11:7This beast could be Satan or an agent of Satan.
Life Application Study BibleRevelationChapter 11
Revelation 11
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 2185, 2186, 2187
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
11Revelation 11
The Two Witnesses
111 Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. 2But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.” 4These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the LORD of all the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. SThey have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. 7When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit* will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. 8And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem,* the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their LORD was crucified. 9And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. 10A]l the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them. 'But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. '?Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, 11Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. 13At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly,
The Seventh Trumpet Brings the Third Terror
1518Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our LORD and of his Christ,* and he will reign forever and ever.” 16The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him.
17And they said,“We give thanks to you, LORD God, the Almighty,the one who is and who always was,for now you have assumed your great powerand have begun to reign.
18The nations were filled with wrath,but now the time of your wrath has come.It is time to judge the deadand reward your servants the prophets,as well as your holy people,and all who fear your name,from the least to the greatest.It is time to destroyall who have caused destruction on the earth.”
19Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm. 4. Observing the great conflict
Textual footnotes
- 11:7 Or the abyss, or the underworld.
Life Application Notes 8 notes
11:8,9Jerusalem, once the great city and the capital of Israel, is now enemy territory. It is compared with Sodom and with Egypt, both wetl known for their evil. By the time of John's writing, Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., nearly a mittion Jews had been slaughtered, and the Temple treasures had been carried off to Rome.
11:10As representatives of every believer who has witnessed for Jesus Christ, the two final, faithful witnesses are a picture of both invincibility and vulnerability. They win, they lose, they win again. Truth remains victorious, even though human channels fall. Their message—and God’s plan—march on in spite of death, for even death proves to be a defeated foe. Seidom do we face the possibility of death when we share our faith. Why should Satan threaten our lives when fear of embarrassment or rejection is enough to keep us silent? But if Jesus has truly changed our lives, we will find a way to let others know. Not to witness represents more than just fear; it also reveals selfishness. Have those near you heard what Jesus has done for you?
11:13The ultimate goal of God's saving plan is that everything in creation will glorify him. “Glory” refers to the splendor, radiance, and magnificence of God. It refers not only to God in his essential nature but to the praiseworthy effects of what God has accomplished. We glorify God because his glory is true and real, and we acknowledge his greatness. In so doing, we see our rightful position as his servants. When we glorify him in our singing, our speaking, and our living, we experience some of his transcendence and thus edify and uplift our own spirits. Glorifying God prompts us to moral action and loving service.
11:15The seventh trumpet is sounded, announcing the arrival of the King. There is now no turning back. The coming judgments are no longer partial but compiete in their destruction. God is in control, and he unleashes his full wrath on the evil world that refuses to turn to him (9:20, 21). When his wrath begins, there will be no escape.
11:16For more on the 24 elders, see the note on 4:4.
11:18In the Bible, God gives rewards to his people according‘to what they deserve. Throughout the Old Testament, obedience often brought reward in this life (Deuteronomy 28), but obedience and immediate reward are not always linked. If they were, good people would always be rich, and suffering would always be a sign of sin. If we were quickly rewarded for every faithful deed, we would soon think we were pretty good. Before long, we would be doing many good deeds for purely selfish reasons. While it is true that God will reward us for our earthly deeds (see 20:12). our greatest reward will be eternal life in his presence.
11:19in Oid Testament days, the Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred treasure of the Israelite nation. For more information about the Ark, see the note on Exodus 37:1.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 2186
11:8 Greek the great city.
11:15 Or his Messiah.