Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses
1 #
Ez 40.3; Zec 2.1,2. An angel gave me a measuring stick and said:
Measure around God's temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshiping there. 2#Lk 21.24. But 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 42 months. 3My two witnesses will wear sackcloth,#11.3 sackcloth: See the note at 6.12. while I let them preach for 1,260 days.
4 #
Zec 4.3,11-14. These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth. 5Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. 6#1 K 17.1; Ex 7.17-19; 1 S 4.8. They 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.
7 #
Dn 7.7; Rev 13.5-7; 17.8;
Dn 7.21. After 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. 8#Is 1.9,10. Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And this city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt.
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. 11#Ez 37.10. But 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.
12 #
2 K 2.11. The 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. 13#Rev 6.12; 16.18. At 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.
14The second horrible thing has now happened! And the third one will be here soon.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 #
Ex 15.18; Dn 2.44; 7.14,27. At the sound of the seventh trumpet, loud voices were heard in heaven. They said,
“Now the kingdom
of this world
belongs to our Lord
and to his Chosen One!
And he will rule
forever and ever!”
16Then the 24 elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshiped him. 17They said,
“Lord God All-Powerful,
you are and you were,
and we thank you.
You used your great power
and started ruling.
18 #
Ps 2.5; 110.5;
Ps 115.13. When the nations got angry,
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 honor your name,
no matter who they are.
It is time to destroy everyone
who has destroyed
the earth.”
19 #
2 Macc 2.4-8;
Rev 8.5; 16.18;
Rev 16.21. The 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.
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Revelation 11: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
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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