In the second interlude of his second vision, John has been asked to eat a little book—a testament of God. What was hidden in previous times, the full revelation of God, is being revealed, and John has been asked to prophesy concerning many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings (10:11).

Revelation 11:1-14

Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

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. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, andwill not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. And in that hour 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. The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The two witnesses (v. 1-6)

Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

John is given a measuring rod to measure the temple, altar, and worshippers. The outer courts of the temple were given over to the nations. John does not yet use the measuring rod he is given. We can know that, for God’s eternal people, there are no outer courts like there were under Mosaic Law. The elect Gentiles have been fully grafted into Israel, such that they are one with Israel in the symbolic inner court and holy of holies (cf. Isaiah 19:24-25).

The worldly nations, though, trample on the outer courts and Old Jerusalem. The world will give its time to criticize, condemn, and tear down any semblance of the faith. God is currently tearing down false forms of faith and revealing their ignorance. The world is successful according to Scripture, which is why we see great apostasy in the world prior to Christ’s return. The good news—God’s sealed people are symbolically in the inner court; they will not become apostate or have their Christianity shattered by the relentless trampling of the world—the world is trampling on the outer courts but cannot reach the holy of holies (which is why this vision cannot be foretelling the destruction of the temple in AD 70), where the true saints dwell.

Dispensational premillennials mostly argue that “42 months” translates to a literal 3 1⁄2-year period during the tribulation. Postmillennials argue that the “42 months” is the literal timeframe between the first formal persecution of Christians in AD 64 and the death of Nero in AD 68. First, John has still not explicated or implied a literal 7-year great tribulation. Second, John has not referred to literal timeframes up to this point but has used apocalyptic numbers—which are symbolic. 40 represents sufficiency, and 2 represents a valid testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15). God permits the world to trample His outer courts for a sufficient amount of time to bring testimony against her. Such has been thematic in Revelation up to this point. God practiced patience like this in the Old Testament (cf. Genesis 15:16) and promises to in the New (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). This pattern is consistent throughout the Bible and throughout redemptive history. John, here, teaches the same thing the rest of the Bible teaches. In this case, John is alluding to Old Testament imagery. It is the timeframe during which Antiochus Epiphanies would defile the temple according to Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 7:25) and during which Elijah asked God to bring a drought in Israel (1 Kings 17-18). The 42 months, then, represents a timeframe during which there is great blasphemy and apostasy—spiritual drought in the land.

John mentions two witnesses as though they are already part of the vision. I cannot take these two witnesses to be the Old Testament prophets because they testify about the full revelation of God through Christ as given in the New Testament (cf. 10:6-7). John introduced the two witnesses in Chapter 9, verses 13-21. The two witnesses are the great multitude of people following behind Christ and his angels. They proclaim the testimony of Christ. All those who do not repent are plagued with fire and brimstone—used to symbolize Hell. God’s two witnesses have authority to testify against the world during the sufficient timeframe in redemptive history (cf. 6; 8:4; 10:8-11). The two witnesses testify against the world in sackcloth, a sign of mourning. The witnesses do not find enjoyment by indicting the world. They are not complainers. They prophesy concerning many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. They do so with heavy hearts, weeping over the world’s reprobate and apostate condition.

The two witnesses, the saints on the earth, prophesy for 1,260 days. John creatively divides 42 months into days in order to give us different symbolic numbers: 

1000- far beyond fullness; more than necessary
2- valid testimony
6- sin, imperfection; humanity 

John’s message is consistent. The two witnesses provide a more than necessary testimony against humanity on God’s behalf. Such is the testimony of the church through the expository teaching of God’s word as we strive to proclaim the whole counsel of God without reservation. There is a point at which a more than sufficient testimony is presented (to the world or to respective nations), and God judges.

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

John identifies the two witnesses for us so we don’t have to guess as to their identity. They are the two olive trees and lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. In chapter 1, verse 20, he identified the lampstands as the seven churches (or complete church). In chapter 11, there are two lampstands instead of seven to highlight the church’s role as God’s proper witness—testifying against the world by professing His word. The olive trees represent the Holy Spirit’s revelation through the prophets, or those who testify (cf. 4:5; Zechariah 4:1-7). Since John is prophesying concerning many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings (10:11), we understand that the testimony is the testimony of the New Testament church empowered by the Holy Spirit. Christ’s church is His witness on this earth testifying against the world according to His word. His church is driven by the Holy Spirit such that we cannot remain silent concerning His word. When the true church offers indictments, she does so with a heavy heart while weeping over the condition of the world, hoping that people will repent and believe the Gospel. 

Fire flows from the church’s mouth. We must not set aside Revelation’s symbolic nature. Fire is the thing produced and sustained on the lampstands (the church) by the oil from the olive trees (the Holy Spirit). John used fire in chapter 9, verse 17, referring to God’s judgment against the unbelieving world. The fire, coming from the church’s mouth, symbolizes the church’s proclamation of God’s word and testimony against the world. God’s word is offensive to perishing people; they attack the church in a variety of ways. John is encouraging believers; those who want, a statement of desire and motive, to harm Christ’s church will die under the judgment of the divine Law—a persistent claim throughout Revelation.

Verse 6 is a little more difficult. John seems to attribute the church with powers displayed through the Old Testament prophets, namely Moses and Elijah—which is why many dispensationalists believe the two witnesses are a future appearance of Moses and Elijah and postmillennials identify these as all the Old Testament prophets. John is still writing symbolically. John’s emphasis is not on the plagues but the prophesy. Throughout redemptive history, God’s judgment has accompanied His people’s testimony against the world’s rebellion. According to John, God is still judging the world justly as His people proclaim His offensive word. In John’s vision, the two witnesses have the power to unleash these plagues as often as they desire. The plagues were Old Testament plagues. During the age which the church is to testify to the world about Christ, God is judging and oppressing heathen nations like He did in the Old Testament—a reality I believe we witness today. Since the two witnesses and the plagues are apocalyptic images, God’s oppression against the nations does not have to be in the form of the particular Old Testament plagues mentioned. Revelation is a picture, not a puzzle. John believes that the church is to testify. Accompanying our testimony, great works are being done in the heavens and on earth greater than the works Christ did in His flesh (John 14:12). The greater works always accompany the preaching of God’s word. The greater works are always accomplished by Christ at the request of His church (he who believes in Christ). God will bring drought or rain to the land if it benefits the church’s proclamation of His gospel. If we take this promise literally, notice that it is a promise that belongs to the corporate church and not to individual Christians. If the witnesses, the church moved by the Holy Spirit, desire to close up the sky it will be closed and opened for them.

The great martyrdom (v. 7-10)

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. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, andwill not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

When the church has finished her testimony, she will die at the hand of the beast (cf. 6:7-8). Through the centuries since John was exiled to Patmos, Christians and churches have been dying. Christians do not have to die for church buildings to be vacated, worship to become illegal, and visible church structures to be vacated. The death John describes represents both literal martyrdom and the outcasting of the church. John sees this death as immanent, or near (1:1, 3, 9). If we accept a late date, John has seen the other apostles slain and formal state-run persecution come against the church—driving large portions of the church to the underground.

The beast is not identified, here, except to say it comes up from the abyss like the demons in 9:1-12, the sea. In the First Century BC, Virgil penned a poetic epic in which he shared the legend of Rome’s founding. Troy, a Greek port city in Asia Minor was sacked by the Greek Achaeans in 1184 BC. The surviving Trojans sailed to Hesperia, modern day Italy, and founded Pallanteum, what would become Rome. Doubtless Virgil’s epic is known in the First Century AD Roman province of Judea and the Greek churches in Asia Minor, to whom John is writing. The beast from the abyss is unmistakenly Rome, particularly, and worldly powers, generically. Worldly nations are, then, given authority to smother the church (even if not through violence) when God’s testimony is finished going forth in the worldly nations respectively. Unlike the demons in Chapter 9, the beast kills the church (literally and figuratively). It is interesting that John identifies the origin of worldly nations as the abode of demons. The kingdom of Christ is of Christ. The kingdoms of the world are of demons. Christ’s kingdom is real and at war against the kingdoms of the world, though not a war like you’d expect since Christ’s people are among the nations.

Symbolically, the church’s dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 ½ days. The martyrdom of Christ’s church stands as its own testimony. 3 ½ is half of 7, the number of perfection or completion. So, even this testimony is incomplete. The peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations (i.e. the whole world) will look at the dead church, rejoice, and revel—a reality that makes more sense if the two witnesses are the worldwide church. John was not likely describing future television programming, which is now a thing of the past; I must also warn against the dangers of eisegesis because it is tempting to read new technologies into the text. He was also not describing the slain bodies of the Old Testament prophets on display for 3 ½ days; we have no record of such an event(s).

Sodom and Egypt represent Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ was also crucified. Since Jesus is described as “their lord,” the witnesses are not likely Christ Himself and the 3 ½ days do not describe the days Jesus rested in a tomb; he rose on the third day, not after 3 ½ days. Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem symbolize moral corruption and idolatry. This is where people celebrate what they perceive as God’s death and the death of Christ’s church; after all, the church’s testimony is offensive to worldly people and they feel tormented by our simple preaching. All have sinned. You can’t do anything to become righteous. Repent, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The church will be treated much like the prophets, whom Jerusalem killed and celebrated.

The church has seasons of death and renewal in this world. The gospel goes in and out of season (cf. 2 Timothy 4:2). We are not surprised when the church seems to die; Scripture predicts it will be so. We take courage. God is working all things together for His glory and the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our objective is faithfulness to Christ, not the acceptance of the world. The world cares to be accepted. We care to honor the Lord God.

The resurrection (v. 11-14)

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. And in that hour 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. The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Remember, this is symbolic, not literal. When reading this passage, we tend to overcomplicate John’s symbol. Death is not the church’s end. God’s people, who died to the world, will be resurrected to dwell with God. Those who made them enemies will see them lifted up and will be justly punished because of their hatred against God and God’s chosen witnesses. Those who have not chosen God will still worship Him, only out of fear instead of in freedom. Further, if Christ does not bring final judgment to a nation or the world, there will be revival in the land and the gospel will come back into season before Christ’s judgment is complete—represented by the number 3 ½. The second woe, the woe against anyone who persecutes God’s testifying church in any age, is past. The church is encouraged. Worldly people will hate us because of our testimony. Though they slay us, they will see the gospel prevail despite their attempts to smother it and will see us raised to life with Christ forevermore (cf. Luke 13:20-30). One-tenth, a vast minority, of Jerusalem will ultimately fall, which excludes the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 from being the fulfillment of this particular revelation. The earthquake represents God’s judgment, which kills 7,000 people—7 (completeness) + 1,000 (far more than adequate). The complete number of the unrighteous will eventually perish by God’s awesome judgment. All those who are left will be worshippers of God, they give glory to God.

This passage helps us to refine our eschatology. Though we must believe that Christ is renewing the world and that His kingdom is overtaking the world (cf. 3:12-13; Matthew 13:31-35; John 3:17), not so without seasons of apostasy and the blasphemy of the nations. Even those seasons of apostasy and blasphemy serve to make the gospel flourish. Our eschatology must allow for seasons of worsening persecution and even the smothering of the church in different nations and seasons. During these seasons, the persecution and smothering of the church advances the testimony of God such that there will be revival if Christ’s judgment upon the nations is not yet complete. God uses persecution to renew the world and judge the ungodly. Thus, we count it great joy when we experience all sorts of trials and tribulation on this earth (cf. James 1:2-4). Further, the church remains on the earth, experiencing both revival and resurrection. The ungodly are the ones ultimately taken up, which is consistent with Jesus’s own teaching (cf. Matthew 13:40, 50; 24:38-41).