Measure the Temple
Two witnesses prophesy in mourning clothes, are killed by the beast, and lie unburied while the city celebrates and exchanges gifts. Three and a half days later they stand up. The seventh trumpet announces the world's kingdom has become our Father's, and the elders thank him.
11 1I was given a reed like a measuring rod, and told: "Get up and measure the temple of our Father, the altar, and those worshiping there. 2Leave out the courtyard outside the temple; don't measure it—it's given to the nations, and they'll trample the holy city forty-two months. a a v2 The forty-two months — like the 1,260 days and "time, times, and half a time" elsewhere in Revelation — is a symbolic span of limited, bounded trial, not a literal calendar count. 3I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days, dressed in mourning clothes." b b v3 1,260 days is the same span as the forty-two months in verse 2 — roughly three and a half years.
4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Father of the earth. 5If anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouths, devouring their enemies; anyone wanting to harm them must be killed this way. 6These have authority to shut the sky so no rain falls while they prophesy, and authority over the waters to turn them to blood, and strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
7When they finish testifying, the beast rising from the abyss will wage war on them, defeat them, and kill them. 8Their bodies will lie in the great city's street, figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord—Jesus—was also crucified. 9Some from every people, tribe, language, and nation look at their bodies three and a half days and refuse them a tomb. 10Earth's residents gloat over them and celebrate, and will send each other gifts, because these two prophets tormented earth's residents.
11After the three and a half days, life-breath from our Father entered them, they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those watching them.
12They heard a loud voice from heaven tell them, "Come up here." They went up to heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13At that hour a great earthquake struck; a tenth of the city fell, 7,000 people killed in it, and the rest, terrified, gave glory to our Father in heaven.
14The second woe has passed; look, the third woe is coming soon.
The Kingdom Becomes Our Father's
15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices in heaven said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Father and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." c c v15 The seventh trumpet announces that the kingdom of the world has become the joint reign of our Father and his Anointed One — Jesus. Father and Son share the throne forever (echoing Psalm 2 — our Father gives the nations to his Son).
16The twenty-four elders, seated on their thrones before our Father, fell on their faces and worshiped him, 17saying: "We thank you, Sovereign Father Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to reward your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name, both small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
19Then the temple of our Father in heaven opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared inside. Then came lightning, rumblings, thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
