Revelation11

John is commanded to measure the temple of God, while the outer court is left for Gentile treading for forty-two months. Two witnesses prophesy for 1260 days, demonstrating great power, but are eventually slain by the beast. After three and a half days, they are resurrected and ascend to heaven, followed by an earthquake. The chapter concludes with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, declaring God's eternal reign and the opening of His heavenly temple.
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Measuring the Temple and the Holy City

1
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. ​
2
But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. ​

The Two Witnesses Prophesy

3
And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ​
4
These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ​
5
If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. ​
6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. ​
7
When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. ​
8
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. ​
9
For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.
10
And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them. ​
11
But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. ​
12
And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them. ​
13
And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ​
14
The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly. ​

The Seventh Trumpet Sounds

15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” ​
16
And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17
saying: “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. ​
18
The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead and to reward Your servants the prophets, as well as the saints and those who fear Your name, both small and great— and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” ​
19
Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. ​

Study Notes for Revelation 11

Verse 1

Measuring the temple symbolizes God’s protection and preservation of the true worshipers (the inner sanctuary) during the coming period of tribulation, contrasting with the outer court left exposed.

Verse 2

The duration of forty and two months (3.5 years, or 1260 days) is a symbolic period of persecution representing the time of the church’s tribulation before Christ’s return (cf. Daniel 7:25).

Verse 3

The two witnesses represent God’s faithful prophetic testimony maintained during the worst of the end-time persecution. Their sackcloth symbolizes mourning, repentance, and prophetic urgency.

Verse 4

This imagery, drawn from Zechariah 4:2-3, signifies that the witnesses are empowered by the Holy Spirit (the oil for the olive trees) and bear the light of God’s testimony (the candlesticks).

Verse 5

The power of fire proceeding from their mouths indicates the destructive power of their prophetic word against those who oppose God's message, reminiscent of Elijah's ministry (2 Kings 1:10).

Verse 6

The powers to shut heaven and turn water to blood evoke the famous miracles of Elijah (drought) and Moses (plagues), confirming the witnesses’ authentic prophetic authority.

Verse 7

This is the first explicit mention of 'the beast' in Revelation, an Antichrist figure who ascends from the abyss to wage war against the saints, setting up the central conflict of the latter half of the book (Rev 13).

Verse 8

The 'great city' is symbolically identified with Jerusalem (where Christ was crucified) but also universally with the entire wicked world system (Sodom and Egypt) that opposes God and persecutes His people.

Verse 10

The world’s celebration over the death of the witnesses highlights the intense hatred of the prophetic message, demonstrating that the world prefers darkness to the light of conviction.

Verse 11

The resurrection of the witnesses demonstrates God's ultimate power over death and serves as a powerful sign of vindication for the faithful martyrs, terrifying their enemies.

Verse 12

Their ascension mirrors Christ's own and confirms their status as divinely approved messengers, showing that their ministry was successful despite their apparent defeat.

Verse 13

The remnant giving glory to the God of heaven contrasts with the persistent impenitence of those judged earlier (9:20-21), showing that God’s judgments can still lead to repentance for some.

Verse 14

This verse is a crucial structural marker, closing the account of the sixth trumpet/second woe and preparing the reader for the final, climactic judgment.

Verse 15

The sounding of the seventh trumpet is the climax of the trumpet judgments. The announcement that the kingdoms of the world 'have become' Christ's indicates the certainty of the coming reign, even before its physical manifestation.

Verse 17

The elders’ worship affirms God’s sovereignty and eternal power, recognizing that the final stage of judgment and kingdom establishment has arrived.

Verse 18

This verse summarizes the final events: the wrath of God against the nations, the judgment of the dead, and the rewarding of all faithful believers, from the prophets to the common saints.

Verse 19

The opening of the heavenly temple reveals the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing God’s covenant faithfulness and affirming that the final judgments proceed righteously from His holy presence.

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