Revelation 11
11
The two witnesses
1An angel gave me a measuring stick and said:#Ez 40.3; Zec 2.1,2.
Measure around God's temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshipping there. 2But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple building. Leave it out. It has been given to those people who don't know God, and they will trample all over the holy city for forty-two months.#Lk 21.24. 3My two witnesses will wear sackcloth,#11.3 sackcloth: See the note at 6.12. while I let them preach for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
4These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth.#Zec 4.3,11-14. 5Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. 6They have the power to lock up the sky and to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. And whenever they want to, they can turn water to blood and cause all kinds of terrible troubles on earth.#1 K 17.1; Ex 7.17-19; 1 S 4.8.
7After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them.#Dn 7.7; Rev 13.5-7; 17.8; Dn 7.21. 8Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And that city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt.#Is 1.9,10.
9For three and a half days the people of every nation, tribe, language, and race will stare at the bodies of these two witnesses and refuse to let them be buried. 10Everyone on earth will celebrate and be happy. They will give gifts to each other, because of what happened to the two prophets who caused them so much trouble. 11But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified.#Ez 37.10.
12The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, “Come up here.” And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud.#2 K 2.11. 13At that same moment there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were frightened and praised the God who rules in heaven.#Rev 6.12; 16.18.
14The second horrible thing has now happened! But the third one will be here soon.
The seventh trumpet
15At the sound of the seventh trumpet, loud voices were heard in heaven. They said,#Ex 15.18; Dn 2.44; 7.14,27.
“Now the kingdom
of this world
belongs to our Lord
and to his Chosen One!
And he will rule
for ever and ever!”
16Then the twenty-four elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshipped him. 17They said,
“Lord God All-Powerful,
you are and you were,
and we thank you.
You used your great power
and started ruling.
18When the nations got angry,#Ps 2.5; 110.5; Ps 115.13.
you became angry too!
Now the time has come
for the dead
to be judged.
It is time for you to reward
your servants the prophets
and all your people
who honour your name,
no matter who they are.
It is time to destroy everyone
who has destroyed
the earth.”
19The door to God's temple in heaven was then opened, and the sacred chest#11.19 sacred chest: In Old Testament times the sacred chest was kept in the tent used for worship. It was the symbol of God's presence with his people and also of his agreement with them. could be seen inside the temple. I saw lightning and heard roars of thunder. The earth trembled and huge hailstones fell to the ground.#Rev 8.5; 16.18; Rev 16.21.
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Revelation 11: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Revelation 11
11
1 #
Ezek 40.3. Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2#Zech 12.3; Is 63.18; Lk 21.24. but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 #
Zech 4.3,11-14. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. 5#2 Kings 1.10; Jer 5.14. And if any one would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. 6#1 Kings 17.1; Ex 7.17,19. They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7#Dan 7.3,7,21. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8#Is 1.9. and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically#11.8 Greek spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11#Ezek 37.5,10. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12#2 Kings 2.11. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up hither!” And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. 13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
15 #
Ps 22.28; Dan 7.14,27. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying,
“We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast,
that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign.
18 #
Ps 2.1. The nations raged, but thy wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear thy name, both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
19 #
1 Kings 8.1-6; 2 Macc 2.4-8. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America