11
I was given a long stick that looked like a measuring rod. I was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God. And measure the altar where the people are worshipping. 2 But do not measure the outer courtyard. That's because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will take over the holy city for 42 months. 3 I will appoint my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in the rough clothes people wear when they're sad.’ 4 The witnesses are ‘the two olive trees’ and the two lampstands. And ‘they stand in front of the Lord of the earth.’ (Zechariah 4:3, 11, 14) 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and eats up their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 These witnesses have power to close up the sky. Then it will not rain while they are prophesying. They also have power to turn the waters into blood. And they can strike the earth with every kind of plague. They can do this as often as they want to. 7 When they have finished speaking, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them. He will overpower them and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the main street of the great city. It is also the city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. The city is sometimes compared to Sodom or Egypt. 9 For three and a half days, people will stare at their bodies. These people will be from every tribe and nation, no matter what language they speak. They will refuse to bury them. 10 Those who live on the earth will be happy about this. That's because those two prophets had made them suffer. The people will celebrate by sending one another gifts.
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the witnesses. They both stood up. Terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven. It said to them, ‘Come up here.’ They went up to heaven in a cloud. Their enemies watched it happen.
13 At that same time there was a powerful earthquake. A tenth of the city crumbled and fell. In the earthquake, 7,000 people were killed. Those who lived through it were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second terrible judgment has passed. The third is coming soon.
11:1–14 In the vision, John shared God's message through an action of prophecy. He measured the temple and the altar. This was like what happened in Ezekiel's vision recorded in Ezekiel chapter 40. It's also like what happened in Zechariah's vision recorded in Zechariah 2:1–2. Then John told a story like the parables Jesus often told. John told it to show what God would do in the future. Two people were witnesses to God in a city where many evil things happened. Like Moses, the witnesses had power to send plagues. Like Elijah, they had power to keep rain from falling. John also described the witnesses as lampstands. In Revelation 1:20 lampstands were a sign for the church. Like Jesus, God's witnesses suffered and were killed for being faithful to God. Then God raised them from the dead. Just like at Jesus' resurrection, there was an earthquake when this happened. This led the people in the city to give glory to God. This meant that they were humble and recognised God's authority. It meant that they turned away from worshipping false gods. That hadn't happened after the plagues from the first four trumpets.
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven. They said,
‘The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah.
He will rule for ever and ever.’
16 The 24 elders were sitting on their thrones in front of God. They fell on their faces and worshipped God. 17 They said,
‘Lord God who rules over all, we give thanks to you.
You are the God who is and who was.
We give you thanks.
That's because you have begun to rule with your great power.
18 The nations were angry,
and the time for your anger has come.
The time has come to judge the dead.
It is time to reward your servants the prophets
and your people who honour you.
There is a reward for all your people,
both great and small.
It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth.’
19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened. Inside it the wooden chest called the ark of his covenant could be seen. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
11:15–19 When the seventh trumpet was blown, John once again saw heaven and God's throne. In Revelation 4:8, the four living creatures worshipped God. They worshipped by saying that God was, and he is, and he will come. In Revelation 11:17, the elders worshipped God as the one who is and who was. This showed that God had already come. Jesus the Messiah had already come to earth to rule completely. John was a witness to how this was celebrated in heaven. The temple was opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen. This meant that creation was no longer separated from God. God's kingdom in heaven had been made one with his rule on earth. Next John would be shown how God would destroy those who destroy the earth. These were all who refused to accept God's rule on earth.