Revelation 11
11
God’s Two Witnesses
1Then I was given a stick like a measuring stick. I was told, “Stand up and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count those who worship there. 2But do not measure the temple courtyard. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3I will allow my two witnesses who wear sackcloth to speak what God has revealed. They will speak for 1,260 days.”
4These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of the witnesses’ mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed the same way. 6These witnesses have authority to shut the sky in order to keep rain from falling during the time they speak what God has revealed. They have authority to turn water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague as often as they want.
7When the witnesses finish their testimony, the beast which comes from the bottomless pit will fight them, conquer them, and kill them. 8Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the important city where their Lord was crucified. The spiritual names of that city are Sodom and Egypt. 9For 3½ days some members of the people, tribes, languages, and nations will look at the witnesses’ dead bodies and will not allow anyone to bury them. 10Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses’ death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
11After 3½ days the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who watched them. 12The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe will soon be here.
15When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will rule as king forever and ever.”
16Then the 24 leaders, who were sitting on their thrones in God’s presence, immediately bowed, worshiped God, 17and said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun ruling as king.
18“The nations were angry, but your anger has come.
The time has come for the dead to be judged:
to reward your servants, the prophets,
your holy people,
and those who fear your name,
no matter if they are important or unimportant,
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his promise was seen inside his temple. There was lightning, noise, thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses
1Then I was given #ch. 21:15, 16; Ezek. 40:3; Zech. 2:1a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure #Ezek. 40:17, 20 the court outside the temple; leave that out, for #See Luke 21:24 it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for #ch. 12:6; 13:5forty-two months. 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for #[See ver. 2 above] 1,260 days, #Isa. 20:2clothed in sackcloth.”
4These are #Zech. 4:3, 11, 14; [Ps. 52:8; Jer. 11:16]the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone would harm them, #[2 Kgs. 1:10, 12; Jer. 5:14] fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, #[Num. 16:29, 35]this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6They have the power #[1 Kgs. 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17] 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 #[Ex. 7–10; 1 Sam. 4:8]to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, #ch. 17:8; [ch. 13:1] the beast that rises from #See ch. 9:1 the bottomless pit#11:7 Or the abyss #Dan. 7:21will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically#11:8 Greek spiritually is called #Isa. 1:10; 3:9 Sodom and #[Ezek. 23:3, 8, 19, 27]Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and #Ps. 79:2, 3refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and #[John 16:20]; See ch. 3:10 those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and #Neh. 8:10, 12; Esth. 9:19, 22 exchange presents, because these two prophets #[1 Kgs. 18:17]had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days #Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 37:5, 9, 10, 14a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, #ch. 4:1 “Come up here!” And #[ch. 12:5; 2 Kgs. 2:11] they went up to heaven #[Acts 1:9]in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13And at that hour there was #ch. 6:12 a great earthquake, and #[ch. 16:19] a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and #ch. 14:7; 16:9; 19:7; Josh. 7:19 gave glory to #2 Chr. 36:23the God of heaven.
14 # [ch. 8:13; 9:12] The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The Seventh Trumpet
15Then #ch. 10:7 the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and #ch. 16:17; 19:1; [Isa. 27:13] there were loud voices in heaven, saying, #ch. 12:10 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of #Ps. 2:2 (Gk.); Luke 9:20 his Christ, and #See Luke 1:33he shall reign forever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders #ch. 4:4 who sit on their thrones before God #See ch. 4:10fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
# ch. 16:5; [ch. 1:4, 8; 4:8] who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and #ch. 19:6; Ps. 97:1begun to reign.
18The nations raged,
but #Ps. 2:5; 110:5 your wrath came,
and #ch. 6:10; 20:12; [Dan. 7:10; 2 Thess. 1:6, 7] the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and #ch. 19:5 those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and #[ch. 13:10]for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
19Then #ch. 15:5 God’s temple in heaven was opened, and #See Heb. 9:4 the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,#11:19 Or voices, or sounds peals of thunder, an earthquake, and #ch. 16:21heavy hail.
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