Revelation 11The Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet

This measuring scene calls to mind Ezekiel 40–41 (the temple measured) and Zechariah 2 (Jerusalem measured, “a city without walls”). This time John measures! Then in Revelation 21:15 an angel measures again. John gets the privilege to measure, but God is about to interrupt him with a holy detour, and he doesn’t get to finish.

In Ezekiel and Zechariah the measuring represented the spiritual condition of the Jewish people. Here it seems to be measuring the spiritual condition of the New Testament church. In Numbers 35:5, Psalm 48:12–13, 60:6 and Isaiah 65:8, measuring is a symbol of preparation for God’s purposes, whether that is destruction or dedication and preservation. This seems to be preparation of the people of God to endure the tribulation of what’s coming next.

The trampling by the Gentiles for 42 months is a reflection of Daniel (7:25; 8:13; 9:27; 12:7) and of Jesus’ prophecy that “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). In the teaching he added that Daniel speaks of the same time period.

The temple had been trampled by Gentiles before, three times by John’s day: in Isaiah 63:18 (“our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary”), when the Babylonians took Judah and Benjamin into exile; during the time of the Maccabees, by the Greeks; and in AD 70 by Titus, who was a general before he became emperor.

Not measuring the outer court shows that God is only interested in the people who are wholly set apart for Him! There’s no such thing as part-time Christians, nominal Christians or cultural Christians. There are only fully committed followers of Jesus in God’s tally.

This changes who we evangelize, even. Sometimes it’s a matter of bringing people who have some level of belief in Jesus into an encounter with Jesus, so there can be full commitment, because that’s who God recognizes in His tally. He gave the room a few quiet seconds: who in your life are you not giving up on spiritually? Maybe write down a name or two.

At this point in the measuring, John is taken on a holy detour, and it’s a long one. It doesn’t get back to the measuring until 21:15, more than ten chapters later. It feels like a little detour, but it’s going to be a big one.

It’s not your idea of the straight line to get there. The tables discussed how God has taken them on holy detours, and he pointed out it might relate to the last question: sometimes God’s preparation and His detours are the same story.

The holy detour is the two witnesses, and a ton of story that will unfold. They’re in sackcloth, the clothes of mourning, apparently mourning the state and the sins of the world. Prophets were often seen in sackcloth in prophetic imagery; it was the common thing they wore, which is why John the Baptist had that kind of rustic clothing in the desert too.

The two witnesses are (pay attention to that word from John) “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands. In Psalm 52:8 David likens himself to “an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.” Trees are almost always representative of leaders in prophetic visions and dreams in the Bible.

Two olive trees are also in Zechariah 4:3 and 4:11, one of the coolest prophetic imagery chapters in the entire Bible. His message on that chapter from the Zechariah series was one of his favorites ever; you might want to go back and check it out.

So these witnesses are at the very least empowered by, and probably moving in the essence or quintessence of, the anointing of God’s Spirit. They are flowing in the oil of God’s Spirit, just like Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest in Zechariah. Pray for more of the oil, the anointing, of God’s Spirit in your life.

He asked the whole room: what should the oil or anointing of God’s Spirit bring to you? What does it produce? Peace that passes all understanding: 100%, it’s part of the fruit of the Spirit, and He can give it in a supernatural way. Joy, “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8, KJV). Boldness and courage: there’s an anointing in Scripture for boldness, sometimes specifically. Insight, words of knowledge, hearing God’s voice and seeing miracles. And power, powerful results, which we’re about to see specifically in this text.

There are two lampstands here, which seems to be different from the seven on the earth in Revelation 1: the seven are the seven churches. These two are the witnesses. They “stand before the Lord,” which simply means they’re on God’s team: God’s agents, sent to do His work. God is pleased with them; they’re able to stand in His presence.

The witnesses have the power of both Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets), like Malachi 4:4–5 talks about. They are witnessing to the truth of Christ and testifying against the sins of the world, to a world that doesn’t want to hear it. “Sound like our world?”

Some believing scholars view these witnesses as the church, being bold in its witness with the law and the prophets and the power of God working through it. He’s not sure he agrees with this, but it’s hard to be definitive on this point when it’s couched in such extremely figurative language. The point: there is some purposeful mystery here.

The tables discussed: what are some mysteries in the faith that have been harder for you to embrace, and how has God helped you?

“Anyone tries to harm”: like those who were martyred for their faith (6:9–11), many try to kill these guys too, but God gives them power to be protected, for a time (11:7).

“Fire comes from their mouths” could refer to the prophecies and words from God they’re sharing. Jeremiah 5:14 supports the figurative interpretation: “I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.” But fire from God literally consumes Elijah’s enemies in 2 Kings 1, though it’s not from his mouth; it’s from heaven. So it could be either figurative, or both figurative and literal.

These particular powers being mentioned does not limit them to doing these things, or even require them to do them. It means that the greatest powers from the Holy Spirit for defense and freedom described in the Scripture will be at their disposal, just like they were for Elijah and Moses. It’s going to be fun to watch, but also a little crazy! Jews would have been expecting the coming of prophets like Moses and Elijah.

“When they have finished”: they are protected for a time, but this was a season of powerful testimony, three and a half years of prophesying. Eventually the world will be given over to its love for sin and for the beast, and its hatred of Christ. The church only wins for a season on the earth; we will have to wait for Christ’s return to see full victory. No matter how you feel about the election results, we will have to wait for Christ’s return to see full victory!

He asked the whole room: in light of the fact that we don’t have full victory, how should we pray? “Your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10): 100%, and two people said it, good confirmation. We know the victory is coming, so we’re allowed to declare God’s victory, because we’re kingdom enforcers: if it doesn’t look like heaven, we pray that it would look like heaven. And “Come, Lord Jesus,” the cry of Revelation 22:20.

The beast here is the Antichrist (13:1; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 17:3, 13; 19:20; 20:10). Scripture speaks of antichrists, the antichrist spirit, and here in Revelation the Antichrist. They are probably three different things that all come from the same demonic place.

He succeeds in killing the two witnesses, who are operating in the anointing and power of God. But of course, that’s not the end: we serve a God who specializes in resurrections. Whatever end seems to come on the earth is never the ultimate end. The tables discussed: where in your life have you seen God’s resurrection power?

“The great city” here is called Sodom because of its immoral conduct and Egypt to show its oppression and slavery. Jerusalem comes to mind, because that’s where their Lord “was crucified,” and because it’s a city of 70,000 (a tenth is 7,000, 11:13), the size of Jerusalem at the time.

The tricky part is that elsewhere in Revelation “the great city” (16:19; 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18, 19) refers to Rome. It could be a prophetic combining of the two cities, since Jerusalem will be trampled and overtaken by Rome and the Antichrist at this time as well. So the witnesses’ death will happen in a Jerusalem controlled by Rome and the Antichrist: the same power and spirit at work in both places. In the prophetic they are viewed through the same lens.

Richard Bauckham suggests that “the great city” refers to any city in which persecution is happening around the world. That would fit with the globalization of media (the two witnesses will likely be on all the screens) and the globalization of persecution. We can’t be dogmatically definitive again here, but Jerusalem, Rome and all persecution must be in mind on some level.

Again, the globalization of media: everyone will be able to see them lying there. And the globalization of persecution: everyone will “refuse them burial” (which works out for God’s purposes anyway, haha!).

Then the gloating and mocking of Christmas. Do you see that? They will make this a holiday, an anti-Christmas, “sending each other gifts.” It makes sense: they would do that, wouldn’t they? (The question in the notes, how is our world mocking the Christian parts of Christmas already, he skipped on the night: “you guys know the answers.”)

To “refuse them burial” was the most heinous kind of cruel indignity that could be offered them (Isaiah 5:25). The world will hate them, hate Christians, hate Christmas, and take it all out on these guys.

The prophets “tormented” the earth: conviction will feel like torment to those who refuse God. There’s a lot about our faith that’s offensive to our culture, but these two are going to tick off everyone: Muslims, Hindus, atheists, secularists, Buddhists, syncretists, Satanists, hedonists. They’re not all offended by the same things. There are only a few things you can say that will tick off all of those groups at once. Maybe they’ll target each one individually first, over three and a half years of prophesying, and then tick off all of them after.

What you see at the end of time is a world that is very opposed to the true person, work and message of Jesus. “We’re there now.”

Resurrection. “The breath of life from God entered them” echoes Ezekiel 37:5–6 and 37:14, the dry bones coming to life as an army, and Genesis 2:7, the creation of Adam! It’s also similar to John 20:22–24, when Jesus breathed on the disciples. The breath of life is something that God does.

So what does God’s breath of life do in you? From the room: it revives, it enlivens, it brings to life things that might have been dead in you.

“Terror struck”: the terror is that people realize these guys are favored by God, and that what they were saying was God’s message at this moment. They can no longer pretend they’re on the right side of God by opposing these men! This terror sets up a great repentance for some (11:13). The pretenders are going away.

For those who view the two witnesses strictly as the church, many view this moment as the rapture of the church (Matthew 24:30–31; Mark 13:24–27; Luke 17:34–37; 1 Corinthians 15:51–53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18; 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 10; Titus 2:13). Some view the witnesses as two people and also a representative of the church, and they could view this scene as the rapture too.

Rapture or not, God calls the two witnesses up to heaven, and their enemies (the rest of the world, basically) hear God’s call to them and see them go. Global media makes this easy! He’s not personally 100% certain here, and he doesn’t know that we’re supposed to be certain. The point is not detailed clarity of timeline and actions. The witnesses are taken care of by God; they’re heaven’s people.

When you think about the rapture of the church, how does that make you feel, honestly? How can God help you with that?

A “severe earthquake”: 7,000 people dying is severe by any standard throughout history. “The survivors” shows probably a limited scope. It could be people in the city who saw the events with the witnesses and then the destruction of the earthquake, linked everything together and chose to give God glory. There could be others on earth who make the connection and give God glory. Either way, there is a limited but not total turning toward God in these moments.

People who were formerly enemies of God now turn to give glory to God. This could be forced homage in some cases, because of their terror, but it seems that true repentance is also shown here for some. In the middle of the tribulation and the wrath there is an element of repentance, even though in most of the rest of the trumpets there wasn’t.

How did God bring you to Him? There wasn’t time for that one on the night: “It’s a great one. You should think about it. Have coffee later with somebody.”

Now to the seventh trumpet. Remember God’s rhythm: 1-2-3-4 … 5 … 6 … pause, pause, SEVEN!!! What we’ve seen so far tonight was pause number 2, between the sixth and seventh trumpets. Here we go …

He uses this Scripture every election cycle, because it’s built to put everything about rulers and leaders into perspective. All political powers and leaders are placeholders for the rule and reign of God Himself. Remember that if the people you voted for didn’t get elected yesterday. Remember that if the people you voted for did get elected yesterday.

When “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,” that’s the election day he’s waiting for. That’s the coronation he’ll be excited about! In the meantime, we pray for everyone God has put in power here.

Then he prayed by name for those elected the day before, at every level: township, county, state and nation. He prayed for revival on the university campuses and for wisdom for everyone God has put in authority.

He prays that all of these people will know and remember that they are just stewards and placeholders for the rule and reign of God Himself.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” describes the already, but not yet reality of God’s kingdom. This verse announces the beginning of the end, which will be described in detail, with the final lines of demarcation, in chapters 19–22.

The already-but-not-yet concept applies to many New Testament ideas: eternal life, holiness, healing, being seated with Christ, the kingdom of God. How can we anticipate the full reign of God? What does that mean for healing, our work, our church, our mood, evangelism?

The twenty-four elders (introduced in 4:4; we last saw one in 7:13) respond to this reality as if chapters 19–22 have already happened …

These guys are falling out of their seats in worship, without any command to do so. Maybe it was orderly, but it seems more spontaneous, like this announcement they’ve been anticipating is overwhelmingly exciting to them, and they fall out in worship. It’s fun! It’s like some Pentecostal prayer meetings he’s been in. Haha!

They’re responding to the rule and reign of God. This is the beginning of God setting everything right, the beginning of what the martyrs, all believers, and even creation itself have been longing for!!! They know it; they’re pumped!!! We should be too, as the readers here!!!

“The nations were angry”: angry at who? At God. We’ll see that even more clearly in chapters 16–19, where they form an army and literally try to fight Him. The people see the coming of Jesus, and instead of being excited, they shake their fist at God and form an army. They’ll see the judgment of God, and instead of repenting, they’ll pass judgment on God, say He’s the bad guy and the enemy, and go to war against Him.

And be careful to cultivate the right attitude in the people around you as well, the people you influence.

Their anger is met with God’s “wrath.” This all echoes Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage …?” (ESV, as he quoted it; the NIV has “conspire”). Then the final judgment, the final reward and the final destruction. Wow! The telescope, the helix John is looking into, sees all the way to the very end, and he’s describing all of it at once here; we’ll see it play out in the next few chapters.

“Both great and small” are rewarded here for revering God’s name. That means building a name for yourself on earth does not mean you’ve built a name in heaven; those are two different things. It also means young in age or young in the faith doesn’t matter: God will reward you! (The notes ask how God’s heavenly rewards are different from our ideas of reward on the earth; there wasn’t time for it on the night.)

“God’s temple in heaven was opened,” like the “door standing open in heaven” of 4:1. The ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:2; Psalm 80:1; 99:1) and the storm (Exodus 19:16–19; Psalm 18:13; Isaiah 30:30) are Old Testament symbols of the manifestation of God’s presence. God shows Himself here!

The big storm marks a big moment.

You see the declaration of God’s rule, the humility of the elders, and their declaration in harmony with the moment, which then produces new imagery of the manifest presence of God! Powerful! Words from God often accompany greater revelation of God. Words and imagery from God often go together.