Let's Study Revelation (Chapter 11) by E. G. Cook

CHAPTER ELEVEN     In this chapter the angel tells John to rise up and measure the temple of God. Beginning with Ezekiel 40, Ezekiel saw the temple and all that goes with it being measured and he was given the dimensions of everything pertaining to the temple, but here in Revelation 11, John is told to do the measuring. But here we are given no dimensions at all whatever. There is much speculation as to the time of this measuring, but verse 2 should make it clear that it is to be done in the middle of the seven years of tribulation. Here in this verse John is told not to measure the outer court because it is to be trodden under the feet of the Gentiles for forty two months, or three and a half years. The Gentiles will tread this court and the Holy City (Jerusalem) underfoot until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, Luke 21:24. The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled when the great battle of Armageddon is fought. And this will be at the end of the great tribulation period. So this forty two months in verse 2 would have to be the last half of Daniel's seventieth week. Some wonderful Bible students believe the tribulation period will be only three and a half years long. They hold that the first half of Daniel's seventieth week was fulfilled during Christ's earthly ministry, and they might be right. But since I can find no place for half a week in Daniel 9, I must cling to one whole week, or seven years as the tribulation period. In this chapter I see sixty nine weeks up to the time Messiah was cut off (crucified). Since there were seventy of these weeks to begin with, and since sixty nine of them were fulfilled up to the time of our Lord's death, on the cross, that leaves one whole week to be fulfilled as I see it. Therefore I must hold to the forty two months in Revelation 11:2 as the last half of Daniel's seventieth week.
    In verse 3 we see the two witnesses coming into view. They are to prophesy twelve hundred and sixty days which is also three and a half years. But it does not necessarily mean that it must be the same three and a half years we saw in verse 2. Whereas that forty two months will be the last half of the tribulation period, this twelve hundred and sixty days may very well be the first half of that period of time. In verse 14 we see that the second woe is past, but a third woe is still to come. This third woe is not the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdom of our Lord. That is not a woe. In fact, it is just the opposite of a woe. That will be the greatest blessing this world will ever know. Our Lord's death on Calvary's tree is the greatest blessing that can ever come our way, but His reigning here on the earth will be the greatest blessing the world will ever know. The third woe will include the seven vial judgments of chapter 16. Since these vial judgments come after the two witnesses do their prophesying, and since they cannot come after the tribulation period is over, therefore, this twelve hundred and sixty days in which the witnesses prophesy must of necessity be the first half of the seven years of tribulation.
    As to who these witnesses are we are not told. And since we are not told who these witnesses will be I can only assume that God did not want us to know who they are. So, instead of our wasting our time speculating on what is not revealed, let us use that time investigating what has been revealed. The things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, but the things that are not revealed be long unto the Lord (see Deuteronomy 29:29). We are not told just what these witnesses will prophesy, or give testimony to, but from the results which their testimony has upon the people, we are persuaded that they will be condemning their wickedness and prophesying what the outcome of their wickedness will be. In I Kings 22:8 we see Ahab hating Micaiah because he always prophesied evil against him. And in Matthew 14:3 we learn that Herod had thrown John the Baptist in prison because be had told Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife. Herod wanted to kill John because he had condemned his wickedness, but he had to wait about killing John until God's appointed time. So here in the Scripture before us the people want to kill these witnesses, but they will have to wait until God's appointed time.
    In verse 4 we are told that these witnesses are the two olive trees and the candlesticks (lampstands) standing before the God of the earth. In Zechariah 4:11-14 we see that the two olive trees are "the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." The lampstands according to verse 6 speak of the Word. In Psalms 119:105 we read, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." These witnesses have power to shut up heaven for three and a half years that it rain not. Since Elijah was given that power in I Kings 17:1 some hold that one of these witnesses is Elijah. And they may be right. But if I were trying to prove that one of them will be Elijah, I believe I would use Malachi 4:5 where God says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." But when I read Matthew 17:12 where Jesus says, "But I say unto you, that Elias (Elijah) is come already, and they knew him not." I find myself saying maybe John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi 4:5. Of course John himself said in John 1:21 that he was not Elijah, but the Angel of the Lord tells us in Luke 1:17 that he was coming in the spirit and power of Elijah. So let me say this and leave it, since God could give Elijah power to shut up heaven for three years and six months, He can give that power to anyone else He chooses to give it to. The same goes for Moses and the plagues in Egypt. God can give that power to another if He chooses to do so.
    In verse 7 these witnesses have finished their work, so the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit is permitted to kill them. Many Bible commentators say this beast is the anti-christ. Some have this beast being the anti-christ and also the last Gentile world ruler. It seems to me they have their beasts somewhat mixed up. Let us keep in mind that this beast ascends out of the bottomless pit. In Revelation 17:8 we see that the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit is the ruler of the revived Roman Empire. Therefore, he is the first beast of Revelation 13. In chapter 13 John saw two beasts arise. Some Bible scholars believe that Judas Iscariot will be the anti-christ and that he is now in this bottomless pit. All we know about where he is now is what we see in Acts 1:25. There we are told that he went to his own place. That may be the bottomless pit so far as I know, but I am unable to prove it. But in Revelation 20:3 we see the old serpent being cast into this pit and we know that he later comes up out of this place. The Scripture before us does not say that the beast comes up out of this bottomless pit and kills the witnesses. It says "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottom less pit shall ..." So to me it seems that the old devil who is to come up out of this pit a thousand years later might very well be the one under consideration. He does it through the beast of Revelation 13:1-10.
    In verse 8 their dead bodies (carcasses) lie "in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt." The Phillips version says, "the great city which is called by those with spiritual understanding, Sodom and Egypt." This great city, which is Jerusalem, for we are told that it is the one in which our Lord was crucified, has become so wicked and immoral that those who have spiritual insight think of it as Sodom and Egypt. A preacher who has just recently returned from a trip to the Holy Land says that the Catholics have so commercialized and so desecrated all the places that we hold sacred over there that it almost makes one wish he had not gone to see it. Surely we are rapidly approaching the time under consideration here in Revelation 11:8.
    In verse 10 we see something that shows us just how low humanity will have sunk by that time. Here we see the people that dwell on the earth rejoicing over the dead bodies of our Lord's anointed witnesses. The Greek word for "rejoicing" here is such a strong word that some translators have it "gloat" over them. The people seem to go wild with joy as they view these dead bodies as they lie unburied in the street. They make merry and send gifts to one another. We see here a glorious Christmas party in the superlative degree. These people have the real Christmas spirit. You know, that spirit that makes for drinking, carousing, immorality and every other evil thing that can be thought of. But their merry making is short lived, for after three days and a half God raises them up and they ascend into heaven while their enemies look on. Can you not see the movie and television cameras that have been flashing the welcome sight of these dead bodies to the four corners of the earth now as they follow the ascension of these two until they go beyond their range? Can you not see the consternation of the people as they watch in terror as these two witnesses go up to heaven before their very eyes? No doubt some of them will say, I did not believe there was a heaven, but those two sure have gone up some where.
    To be sure, what these people have just seen is enough to make their hair stand on end and to freeze them in their tracks, but immediately after the witnesses have ascended a terrible earthquake hits Jerusalem destroying a tenth part of the city and killing seven thousand people. All this frightens the people to the extent that they acknowledge the glory of the God of heaven not as their personal God, but as the God of heaven. You can scare religion into people, but you cannot scare Christ into them. Several years ago a terrible tornado hit a community near us killing several people and destroying many homes. This took place on Sunday afternoon. The following Wednesday night a man from that community showed up for prayer meeting. He told some of us how that while his neighbor's house was flying through the air and his house was reeling and rocking he had promised the Lord that if He would spare him he would go to church. He could hardly wait for the church door to be unlocked so he could get into the building. But, after his hair had lain back down on his head and his heart stopped beating so fast, he went back to his old haunts and we saw no more of him. I am persuaded that this is the kind of glory these wicked people will give to the God of heaven.
    In verse 14 we see the second woe is past, but the third woe is following close on the heels of the second one. First we see the seven seal judgments being poured out upon this old sinful world, and upon the Jews in particular. Then close upon the heels of the seal judgments we see the seven trumpet judgments. Now the sounding of the seventh trumpet in verse 15 ushers in the seven terrible vial judgments which we shall see in chapter 16. And though these vial judgments follow closely the trumpet judgments still the Holy Spirit gives us four chapters in between them in order that He may inform us of some things He wants us to know.
    When this seventh trumpet sounds we see some things that might lead us to think the tribulation period is over and our Lord is already on His throne in Jerusalem. But since this last trumpet judgment includes all of the seven vial judgments, it seems to cover the entire last half of the tribulation period. Therefore, it takes in the time when our Lord comes down and takes His seat upon His father David's throne. This is the time when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord. But before this comes to pass we see in verse 18 that the nations become angry and the wrath of God is poured out upon them. This is the battle of Armageddon which we shall deal with in chapter 16. Then in this verse 18 the entire thousand year period, or the millennial age when our Lord reigns over the earth with a rod of iron comes into view. This is the time that the post-millennialists debase and the a-millennialists deny, but which Bible believers love and long for. Here we see the time for the judging of the dead. This comes at the very end of this wonderful millennial reign, and we shall deal more fully with it in chapter 20. We also see here the rewarding of the saints which comes at the beginning of this time. Here we also see the destroyers being destroyed. This may very well be speaking of old Satan after he is loosed for a little season and his great host which no man could number. This too will be dealt with in chapter 20.
    You may have noticed that we did not deal with the four and twenty elders here in verses 16 and 17, but if you recall we have already dealt with them in chapter 5. But I would like to call attention to the words "and art to come" in verse 17. These words were added by the King James translators for some reason unknown to us. These words are not in the Greek nor in any other translation that I know of. When our Lord is reigning in Jerusalem He is not to come. He has already come. To say that He is to come when He is already here is like singing "send thy Spirit Lord, now unto me" in the last verse of that great song (with this exception) "Break Thou the Bread of Life." For me to beg God to send His Spirit unto me when the Holy Spirit is already abiding in me would be an abomination in His sight. So I just refuse to sing that verse.
    Verse 19 really belongs with chapter 12. Here we see the Temple of God opened in heaven. You, no doubt, have heard people wonder what ever became of the Ark of the Covenant that Moses made and put in the Holy Place. This Ark according to Exodus 25 was some 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. It was overlaid on the inside and on the outside with pure gold. The lid called the Mercy Seat was made of pure gold. And on the top of this Mercy Seat were two cherubims of pure gold. According to verse 22 God met with Moses between the cherubims on this Mercy Seat. In Joshua 8:14-17 we see this Ark being carried by the priests out into the Jordan River and the waters stood back while some two million Israelites passed over on dry ground. Then in Joshua. 6:11-20 we see the Ark being carried around Jericho as the Israelites marched around the city. And in I Kings 8:5-6 we see this Ark being brought into Solomon's Temple and placed in the most Holy place. In I Kings 14:25-26 and 2 Chronicles 12:9 we see Shishak, king of Egypt taking all the treasures of this Temple and carrying them away. Some have wondered as to what became of this Ark that God used as a meeting place between Him and man. We feel sure that God would never permit something so sacred as this Ark of the Covenant to be desecrated by the filthy hands of the king of Egypt. So, if we look closely at verse 19 of Revelation 11 we shall see that the Temple of God in heaven was opened. And I believe that this Temple was opened in order that John might see this Ark. There it was in the Temple of God in heaven. Whether God took this Ark up to heaven before Shishak got his filthy hands on it, or whether He snatched it up from those filthy hands we do not know. But we can rest assured that God would not allow His Ark to be finally desecrated by heathen hands. At the same time in which John saw the Ark in the Temple. "there were lightnings and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." We dealt somewhat with these in chapter 8, but we shall deal more fully with them in chapter 16. Suffice it to say that these things are seen to accompany the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet and the seventh vial. The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet includes the seven vials. So in reality they all end up together. The main difference seems to be that the great hail is not mentioned at the opening of the seventh seal. Here at the sound of the seventh trumpet it is mentioned, and when the seventh vial is poured out, it is explained.