Revelation 11
Big idea: Two witnesses who cannot be touched until they have finished, and are then killed by a beast mentioned here for the first time. Their bodies lie in a street for three and a half days while people exchange gifts. Then they stand up. The numbers throughout — forty-two months, 1,260 days, three and a half years — are the same period counted three ways, and the period comes from Daniel. Then the seventh trumpet, and the announcement is past tense: the kingdom HAS BECOME.
Chapter 11 closes the trumpet sequence with the kingdom announced. Chapter 12 pulls the camera back to show the conflict behind everything.
11:1–14 — Their dead bodies will be in the street
A measuring that protects rather than surveys, and an explicit exclusion — the outer court is left out. Then two witnesses with Moses' and Elijah's powers, invulnerable 'WHEN THEY HAVE FINISHED' and not before. What happens next is the passage's sting: the world celebrates, sends gifts, and refuses burial — and three and a half days later they stand up in front of everyone.
1 A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, “Rise and measure God’s temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months. 3 I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 Those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11 After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In that day there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe comes quickly.
11:15–19 — The kingdom of the world has become
The seventh trumpet, and it contains no disaster at all — only an announcement, and the tense is the thing. Not WILL BECOME: HAS BECOME. Heaven declares the transfer as already accomplished while chapters 12 to 20 still have the conflict to narrate. And the elders' thanksgiving drops the third clause of the usual formula: not 'who is to come' any more, because he has.
15 The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!” 16 The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God’s throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and those who fear your name, to the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 19 God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).