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1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told,
"Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count
the worshipers there.
2 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.
3 And I will give power 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 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.
6 These men have power to shut up the sky 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 11:1-6
Explanation:
This temple is most likely a symbol of the church (all true believers),
because there will be no more temple in the new Jerusalem (21:22).
John measured the temple to show that God is building walls of protection
around his people to spare them from spiritual harm, and that there
is a place reserved for all believers who remain faithful to God.
Those worshiping inside the temple will be protected spiritually,
but those outside will face great suffering.
This is a way of saying that true believers will be
protected through persecution, but those who refuse to believe will
be destroyed. These two witnesses bear strong resemblance to Moses
and Elijah, two of God's mighty prophets. With God's power, Moses
called plagues down upon the nation of Egypt (see Exodus 8-11).
Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Both of these
men appeared with Christ at his transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-7).
In the book of Revelation, numbers are likely to have symbolic rather
than literal meanings.
The 42 months or 1260 days equal 3 1/2 years. As half
of the perfect number 7, 3 1/2 can indicate incompletion, imperfection,
or even evil. Notice the events predicted for this time period:
there is trouble (Daniel 12:7); the holy city is trampled (11:2),
the woman takes refuge in the desert (12:6), and the devil-inspired
beast exercises his authority (13:5). Some commentators link the
3 1/2 years with the period of famine in the days of Elijah (Luke
4:25; James 5:17). Since Malachi predicted the return of Elijah
before the Last Judgment (Malachi 4:5), and since the events in
Daniel and Revelation pave the way for the second coming, perhaps
John was making this connection. It is possible of course that the
3 1/2 years are literal. If so, we will clearly recognize when the
3 1/2 years are over! Whether symbolic or literal, however, they
indicate that evil's reign will have a definite end.
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes
up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is
figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language
and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.
10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate
by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented
those who live on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those
who saw them.
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come
up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their
enemies looked on.
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of
the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake,
and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
Revelation 11:7-14
Explanation:
The beast could be Satan or an agent of Satan. Jerusalem, once the
great city and the capital of Israel, is now enemy territory. It
is compared with Sodom and with Egypt, both well known for their
evil. At the time of John's writing, Jerusalem had been destroyed
by the Romans in 70 A.D., nearly a million Jews had been slaughtered,
and the temple treasures had been carried off to Rome. The whole
world rejoices at the deaths of these two witnesses who have caused
trouble by saying what the people didn't want to hear--words about
their sin, their need for repentence, and the coming punishment.
Sinful people hate those who call attention to their sin and who
urge them to repent. They hated Christ, and they hate his followers
(1 John 3:13). When you obey Christ and take a stand against sin,
be prepared to experience the world's hatred. But remember that
the great reward awaiting you in heaven far outweighs any suffering
that you face now.
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices
in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for
ever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones
before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One
who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and
have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has
come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and
great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple
was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Revelation 11:15-19
Explanation:
The seventh trumpet is sounded, announcing the arrival of the King.
There is now no turning back. The coming judgments are no longer
partial, but complete in their destruction. God is in control, and
he unleashes his full wrath on the evil world that refuses to turn
to him (9:20,21). When his wrath begins, there will be no escape.
For more on the 24 elders, see the note on 4:4. In the Bible, God
gives rewards to his people according to what they deserve. Throughout
the Old Testament, obedience often brought reward in this life (Deuteronomy
28), but obedience and immediate reward are not always linked. If
they were, good people would always be rich, and suffering would
always be a sign of sin. If we were quickly rewarded for every faithful
deed, we would soon think we were pretty good. Before long, we would
be doing many good deeds for purely selfish reasons. While it is
true that God will reward us for our earthly deeds (see 20:12),
our greatest reward will be eternal life in his presence. In Old
Testament days, the ark of the covenant was the most sacred treasure
of the Israelite nation. For more information about the ark, see
Exodus 37:1.
