Wise people will be prophetically curious. (Hosea 4v6) No man knows the day or the hour of Messiah’s return, but we can know the season of it. (Matthew 24v32-35) Daniel is key to understanding the last days. He prophesied about a period of 70 weeks that
have been set for the Jewish nation (Daniel 9v24). The most important week, of this seventyweek period, is the final ‘week’ – the last 7 years. (Daniel 9v27) This final seven years is split in half; 3.5years, 42 months or 1260 days allocated to each half.

Revelation chapter 1-10 deals with, roughly, the initial 3.5 years of this 7-year period. We know the 7-years have begun when there is a functioning temple in Jerusalem. The ‘abomination that causes desolation’ happens in the middle of this week (Daniel 9v27).

The antichrist goes into the Holy of Holies, in this temple, and proclaims himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2v4) He will have done many things to court and woo the people of Israel, in the hopes that they will receive and obey him, but they will ultimately reject him. Shortly after this ‘abomination’ the rapture will happen (2 Thessalonians 2v1-5) and the last 3.5 years will begin; a time known as “Jacobs trouble”- Jeremiah 30v7 Revelation 11 deals with the 2nd half (last 3.5 years) of Daniel’s week.

Verse 1: “And it was given to me (John) a reed similar to a measuring rod, and the angel stood and he said to me: ‘Rise and measure the temple of God (the Holy places) and the altar and those who are worshiping in it.’”

Verse 2: “And the courtyard, which is outside the temple, do not measure it, for it is given to the Gentiles and they shall trample the holy city for 42 months.”

In Jerusalem there is going to be a division. A functioning temple, complete with the Holy Place and areas of worship where only Jewish people will be allowed to go, will be rebuilt. Outside of this area will be a place where the Gentiles/nations (unbelieving people who have no covenant relationship with God) will be allowed to worship. God loves all people (Jew and Gentile) the same. But He can, and does, have different callings for different peoples. It is also important to note, at this point, that, in the words of Paul, not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. And not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring (Romans 9v6-7). This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise (Jews and Gentiles who believe in Messiah Yeshua) are counted as offspring. (Romans 9v8)

Islam will not be the religion of the antichrist. His religion will be one that is initially inclusive of all religions. He is going to try to unite all people around his leadership. This 42 months is the last 42 months (3.5 years, 1260 days). Jerusalem is under attack.

Verse 3: “And I (God) will appoint my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1260 days dressed in sackcloth.”

Sackcloth, like prophecy, is related to repentance.

Verse 4: “For these are the two olive trees, and the two menorahs, standing before the God of the world.”

References to these two witnesses are found in Zechariah 4. John is once again using Old Covenant prophecy, from the Tanakh, in order to help us more fully understand New Covenant truth. They are the two who bring oil and serve the L-rd (Zechariah 4v14) – this has to do with the anointing of God’s Word. Repentance only becomes a reality when the anointed Word of God is revealed. It is within a Scriptural framework that we are enabled to repent, serve God and understand what He is up to.

Verse 5: “For if any man wants to do harm to them, fire will go forth from their mouth and devour their enemies. For this is the way that those who seek their harm will surely die.”

These witnesses are given power, as they speak a message of repentance and as they prophesy in Jerusalem. People, from the nations, will rise up against them because they don’t want to hear this message. Those who don’t believe, in what the Scripture reveals, are setting themselves up for the judgement of God.

Verse 6: “And to them was given power to close up the heavens, that it should not rain in the days of their prophesy. And they ruled over the water to turn it into blood, and upon the earth to strike it with every type of plague as they desired.”

Understanding of Revelation is set within the framework of the Tanakh. We do not know who these two witnesses are, but God has given us some interesting characteristics about them. A person who was able to close up the heavens so that it did not rain (for 3 years) was Elijah. (1 Kings 17v1, 18v1 and 18v41-46) We cannot be dogmatic about the fact that one of the witnesses is  Elijah, but the Scripture does say that before the Kingdom is established, before the 2nd coming of Messiah, Elijah will come. (Malachi 4v5). 

Moses had the power to turn water into blood in the Tanakh. In the last verses of Malachi (4v4-5) God talks about both Moses and Elijah. Up to this time, only the partial wrath of God has fallen – not His consuming/full wrath. Rain is synonymous with blessing. Water being turned to blood was part of the plagues in Egypt. Judgement. God is not blessing this time.

Verse 7: “And after they finished their testimony the beast will rise up from the abyss and make with them war, and overpower them and will kill them.”

Why does God allow His faithful witnesses to die? To teach us that death is not our end. If we die in obedience, and in serving God, we have a hope; the Kingdom. The resurrection speaks of the reality of the Kingdom. (Messiah rose first, as the first fruits; but we are also going to have a resurrection experience as part of the harvest – 1 Corinthians 15v20-23) Resurrection is a victory. It is Kingdom power/authority. Death is not our end. It is a transition. Death is simply preparation for resurrection.

 

Verse 8: “And their dead bodies were in the street of that great city, the one that is called Spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where there also our L-rd was crucified.”

Sodom and Egypt were not good places. They were full of immorality and ungodliness. Where there also our L-rd was crucified: This is speaking about the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is going to become an affront to God. The antichrist will be ruling there and championing a religion of pluralism.

Verse 9: “And many from the peoples, and from the families, and from the languages, and from the nations they will see their dead bodies for 3 and a half days; and they will not let their dead bodies be put into the graves.”

When a body is denied burial, it shames the dead person. The world will have utter contempt for these two witnesses that bore truth to the testimony of God. It shows us how far this world will be from God.

Verse 10: “And the dwellers of the earth will rejoice over them; they will be glad; they will send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth.”

Dwellers of the earth: see 3v10 Purim is the name of the celebration, with the sending of gifts to one another, that comes from
the book of Esther. In the book of Esther, it was a celebration of the victory for God’s people. In this verse, the world is celebrating because they feel as if they have been victorious and have defeated God’s people. 

Exact opposite reasoning. The dwellers of the earth felt that the witnesses had tormented them by giving them the truth
of God, and calling them to repentance in order to find God’s forgiveness.