Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Revelation
Chapter 11: The Kingdoms of This World Are Become the Lord's
Revelation 11 completes the interlude and sounds the seventh trumpet. John is given a reed to measure the temple, a picture of God marking off and preserving His own. Then two witnesses appear, clothed in sackcloth, empowered like Moses and Elijah to prophesy for 'a thousand two hundred and threescore days.' When their testimony is finished, the beast from the pit kills them, and the world gloats over their bodies in the street of the great city. But after three and a half days 'the Spirit of life from God' raises them, and they ascend to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watch. Then the seventh angel sounds, and heaven cries the great triumph of all history: 'The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.' The chapter ends with heaven's temple opened and the ark of God's covenant in view, a pledge that He keeps every promise.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Revelation chapter 11. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here the temple is measured, the two witnesses prophesy, die, and rise, and the seventh trumpet proclaims the everlasting reign of our Lord and His Christ. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Measure the Temple
God marks off and preserves those who worship Him.
Prophesy in Sackcloth
Empowered like Moses and Elijah, faithful to the end.
The Spirit of Life
Slain, mocked, then raised and taken up to heaven.
The Kingdom Is the Lord's
"He shall reign for ever and ever."
My Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:1-14)
God measures His temple to preserve His own, and raises up two witnesses who prophesy in power, are slain by the beast, and are raised again by the Spirit of life, vindicated before their enemies.
The Spirit of Life From God Entered Into Them
"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly."
Word Study
"witnesses," Greek martys (μάρτυς). A martys is one who testifies, who bears witness to what he has seen and knows to be true; from this very word comes our English "martyr," because so many of God's witnesses sealed their testimony with their blood. "I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy." The two witnesses stand in the line of God's faithful testifiers, empowered like Moses (turning water to blood, smiting with plagues) and Elijah (shutting heaven so it does not rain, fire from their mouth). Whatever their precise identity, their calling is to testify for God in a hostile world, "clothed in sackcloth," a ministry of solemn warning and repentance. And their story traces the pattern of Christ Himself: faithful testimony, then death at the hands of "the beast," their bodies mocked "in the street of the great city... where also our Lord was crucified," the world rejoicing over them, and then, "after three days and an half," resurrection, "the Spirit of life from God entered into them," and ascension, "Come up hither... they ascended up to heaven in a cloud." The witness dies, but the witness rises. This is the promise to every faithful martys: the world may silence the testimony for a season, but God raises His witnesses, and their vindication is certain. So martys calls every believer to bear faithful witness to Christ, even unto death, assured that the God of the resurrection stands behind His word and will raise His own.
Explanation
The two witnesses, clothed in sackcloth, prophesy with power reminiscent of Moses and Elijah, and when their testimony is finished the beast kills them, and the world gloats over their unburied bodies. But after three and a half days "the Spirit of life from God entered into them," and they rise and ascend as their enemies watch in terror. The passage assures the church that faithful witness may be silenced and mocked, even seemingly defeated -- yet God has the last word, and His witnesses share in resurrection. The world's celebration over dead witnesses is short-lived; the God who raised Jesus raises His faithful ones.
Gospel Focus
John is handed "a reed like unto a rod" and told to "measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein," but to leave out the outer court, "given unto the Gentiles." To measure, in Scripture, is to mark off as one's own for preservation. Amid the trampling of "the holy city" for "forty and two months" (three and a half years, the recurring symbol of a limited season of trial), God knows and keeps His true worshipers. The building may be trodden down, but the worshipers are measured and safe. Then come "my two witnesses," identified as "the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks" of Zechariah's vision (Zechariah 4), vessels filled with the Spirit's oil to give light. They prophesy in sackcloth with the powers of Moses and Elijah, unstoppable until "they shall have finished their testimony." This is a vital truth: God's witnesses are immortal until their work is done. Only when their testimony is finished does "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" overcome and kill them, and the world gloats, refusing them burial, exchanging gifts in celebration that the troubling prophets are silenced. But the celebration is short. "After three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet." The same resurrection power that raised Jesus raises His witnesses, and they ascend "in a cloud" as "their enemies beheld them." The chapter preaches the whole shape of the believer's hope: faithful witness, real suffering, apparent defeat, and certain resurrection. The world may kill the messengers, but it cannot kill the message, nor keep God's witnesses in the grave. The God of life stands behind every faithful testimony.
He Shall Reign For Ever (Revelation 11:15-19)
The seventh trumpet sounds, and heaven proclaims that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; the elders worship the Almighty who has taken His power and begun to reign.
The Kingdoms of Our Lord, and of His Christ
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."
Word Study
"kingdoms," Greek basileia (βασιλεία). The word means kingship, royal rule, sovereignty, the realm and reign of a king. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." This is the great announcement toward which all of Revelation, and all of history, moves: the sovereignty over this world, long usurped and contested, passes openly and finally to God and His Anointed. Note carefully the words: "our Lord, and of his Christ." This is the language of Psalm 2, where "the LORD" and "his anointed" (His Christ, His Messiah) reign together against the raging nations. It is not two rival kings, nor two gods, but the one Lord God and the Anointed One through whom He reigns, for the Christ is God manifest in flesh. And the verb is singular: "he shall reign", one reign, one throne. The one God, who is the Lord and who is revealed in His Christ, takes His great power and reigns forever. The elders confess Him as "Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come," the eternal, all-ruling God, the same title given to the One on the throne (4:8) and claimed by the glorified Jesus (1:8). So basileia proclaims the end of the story: the kingdom belongs to our Lord and His Christ, the one true God revealed in Jesus, and He shall reign, without rival and without end, for ever and ever.
Explanation
The seventh trumpet sounds, and heaven anticipates the end with a shout of triumph: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." The long usurpation is over; the sovereignty always God's is now openly and forever established. The elders worship the Lord "which art, and wast, and art to come," for He has taken His great power and reigned. History's whole movement has been toward this moment -- the undivided reign of the one Lord and His Christ. The temple of God is opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant appears: God's faithfulness to His promises stands revealed.
Gospel Focus
The seventh trumpet, which is the third woe for the impenitent, becomes for heaven the anthem of victory: "great voices in heaven" cry, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Every rival kingdom, every empire, every power that ever set itself against God, all of it now passes to the rightful King. This is not a struggle still in doubt; it is announced as accomplished, the certain end declared in advance. And it is the reign of "our Lord, and of his Christ", the one God and His Anointed, reigning as one, for the Lord God is revealed and enthroned in Christ, God manifest in flesh. The four and twenty elders fall on their faces and worship, giving thanks to "Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come," because He has "taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." They rehearse the whole consummation: "the nations were angry," but "thy wrath is come"; the dead are judged; God's "servants the prophets," "the saints," and "them that fear thy name, small and great," are rewarded; and "them which destroy the earth" are destroyed. Every wrong is righted, every faithful one honored, every destroyer judged. Then "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." The ark, the seat of God's covenant presence and mercy, is unveiled, a pledge that God has kept every promise He ever made to His people. For the Apostolic believer this is the goal of hope: the one Lord God, revealed in Jesus Christ, takes His power and reigns forever, His covenant faithful, His saints rewarded, His enemies judged. The kingdom is His. He shall reign for ever and ever.
Chapter 11 in Review
Revelation 11 ends the interlude and sounds the seventh trumpet. John measures "the temple of God" and its worshipers, a sign that God preserves His own even while "the holy city" is trodden down. Two witnesses prophesy in sackcloth with the power of Moses and Elijah until their testimony is finished; then "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" kills them, and the world gloats over their bodies in "the great city... where also our Lord was crucified." But "after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them," and they rise and ascend "in a cloud." Then the seventh angel sounds, and heaven proclaims, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever," while the elders worship the Almighty and "the ark of his testament" is seen in the opened temple of heaven.
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a fortress of hope. God measures and keeps His true worshipers amid the trampling of the age; His witnesses are immortal until their work is done; and though the world may kill the messengers and celebrate their silence, "the Spirit of life from God" raises His faithful ones just as He raised Jesus. Faithful witness leads through suffering and apparent defeat to certain resurrection and vindication. And the seventh trumpet declares the end of the whole story: the sovereignty of the world passes to "our Lord, and... his Christ", the one God and His Anointed reigning as one, for Christ is God manifest in flesh, and "he shall reign for ever and ever." The elders name Him "Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come," and the ark of the covenant, seen in heaven, pledges that He keeps every promise. So we bear our witness without fear, we suffer without despair, and we lift our eyes to the certain triumph: the kingdom is the Lord's, our Lord Jesus reigns forever, and His covenant with His people can never fail.
- To measure the temple is to mark off and preserve God's true worshipers (11:1-2).
- God's witnesses are unstoppable until their testimony is finished (11:5-7).
- The witnesses follow Christ's pattern: testimony, death, resurrection, ascension (11:7-12).
- "The Spirit of life from God" raises His faithful ones, as He raised Jesus (11:11).
- The kingdom becomes "our Lord, and... his Christ", the one God and His Anointed (11:15).
- The ark of the covenant in heaven pledges God keeps every promise (11:19).
Questions for Reflection
- Does it comfort you that God measures and preserves His true worshipers?
- Are you bearing faithful witness, trusting God to vindicate and raise His own?
- What does "he shall reign for ever and ever" mean for how you live today?
- How does "the ark of his testament" assure you that God keeps His promises?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Measuring the temple; the holy city trodden down: Revelation 11:1-2; Ezekiel 40:3; Zechariah 2:1-2; Luke 21:24. The two witnesses; olive trees and candlesticks; powers of Moses and Elijah: Revelation 11:3-6; Zechariah 4:2-14; 1 Kings 17:1; Exodus 7:19-20; Malachi 4:5. The witnesses slain and raised; the pattern of Christ: Revelation 11:7-13; Revelation 13:7; Ezekiel 37:5, 10; John 11:25; Acts 1:9. The seventh trumpet; the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ: Revelation 11:15-18; Psalm 2:2, 6-9; Daniel 2:44; 7:14, 27; Revelation 1:8; 4:8. The ark of the covenant in the opened temple: Revelation 11:19; Exodus 25:10-22; Hebrews 9:4; Revelation 15:5. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Measuring the temple preserves God's true worshipers: Revelation 11:1-2; Ezekiel 40:3; Luke 21:24.
- The two witnesses prophesy in the power of Moses and Elijah: Revelation 11:3-6; Zechariah 4:2-14; 1 Kings 17:1.
- Slain and raised by the Spirit of life; the pattern of Christ: Revelation 11:7-12; John 11:25; Acts 1:9.
- The seventh trumpet: the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; he shall reign: Revelation 11:15-18; Psalm 2; Daniel 7:14.