Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses
1-2I was given a stick for a measuring rod and told, “Get up and measure God’s Temple and Altar and everyone worshiping in it. Exclude the outside court; don’t measure it. It’s been handed over to non-Jewish outsiders. They’ll desecrate the Holy City for forty-two months.
3-6“Meanwhile, I’ll provide my two Witnesses. Dressed in sackcloth, they’ll prophesy for 1,260 days. These are the two Olive Trees, the two Lampstands, standing at attention before God on earth. If anyone tries to hurt them, a blast of fire from their mouths will incinerate them—burn them to a crisp just like that. They’ll have power to seal the sky so that it doesn’t rain for the time of their prophesying, power to turn rivers and springs to blood, power to hit earth with any and every disaster as often as they want.
7-10“When they’ve completed their witness, the Beast from the Abyss will emerge and fight them, conquer and kill them, leaving their corpses exposed on the street of the Great City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, the same City where their Master was crucified. For three and a half days they’ll be there—exposed, prevented from getting a decent burial, stared at by the curious from all over the world. Those people will cheer at the spectacle, shouting ‘Good riddance!’ and calling for a celebration, for these two prophets pricked the conscience of all the people on earth, made it impossible for them to enjoy their sins.
11“Then, after three and a half days, the Living Spirit of God will enter them—they’re on their feet!—and all those gloating spectators will be scared to death.”
12-13I heard a strong voice out of Heaven calling, “Come up here!” and up they went to Heaven, wrapped in a cloud, their enemies watching it all. At that moment there was a gigantic earthquake—a tenth of the city fell to ruin, seven thousand perished in the earthquake, the rest frightened to the core of their being, frightened into giving honor to the God-of-Heaven.
14The second doom is past, the third doom coming right on its heels.
The Last Trumpet Sounds
15-18The seventh Angel trumpeted. A crescendo of voices in Heaven sang out,
The kingdom of the world is now
the Kingdom of our God and his Messiah!
He will rule forever and ever!
The Twenty-four Elders seated before God on their thrones fell to their knees, worshiped, and sang,
We thank you, O God, Sovereign-Strong,
Who Is and Who Was.
You took your great power
and took over—reigned!
The angry nations now
get a taste of your anger.
The time has come to judge the dead,
to reward your servants, all prophets and saints,
Reward small and great who fear your Name,
and destroy the destroyers of earth.
19The doors of God’s Temple in Heaven flew open, and the Ark of his Covenant was clearly seen surrounded by flashes of lightning, loud shouts, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a fierce hailstorm.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Revelation 11
11
The Two Witnesses
1Then I was given a measuring reed#Ezk 40:3,5; 42:15–19; Rv 21:15 like a rod,#11:1 Other mss add and the angel stood up with these words: “Go#11:1 Lit “Arise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2But exclude the courtyard outside the temple.#Ezk 40:17,20; 42:14 Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,#11:2 Or Gentiles#Lk 21:24 and they will trample the holy city#Rv 21:1 for forty-two months.#Dn 7:25; 12:7,11; Rv 12:6,14; 13:5 3I will grant#11:3 Or I will give to my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”#Gn 37:34; 2Sm 3:31; 1Kg 20:31–32; 21:25–29; 2Kg 19:1–2; 1Ch 21:16; Is 3:24; 20:2; Jr 6:26 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord#11:4 Other mss read God of the earth.#Zch 4:3,11–14 5If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;#2Kg 1:10–12; Jr 5:14; Rv 9:17 if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.#Gn 8:2; Dt 11:17; 1Kg 8:35; 17:1; 2Ch 6:26; 7:13; Lk 4:25 They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood#Ex 4:9; 7:17–21; Rv 16:4 and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.#Ex 5:3; 9:15; Jr 21:6; Ezk 28:23; Zch 14:12,15
The Witnesses Martyred
7When they finish their testimony, the beast#Dn 7:11; Rv 13:1–18; 17:8 that comes up out of the abyss#Ps 140:10; Lk 8:31; Rm 10:7; Rv 9:1,11; 17:8; 20:1–3 will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. 8Their dead bodies#11:8 Or Their corpse#Is 66:24 will lie in the main street#11:8 Or lie on the broad street of the great city,#Rv 16:19; 17:18; 18:10,16–21,24 which figuratively#11:8 Or spiritually is called Sodom#Is 1:9,10; 3:9; Jr 23:14; Ezk 16:46,49 and Egypt,#Ezk 23:3,8,19,27 where also their Lord was crucified. 9And some of#11:9 Lit And from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations#Rv 5:9; 7:9; 10:11 will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.#Lv 26:30; 2Sm 4:12; Is 66:24 10Those who live on the earth will gloat#Ps 25:2; 94:3; Pr 24:17; Ob 12–13 over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11But after three and a half days, the breath#11:11 Or spirit of life#Gn 2:7; 6:17; 7:15,22; Ezk 37:5 from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard#11:12 Other mss read Then I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.#2Kg 2:1; Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51; Ac 1:9–10 13At that moment a violent earthquake took place,#Is 29:6; Ezk 38:19 a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe#Rv 8:13; 9:12 has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!
The Seventh Trumpet
15The seventh angel blew his trumpet,#Is 27:13 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 will reign forever and ever.#2Sm 7:16; Is 37:16; Dn 7:14,18; Lk 1:32–33
16The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17saying,
We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,#11:17 Other mss add and who is to come#Rv 1:4,8; 4:8; 16:5
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.#Lk 1:33; 1Co 15:25; Rv 19:6
18The nations were angry,#Ps 2:1
but your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to your servants the prophets,#Rv 10:7
to the saints, and to those who fear your name,
both small and great,#2Kg 23:2; Ps 115:13; Rv 19:5
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.
19Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant#11:19 Other mss read ark of the covenant of the Lord appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder,#Rv 4:5; 8:5 an earthquake,#11:19 Other mss omit an earthquake and severe hail.
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