Revelation 11

John is instructed to measure the temple of God, distinguishing between those who worship within and the outer court given to the nations, followed by the prophecy, death, and resurrection of two witnesses, and concluding with the sounding of the seventh trumpet declaring Christ's eternal kingdom.

• John receives a command to measure the temple, altar, and worshippers, excluding the outer court (vv. 1-2).
• Two witnesses are empowered to prophesy for 1,260 days in sackcloth, acting as olive trees and lampstands (vv. 3-6).
• The beast kills the witnesses; they lie dead for three and a half days, are resurrected by God, and ascend to heaven (vv. 7-12).
• A great earthquake occurs, killing seven thousand, leading the survivors to fear and give glory to God (v. 13).
• The seventh trumpet sounds, signaling the arrival of Christ's kingdom and the judgment of the nations (vv. 15-19).

• Measuring reed (κάλαμος)
• Forty-two months
• Two witnesses (μάρτυς)
• Sackcloth (σάκκος)
• Beast from the bottomless pit
• Three days and an half
• Seventh trumpet
• Ark of the testament

This chapter serves as a crucial interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets, establishing God's sovereignty over His people's suffering and the final vindication of the saints at the end of the age.

God maintains absolute ownership over His true people during times of persecution, and He will inevitably vindicate their faithful witness by establishing His eternal reign.

The text transitions from the local, internal experience of the church—protected by God during earthly trials—to the cosmic, eternal victory of Christ’s kingdom when the final trumpet sounds.

• The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of the Lord (v. 15).
• God will reward His servants, the prophets, and the saints (v. 18).

• Rise, and measure the temple of God (v. 1).

• The wrath of God is come (v. 18).
• God will destroy those who destroy the earth (v. 18).

• The interpretation of the 'temple' is a subject of significant debate. Preterist scholars often associate the destruction of the temple with the Roman-Jewish war (70 AD), while Futurist scholars view this as a literal temple to be rebuilt in the end times. Historicist interpreters often view the temple as a symbol of the spiritual state of the church throughout the age.

• Sackcloth (σάκκος) was the standard ancient Near Eastern attire for mourning and repentance. Measuring (μετρέω) a city or building was a common prophetic act in the Old Testament (e.g., Ezekiel 40) symbolizing God's intent to possess, rebuild, or protect the space.

• This chapter follows the pattern of the seals, providing an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets to detail the status of the people of God before the final trumpet sounds.

• The chapter is deeply dependent on the Old Testament. The 'two olive trees and two lampstands' clearly alludes to the vision of Zechariah 4:3, 11-14. The power to turn water to blood and shut heaven parallels the ministries of Moses (Exodus 7) and Elijah (1 Kings 17).

• Zechariah 4:3, 11-14 (Olive trees and lampstands); 1 Kings 17:1 (Shutting heaven so no rain); Exodus 7:17-19 (Turning water into blood); Psalm 2:1-3 (Nations raging/being angry).

• ναός (naós) [G3485] specifically refers to the sanctuary building or the 'fane,' distinguishing it from the broader temple complex (hierón), reinforcing the intimacy of God's presence with His worshippers.
• μάρτυς (mártys) [G3144] carries the sense of a witness in a legal sense, which by the witness of the Spirit and the suffering of the church evolves into the later ecclesiastical meaning of 'martyr'.
• κάλαμος (kálamos) [G2563] is literally a reed, used here for measuring; in the ancient world, reeds were used as standard measuring tools for builders.

• The city where the witnesses die is called Sodom and Egypt 'spiritually' (v. 8), indicating that the setting is not merely a geographic location but a representation of a world in moral rebellion and captivity, where the Lord was crucified.
• Matthew Henry observes that the temple measuring serves 'the preservation of the church in times of public danger; or for its trial, or for its reformation.' This highlights the tension between the protection of the believer and the reality of external persecution, a core theme in the eschatological debate regarding whether the church experiences the Great Tribulation.

• The identity of the two witnesses (v. 3) is a classic crux interpretum. Positions include literal individuals (Moses/Elijah/Enoch), the Church collectively, or the Old and New Testaments. The text does not provide enough explicit information to definitively name them.