Vs 1    I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshippers.

 John is given an active part in this portion of the vision of Revelation.  He is told to measure the temple of God.  The word for measuring rod is “kalamos” and refers to a reed-like plant that grew to a height of 15 to 20 feet.  It was lightweight but rigid enough to even be used for a walking stick.  This measuring could be for marking for architecture purposes but the text suggests that the measuring was for ownership.  God has him measuring off that which He owns.  Of course He owns everything but Satan still has much in his control and John is told to measure a specific portion that belongs under God’s rule.  Temple does not refer to the entire temple area but rather the inner temple made up of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  The altar was included which was located outside the inner sanctuary of the courtyard where the worshippers would have gathered.

 Interestingly there are 5 temples mentioned in scripture:

1       Solomon’s temple

2       Zerubbabel’s temple built after the exile

3       Herod’s temple during Christ’s time on earth

4       The temple John saw built during the tribulation

5       The temple the Lord Himself will build during the millennium

 Vs 2    But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.  The will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

 At midpoint in the tribulation the antichrist will halt the worship in the temple and desecrate it (the abomination of desolation – Dan 9:27 and 12:11.  He will set himself up as the object of worship. The 42 months equal the 1260 days or 3 ½ years of the evil domain of Antichrist.  The holy city is Jerusalem.  During this evil domain God will measure off and protect a remnant of Israel.

 Vs 3    And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

 The speaker here is indicated to be God the Father.  They are identified as ‘my two witnesses’.  The word ‘witness’ comes from the word “martus” which is where we get our word martyr.  These witnesses will pay with their lives but not before they complete their ministry which is God ordained.  The word’ prophesy’ means to speak forth or to proclaim, to preach.  The period of their service is denoted as 1260 days.  This is the last half of the tribulation.  They are clothed in sackcloth which in Old Testament times represented mourning, grieving, and humility.  They will certainly be all three.

 While these two are not named many speculate that they are Elijah and Moses.   Several reasons for that speculation such as they both performed miracles and brought forth plagues on the earth, they were expected to return according to the Old Testament and Jewish tradition, they represent the Law and the Prophets and appeared with Christ at the Transfiguration and they both left the earth in unusual ways:  Elijah was caught up in a whirlwind and Moses was buried in a secret location by God Himself.

 Vs 4    They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”

Zechariah 4:1-14 is the reference to this description.  Olive trees and lampstands symbolize the light of revival.  The oil of the trees feeds the lampstands with fuel that provides the light.  God will not bring salvation power from human power but from the Holy Spirit.  Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

 Vs 5    If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.  This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.

 They will have miraculous powers bestowed on them.  They will fearlessly preach repentance and will be hated by multitudes.  God does not want their preaching to be stopped and He has given them power to spew fire from their mouths to silence the enemy.  This will not be a Hollywood stunt but real fire from the mouths of real prophets killing those who try to harm them.  I wonder how many will actually try?

 Vs 6    They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

 The power given them is from above.  It is for God’s purpose and it is powerful.  But instead of the people repenting they become angrier and angrier at them.  You can bet that there are many plans made to destroy them but they will not succeed until the end of the 1260 days.  Not a day before.  The earth is already scarred and severely damaged from the previous trumpets that contained many disasters.  To stop rain on an already scorched earth is devastating.  Then to add more injury, the clean water they do have is turned into blood.  Pharaoh did not budge when this happened in Egypt and neither will the dwellers of the earth during this traumatic event.

 Vs 7    Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.

 God will divinely protect them during their ministry and at the end of the determined time evil will prevail upon them but even that is controlled by our Sovereign God.  This is the first of 36 mentions of the beast in Revelation.  He comes up from the Abyss.  He is empowered by Satan.  Satan is the dragon and the beast is the Antichrist who is under the control of Satan and later will be possessed by him.  All of the prior plans had ended without success but now at this specific moment the beast overpowers them and they are killed.  It will be a welcomed surprise to the people of earth.

 Vs 8    Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city – which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt – where also their Lord was crucified.

 Their bodies will be seen by the whole world lying in a street in Jerusalem.  Evil will be so rampant the holy city of Jerusalem will be compared with Sodom and Egypt.  The city will be no better than the rest of the world except for the remnant of believers which most will be in a protected hiding place at this point.  We will discuss that in the chapters ahead.  We know this city to be Jerusalem because of the reference “where also their Lord was crucified.”

 Vs 9    For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 

 CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX and all the networks of the world will be covering this.  The bodies will lie in the street rotting and will not be allowed burial.  It is customary in the Middle East to bury the dead on the same day they die but this will not be case for these two.  It will be grotesque act to further humiliate them even in death.

 Vs 10  The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

 The inhabitants of the earth refers to the unbelieving masses of people.  This will be a wicked Satanic Christmas sort of holiday.  People will be cheering, celebrating and giving gifts.  What kind of gift do you give when you have killed the servants of God???  There is much merry making; kind of a New York New Year’s eve celebration.

 Vs 11  But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.

 But this merry-making comes to a sudden halt before the eyes of the world.  Webcam and all the networks will capture something that will strike unbelievable fear in them.  After 3 ½ days God will raise the two prophets to life.  Notice it says “the breath of life from God entered them.”  Where else have you heard something similar?  Genesis 2:7 says “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  God gives man his life.  Not a test tube, not man himself, not science but God.  He breathed into man the breath of life.  God views life as holy and sacred.  But that is not acknowledged during that period to come and actually it is losing that acknowledgment even now with abortion, suicide, murder, and lack of care for mankind.

 Vs 12  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”  And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

 They hear the voice of God calling the witnesses to heaven.  They actually hear God calling and still do not repent.  The two witnesses are ‘raptured’ much like Jesus was taken to heaven and much like the rapture of the believers who are alive prior to the tribulation period.  Our trumpet call may sound something like “Come up here.”

 Vs 13  At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed.  Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

And while they are looking up in terror as the two are caught up to heaven, during that very hour a severe earthquake happens.  This is a different earthquake from the one we have studied earlier.  This one affects Jerusalem.  One tenth of the city collapses.  The term ‘people’ in Greek literally means ‘names of men’ meaning they were prominent people.  So seven thousand prominent people are killed at the very least and many more likely.  Perhaps these are leaders in the antichrist’s world government.

The survivors were most likely being referred to as believers in the city for giving glory to God is a mark of genuine repentance.

 Vs 14  The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

 The third woe will soon sound in the seventh trumpet.  It will bring the rapid firing of the bowl judgments.  This will be a final, violent period much worse than what we have discovered thus far.  The return of Christ will follow the bowls and then the end will come when He sets up His kingdom.  The word soon is from the world ‘tachu’ where we get our word for tachos or tachometer.  It means quickly.  The last woe is imminent.