Revelation Chapter 11

The first verse of this chapter describes how the disappointed believers found the answer to their great disappointment. God directed them to a study of the heavenly sanctuary, and they saw that Jesus had moved to the Most Holy Place on October 22, 1844, where He was now ministering on their behalf in the judgment. They now understood their new duty, to proclaim the third angel’s message to the world. (SOP 1, 2)

Verse 1

I was given a reed like a measuring rod…rise and measure the temple of God – The temple of God is the heavenly sanctuary. To measure the temple means to study it and consider it in all its detail (Ezekiel 40:2-6, 43:10-12).

The altar – The altar in the temple is the altar of incense, which represents Jesus’ work of intercession for His people, especially during the judgment.

Those who worship there – This refers to those who by faith follow Jesus into the Most Holy Place during the judgment (Rev. 3:8). This group is the remnant (Rev. 12:17, 14:12).

NOTE: In the first part of this sidebar (Rev. 10–11:1), we have seen how the 2300-day prophecy was revealed to the world as the book of Daniel was opened and studied. In the second part of the sidebar (Rev. 11:2-13), we are given a history of Satan’s warfare against the Bible, showing how he tried to destroy God’s Word and prevent these truths from being revealed. The wicked who cooperated with Satan in his fight against the Bible received the judgments described in the first six trumpets.

Verse 2

The court which is outside the temple – This is a reference to the great outer court of the Jerusalem temple. No gentile was allowed to pass beyond this court on pain of death. Here it represents the earth, the courtyard of the heavenly sanctuary.

Leave out…do not measure it – John is told to not consider this world when measuring the temple. This represents that we are to keep our focus upon Jesus and His work for us in the heavenly sanctuary, the present truth for this time (Colossians 3:1-4).

It has been given to the gentiles – The gentiles are described as those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 6:10, 11:10), in contrast with those who by faith are dwelling in heaven with Jesus. They have rejected God’s word, and are fighting against it.

They will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months - The holy city is Jerusalem, representing God’s people (Luke 21:24). The forty-two months refers to the 1260-year rule of the Papacy, during which God’s people were persecuted.

Verse 3

I will give power to my two witnesses – The two witnesses are the old and new testaments (John 5:39). (SOP 3)

They will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth – During most of the 1260 years, the church of Rome kept the Bible in obscurity. The sackcloth represents that the two witnesses are in mourning. Yet their testimony continued throughout the entire 1260 years.

Verse 4

This verse gives two additional titles for the two witnesses.

The two olive trees – Olive trees are the source of oil, which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:1-3,6,11-14). This represents that we receive the Spirit through a study of the Word.

The two lampstands – The two witnesses are also called lampstands because they are lights to the world (Psalm 119:105).

Verse 5

If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies - The Bible itself predicts the fate of those who trample on God’s Word (Rev. 22:18,19). Ultimately they will be destroyed in the lake of fire along with the Devil and his angels.

Verse 6

This verse points us to Old Testament illustrations of the power and sure fulfillment of God’s Word.

These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy – This is a reference to the story of Elijah, who prophesied that no rain would fall in Israel because of their apostasy (Deuteronomy 28:24, 1 Kings 17:1, Luke 4:25).

They have power over waters to turn them to blood – This is a reference to the first plague upon Egypt (Exodus 7:19-21).

These have power…to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire – The two witnesses have authority to call down any of the plagues on their enemies.

Verse 7

When they have finished their testimony – This is a reference to the end of the 1260 years.

The beast – In symbolic prophecy, a beast represents a kingdom, a political government (Daniel 7:17,23).

That ascends out of the bottomless pit – As we learned in Chapter 9, the bottomless pit represents the earth in a state of confusion, the headquarters of Satan and his hosts. (SOP 4)

Will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them – This new power that arises at the end of the 1260 years will make war against the Bible.

This prediction was fulfilled during the French Revolution, when the French government abolished all religion, burned the Bible and declared itself atheist. (SOP 5)

Verse 8

Their dead bodies will lie in the street – This is a symbolic picture of the two witnesses in France during the French Revolution. (SOP 6)

The great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt – Sodom and Egypt were renowned for their wickedness, Sodom for its immorality (Genesis 18:20,21, 19:4-11) and Egypt for its atheism (Exodus 5:2). France is here being compared to these cities. (SOP 7)

Where also our Lord was crucified – This refers to France’s relentless persecution of faithful Christians (Matthew 25:40). (SOP 8)

Verse 9

Three-and-a-half days – A day equals a year in prophetic time, so this is three and one half literal years. On November 10, 1793, a decree issued in Paris abolished religion. On June 17, 1797, approximately three and a half years later, the French government removed restrictions against the practice of religion.

And not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves – In ancient times, it was considered a great disgrace to leave dead bodies exposed and deprived of burial.

Verse 10

The wicked that hated the Bible and were condemned by its convicting power are pictured in this verse as celebrating over the death of the two witnesses.

Verses 11,12

After the three and a half years, the word of God is pictured as coming to life again and being exalted to heaven. After this unprecedented attack on the Bible, God exalted His Word as never before. Bible societies were established in England and America, and the Bible soon spread around the world.

Verse 13

This verse summarizes what happened to France during this time. In symbolic language it describes the turmoil and upheaval that shook France during the revolution. (SOP 9)

Verse 14

This verse is anticipatory, announcing that the seventh trumpet is about to sound.

7. Blowing of the Seventh Trumpet (Verses 14 – 18)

Verse 15

The seventh trumpet signals the completion of the gospel proclamation (Rev. 14:6, 10:7), and the moment when Christ receives His kingdom (Daniel 7:14, 2:44). Upon receiving His kingdom, Jesus will put His enemies under His feet and deliver the kingdom to His Father (1 Corinthians 15:24,25,28).

Verses 16-18

When Jesus takes His kingdom, the twenty-four elders (God’s heavenly council, the representatives of the unfallen worlds) fall on their faces before God and praise Him. Their words in verse 18 are a summary of the rest of the book of Revelation.

The nations were angry – The anger of the nations against God and His people are described in detail in Revelation chapters 12–14.

Your wrath has come – God’s wrath is described in Revelation chapters 15-19, where He judges spiritual Babylon for attempting to kill His people.

The time of the dead, that they should be judged – The judgment of the dead (wicked) is described in Revelation chapter 20.

And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great – The reward of the saints is described in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

And should destroy those who destroy the earth – The destruction of sin and sinners is described in the latter part of Revelation chapter 20.

Section IV: Preparing for the Harvest (Rev. 11:19 – 15:4)

The last verse of Chapter 11 belongs to Section IV of Revelation.

Heavenly Introductory Scene: Opening of the Most Holy Place for the Judgment (11:19)

Verse 19

The temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple – This is a description of the opening of the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary on October 22, 1844, to begin the judgment (Rev. 3:7, Daniel 7:9,10,13).

And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail – This description marks the completion of the work of the heavenly sanctuary, which includes the pouring out of the seven last plagues (Rev. 15:5-8). This same description is also found under the seventh plague (Rev. 16:17-21).

The heavenly introductory scenes in the first three sections of Revelation were more lengthy and detailed. Why is this scene of the beginning of the judgment so brief? Because Daniel has already described it in his prophecies, and Revelation 10 and 11 have previously pointed us back to these prophecies.

The rest of Section IV focuses on what takes place on earth during the time of the judgment. We are shown how God is working to prepare the world for His Second Coming through the proclamation of the Three Angel’s Messages. But Satan is also hard at work trying to bring the entire human race under his control. He is enraged with those who are loyal to God, and he uses coercion to win their allegiance. When this fails, he finally tries to destroy them.

Spirit of Prophecy Quotations

1 “The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people.

“ . . . as they waited and watched and prayed to know the will of God they saw that their great High Priest had entered upon another work of ministration, and following Him by faith, they were led to see also the closing work of the church. They had a clearer understanding of the first and second angels’ messages, and were prepared to receive and give to the world the solemn warning of the third angel of Revelation 14.” – The Great Controversy, pages 423, 432.

2 “Thus we measure the temple and the altar, or the ministration connected with the temple, the work and the position of our High Priest; and we measure the worshipers with that part of the rod which relates to character; namely, the ten commandments.” – Review and Herald, January 21, 1890.

3 “The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament.” – The Great Controversy, page 267.

4 “According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God’s two witnesses should thus be silenced, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh and the licentiousness of Sodom.

“This prophecy has received a most exact and striking fulfillment in the history of France. During the revolution, in 1793, “the world for the first time heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest of the European nations, uplift their united voice to deny the most solemn truth which man’s soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of a Deity.” (quoted from Sir Walter Scott, Life of Napoleon, vol. 1, ch. 17) “France is the only nation in the world concerning which the authentic record survives, that as a nation she lifted her hand in open rebellion against the Author of the universe. Plenty of blasphemers, plenty of infidels, there have been, and still continue to be, in England, Germany, Spain, and elsewhere; but France stands apart in the world’s history as the single state which, by the decree of her Legislative Assembly, pronounced that there was no God, and of which the entire population of the capitol, and a vast majority elsewhere, women as well as men, danced and sang with joy in accepting the announcement.” (quoted from Blackwood’s Magazine, November, 1870) – The Great Controversy, pages 269, 270.

5 “”The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” The atheistical power that ruled in France during the Revolution and the Reign of Terror did wage such a war against God and His holy Word as the world had never witnessed. The worship of the Deity was abolished by the National Assembly. Bibles were collected and publicly burned with every possible manifestation of scorn. The law of God was trampled underfoot. The institutions of the Bible were abolished. The weekly rest day was set aside . . . All religious worship was prohibited . . .

”With blasphemous boldness almost beyond belief, one of the priests of the new order said: “God, if you exist, avenge Your injured name. I bid You defiance! You ramain silent; You dare not launch Your thunders. Who after this will believe in Your existence?” (quoted from Lacretelle, History, vol. 11, p. 309; in Sir Archibald Alison, History of Europe, vol. 1, ch. 10.)” – The Great Controversy, pages 273-275.

6 “Infidel France had silenced the reproving voice of God’s two witnesses. The word of truth lay dead in the streets, and those who hated the restrictions and requirements of God’s law were jubilant.” – The Great Controversy, page 274.

7 “”The great city” in whose streets the witnesses are slain, and where their dead bodies lie, is “spiritually” Egypt. Of all nations presented in Bible history, Egypt most boldly denied the existence of the living God and resisted His commands. No monarch ever ventured upon more open and highhanded rebellion against the authority of heaven than did the king of Egypt. When the message was brought to him by Moses, in the name of the Lord, Pharaoh proudly answered: “Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2, A.R.V. This is atheism; and the nation represented by Egypt would give voice to a similar denial of the claims of the living God, and would manifest a like spirit of unbelief and defiance. “The great city” is also compared, “spiritually,” to Sodom. The corruption of Sodom in breaking the law of God was especially manifested in licentiousness. And this sin was also to be a pre-eminent characteristic of the nation that should fulfill the specifications of this scripture.” – The Great Controversy, page 269.

8 “This specification of the prophecy was also fulfilled by France. In no land had the spirit of enmity against Christ been more strikingly displayed. In no country had the truth encountered more bitter and cruel opposition. In the persecution which France had visited upon the confessors of the gospel, she had crucified Christ in the person of His disciples.” – The Great Controversy, page 271.

9 “When France publicly rejected God and set aside the Bible, wicked men and spirits of darkness exulted in their attainment of the object so long desired – a kingdom free from the restraints of the law of God. . . . But the transgression of a just and righteous law must inevitably result in misery and ruin. . . . Those who had chosen the service of rebellion were left to reap its fruits until the land was filled with crimes too horrible for pen to trace. From devastated provinces and ruined cities a terrible cry was heard – a cry of bitterest anguish. France was shaken as if by an earthquake.” – The Great Controversy, page 286.