The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – Chapter 11
I. Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Rev 1
II. Things Which Are – The Church Age – Rev 2-3
III. Things Which Are To Come – Rev 4-22
A. The Throne Of God – Rev 4
B. The Seven Seals Book – Rev 5
C. The First Six Seals Are Opened – Rev 6
D. The Sealing Of The Saved – Rev 7
E. The Lamb Opens The Seventh Seal – Rev 8
The First Four Trumpets Sound
1st 1/3 Vegetation
2nd 1/3 Salt Water
3rd 1/3 Fresh Water
4th Celestial lights are darkened
F. Sounding of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets – Rev 9
5th Locust – To torment men for 5 months
6th Horsemen – To kill 1/3 of mankind
G. The Little Book – Rev 10
H. The Measuring Rod – The Two Witnesses – The Seventh Trumpet Sounds – Rev 11
The Measuring Rod – Rev 11:1-2
Rev 11:1 (NASB) “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.”
1. John will be given a measuring rod – v. 1
a. The rod is like a staff
b. He will be told to measure
(1) The temple
(2) The altar
(3) Those who in it worship
John is given a measuring rod – it is around nine foot long. Currently the temple does not exist. It was destroyed. Some look at this verse and say this is proof that the temple will be rebuilt. How could John measure the temple if it does not exist? John is instructed to measure three things. The temple – the altar – those who worship in it.
Rev 11:2 (NASB) "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.”
c. He is told what NOT to measure
(1) The court outside the temple – v. 2
(a) For it is given to the Nations – (Gentiles)
(b) For they shall tread the holy city 42 months
Now John is told what not to measure and why. He is not to measure the court outside the temple – this is known as the court of the gentiles. Jesus has predicted:
Luke 21:24b (NASB) “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
The Two Witnesses – Rev 11:3-13
Rev 11:3 (NASB) "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
1. Introduction to the two witnesses – v. 3
a. The authority of the witnesses – God
b. The number of the witnesses – 2
c. The period of their witnessing – 1260 days (3 ½ years)
d. The mission of the witnesses – prophecy
e. The clothing of the witnesses – sackcloth
Who are the two witnesses? Some say Elijah and Enoch. The reason being – these two did not die and Hebrews chapter nine says:
Heb 9:27 (KJV) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
In Genesis we find:
Gen 5:24 (NASB) “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
In Second Kings we find:
2 Kings 2:11 (NASB) “As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.”
Many others believe that the two witnesses are Elijah and Moses.
Both of them appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration to talk with Jesus. They would represent the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah).
Why two witnesses?
Num 35:30 (NASB) 'If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.’
There is sense where a person can witness to someone – but there is also a sense where a person can witness for or against someone. What type of witnesses are these?
Rev 11:4 (NASB) “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”
2. The portrayal of the two witnesses – v. 4
a. Two olive trees – life
b. Two lamp-stands – light
c. They stand before the Lord of the earth
These will be the two olive trees – life
These will be the two candlesticks – light
Rev 11:5 (NASB) “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.”
3. The protection of the two witnesses – v. 5
a. They will be able to protect themselves with fire – 2 Kings 1:10
2 Kings 1:10 (NASB) “Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.”
-fire shall come out of their mouths
-fire devours their enemies
b. If anyone wants to hurt them – they must be destroy by fire
Rev 11:6 (NASB) “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.”
4. The power of the two witnesses – v. 6
a. They have the power to hold back rain – 1 Kings 17:1
1 Kings 17:1 (NASB) “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
b. They have the power to turn the waters into blood – Ex 7:17-21
Exodus 7:14-21 (NASB) “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. You shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now." 'Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'" So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.
c. They have the power to strike the earth with plagues
-as often as they desire
Rev 11:7-9 (NASB) “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, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.”
5. The perishing of the two witnesses – v. 7-9
a. When will they die?
– when they finished prophesying
b. How will they die?
– the beast from the abyss
*will make war with them
*will overcome them
*will kill them
c. What becomes of their bodies?
–Their bodies lie in the street – WHERE?
*The Great City
*Mystically called Sodom
*Mystically called Egypt
*Where the Lord was crucified – Jerusalem
- Their bodies will be viewed
*By all people – Tribes – Tongues – Nations
*For 3 ½ days
-Their bodies not permitted to be buried
Rev 11:10 (NASB) “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.”
6. Reaction to the killing of the two witnesses – v. 10
a. Those who dwell on the earth
- Will rejoice
- Will celebrate
- Will send gifts to one another – WHY?
*The two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth
Rev 11:11 (NASB) “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.”
7. The raising of the two witnesses – v. 11
a. When will they be raised? – after 3 1/2 days
b. How are they raised to life? – the breath (Spirit) of life entered them
c. What did the witnesses do? – they stood on their feet
d. What is the response of those watching? – great fear
Rev 11:12 (NASB) “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.”
8. The witnesses ascend to heaven – v. 12
a. The witnesses hear a loud voice from heaven
- Come up here
- They went to heaven in a cloud
- Their enemies watched
Rev 11:13 (NASB) “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.”
9. The city experiences tribulation – v. 13
a. A great earthquake
b. 1/10 of the city falls
c. Seven thousand people die in the earthquake
d. The survivors
-are terrified
-give glory to God
“The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” Rev 11:14 (NASB)
The Seventh Trumpet Sounds – Rev 11:15-19
Rev 11:15-19 (NASB) “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
1. The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet – v. 15
a. The timing of the trumpet
- it comes quickly – v. 14
- it comes shortly after the 6th
b. This is the third woe trumpet
1st woe trumpet – loosing of the locust
2nd woe trumpet – loosing of the huge army – witnesses
3rd woe trumpet sounds – setting up of Christ’s kingdom
(seven bowls of wrath Rev. 14-15)
2. Voices in heaven are heard – v. 15
a. The 1st voice declares
- the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ
- He will reign forever and ever
3. The 24 elders – v. 16
a. who sit on their thrones before God
b. fell on their faces
c. worshiped God saying – v. 17
- We give you thanks O Lord God – the Almighty
- Who are and who were
- Because of Your great power
- Because You have taken Your reign
4. The nations get angry and God’s wrath comes — v. 18 – Psalm 2:1-6; Rom. 2:9-10
Psalm 2:1-6 (NASB) “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!" He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
Rom 2:9-10 (NASB) “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
a. The dead are judged – Heb 9:27
Heb 9:27 (KJV) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
b. Bond-servants are rewarded – (Prophets) –
c. Saints are rewarded
d. Those who fear God are rewarded
-great and small
e. For God shall destroy those that destroy the earth
5. The temple of God – v. 19
a. Which is in heaven
b. Is opened
c. Which contained the ark of His covenant
6. The tempest begins
a. lightings
b. sounds
c. peals of thunder
d. earthquake
