Revelation 11:1-19

From Now to the End of Time

Revelation

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 11

John measures the *temple - Revelation 11:1-2

v1 An *angel gave me a stick that was like a pole. He said, ‘Go. You must measure the *temple of God. Measure the *altar and count those who *worship there. v2 Do not measure the area that is outside the *temple. That area belongs to the nations. And the nations will destroy the holy city for 42 months.’

Verse 1 An *angel gave John a stick that he could use to measure. It was like the ruler that an architect uses to measure land. The *angel told John to measure the *temple and the *altar. John had to count those who *worship in the *temple. God would protect the area that John was measuring.

There is now no *temple in Jerusalem. The *Roman army destroyed it in the year AD 70 (that is, about 70 years after Jesus’ birth). But maybe there will be a new *temple in Jerusalem. John must measure that *temple.

Verse 2 The outer area of the *temple was for the nations. The nations were those who did not *worship God. They will have control of the outer area. And they will control Jerusalem (called the ‘holy city’) for 42 months. For that time, God would allow them to do this. He would not protect the city or the outer area.

The rule of the nations over Jerusalem lasts for 42 months. At the end of that period, they will not rule Jerusalem. Daniel speaks about a 7-year period (Daniel 9:27). These 42 months are the second half of that 7-year period. After the end of this time the *Lord Jesus will come. He will rescue the city and he will rule over it.

The two witnesses - Revelation 11:3-14

v3 ‘I will send my two witnesses. They will *prophesy for 1260 days. They will wear rough clothes like those who are sad.’ v4 These two witnesses are the meaning of the two *olive trees and the two lamp holders. These objects stand in front of the *Lord who rules the earth. v5 If anyone tries to hurt the two witnesses, fire comes from their mouths. And the fire will kill their enemies. Anyone who tries to hurt them will die in this way. v6 These witnesses have the power to shut up the skies. No rain can fall during the days that they *prophesy. They can turn water into blood. They have power to send every kind of trouble to the earth as often as they want.

v7 They will finish their message. Then the evil *beast will come up from the hole whose depth has no end. He will fight against the two witnesses. He will overcome them and he will kill them. v8 Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city. This city has the name Sodom and Egypt, which has a *spiritual meaning. This is the place where their *Lord died on the cross. v9 For three and a half days, people will stare at the bodies. The people are from all nations, *tribes, and languages. They will not allow anyone to bury the bodies in graves. v10 The people will be happy because of the death of the two witnesses. The people will enjoy themselves and they will send gifts to each other. They will behave in this manner because the two *prophets caused so much trouble for them. And the trouble upset all those who live on the earth.

v11 After three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into the two witnesses. They stood on their feet. All who saw them were very afraid. v12 The two witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven. It said, ‘Come up here.’ They went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them.

v13 At that same hour, there was a great *earthquake. It destroyed a tenth (10th) of the city and it killed 7000 people. Those who did not die were very afraid. They gave *glory to the God of heaven.

v14 The second trouble has passed. The third trouble is coming very soon.

Verse 3 God will send two men to speak for him. John does not tell us who these two witnesses are. Many Bible teachers say that these men are Moses and Elijah. Some teachers say that they are Enoch and Elijah. But we cannot be sure who they are.

These two men will wear rough clothes. This is to show that they are serious. What they have to say is important. They tell about God’s anger against the *sins of the people.

In *prophecy, a month is 30 days. The 1260 days here are the same period as the 42 months in verse 2. They are the last half of the 7-year period before Jesus comes.

Verse 4 Zechariah saw two *olive trees and a lamp holder (Zechariah 4:1-7). Zechariah asked an *angel what these meant. In his reply, this is what the *angel said. ‘Not by force, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the *Lord of armies.’

The *olive trees provide the oil for the lamps. The oil burns in the lamps in order to give light. So, God has given the power of his Spirit to work by these two men.

Verses 5-6 These two verses show the strange power that these men had. Many people wanted to hurt them but none could. Those who tried died. Fire came from the mouths of the two men. Elijah had called down fire from heaven to kill two bands of soldiers (2 Kings 1:10-12).

Like Elijah, these men could stop the rain (1 Kings 17:1). They did this for the period of 42 months. Like Moses, they could turn water into blood (Exodus 7:14-18). God had given to them more power than he gave to any of the *prophets. They could use this power as often as they wanted. They had the power to hurt people and to cause damage on the earth.

Verse 7 These two men finished the task that God gave to them. Then the evil *beast came up from the deep hole (see Exodus 9:1-11). This *beast may mean *Satan. He fought against them and he killed them.

Verse 8 The two men had worked in the city called Jerusalem. It was there that the *Lord Jesus died. When *Satan killed the two men, their bodies remained in the street.

Sodom was a very evil place. Egypt was the place where God’s people were slaves. So, the great city had become like Sodom and Egypt.

Verse 9 The bodies were in the street for three and a half days. Crowds of people came to see them. People came from all over the world. Nobody could remove the bodies to bury them.

Verse 10 The people had been afraid of the two men. They did not like what these men had said. What they had done caused so much trouble.

Now the men were dead. News of their death went all round the earth. The news made the people happy. They had parties and they sent presents to each other.

Verse 11 The people were only happy for a short time. After three and a half days, God raised the two men from death. He breathed new life into them. They stood up on their feet. All who saw it were afraid.

Verse 12 A loud voice from heaven called to the two witnesses. ‘Come up here’, the voice said. The two men rose up from the ground. They disappeared from view in a cloud. And they went up to heaven.

Their enemies saw this happen. They had been happy but now they were afraid. They saw the men come alive again. They saw them go up into heaven.

Verse 13 The two witnesses went up to heaven. At the same time, there was a great *earthquake. A tenth (10th) part of the city called Jerusalem fell. As a result 7000 people died.

There was a connection between the *earthquake and the two men as they went up to heaven. By this God showed that they were his servants. He had sent them and he rescued them. The people could see that this was so. They knew that both events showed the power of God. They had to give *glory to God.

This does not mean that the people turned from their *sin. It does not mean that they turned to God for him to save them. But they had to recognise that he is the God of heaven.

Verse 14 The second of three times of trouble had ended. The third and last one would come soon.

The seventh (7th) *trumpet - Revelation 11:15-19

v15 When the seventh *angel’s *trumpet sounded, there were loud voices in heaven. They said, ‘Now the *kingdom of this world belongs to our *Lord and to his Christ. He will rule as king and his rule will never end.’

v16 Then the 24 *elders who sit on their *thrones in front of God fell on their faces. There they *worshipped God. v17 They said, ‘*Lord God we thank you. You have all power. You have been and you are always God. You have used your great power and you rule as king. v18 The nations were angry, but your anger has come. This is the time for you to be the judge of the dead people. Now you will reward your servants, the *prophets and your holy people. These are all, both important and unimportant people, who respect your name. But it is time to punish those who are destroying the earth.’

v19 The doors to the *temple of God in heaven opened. In the *temple, we could see the box. This box holds the evidence of the agreement between God and his people. Lightning flashed and there were loud noises and *thunder. There was an *earthquake. Large stones of ice fell like rain.

Verse 15 The seventh (7th) *trumpet.

As the seventh *trumpet sounded, John was in heaven. There he heard loud voices. They declared that all the earth now belonged to God and to Christ. God had defeated all who were against him. The whole earth was now part of his *kingdom. God will rule as king and his government will never end.

Verse 16 The voices declared that the *Lord is king. The *elders fell down in *worship.

Verse 17 They sang a song of thanks to God. God was before all things. He made all things. He will always be. He had no beginning and he will have no end. All power belongs to him.

By his great power, God will begin his rule of the earth. The *Lord must still fight the final battles. But the result is sure. God will overcome all who oppose him. The *kingdom of earth will belong to God the king.

Verse 18 The nations and their rulers had been angry against God. They had refused to accept him as *Lord. They fought against him and they killed his servants.

The time had come for God to deal with them. God’s fierce anger would frighten them. He would punish all who opposed him.

The time had come for God to punish or to reward all who have died. He will reward his servants. These are the *prophets and his people.

Verse 19 In heaven, the doors to the *temple opened. The box that held the agreement was inside the *temple. All that God had promised to do he will do for his people. He will reward all those who believed in him. Even in the times of trouble, God’s people can be confident that he will save them.

Then there was a storm on the earth. There were flashes of lightning and loud *thunder. It rained large blocks of ice. The earth trembled because of an *earthquake.

temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God. But at other temples, people worshipped false gods.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
altar ~ the special table where priests burned animals and other gifts that they offered to God.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was called Roman.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
lord ~ a title for someone who rules.
prophesy ~ to speak a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
olive ~ a type of tree or its small fruit (which has a stone). People make oil from olives. They use the oil when they cook food. And people used to burn it in lamps.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
spiritual ~ something that has a relationship with a person’s spirit, not their physical body. Or, something that has a relationship with God’s Spirit or heaven, not this earth.
tribe ~ a large family from one man. The nation called Israel grew from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
earthquake ~ when the earth shakes, that is an earthquake.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
trumpet ~ a musical instrument; it makes a sound when a person blows into it.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.
elders ~ usually they are older men. In the Book of Revelation, they are the 24 people who sit on thrones in heaven.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
thunder ~ the sound that comes after lightning during a storm.