Revelation Chapter 11: Judgments and Hope

Revelation 11 deals with Jerusalem, which is called the holy city; two witnesses who appear, preach, die, and return to life; and the seventh trumpet, which signifies divine rule over the world.

As chapter 11 opens, John’s vision continues. He is given a reed as a measuring device to measure the temple, altar, and worshippers. In addition, the opening verses contain the introduction of “…two witnesses…” who prophesy and preach (vv. 1-6):

¹ I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. ³ And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ⁴ They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” ⁵ If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶ They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

The measuring reed (vv. 1-2), also known as a rod, was a hollow stalk from a cane-like plant that grew in the Jordan Valley. It was rigid and lightweight and was cut to a determined length for the purpose of measuring. It was used primarily to measure the dimensions of a plot of land to mark corners and define land being granted in a contract. For many centuries, the rod has been the system of measure for a plot of land, a building, a city wall, etc., and is still used as the unit of measure in land surveying today, with one rod equaling 16.5 feet in length.

We also find mention of the use of a measuring rod at the site of the temple in Ezeliel’s vision, recorded in Ezekiel 40:5:

“…I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six cubits long and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.”

John is told to “…measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court…” (vv. 1-2). The outer court was the area occupied by Gentiles, who “…will trample on the holy city for 42 months…” (v. 2), a prophecy that will take place in the end-times.

Since John in v. 2 is instructed not to measure the outer court, but to leave it for the nations to overrun, it seems that here in chapter 11 that the measuring means that the temple of God, the altar, and the worshipers will be preserved from harm.

There is a similar reference to measuring in Revelation 21:15-17, where John envisions an angel measuring the heavenly city with a golden rod:

“¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷ The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.”

The apparent purpose is to mark off the city for protection from harm (21:27):

“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The measurements in chapter 11 represent a guarantee that none of the faithful worshipers of Jesus as the Messiah will perish, even though they suffer physical destruction at the hand of the beast (see Revelation 13:7).

John is to measure “…the temple of God…” There are two Greek words used in the NT for temple. One is ἱερόν (hieron), which means either the whole structure of Herod’s temple, or specifically, including the outer courts, open to worshippers (see Matthew 4:5; John 2:14). But John uses a narrower term here: ναός (naos), which means only the sanctuary, that part of the temple where God himself resides and where only the priests were allowed (see Matthew 23:35; 27:51); ναός is always the term used for the Temple in the book of Revelation.

Interestingly, ναός also always refers to the Jerusalem temple in the Gospels with the single exception of John’s Gospel, where it refers to Jesus’ own body; John 2:21: “…the temple (ναός) He had spoken of was his body…” and Revelation 21:22: “I did not see a temple (ναός ) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (ναός).”

Some commentators hold that the “…temple…” in Revelation 11:1 represents the church in the Great Tribulation. In any event, the “…altar…” in John’s measurement in v. 1 refers to the stone altar of sacrifice in the Temple, and the expression “…the worshipers…” are the priests and others in the inner courts, which should be interpreted as symbols of the true servants of God in the tribulation.

John tells us in v. 2 that the outer court “…has been given to the Gentiles…” The term “…Gentiles…” in Koine Greek is ἔθνος (ethnos), a term which means non-Jewish mankind and which had the more general sense of “nations,” for first-century Christians, meaning everyone who did not follow Christ, including unbelieving Jews. For the early Christians, the term “ἔθνος” was roughly equivalent to our English terms “pagan” and “heathen” today.

John’s vision is that the nations “…will trample on the holy city for 42 months…” (v. 2), refers to a rebuilt Jerusalem and temple during last half of the future tribulation period. However, some interpreters who do not hold to a literal view of scripture see this passage as symbolic of the Jewish people and not meaning the city of Jerusalem. I, however, regard scripture as literal, including the book of Revelation, and John’s prophecies to be real future events.

The time of the trampling is “…42 months…” (v. 2), the second half of the tribulation period, 1,260 days or three and one-half years when the antichrist and his followers will wreak havoc on the holy city.

John describes this time period in 13:5-8):

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Daniel 9 describes the tribulation period as starting with a seven-year peace treaty, the first half of the period being peaceful, but the last half being a time of desolation and destruction. In Daniel 9:27 he prophesies:

²⁷ He (the antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven.” In the middle of the “seven” he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

We know that the rebuilt temple will exist at the time of the Tribulation from the Daniel 9, above, and from 2 Thessalonians, where Paul discusses the antichrist who will appear:

“⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple (ναός), proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

As I pointed out earlier, John was not to measure the outer court (v. 2), called the Court of the Gentiles, symbolizing God’s rejection of the unbelieving Gentiles who have oppressed His people. The antichrist and his followers will bring devastation and destruction to the city of Jerusalem late in the tribulation.

In v.3, John is told:

“…I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

God appoints the “…two witnesses…” for the purpose of preaching both salvation and judgment during the second half of the tribulation (1,260 days, or 3-1/2 years). God appoints two witnesses because according to the law and tradition of the Jews, two or more witnesses were required to affirm a claim or testimony as true (see Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17; Hebrews 10:28).

These “…two witnesses…” will deliver the final testimony to Israel—an offer of salvation to all and the promise of judgment on those who refuse to turn to Him.

The “…two witnesses…” will be “…clothed in sackcloth…,” a coarse, rough cloth woven from goat hair or camel hair and was very uncomfortable to wear. Traditionally, the wearing of sackcloth was a public demonstration of penitence, humility, or mourning. For the “…two witnesses…,” sackcloth is to indicate that they mourn over the wickedness of the world, God’s terrible judgment to come, and the desecration of the Temple and of Jerusalem by the antichrist.

Commentators offer a number of interpretations of these two. They are called “…two witnesses…” in v. 3, “…two prophets…” in v. 10, and, more figuratively, “…two olive trees and the two lampstands…” in v. 4. Some suggest they are two historic biblical figures such as Moses and Elijah, the apostles Peter and Paul, or the witness of the church itself or unnamed Christian martyrs. The “…two witnesses…,” whoever they are, are sent to give a prophetic witness to Christ in the final days of the church age and stand in for millions of others who will be preaching about Christ during the tribulation era.

In  v 4, John describes the “…two witnesses…”:

⁴ They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”

This is imagery drawn from Zechariah chapters 3 and 4. Zechariah’s vision included both the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel, and, in the far future, he envisioned the two witnesses and their ministry, which indicates Israel’s final restoration in the millennium.

Calling them “…the two olive trees and the two lampstands…” may signify revival that results from the witnesses’ preaching, just as the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubabbel described in the Old Testament sparked a great revival among the Jews returning to Jerusalem and Judea from their captivity in Babylon.

Vv. 5-6 describe divine protection for the two witnesses reminiscent of the Lord’s protection of the Old Testament prophets (see 2 Kings 1:10 and Jeremiah 5:14). John writes in vv. 5-6:

⁵ If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶ They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

The “…fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies…” in v. 5  likely will be literal fire. The two witnesses will be invincible, protected by supernatural power during their ministry with “…power to shut up the heavens…” Fire symbolically is judgment from God, and since it proceeds from the witnesses' mouths, we understand that their message of judgment will eventually be fulfilled by God's power (some examples are burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:23-24; the “…consuming fire…” rescuing David in 2 Samuel 22:9; and David’s description of God in Psalm 97:3: “Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side…”). The Lord will protect the two witnesses until they complete their mission to witness to the unsaved.

A long, 3-1/2-year drought during the second half of the tribulation will increase the hatred of God by the unsaved people on the earth and thus cause increased hatred of the two witnesses. They will have “…power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood…,” making fresh water scarce and a large part of the water on earth undrinkable, which will add more suffering to unbelievers on earth during this period.

The words “…the power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood…,” recall the ministries of the prophets Moses and Elijah (see Exodus 7:17-21 and 1 Kings 17:1) and are evidence of same spirit and function as these Old Testament examples.

The Joy of Men Following the Death of the Two Witnesses, no. 32; 

from The Apocalypse of Angers, 1373-87, by Nicolas Bataille.

Vv. 7-10 describe the witnesses’ death at the hands of the beast from the Abyss:

⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

When the ministry of the two witnesses is completed, God withdraws His supernatural protection of them, and the two witnesses will be killed. That the beast will come “…up from the Abyss…” is found here and in 17:8, and indicates his demonic origin.

V. 7 gives us the first reference to “…the beast…” in the book of Revelation, who is further described in chapters 13 and 17. That “…the beast…comes up from the Abyss…” shows us his demonic origin. He attacks the prophets (literally “…he makes war on them…”). This description may relate back to Daniel 7:21 (“As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them…”).

In all, “…the beast…” appears 36 times in the book of Revelation. He is the antichrist, ascending from the Abyss with satanic powers.

In v.8, Jerusalem is labeled “…Sodom and Egypt…” stressing the rebellion and immorality of its people. Isaiah called the rebellious rulers of Jerusalem in his era “…rulers of Sodom…” and “…“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!” (Isaiah 1:10).

John calling the city “…Egypt…” (v. 8) is a descriptive term which in the first century A.D. was symbolic name for the kingdoms that had enslaved Israel. He also calls Jerusalem “…the great city…”

The bodies of  the slain “…two witnesses…” were left where they had been killed. To leave an enemy’s body lying without burying it was a way of showing dishonor, hatred, and contempt. Paul experienced this kind of contempt when he was left for dead by those opposing him in Lystra. In Acts 14, we find Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, where Paul performed a healing miracle, causing the crowd to regard Paul and Barnabas as gods. The incident is found in Acts 14:19-20:

“¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city…”

But Paul had recovered and had continued with his ministry in Asia Minor.

John tells us in vv. 9-10 that: “⁹ For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts…” 

The world will watch, probably by electronic media, and no one will step forward to bury the two witnesses.

Gift giving to celebrate victory is a Muslim practice today; small gifts of candy are exchanged when there is a Muslim victory such as 9/11, the London subway, the Paris massacre, and the Brussels airport bombing. Those Muslims who are wealthier exchange more lavish gifts, all to gloat over a defeated enemy.

However, God will restore the two witnesses to life, vv. 11-12:

¹¹ But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

The people of the world will watch this demonstration of the power of God. While the wicked celebrate their deaths, the victory will be snatched from the celebrants while all the world watches. God takes the “…two witnesses…” bodily into heaven, while their enemies watch.

Common sense would say that after such a dramatic demonstration of the power of God, millions would be saved. But that will not be the case. As we observe Jesus reminding His disciples in Luke 16:31:

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Most people over the centuries have rejected Christ, even though He rose from the dead, and after observing the resurrection of the “…two witnesses…” during the tribulation, the unsaved will still not listen.

The restoration to life of the two witnesses marks the end of the second “…woe…”:

¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon (vv. 13-14).

We have already noted that first “…woe…” will feature something like locusts coming from the Abyss and harming “…only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (9:4) and which allowed torment unbelievers for five months with painful stings (9:5).

I should note that the book of Revelation uses judgment terminology that is unfamiliar and may be confusing to the modern reader; there are four sets of seven symbols—seven each of “seals, trumpets, signs,” and “bowls,” plus three “woes.” Each describes judgments on the unsaved, leading ultimately to the battle of Armageddon.

The judgments occur amidst the giving of the gospel to the unsaved on earth, and each warns of eternal judgment. The three “woes” are described in chapters 6-19 and feature progressively worse demonic activity, culminating with the third “woe,” about the battle of Armageddon.

We find the seven “seal” judgments in 6:1-17 and 8:1. Those verses give us a view of the horrors during the seven-year tribulation. The first seal describes the time of peace in the first half of the tribulation, and the remaining six deal with judgments in the second half. After the seventh seal (8:1), the seven “trumpet” judgments begin. The first six “trumpet” judgments are found in 8:1-9:21 and are judgments of the unsaved and tell of the release of demons.

The three “woes” begin after the “trumpet” judgments. John describes the first in 8:13:

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Description of the second “…woe…” begins in 9:14 with the command to the angel to “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” These four angels are demons.

After the second “…woe…,” the third will signal the end of judgments for sin, described in chapters 12-19, and include seven “…bowls…” representing the pouring out of God’s wrath,(16:1-21). These will be the worst acts of judgment the unsaved will ever experience and about which Jesus said:

“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

Vv. 13-14 of chapter 11 give us a description of the end of the second woe, the severe earthquake that will take place in Israel after the two witnesses have ascended:

¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

All the events from  9:13 to 11:14 comprise the second “…woe…” and are parts of the sixth trumpet judgment. A severe earthquake takes place, a sign of God’s power, and produces repentance: “…the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven…” (v. 13). There is heavy damage and the loss of 7,000 lives. The death and resurrection of the two witnesses is witnessed around the world (vv. 9-10), and the earthquake also may be felt throughout the world. Millions apparently will repent as a result; however, we shall see that the repentance of many is short lived.

Vv. 15-18, open with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, signaling the third and last “…woe…,” which marks the beginning of the final judgments we will read about in chapter 16-19 and which will lead up to Jesus as ruler (chapter 19) and the establishment of the millennial kingdom (chapter 20):

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“ The kingdom of the world has become

    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,

    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,

¹⁷ saying: “We give thanks to you, 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 angry,

    and your wrath has come.

The time has come for judging the dead,

    and for rewarding your servants the prophets

and your people who revere your name,

    both great and small—

and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

The theme of vv. 15-18 is given to us in v. 15: “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah…” John does not distinguish here between the millennial kingdom of Christ and the eternal kingdom of the Father, as Paul does in ! Corinthians 15:24-28, where Paul writes:

 ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.”^[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

The differences between the accounts in Revelation 11 and 1 Corinthians 15 are merely in the detail and emphasis, not in basic theology. In John's view, the kingdoms of the world will be replaced by God’s kingdom, which Christians are already a part of. Even though there are many cultural and political divisions, the Bible views the unbelieving world spiritually, and its ruler is Satan, who leads human rulers to be hostile to Christ. But human rebellion will end with the return of Jesus to defeat His enemies and establish the messianic kingdom, a kingdom belonging to God the Father and ruled by God the Son and His people,

“…The nations were angry, and your wrath has come…” (v. 18) indicates there will be much resistance. The “…nations…” (understand this as “people groups” or even “tribes” or “cultures”) will be defiant and angry, and their anger and resistance will lead to an attempt to fight against Christ (see 16:4 and 19:17-21), and God’s wrath will descend on them.

The 24 elders speak of God’s wrath in (vv. 16-18) as if it is already present; however, it is near but still is in the future (20:11-15). His wrath is sure to destroy His enemies, which will occur at its final outpouring and includes the judging of the dead. His coming wrath has two parts: rewards and condemnation. There will be rewards for the Old Testament saints, the raptured church, and the tribulation saints, and condemnation for unbelievers, who are sent into the lake of fire (20:15).

John sees in v. 19 the time when the kingdom of God has been established (more fully described in chapters 20-22):

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

The presence of the Ark of the Covenant in the temple in heaven is revealed to John in v. 19. The ark in the Jerusalem Temple was the symbol of God’s presence, enabling the atonement for sin. In addition, it was a reminder of God’s covenant with His people. This most holy place in the temple of heaven represents God’s new covenant and its purpose of having offered salvation to mankind. The ark on earth was only a picture or representative of the ark in heaven.

The ”…flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm…” I v. 19 are displays of God’s power and judgment, and are mentioned earlier in 4:5 (“From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder”) and 8:5 (“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”)

The events in this verse are to take place as part of the seventh bowl judgment, found in 16:17-21.

The evil intentions and acts of the antichrist will become apparent to all. The people fleeing Jerusalem and the surrounding areas will hide in the many caves of the Holy Land to be sheltered by the Lord (12:6).

In summary, chapter 11 is a key chapter in the book of  Revelation and explores the future of Jerusalem, the holy city; the appearance, death, and resurrection of the two witnesses; and the announcement of the seventh trumpet, indicating God's kingdom and authority over all mankind and emphasizing not only His judgments, but also our hope for the ultimate triumph of good over evil.