Revelation 11 - Time Out
Your life is controlled by time, so make sure you understand time from God's perspective.
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Revelation 11 (ESV)
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told,
“Rise and measure
the temple of God
and the altar
and those who worship there,
2 but do not measure
the court outside the temple;
leave that out,
for it is given over to the nations,
and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,
clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are
the two olive trees
and the two lampstands
that stand before the Lord of the earth.
5 And if anyone would harm them,
fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes.
If anyone would harm them,
this is how he is doomed to be killed.
6 They
have the power
to shut the sky,
that no rain may 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 kind of plague,
as often as they desire.
7 And when they have finished their testimony,
the beast that rises from the bottomless pit
will make war on them
and conquer them
and kill them,
8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
that symbolically
is called Sodom and Egypt,
where their Lord was crucified.
9 For three and a half days
some from
the peoples
and tribes
and languages
and nations
will
gaze at their dead bodies
and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,
10 and those who dwell on the earth
will rejoice over them
and make merry and exchange presents,
because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days
a breath of life from God entered them,
and they stood up on their feet,
and great fear fell on those who saw them.
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!”
And they went up to heaven in a cloud,
and their enemies watched them.
13 And at 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.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet,
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 shall reign forever and ever.”
16 And the twenty-four elders
who sit on their thrones before God
fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
18 The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants,
the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.
There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 11 Summary
This chapter contains several symbolic allusions. It opens with John being told to measure the temple & worshippers, signifying that God has numbered His elect. Being close to the temple, even in the courtyard, doesn't count.
Next we read about 'two witnesses,' who will prophesy for 1,260 days. These witnesses represent the Church, which has been given great power, but it also will suffer greatly at the hands of the world. It seems that the world will successfully rid itself of the Church, just as it seemed so when Christ was killed. But just as Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, so will the Church.
As soon as the Church is brought up to heaven, a terrible earthquake devastates the earth, killing most while the rest gave glory to God (v13). The prophecy in Philippians 2 will be fulfilled: every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Chapter 11 brings an end to the third perspective on what Christ victorious return will look like, as once again we read of God's temple in heaven being opened amist triumphal songs of praises being sung by loud voices in heaven (v15).
Dig Deeper
As we get farther into the Apocalypse (Revelation), there will be more and more fascinating details, symbolisms and allusions. Today we read about all sorts of dates, which on one hand correspond with the time Christ was on earth, but on the other signify a 3-1/2 year period that we've been experiencing now for two millenia.
So resist the urge you may have to want to determine an exact meaning for each of these details and symbolic illustrations. Not only are you very likely to come to very wrong conclusions, but you'll be consumed in anxiety trying to analyze each day's news looking for clues to how obscure interpretations of Revelation are taking place.
Instead, focus on the main message of Revelation: You can have no fear for the future because Jesus Christ has been, is now, and always will be Lord.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign (v17)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that He has made you part of His Church and will therefore protect you from the terrible wrath that will be poured out.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
