the two people seen by the prophet Zechariah in his vision of the candlestick and two olive trees. In Zechariah’s vision (Zechariah 4) the two olive trees represented Joshua, the high priest at that time, and the Davidic leader Zerubbabel. As olive trees, they were to be channels of the power and working of the Spirit of God. They would be instruments in restoring the light of testimony in Israel through the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity (Zechariah 4:6-9; 6:9-15). God said concerning Joshua and Zerubbabel These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:14).
In Revelation 11 the two witnesses “standing before the God of the earth” will, like Joshua and Zerubbabel, be olive trees, channels of the Abrahamic blessing and thus of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Each of the two witnesses will be a candlestick. A temple will be in existence in Jerusalem at that time, but it will not be a place of light. Like the work of Joshua and Zerubbabel, the ministry of the two witnesses will be in preparation for the return of Light to God’s temple at Christ’s return. These two witnesses are called the two candlesticks just as the 7 churches were called 7 candlesticks in chapter 1. The churches are not mentioned any longer because they will be removed from the earth before the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.
5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
The two witnesses have power from God to protect themselves from harm and to warn the nations by acts of judgment. Fire proceeding out of their mouth probably means that they can speak judgment and it happens.
We don’t know who these two witnesses will be. Because the prophet Malachi said, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:5-6), there is good reason to think that one of the two witnesses will be Elijah. Also, Elijah did call fire down from heaven to consume his enemies (II Kings 1:10,12). And, Elijah told King Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word (I Kings 17:1). In fact, when Elijah prayed, it did not rain for 3½ years (James 5:17), the same length of time that the two witnesses will prophesy.
If one of the two witnesses is Elijah, who might the other witness be? The turning of water to blood and smiting of the earth with plagues brings to our mind the role of Moses in the judgments against Pharaoh in Egypt. Also, Moses and Elijah appeared together when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:3). Moses was used by God in the inauguration of the covenant of Law, and Elijah declared that Israel had broken that covenant (I Kings 19:10,14). And, the archangel Michael contended with the devil about the body of Moses (Jude 1:9), perhaps indicating that Moses’ body would be used again. We do not know the identity of the two witnesses, but we know that in a very dark place in a very dark time in human history, God will empower His witnesses to shine the light of His Word.
7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
The two witnesses will have a God-given work to do, and they will be able to finish that work. Until their work is finished, no one will be able to hurt them. But after their work is finished, the beast that arises out of the abyss (17:8) will war against them and kill them. That evil world leader will have been active during most or all of the time that the two witnesses were prophesying (Daniel 7:25: “a time and times and the dividing of time”), but near the end of the 3½ years, he will have a moment of victory against them.
8And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The bodies of the slain witnesses will remain on the street in Jerusalem for three and a half days. Probably both in person and by technological means people from other nations will look at their dead bodies, but they will not allow them to be buried. Instead, they’ll celebrate because the two prophets are dead. These two witnesses will have been given the responsibility of telling God’s word to a world that is about to be judged. God’s word brings forgiveness to anyone with a listening ear but will bring torment to anyone who refuses it.
The spiritual condition of the city of Jerusalem will also be dismal at that time, so much so that John refers to the city as “Sodom and Egypt.” Isaiah also called Jerusalem “Sodom” and “Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:10). Paul said that Jerusalem today is spiritually “in bondage with her children” (Galatians 4:25).
The One called “the Lord” in verse 8 is Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified. Verse 15 speaks of “our Lord” and “His Christ.” In that verse, “the Lord” is God the Father. Jesus Christ is One with the Father.
11And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12And 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. 13And 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.
The expression translated “the Spirit of life” is very similar to the expression found in Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. After 3½ days, God brought His two witnesses back to life! Then they were called to come up to heaven as their enemies watched in fear. Also, a great earthquake took place, destroying one tenth of the city of Jerusalem. The number 7000 seems to be an intentional but ironic parallel with the faithful 7000 Jews whom God reserved for Himself in the days of Elijah: Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (I Kings 19:18; see also Romans 11:4-5). It is possible that the 7000 people who will die in the earthquake in Jerusalem will be Jews who have bowed their knee to Antichrist, the murderer of God’s two witnesses. The people who survive the earthquake will recognize that the God of heaven exists and is the One who worked these things.
14The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
In the previous verses of this chapter the scene was earthly Jerusalem, but with the end of that narrative the scene switches to heaven. Verse 14 announces that the second woe is past and that the third woe will come. We know from 8:13 and 9:12 that the three woes spoken of are the judgments which accompany the sounding of the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets. Thus, the second woe is past because the judgment of the sixth trumpet is past. But the fact that this statement is made here tells us that we needed the earthly background information of 11:1-13 to understand the period of the trumpet judgments. The third woe will follow the sounding of the seventh trumpet. But before we read about that woe (18:10,16), God will give us more background information concerning Babylon in chapters 12,13 and 17.
When John hears the seventh trumpet sound, the reaction in heaven parallels the words of the angel in chapter 10 who swore that “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets” (10:7). There will still be other judgments after the seventh trumpet, concerning which John will again prophesy (10:11), but from this point the narrative of the book of Revelation will rapidly come to its climax. The remaining events will come in unbroken sequence.
The reaction in heaven to the sounding of the seventh trumpet is first one of recognition that it’s over for “the kingdom of the world.” The Lord God and His Anointed One are taking charge and will reign forever. Then the 24 elders fall to their faces and thank God that He has taken charge and begun to reign. They understand that from this point, there’s nothing left except His righteous sweep to power over the earth. They use the words, “the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come.” Their words are like those of Psalm 2:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:1-6).
The nations even today rage against God, but His wrath will come and He will take up His great power and will reign. The 24 elders recognize that the final judgment is near. Three groups are spoken of: “the prophets,” “the saints,” and “them that fear thy name.” In this context, the latter two groups may refer to Jewish and non-Jewish believers, respectively. The lost are referred to as “them which destroy the earth.” Under the leadership of Antichrist, the earth and its peoples will experience unprecedented ruin.
We might ask ourselves, “How is it that God will take His great power and reign? (verse 17). Hasn’t God always reigned?” Of course. God is God. But under His unmoved and unchanging sovereignty, He has, within limits, allowed sin to run its course. Jesus said of false prophets, Ye shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16). Sin does not produce good fruit. Even people who want nothing to do with God would likely admit that humanity has not done a good job so far of running planet earth. It is good that God has allowed us to come to that realization. We need Him.
19And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
The storm of judgments that follow the sounding of the seventh trumpet will proceed from the very presence of God in heaven. The follow-up to this verse is found in 15:5-8. The earthly tabernacle that Moses built had a chest in it called the ark of the covenant. The ark was a place of mercy for those who came with the blood of the sin offering that God commanded (Leviticus 16:14-15), but it was a place of terror for all others (Leviticus 10:1-2). That earthly tent pictured God’s true tabernacle in heaven. After the sounding of the seventh trumpet, there will be no refuge from the offended holiness of God except the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.