Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses. 1#The temple and altar symbolize the new Israel; see note on Rev 7:4–9. The worshipers represent Christians. The measuring of the temple (cf. Ez 40:3–42:20; 47:1–12; Zec 2:5–6) suggests that God will preserve the faithful remnant (cf. Is 4:2–3) who remain true to Christ (Rev 14:1–5). #Ez 40:3–5 / Zec 2:5–9. Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and I was told, “Come and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who are worshiping in it. 2But exclude the outer court#The outer court: the Court of the Gentiles. Trample…forty-two months: the duration of the vicious persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dn 7:25; 12:7); this persecution of three and a half years (half of seven, counted as 1260 days in Rev 11:3; 12:6) became the prototype of periods of trial for God’s people; cf. Lk 4:25; Jas 5:17. The reference here is to the persecution by the Romans; cf. Introduction. of the temple; do not measure it, for it has been handed over to the Gentiles, who will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3I will commission my two witnesses#The two witnesses, wearing sackcloth symbolizing lamentation and repentance, cannot readily be identified. Do they represent Moses and Elijah, or the Law and the Prophets, or Peter and Paul? Most probably they refer to the universal church, especially the Christian martyrs, fulfilling the office of witness (two because of Dt 19:15; cf. Mk 6:7; Jn 8:17). to prophesy for those twelve hundred and sixty days, wearing sackcloth.” 4#Zec 4:3, 14. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands#The two olive trees and the two lampstands: the martyrs who stand in the presence of the Lord; the imagery is taken from Zec 4:8–14, where the olive trees refer to Zerubbabel and Joshua. that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5#These details are derived from stories of Moses, who turned water into blood (Ex 7:17–20), and of Elijah, who called down fire from heaven (1 Kgs 18:36–40; 2 Kgs 1:10) and closed up the sky for three years (1 Kgs 17:1; cf. 18:1). If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain. 6They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying. They also have power to turn water into blood and to afflict the earth with any plague as often as they wish.#Ex 7:17.
7When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss#The beast…from the abyss: the Roman emperor Nero, who symbolizes the forces of evil, or the antichrist (Rev 13:1, 8; 17:8); cf. Dn 7:2–8, 11–12, 19–22 and Introduction. will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them.#Dn 7:21. 8Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city,#The great city: this expression is used constantly in Revelation for Babylon, i.e., Rome; cf. Rev 14:8; 16:19; 17:18; 18:2, 10, 21. “Sodom” and “Egypt”: symbols of immorality (cf. Is 1:10) and oppression of God’s people (cf. Ex 1:11–14). Where indeed their Lord was crucified: not the geographical but the symbolic Jerusalem that rejects God and his witnesses, i.e., Rome, called Babylon in Rev 16–18; see note on Rev 17:9 and Introduction. which has the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt,” where indeed their Lord was crucified. 9#Over the martyrdom (Rev 11:7) of the two witnesses, now called prophets, the ungodly rejoice for three and a half days, a symbolic period of time; see note on Rev 11:2. Afterwards they go in triumph to heaven, as did Elijah (2 Kgs 2:11). Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. 10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth. 11But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them.#Ez 37:5, 10. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, “Come up here.” So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.#2 Kgs 2:11. 13At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell in ruins. Seven thousand people#Seven thousand people: a symbolic sum to represent all social classes (seven) and large numbers (thousands); cf. Introduction. were killed during the earthquake; the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed, but the third is coming soon.
The Seventh Trumpet.#The seventh trumpet proclaims the coming of God’s reign after the victory over diabolical powers; see note on Rev 10:7. 15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world now belongs to our Lord and to his Anointed, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16The twenty-four elders who sat on their thrones before God prostrated themselves and worshiped God 17and said:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God almighty,
who are and who were.
For you have assumed your great power
and have established your reign.
18The nations raged,
but your wrath has come,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and to recompense your servants, the prophets,
and the holy ones and those who fear your name,
the small and the great alike,
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”#Ps 2:1, 5 / Am 3:7.
19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Revelation 11
11
1And there was given to me a reed like to a rod, and the messenger stood, saying, ‘Rise, and measure the sanctuary of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it;
2and the court that is without the sanctuary leave out, and thou mayest not measure it, because it was given to the nations, and the holy city they shall tread down forty-two months;
3and I will give to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy days, a thousand, two hundred, sixty, arrayed with sackcloth;
4these are the two olive [trees], and the two lamp-stands that before the God of the earth do stand;
5and if any one may will to injure them, fire doth proceed out of their mouth, and doth devour their enemies, and if any one may will to injure them, thus it behoveth him to be killed.
6These have authority to shut the heaven, that it may not rain rain in the days of their prophecy, and authority they have over the waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the land with every plague, as often as they may will.
7‘And when they may finish their testimony, the beast that is coming up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them,
8and their dead bodies [are] upon the broad-place of the great city (that is called spiritually Sodom, and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified,)
9and they shall behold — they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations — their dead bodies three days and a half, and their dead bodies they shall not suffer to be put into tombs,
10and those dwelling upon the land shall rejoice over them, and shall make merry, and gifts they shall send to one another, because these — the two prophets — did torment those dwelling upon the land.’
11And after the three days and a half, a spirit of life from God did enter into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them,
12and they heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them, ‘Come up hither;’ and they went up to the heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them;
13and in that hour came a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city did fall, and killed in the earthquake were names of men — seven thousands, and the rest became affrighted, and they gave glory to the God of the heaven.
14The second woe did go forth, lo, the third woe doth come quickly.
15And the seventh messenger did sound, and there came great voices in the heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of the world did become [those] of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!’
16and the twenty and four elders, who before God are sitting upon their thrones, did fall upon their faces, and did bow before God,
17saying, ‘We give thanks to Thee, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art, and who wast, and who art coming, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and didst reign;
18and the nations were angry, and Thine anger did come, and the time of the dead, to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy servants, to the prophets, and to the saints, and to those fearing Thy name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those who are destroying the land.’
19And opened was the sanctuary of God in the heaven, and there was seen the ark of His covenant in His sanctuary, and there did come lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
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