Introduction
Purpose
The two witnesses are first mentioned in 11:3, which says that they will prophesy in sackcloth for 1260 days. Verses 3-6 give a timeless description of them, 7-10 describe their death of 3½ days, and 11-13 conclude with their resurrection and ascension. The articles on Revelation 10 and the first verses of 11 have shown that the context is the End Time. Since the two witnesses symbolize God’s witness to the world in all times and places (read article), their death means that God’s witness is silenced. Since silence of 3½ literal days would not be material, it symbolizes a much longer period. The main question in this article is when that period would be, at the beginning or end of the End Time.
Previous Articles
This section summarizes the previous articles on Revelation 10 and 11. It begins with Daniel 12 because the strong allusions in Revelation 10 to Daniel 12 indicate that these two chapters are based on Daniel 12:
Daniel’s prophecies were sealed.
In the sixth century BC, God gave the prophet Daniel several astounding prophecies covering time until the Eternal Kingdom. However, Daniel was also informed that his prophecies would only be understood in the Time of the End (Dan 12:4, 9), which is the period after the “time, times, and a half.” (Dan 12:4-7)
A time, times, and half a time (Dan 12:7)
This period, which is the same as the 42 months and 1260 days, is mentioned seven times in five chapters of Daniel and Revelation. In every one of those chapters, it precedes the Time of the End. This period has been identified as the Middle Ages, the time between the fall of Rome and the Modern Era. (Read Article) [Show More]
The Little Open Book (Rev 10:1-2)
A strong angel came down from heaven with a little open book. The strong allusions in this chapter to Daniel 12 identify this book as the one mentioned in Daniel 12:4, namely, as symbolizing the understanding of Daniel’s prophecies that Daniel 12 says God’s people would receive in the Time of the End. (Read Article)
The seven thunders (Rev 10:3-4)
The seven thunders cried out, but John was not permitted to write down what they said. Given the context, what the thunders said related to Daniel’s prophecies. The main question in Daniel was when the End would be. In NT language, when would Christ return? Despite their increased understanding of Daniel, God’s people still did not understand this matter.
Time no more
The angel swore, “Time no more.” (Rev 10:5-7) Since the many allusions mean that this oath continues the oath in Daniel 12, “time no more” means that the “time, times, and a half” in the oath in Daniel 12 (the Middle Ages) is passed.
Mystery of God (Rev 10:5-7)
But the angel added that the mystery of God will only be finished when the seventh trumpet is about to blow. In other words, the end of the “time, times, and a half” does not mean that Christ will now return. The mystery of God will be finished when God becomes a visible reality, such that all people will acknowledge Him. That will be just before the seventh angel blows.
Bitter stomach (Rev 10:8-10)
John eats the book, but it makes his stomach bitter. Here, John symbolizes the prophetic function of God’s people. Eating the book means that God’s people study the prophecies. But the bitter stomach symbolizes bitter consequences. They did not know what the seven thunders said and made a mistake. Soon after the end of the Middle Ages, a significant portion of God’s people in America expected Christ to return in 1844, causing a bitter disappointment when He did not.
Prophesy again (Rev 10:11).
After that bitter experience, John is instructed to prophesy again. It remains the duty of God’s people to study and teach the prophecies.
Measure the temple (Rev 11:1).
John is also told to measure the temple, the altar, and the worshipers in the temple. The temple, altar, and worshipers symbolize God’s true system of worship. Measuring it means that God’s people must study God’s word to determine how God must be worshiped.
Leave out the court (Rev 11:2).
However, John is instructed not to measure the court because the nations will trample the holy city for 42 months. The 42 months are the same as the “time, times, and a half,” symbolizing the Middle Ages. Not measuring the court means opposing the false worship practices the church of today inherited from the Church of the Middle Ages. (Read Article)
The two witnesses (Rev 11:3-6)
At this point in the prophecy, the two witnesses replace John as the symbol of God’s witness to the world. 11:4-6 describes them.
They are not two literal persons. For example, they kill their enemies with fire from their mouth (singular). Furthermore, while John symbolizes a specific mission, the two witnesses always exist. They symbolize the prophets and methods God uses to warn the world. (Read Article)
Prophesy in sackcloth (Rev 11:3)
They will prophesy in sackcloth (poverty, weakness) for 1260 days. This period is the same as the 42 months and the “time, times, and a half,” symbolizing the Middle Ages. During that period, God’s true worship was trampled, and God’s voice was weak. But this also means that they will not be clothed in sackcloth after the Middle Ages, but witness in power.
The Beast kills the witnesses (Rev 11:7-10).
The Beast kills the two witnesses when they have finished their testimony. The Beast is the same as the 11th horn in the Book of Daniel (Read Article), which is, as discussed above, the Church of the Middle Ages. Despite the power God gives to His people, the Beast remains strong and will eventually completely silence the accusations against it. This will be a worse period of persecution than the Middle Ages.
Dead for 3½ days (Rev 11:11)
They remain dead for 3½ days. Since the silence of God’s word of 3 days would be insignificant, this shows that the periods in Revelation are symbolic for much longer periods.
Witnesses resurrected (Rev 11:11-13)
After 3½ days, God resurrects them, and they ascend to heaven (vv11-13). The main purpose of the current article is to determine what this means:
Purpose continued
It seems clear that the great reformation and revival symbolized by the “prophesy again” (10:11) and by the measuring of the temple (11:1) describe the Time of the End – the time after the Middle Ages. What is less clear is whether the 3.5 days (years?) are at the beginning or the end of the Time of the End.
Some commentators propose that that great end-time revival is the resurrection of the two witnesses because it causes great fear to fall upon those who were watching them, and all people glorify God (vv11-13). This would mean that the 3.5 years are before the great reformation and that the angel brings the little book to earth while the witnesses are dead.
This article prefers the alternative view that the death of the two witnesses follows after the end-time revival and describes the very last events of this earth’s history.
This article first discusses verses 7 to 13:
11:7
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. |
When they have finished their testimony
This implies that the Beast will kill them as soon as they finish their testimony. [Show More]
The Beast
The Beast from the Abyss is explained in Revelation 17 as the seven-headed beast. [Show More]
The Abyss
The Abyss symbolizes incapacity or weakness. For example, it is the place where Satan is bound during the Millennium to prevent him from “deceiving the nations” (Rev 20:1-3). So, when the beast arises from the abyss, it arises from weakness. [Show More]
Overcome them and kill them
During the 1260 years, they will prophesy in sackcloth (weakness). But once they are dead, they will be completely unable to prophesy. [Show More]
11:8
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. |
The Great City
Sodom and Egypt are two names of the great city:
Sodom was an ancient city known for moral degradation (Gen 18:20; Jer 23:14; Ezek 16:46-58; 2 Pet 2:7-8; Jude 7). When Israel was at its worst, it was often compared with Sodom in the Old Testament prophets (Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Ezek 16:46-58; Amos 4:11; Zeph 2:9).
Egypt opposed God and His people. It was known for its immorality, self-sufficiency, and atheism (Ex 5:2). [Show More]
Just like Moses, Elijah, Zerubbábel, and Joshua characterize the two witnesses, Sodom and Egypt characterize the “great city.” It is also the place where Jesus was crucified. It represents the religio-political forces that crucified the Lord. In other words, the witnesses face the same kind of opposition that Jesus did. It is not limited to a specific place or time but exists at all times and places. [Show More]
Therefore, the great city is a system opposing the “holy city” (Rev 11:2). It “reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18; cf. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21).
In the street
The NET version has “main street” and the NIV “great street.” It probably means the central square of the city (cf. Rev 22:2). Their corpses are displayed in the most public place possible in order to humiliate the two witnesses and anyone who took them seriously. They were killed in a very public place.
11:9
Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. |
Those
Several translations say, “some from every people and tribe,” meaning that the people were divided by the message of the two witnesses. In other words, the “great city” stands for that portion of the world that opposes God.
3½ Days
The 3½ days sound like a miniature of the 3½ years (1260 days) during which the two witnesses were clothed in sackcloth.
Being dead means that the opposition to God’s Word was so strong that it was not proclaimed at all. Since 3½ literal days of not proclaiming God’s Word would be insignificant, and since a half day of not proclaiming is not meaningful, the 3½ days are symbolic of a much longer period. If the 3½ days are interpreted according to the year-day principle, the two witnesses would be silenced for 3½ years. This confirms that the 1260 days are also symbolic of a much longer period.
Dead Bodies not buried
The ancient world regarded exposing dead bodies as a terrible humiliation and a sign of gross disrespect (cf. 1 Kings 13:21-31; 21:24; Jer 8:1-2; 14:16; Psalm 79:2-3). [Show More]
11:10
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. |
Those who dwell on the earth
In Revelation, this is a characteristic reference to those who oppose God and His people (Rev 6:10; 8:13; 13:8 and 14; 14:6; and 17:2 and 8). [Show More]
Verb tenses
In this translation, “rejoice” and “celebrate” are in the future tense, but in the original, they are in the present tense, while “send gifts” is in the future tense. This does not reflect a specific time perspective but simply that one thing follows after another.
Tormented
The two witnesses “have power … to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire” (Rev 11:6). This supports the view that the trumpet plagues (e.g., Rev 9:18) are the work of the two witnesses. God’s people do not torture people, but prophets rebuke the people for their sins, including corrupted worship practices, and convey warnings from God. People experience these as torture.
11:11-13
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. |
Breath of life from God came into them
This probably alludes to Genesis 2:7, where God breathed the breath of life into Adam. It is God Himself who brings them back to life. [Show More]
Earthquake
The city struck by the earthquake (v13) is the great city mentioned in verse 8. It symbolizes the capital of opposition to the holy city, symbolizing God’s people, principles, and laws. Consequently, this is not a literal earthquake.
Come up here
The exact same phrase appears also in Revelation 4:1, where John is invited to ascend to heaven. If 4:1 is the rapture, as some say, 11:12 is more likely to be the rapture.
Like Jesus
Like Jesus, the two witnesses remain dead for a few days, are resurrected, and ascend to heaven in a cloud. The purpose of the cloud is not to hide the two witnesses but to glorify them in the eyes of the onlookers (cf. Matt 24:30). There was also a great earthquake when Jesus was resurrected (Matt 28:2; cf. Rev 11:13). But while Jesus’ disciples watched Him ascend, their enemies watch the two witnesses ascend. Just like their humiliation was public, their exaltation will also be public. [Show More]
11:14
The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. |
This builds on 8:13 and 9:12. The sum of these three texts is that the last three trumpets are three “woes” and that the interlude is part of the second woe. “Woe” means that these three trumpets are the most dreadful. Of the three woes, the third is the only one that is said to come “quickly.”
When do the Witnesses Die?
It is clear that the great reformation and revival symbolized by the “prophesy again” (10:11) and by the measuring of the temple (11:1) describe the Time of the End – the time after the Middle Ages. We now turn to the question of whether the two witnesses die before or after the great reformation.
John is told to “prophesy again,” but never does. |
In 10:11, John is told to “prophesy again.” In the next verse, he is also commanded to measure the temple, and those who worship in it (11:1). The temple, altar, and worshipers symbolize God’s true system of worship, which became corrupted during the Middle Ages. Measuring them means studying and restoring God’s system of worship. This is part of the task to “prophesy again.”
But Revelation 10-11 nowhere describes John actually doing what he is commanded. Our purpose is to determine where that “prophesy again” fits in the subsequent verses that describe the two witnesses. [Show More]
One view is that the resurrection of the two witnesses is the end-time revival. |
In this view:
God gave the witnesses 1260 days to prophesy in sackcloth (11:3). The Beast will kill them as soon as “they have finished their testimony” (11:7), which refers to the end of the 1260 days. In other words, they were killed at the end of the Middle Ages.
Since John must prophesy after the Middle Ages, the command to “prophesy again” (10:11) was given at the end of the 3½ days of death and resulted in the resurrection of the two witnesses.
The 7000 who are killed in the earthquake are the people who reject God’s grace and whose names are erased from the Book of Life. (In the original, it says that the “names of men” are killed.)
The survivors who fear and glorify God are God’s people. Their “great fear” is a godly fear that results from true repentance. [Show More]
Commentators who support this view see the death and resurrection of the two witnesses as fulfilled by the French Revolution at the close of the 1260 days (1789-1800), followed by the great Bible Society movement. [Show More]
In contrast, this article prefers the view that the death and resurrection of the two witnesses are at the end of Time. |
In this view:
The witnesses do not die at the end of the 1260 days (years) but only after the end-time revival.
The resurrection of the two witnesses (11:11) is not a revival but a revelation of God’s reality, showing the world who His true people are.
The “great fear” and giving “glory to the God of heaven” (11:13) are not repentance but fear when the people realize they are eternally doomed
This view is argued as follows:
1. After they have finished their testimony, they will not testify again. |
11:7 says they will be killed when they have FINISHED their testimony. It does not explicitly say their testimony will be finished or that they will be killed at the end of the 1260 days. Since they always exist, their testimony will only be finished when every person has made a final decision, and nobody else can be saved. This implies that they will not testify again after they have been killed.
2. Verse 12 identifies the people who fear as the enemies of the two witnesses. |
Both the watchers in verse 11 and the survivors in verse 13 fear. Presumably, they fear with the same kind of fear. But verse 12 identifies the watchers in verse 11 as the enemies of the two witnesses. That implies that it is also their enemies who fear in verse 13. In other words, this is the fear of judgment, not the fear of repentance. [Show More]
3. The two witnesses are no longer on earth when the survivors glorify God. |
In verse 12, the two witnesses ascend to heaven, implying that they have finished their testimony, are no longer on earth, and no longer prophesy, implying that the gospel message of grace is no longer available. That implies that the people in the next verse, who are terrified and give glory to God (v13), do not experience true repentance (abhorrence of evil) but fear because they now can see that God exists and has judged them. [Show More]
4. In these three verses, all people glorify God, but all people will never repent. |
In verse 13, all living people glorify God. Nowhere in Revelation do all people repent. God’s enemies refuse to repent to the end. For example:
In the sixth seal, which describes the great day of God’s wrath, the people of the world don’t repent; they hide in the rocks and mountains (Rev 6:15-17).
At the end of the sixth trumpet, “the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands” (Rev 9:20; cf. Rev 16:9, 21).
11:11-13 is part of the sixth trumpet, which also divides the people into two groups and one group is also killed, but the survivors do not repent (Rev 9:20)
So, when all people give glory to God (v13), it is not true repentance but fear of judgment. [Show More]
5. Verses 11-13 are parallel in time with the sixth trumpet, where there is no repentance. |
The sixth trumpet is the second woe (cf. Rev 9:12-13), and verses 11-13 are the end of the second woe (Rev 11:14). That trumpet ends by saying that a third of mankind was killed by three plagues, but the survivors did not repent (Rev 9:18-21). This implies that the survivors in verse 13 also do not repent.
Fourthly, verses 11-13 describe God’s kingdom on earth becoming a visible reality. This can be shown in two ways:
6. Verses 11-13 finish the mystery of God, meaning that God’s existence and power will be a visible reality. |
Verses 11-13 describe the time just before the seventh trumpet, which, according to Rev 10:7, is the time when the “mystery of God” will be finished. This means that God’s existence and power will no longer be a mystery but a visible reality, causing people to become terrified and give glory to God (v13), not because of true repentance but in fear of judgment.
7. When the seventh trumpet blows, this world is already the kingdom of our Lord. |
Verses 11-13 are followed by the seventh trumpet, and when it blows, the kingdom of the world is already the kingdom of our Lord:
“Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.'” (Rev 11:15)
In other words, the world becomes God’s kingdom before the final trumpet sounded, by implication, in verses 11-13.
Conclusion
The following summarizes my reading of the interlude in the trumpets (10:1-11:13) in my own words:
In the sixth century BC, God gave the prophet Daniel several astounding prophecies covering the time until Christ’s return. However, those prophecies were never really understood until the Time of the End, which is the time since the Middle Ages.
In the 19th century, a significant movement in America studied the prophecies in depth and concluded that Christ would return in 1844. When He did not, the disappointment was bitter.
Nevertheless, it remains the duty of God’s people to study the prophecies, investigate the true worship of God, and strongly oppose the distortions of the Church of the Middle Ages to the extent that such distortions continue. But once every person has made a final decision, God will allow the mainstream church, which is the continuation of the Church of the Middle Ages, to silence its accusers. This will continue for a number of years, after which God will reveal Himself and His true people.
Other Articles
Revelation 10-11
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- The Little Open Book – (10:1-7)
- The Church’s Final Message (10:8 to 11:2)
- The Time, Times, and Half a Time (11:2)
- God’s Two Witnesses (11:3-6)
- The Death and Resurrection of the Two Witnesses (11:7-13)
- The Seventh Trumpet is the Final Judgment. (11:15-19)
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I don’t think the 1260 days are equal to the 42 months. Rather, they depict the development of God’s Word, the Old and New Testament, so this time period takes until its completion, that is the book of Revelation, either when it was written, or when it was accepted as part of the Bible. In the meantime, things started to go astray, so that the Word eventually got ‘killed’. And that took three days and a half, which is indeed a long time, until restoration started.
Perhaps the 1290 and 1335 days of Daniel 12 do align with the time, time and half a time, and the 42 months.
In any case, it is interesting to read your posts on this website.