January 6, 2026
Revelation 11
New King James Version
The Two Witnesses
11 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. [a]And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the [b]God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
The Witnesses Killed
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also [c]our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations [d]will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And [e]they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The [f]kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was [g]and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your [h]wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of [i]His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Footnotes
- Revelation 11:1 NU, M omit And the angel stood
- Revelation 11:4 NU, M Lord
- Revelation 11:8 NU, M their
- Revelation 11:9 NU, M see . . . and will not allow
- Revelation 11:12 M I
- Revelation 11:15 NU, M kingdom . . . has become the kingdom
- Revelation 11:17 NU, M omit and who is to come
- Revelation 11:18 anger
- Revelation 11:19 M the covenant of the Lord
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” (BibleGateway.com)
“11:1-2.
The end of the times of the Gentiles
1-2a. Restoration of temple worship. This point marks the Lord’s dealing again with Israel and its worship in a restored temple in ‘the holy city,’ Jerusalem (cf. 2 Thess 2:3-4). This is by the seer’s measuring ‘the temple of God’ and ‘the altar,’ and the worshipers,’ 1. Whereas the Lord accepts the godly remnant, the true worshipers, the apostate Jews who have linked themselves with the Gentiles (symbolized by the outer court) God rejects.
2b. End of the times of the Gentiles. This period, which began with Judah’s captivity under Nebuchadnezzar (605 B.C.), will not end until the second advent (Dan 2:34-35, 44; Rev 19:11, 21). During this time Jerusalem has been subject to Gentile rule (Lk 21:24). Divine recognition of temple worship signalizes the swift close of ‘the times of the Gentiles,’ specified as 42 months. This is the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week (a week of seven years, Dan 9:27) with the last three and a half years yet to run (cf. Dan 7:25; Rev 12:14; 13:5).’
‘11:3-13.
The two witnesses
3-7. Their identity. Although the two witnesses are commonly identified as Moses and Enoch or Moses and Elijah, such identifications are unlikely since both of the witnesses are killed and resurrected, something which could not be true of these OT prophets as glorified men (Mt 17:3). These witnesses are evidently two members of the latter-day remnant. They are Christ’s witnesses, 3, ‘my witnesses’ referring to the mighty Angel (Christ) of ch. 10. They preach ‘clothed in sackcloth,’ a symbol of mourning, because they identify themselves with Israel’s grievous sin and Jerusalem’s wickedness, 3b, 8 (cf. Joel 1:13; Jer 4:8). Their message is Christ’s lordship over the earth, 4, proclaiming the soon coming of the King of kings to take possession of the earth. ‘The two olive trees and the two lampstands’ (Zech 4:2-3) connect them with testimony that Messiah as King-Priest (the two olive trees in Zech 4 denote these two offices) will shortly reign over restored Israel as the light of the world. They have miraculous powers like Elijah and Moses, 5-6. Fire comes out of their mouths (cf. 2 Kgs 1:10, 12; Jer 5:14; cf. Lk 9:54-55). They command drought like Elijah, 6a (1 Kgs 1 5:17); turn water to blood (Ex 7:19) and work other signs like Moses, 6b (Ex 7:10). They are killed by the beast (head of the revived Roman Empire, Rev 13:1-10; 17:8), who ascends out of the abyss (cf. 9:1-12), but not until they have completed their testimony, 7.’
‘8-13. Their destiny. Their corpses are dishonored in Jerusalem, 8, but God resurrects, 11, and translates the two witnesses in ‘the cloud’ (Gr.), 12, i.e., the Shekinah glory (cf. Ezk 10:19; Mt 17:5). Meanwhile their enemies are punished with an earthquake that kills 7,000 and destroys one-tenth of Jerusalem, 13, which causes those who remain to give glory to the ‘God of heaven’ because of His power, not because of their repentance.’
’11:14-19.
The seventh trumpet – the third woe
14-18. Anticipation of Christ’s worldwide kingdom. The second woe (9:13-21) is here repeated after the parentheses, 10:1-11:13, to bridge the gap of the parentheses and to connect the first two woes with the third and final woe, 14. This woe is said to come ‘soon,’ and includes all the remaining judgments prior to the establishment of the kingdom (11:14-20:3). Verses 15-19 give a panorama of the rest of the book, future events being seen as already present. They envision the establishment of Christ’s worldwide kingdom and reign, 15-17; the judgment of the raging nations at Armageddon, 18a; the judgment of the dead (20:11-15) when the destroyers of the earth will be destroyed, 18c; and the rewarding of prophets and saints in millennial positions of rule and dominion, 18b (20:4-6).’
’19. God’s temple in heaven opened. ‘The ark of His covenant’ seen within the temple speaks of God’s faithfulness to His covenants and promises to Israel (Rom 9:4-5). The last apocalyptic judgments and the second advent will realize the consummation of all these commitments made to God’s covenant people Israel. (See ‘The Covenants of Scripture,’ Heb 9.)” (The New Unger’s Bible Handbook-Merrill F. Unger) (Revised by Gary N. Larson) (MOODY PRESS-CHICAGO)
Beloved of YESHUA CHRIST JESUS, we will follow the leading of our LORD’S Holy Spirit, to (Hebrews 9) after we have received all the sweet nectar He has for us, in our current Scripture chapter of His Most Holy Word (Revelation 11). Amen.
‘. . . “Matthew 17:3
New King James Version
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
Matthew 17:3 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Revelation 11:3
New King James Version
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:3 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Revelation 10
New King James Version
The Mighty Angel with the Little Book
10 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders [a]uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying [b]to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his [c]hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
John Eats the Little Book
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And [d]he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 10:4 NU, M sounded,
- Revelation 10:4 NU, M omit to me
- Revelation 10:5 NU, M right hand
- Revelation 10:11 NU, M they
New King James Version (NKJV)”
“Joel 1:13
New King James Version
Mourning for the Land
13 Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;
Wail, you who minister before the altar;
Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
You who minister to my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
Joel 1:13 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Jeremiah 4:8
New King James Version
8 For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
Jeremiah 4:8 in all English translations
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” (BibleGateway.com)
“Matthew 17:3
Amplified Bible
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.
Matthew 17:3 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Revelation 11:3
Amplified Bible
3 And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in [a]sackcloth.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 11:3 See note 6:12.
Revelation 11:3 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Revelation 6:12
Amplified Bible
The Sixth Seal—Terror
12 I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as [a]sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
Footnotes
- Revelation 6:12 This was a coarse, uncomfortable material usually made of black goat hair and customarily worn as a sign of mourning or repentance.
Revelation 6:12 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Revelation 10
Amplified Bible
The Angel and the Little Book
10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed in a cloud, with a rainbow (halo) over his head; and his face was like the sun, and his feet (legs) were like columns of fire; 2 and he had a little book (scroll) open in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land; 3 and he shouted with a loud voice, like the roaring of a lion [compelling attention and inspiring awe]; and when he had shouted out, the seven peals of thunder spoke with their own voices [uttering their message in distinct words]. 4 And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them down.” 5 Then the angel whom I had seen standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand [to swear an oath] to heaven, 6 and swore [an oath] by [the name of] Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, 7 but [a]when it is time for the [b]trumpet call of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God [that is, His hidden purpose and plan] is finished, as He announced the gospel to His servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking to me, and saying, “Go, take the book (scroll) which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 So I took the little book from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey; but once I had swallowed it, my stomach was [c]bitter. 11 Then they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 10:7 Lit in the days of.
- Revelation 10:7 Lit voice.
- Revelation 10:10 I.e. John was encouraged by the Word of God but was saddened as he realized the approaching judgment on unbelievers.
Amplified Bible (AMP)”
“Joel 1:13
Amplified Bible
13
Clothe yourselves with sackcloth
And lament (cry out in grief), O priests;
Wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth [and pray without ceasing],
O ministers of my God,
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
Joel 1:13 in all English translations” (BibleGateway.com)
“Jeremiah 4:8
Amplified Bible
8
“For this reason, put on sackcloth [for mourning],
Lament (mourn with expressions of grief for the dead) and wail,
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.”
Jeremiah 4:8 in all English translations
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.” (BibleGateway.com)
Let him who has an ear, hear what The Holy Spirit says to His church. Amen.
“Adversity is the test of faith; prosperity is the test of integrity.”
(THE JEREMIAH STUDY BIBLE—DR. DAVID JEREMIAH—NEW KING JAMES STUDY BIBLE—WORTHY)”
“The Absence of Adversity, is the test of faith in YESHUA CHRIST JESUS;
The Temporary Lack of Prosperity, is the test of integrity-from YESHUA CHRIST JESUS.” (Holy Spirit)— (Minister Timothy M. Shephard.)
Have a blessed Tuesday beloved of YESHUA JESUS CHRIST. Amen.
With much precious love, grace, and mercy, from our heavenly Abba-Father-GOD, our Savior and LORD-YESHUA CHRIST JESUS, and our Holy Spirit, to Israel and to you and I; Sincerely: Minister Timothy M. Shephard. Amen.