March 20, 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.
(11:14-20:3)
‘. . . “Revelation 12
Amplified Bible
The Woman, Israel
12 And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a [a]woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The Red Dragon, Satan
3 Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon (Satan) with [b]seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems). 4 And his tail swept [across the sky] and dragged away a third of the stars of heaven and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
The Male Child, Christ
5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was [c]caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that she would be nourished there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years).
The Angel, Michael
7 And war broke out in heaven, Michael [the archangel] and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they were not strong enough and did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the [d]devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the [e]accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them [in the presence of God]. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you in great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time [remaining]!”
13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male Child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time (three and one-half years), away from the presence of the serpent (Satan). 15 And the serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went off to wage war on the rest of her children (seed), those who keep and obey the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus [holding firmly to it and bearing witness to Him].
Footnotes
- Revelation 12:1 The woman represents the nation of Israel. The sun refers to Jacob (also called Israel, the name divinely bestowed on Jacob at Peniel Gen 32:28), and the moon to Rachel, while the twelve stars refer to the twelve tribes of Israel, originating with the sons of Jacob and Rachel (Gen 37:9-11).
- Revelation 12:3 The seven heads and ten horns correspond to the heads and horns of the beast in 17:3 ff, and to those of the beast in Dan 7:7 ff as well. Daniel’s description reveals that the ten horns are ten kings who temporarily reign with the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation (cf 17:12).
- Revelation 12:5 This refers to the ascension of Christ to heaven following His death and resurrection.
- Revelation 12:9 The Greek for devil is diabolos, which is actually a translation of Satan, a Hebrew word meaning “adversary” or “accuser.” The Greek word additionally carries with it the concept of “slanderer.” See note v 10.
- Revelation 12:10 This is the activity of Satan from which he has earned his name (see note v 9). The activity is most clearly seen in Job 1-2 and in Zech 3.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
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 Friday beloved of YESHUA JESUS CHRIST. Amen.
With much precious love, grace, and mercy, from our heavenly Abba-Father-GOD, and our Savior and LORD-YESHUA CHRIST JESUS, and our Holy Spirit, to Israel and to you and I; Sincerely: Minister Timothy M. Shephard. Amen.