Reflections on Revelation 11

Revelation 11 (Contemporary English Version)
1. 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. 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 forty-two months.
   
3. My two witnesses will wear sackcloth, while I let them preach for one thousand two hundred sixty days.
   
4. These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth.
   
5. Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths.
   
6. 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. 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. Their 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.
   
9. For 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.
   
10. Everyone 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. 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. 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. 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.
    
14. The second horrible thing has now happened! But the third one will be here soon.
    
15. 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!"
    
16. Then the twenty-four elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshiped him.
    
17. They said, "Lord God All-Powerful, you are and you were, and we thank you. You used your great power and started ruling.
    
18. 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 of your people who honor your name, no matter who they are. It is time to destroy everyone who has destroyed the earth."
    
19. The door to God's temple in heaven was then opened, and the sacred chest could be seen inside the temple. I saw lightning and heard roars of thunder. The earth trembled and huge hailstones fell to the ground.

---

Chapter 11 continues the parenthetical period begun in chapter 10 which provides background to the seventh trumpet which will be blown next. A literal interpretation will be given the details described here, avoiding the contortions often encountered when attempting to interpret them symbolically or representative of other things or with formulas.

John was instructed to measure God's sanctuary and altar, or in other words, the holy place and the holy of holies, as if to take stock of God's temple. He was also told to count the worshipers, evaluating God's people. God empowered two witnesses who were to prophesy during this 42 month period, or 1,260 days.  We have no way of knowning who these witnesses are and whether they have an historical identification. During the period they were to prophesy, they were given certain powers including powers that would protect them from harm. But when their testimony was finished, God allowed the beast (Antichrist) to come out of the abyss and kill them. For 3 1/2 days their bodies lay in view of the whole world while people gloated over them and celebrated their death because they had tormented "those who live on earth." (11:10)

Death was not the end for these two witnesses, though. In full view of the world, the two witnesses were resurrected after the 3 1/2 days and they stood up and responded to an invitation to go up to heaven in a cloud. Their acension was accompanied by a violent earthquake causing the death of 7,000 people who were in Jerusalem at that time. Then the second woe, that of the sixth trumpet, is pronounced completed and we are told in 11:14 that the third woe of the seventh trumpet is coming quickly. And so it does. Verse 15 announces the blowing of the seventh trumpet. This occurs in prelude to Christ's second coming and is accompanied by great rejoicing in heaven. Those in heaven are rejoicing because Christ will now use His "great power" to reign. (11:17) In addition to the announcement of Christ's reign is the announcement of God's judgment. The ungodly, those who have not accepted Christ, are described here as "the dead." (11:18) They will receive the judgment of God's wrath, while those "who fear Your name, both small and great," will be rewarded.

At that time, "those who destroy the earth" will be destroyed, and God's sanctuary in heaven will be opened.