The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a ·measuring stick [^Ca reed or cane used for measuring] like a ·rod [staff; walking stick], and I was told, ·Go [Get up] and measure the temple of God and the altar, ·and count [or including] the people worshiping there [^Cprobably to show God’s control and protection of his people; Ezek. 40:3, 5]. ² But do not measure the ·yard [courtyard] outside the temple. Leave it ·alone [out], because it has been given to ·those who are not God’s people [the Gentiles; the nations]. And they will trample on the holy city [^CJerusalem] for forty-two months [^Ca period of oppression—either literal or symbolic—equal to three and a half years; see Dan. 7:25; 12:7, 11–12]. ³ And I will ·give power to [or appoint; ^Lgive to] my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days [^C42 months reckoned as 30 days each], ·and they will be dressed in rough cloth to show their sadness [^Ldressed in sackcloth; ^Cmourning clothes].”

⁴ These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth [^Creminiscent of Zerubbabel and Joshua whom God used to build the second temple in spite of opposition; Zech. 4:2–6]. ⁵ And if anyone ·tries [wants] to ·hurt [harm; damage] them, fire comes from their mouths and ·kills [consumes; devours] their enemies [Jer. 5:14]. And if anyone ·tries [wants] to ·hurt [harm; damage] them in whatever way, in that same way that person ·will [or must] die. ⁶ These witnesses have the ·power [authority] to ·stop the sky [close the heavens] from raining during the time they are prophesying [1 Kin. 17:1]. And they have ·power [authority] to make the waters become blood [8:8; 16:3–4; Ex. 7:17–21], and they have ·power [authority] to send every kind of ·trouble [plague] to the earth as many times as they want.

⁷ When the two witnesses have finished ·telling their message [giving their witness/testimony], the beast [^Cprobably the Antichrist; 13:1; 17:8; Dan. 7] that comes up from the ·bottomless pit [Abyss; 9:1] will fight a war against them. He will ·defeat [conquer] them and kill them. ⁸ The ·bodies [corpses] of the two witnesses will lie in the ·street [public square; ^Cto be left unburied as a sign of disdain] of the great city where the Lord was ·killed [^Lcrucified; ^CJerusalem, perhaps here symbolic of the world’s opposition to God]. ·This city is named Sodom and Egypt, which has a spiritual meaning [^L…which is figuratively/symbolically/spiritually called Sodom and Egypt; ^CJerusalem is symbolically named after places judged by God for wickedness (Sodom) and for oppressing God’s people (Egypt); Gen. 19; Ex. 7—12]. ⁹ Those from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses for three and one-half days, and they will ·refuse to bury them [^Lnot let them be placed in a tomb]. ¹⁰ People who live on the earth will rejoice and ·be happy [celebrate] because these two are dead. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets brought much ·suffering [torment] to those who live on the earth.

¹¹ But after [^Lthe] three and one-half days, ·God put the breath of life into the two prophets again [^La breath/spirit of life from God entered them; Gen. 2:7]. They stood on their feet, and everyone who saw them became very afraid. ¹² Then the two prophets heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

¹³ In the same hour there was a ·great [violent] earthquake, and a tenth of the city ·was destroyed [collapsed; ^Lfell]. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and those who did not die were very afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven [Ezek. 38:19–20; Zech. 14:4].

¹⁴ The second ·trouble [^Lwoe] is finished. ·Pay attention [Look; ^TBehold]: The third ·trouble [^Lwoe] is coming ·soon [quickly; 8:13].

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven, saying:

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders [4:4], who sit on their thrones before God, ·bowed down [fell] on their faces and worshiped God. ¹⁷ They said:

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened. The ·Ark that holds the agreement God gave to his people [^LArk of his Covenant] could be seen in his temple. Then there were flashes of lightning, ·noises, thunder [rumbling thunder], an earthquake, and a great hailstorm [^Ctypical accompaniments to the arrival of God; 4:5].