Bullet Point Bible - Revelation 11

Measuring the Temple

¹ Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, and I was told, "Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there.² But do not measure the outer courtyard of the temple; leave it out, because it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample on the holy city for forty-two months.

John receives a command, similar to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40:3), to measure the temple, altar, and worshipers.
Measuring often symbolizes divine ownership, protection for the faithful, and sometimes impending judgment.
The "temple of God" here likely symbolizes the true people of God, the faithful church, rather than a literal building.
The "altar" represents the worship and access to God enjoyed by the faithful.
The exclusion of the "outer court" suggests a distinction between the protected faithful and those merely associated externally, or the visible aspect of the church under persecution.
The "Gentiles" (nations) represent the unbelieving world powers hostile to God's people.
The "holy city" (symbolically Jerusalem) represents God's people or the church being subjected to persecution.
The period of "forty-two months" (equivalent to 1260 days or 3.5 years) is a recurring symbolic timeframe in Revelation and Daniel, denoting a limited but intense period of tribulation and Gentile domination.
This measurement provides assurance of God's ultimate protection for His true worshipers even amidst suffering.

The Ministry of the Two Witnesses

³ And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth."⁴ (These 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 comes out of their mouths and completely consumes their enemies. If anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way.⁶ These two have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time they are prophesying. They have power to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want.

God commissions "two witnesses" to prophesy during the same 1,260-day period that the holy city is trampled.
Their identity is debated, possibly representing the Law and the Prophets, Moses and Elijah (due to their powers), the faithful witnessing church (Jewish and Gentile aspects), or other symbolic figures.
They are dressed in "sackcloth," symbolizing mourning, repentance, and the judgmental nature of their prophetic message.
The imagery of "two olive trees and two lampstands" is drawn from Zechariah 4:3, 11-14, symbolizing being empowered by God's Spirit (olive trees) and bearing witness (lampstands) before God.
They possess divine protection and authority, represented by the "fire" consuming their enemies, reminiscent of Elijah's ministry (2 Kings 1:10-12).
Their specific powers echo those of Elijah (shutting the sky, 1 Kings 17:1) and Moses (plagues, turning water to blood, Exodus 7-11), suggesting their ministry embodies the authority of both the Law and the Prophets.
Their ministry signifies God's powerful and persistent prophetic witness in the world, even during times of intense opposition.
The duration of their ministry (1,260 days) emphasizes that this period of powerful witness coincides exactly with the period of persecution.

The Death of the Two Witnesses

⁷ When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.⁸ Their corpses will lie in the street of the great city that is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified.⁹ For three and a half days those from every people, tribe, nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb.¹⁰ And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

Upon completing their testimony, the witnesses are attacked by "the beast that comes up from the abyss" – a powerful demonic entity representing ultimate opposition to God, likely the Antichrist figure.
This marks the first appearance of this specific "beast" in Revelation, foreshadowing his later role (Rev 13, 17).
The beast temporarily "conquers" and kills the witnesses, highlighting a period where evil seems triumphant.
Their bodies are left unburied in the "great city," a profound act of public humiliation and contempt in ancient cultures.
This "great city" is symbolically identified with "Sodom" (moral corruption), "Egypt" (oppression of God's people), and the place "where their Lord was also crucified" (Jerusalem, representing the world system that rejects Christ).
The global nature of the opposition is emphasized: "peoples, tribes, languages, and nations" witness this event.
The inhabitants of the earth ("those who live on the earth" often refers to unbelievers in Revelation) rejoice and exchange gifts, celebrating the silencing of the prophetic voice that convicted and "tormented" them.
The "three and a half days" their bodies lie exposed is a symbolic period, perhaps echoing the time Christ was in the tomb, representing a short but dark period before vindication.

The Resurrection and Ascension of the Witnesses

¹¹ But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized those who were watching them.¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: "Come up here!" So the two prophets went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies stared at them.¹³ Just then a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; 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 has come and gone; the third is coming quickly.

God dramatically reverses the apparent victory of evil by resurrecting the two witnesses.
The "breath of life from God" entering them echoes the creation of Adam (Genesis 2:7) and the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:10), signifying divine power over death.
Their resurrection causes "great fear" among their enemies, demonstrating God's power and vindicating His servants.
A divine command, "{{Come up here!}}", calls them to heaven, mirroring the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9).
Their ascension in a cloud, witnessed by their enemies, serves as a public display of their vindication and God's approval.
Divine judgment immediately follows: a "great earthquake" strikes the "great city."
The destruction is significant (a tenth of the city, 7,000 killed), showing the consequences of rejecting God's witnesses. The number 7,000 might be symbolic, possibly representing a complete judgment on a portion of humanity.
The reaction of the survivors ("terrified," "gave glory to the God of heaven") is ambiguous; it could signify genuine repentance for some or merely fearful acknowledgment of God's power in judgment.
This event concludes the "second woe" announced in Revelation 9:12. The "third woe" is linked to the seventh trumpet.

The Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:¹⁵ "The kingdom of the world¹⁵ has become the kingdom of our Lord¹⁵ and of his Christ,¹⁵ and he will reign for ever and ever."¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and worshiped God¹⁷ with these words:¹⁷ "We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful,¹⁷ the one who is and who was,¹⁷ because you have taken your great power¹⁷ and begun to reign.¹⁸ The nations were enraged,¹⁸ but your wrath has come,¹⁸ and the time has come for the dead to be judged,¹⁸ and the time has come to give to your servants,¹⁸ the prophets, their reward,¹⁸ as well as to the saints¹⁸ and to those who revere your name, both small and great,¹⁸ and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth."

The sounding of the seventh trumpet marks a pivotal moment, signaling the consummation of God's kingdom.
Loud voices in heaven announce the ultimate transfer of authority: the world's kingdoms now belong to God and Christ, whose reign will be eternal.
This proclamation is the central theme of Revelation: God's sovereign rule overcoming all opposition.
The twenty-four elders (representing the entirety of the redeemed or an angelic council) respond in worship, acknowledging God's assumption of power.
Their praise highlights God's eternal nature ("who is and who was") and His active intervention ("you have taken your great power and begun to reign"). Note the absence of "who is to come," suggesting the future has arrived.
The elders summarize the key events associated with the seventh trumpet: the nations' futile rage against God, the arrival of divine wrath, the judgment of the dead, the rewarding of God's faithful servants (prophets, saints, all who fear Him), and the destruction of those who corrupt the earth.
This trumpet doesn't detail the final events but announces their imminent arrival and certainty. The subsequent chapters will elaborate on these themes.
The scope of reward includes all faithful followers, "both small and great."

The Heavenly Temple and the Ark Revealed

¹⁹ Then the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

Following the seventh trumpet's proclamation, John sees God's heavenly temple opened.
This opening signifies unprecedented access to God's presence and the unveiling of His ultimate purposes and judgments.
The appearance of the "ark of his covenant" within the temple is highly significant. The Ark symbolized God's presence, His covenant faithfulness with His people, and the basis for both mercy (the mercy seat) and judgment.
Seeing the Ark assures believers of God's faithfulness to His promises even amidst judgment. It signifies that God's final actions are rooted in His covenant relationship and righteousness.
The accompanying phenomena (lightning, thunder, earthquake, hail) are common biblical signs of theophany (God's manifest presence) and impending divine judgment, linking the heavenly reality to earthly consequences.
This verse serves as both a climax to the trumpet series and a transition, setting the stage for the deeper conflict revealed in chapter 12 onwards, grounded in God's covenant faithfulness and righteous judgment.

The Bullet Point Bible

Revelation 11