Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses
1Then I was given a measuring stick like a rod. I was told, “Go and measure the temple# God’s house—the place where God’s people worship and serve him. Here, John sees it pictured as the special building in Jerusalem where God commanded the Jews to worship him. of God and the altar, and count the number of people worshiping there. 2But do not measure the yard outside the temple. Leave it alone. It has been given to the people who are not Jews. They will walk on the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will give power to my two witnesses to prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in rough cloth to show how sad they are.”
4These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone tries to hurt the witnesses, fire comes from their mouths and kills their enemies. Anyone who tries to hurt them will die like this. 6These witnesses have the power to stop the sky from raining during the time they are prophesying. They have power to make the waters become blood. They have power to send every kind of trouble to the earth. They can do this as many times as they want.
7When the two witnesses have finished telling their message, the beast will fight against them. This is the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit. He will defeat them and kill them. 8The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the street of the great city. This city is named Sodom# City that God destroyed because the people were so evil. and Egypt. These names for the city have a special meaning. It is the city where the Lord was killed. 9Men from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses for three and a half days. They will refuse to bury them. 10People who live on the earth will be happy because these two are dead. They will have parties and send each other gifts. They will do these things because these two prophets brought much suffering to those who live on the earth.
11But after three and a half days, God put the breath of life into the two prophets again. They stood on their feet. Everyone who saw them was filled with fear. 12Then the two prophets heard a loud voice from heaven say, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud. Their enemies watched them go.
13At that same time there was a great earthquake. A tenth of the city was destroyed. And 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. Those who did not die were very afraid. They gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second great trouble is finished. The third great trouble is coming soon.
The Seventh Trumpet
15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven. The voices said:
“The power to rule the world
now belongs to our Lord and his Christ.
And he will rule forever and ever.”
16Then the 24 elders# Elder means “older.” Here the elders probably represent God’s people. bowed down on their faces and worshiped God. These are the elders who sit on their thrones before God. 17They said:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God All-Powerful.
You are the One who is and who was.
We thank you because you have used your great power
and have begun to rule!
18The people of the world were angry;
but now is the time for your anger.
Now is the time for the dead to be judged.
It is time to reward your servants the prophets
and to reward your holy people,
all who respect you, great and small.
It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth!”
19Then God’s temple# God’s house—the place where God’s people worship and serve him. John sees the heavenly temple pictured to be like the Temple of God’s people in the Old Testament. in heaven was opened. The Ark of the Covenant that holds the agreement that God gave to his people could be seen in his temple. Then there were flashes of lightning, noises, thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
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Revelation 11: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Revelation 11
11
Measuring the Temple
1Then a measuring rod, like a staff, was given to me and I was told:
Rise and measure God’s temple # 11:1 The church is God’s temple, his dwelling place. Presumably, when John wrote this there was no longer a temple standing in Jerusalem. But if John wrote this book earlier, during the time of Nero, it would point to the events of AD 67–70 during the Roman war, which lasted three and a half years. and the altar and count those who worship in it. 2But exclude the courtyard outside the temple, for it has been given over to the nations, and for forty-two months # 11:2 This was the length of Jesus’ earthly ministry. they will trample on the holy city. 3And I will authorize my two witnesses to prophesy, wearing sackcloth for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. # 11:3 That is, three and a half years, or forty-two months.
The Two Witnesses
4These two witnesses # 11:4 See Zech. 4. The two witnesses are interpreted by some scholars to be symbols of the Word and the Spirit. Some see the two olive trees as the Law and the Prophets or Moses and Elijah; others view them as believing Jews and gentiles. are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord God of the whole earth. 5If anyone attempts to harm them, fire will flow out of their mouths and consume their foes. All who seek to harm them will die in this way. 6They have authority to shut the heavens so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophesying. They have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague imaginable, as often as they desire.
7When their testimony is completed, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them. 8Their dead bodies will lie on the street # 11:8 Or “plaza.” of the great city that is symbolically # 11:8 Or “spiritually.” called Sodom and Egypt, # 11:8 This is viewed as the great city of Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, symbolically called Sodom (Isa. 1:9–26) and Egypt. It can also represent the corrupt religious systems of the world. where their Lord was also crucified. 9For three and a half days people from every ethnicity, tribe, nation, and language will see their corpses, because no one is permitted to bury them. 10The entire world will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange gifts, because these two prophets had condemned # 11:10 Or “tormented.” those who dwell on the earth.
11After three and a half days God’s breath of life # 11:11 Or “spirit of lives.” entered them and they stood to their feet, terrifying all who saw them. # 11:11 The Aramaic can be translated “total paralysis fell on those who saw them.” 12Then they heard a loud shout from heaven saying to them:
Come up here!
The two prophets climbed up into heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched. 13At that very moment there was a powerful earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed, killing seven thousand people. The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14Now the second woe has passed and the third is coming swiftly.
The Seventh Trumpet
15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and a loud voice broke forth in heaven, saying:
“The kingdom of the world # 11:15 That is, the kingdom of finance, culture, and government, both religious and secular.
has become the kingdom of our God # 11:15 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “the kingdom of our Lord.”
and of his Anointed One! # 11:15 Or “Christ” (or “Messiah”).
He will reign supreme for an eternity of eternities!”
16Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell facedown before him and worshiped him, 17saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is, and who was,
because you have established # 11:17 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “you have taken your great power.”
your great and limitless power and begun to reign!
18The nations were furious, and you became furious, # 11:18 Or “and your wrath has come.”
and the time for judging the dead has come.
The time has come to reward your servants, the prophets
and the holy ones and all who reverence your name,
both small and great. # 11:18 The Aramaic can be translated “lords of plenty.”
And the time has come to destroy those
who corrupt # 11:18 Or “deprave” or “destroy.” the earth!”
19Then God’s temple was opened in heaven and the ark of his covenant was clearly visible inside his temple. And there were blinding flashes of lightning, voices roaring, startling thunderclaps, a massive earthquake, and a great hailstorm! # 11:19 Or “heavy hailstones.”
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