Verse 1: John is given a reed like a rod, and the same angel as in chapter 10 bade him to measure the temple and them that worship therein. This is NOT the same temple that Jesus stood in when He was on the earth. This is the future Temple that will be built, and into which the ani-christ shall enter.

Thinking about this, I thought, "Lord, why would you want John to measure the Temple?" Answer: Because that's when they are building it. You measure something when you build it. In John's day it's construction was in the FUTURE. But it is going to be built (or completed) during the time span in which the angel begins to sound. It's part of the Mystery of God. The angel bade John to measure it. Why would he measure the Temple after it's already built? Measurement is involved in building, isn't it? I thought "dear Lord!"

It's almost scary to me sometimes. I never read that in before, or understood it like that. I just read, 'measure the temple.' I now believe that the Lord is telling us in prophetic terms the season when the Temple is going to be built!

Today, the Palestinians want Jerusalem and the Temple Mount for themselves. They WILL again occupy the City, but they are going to get more than they want! Surely, they don't know what the are bargaining for! Per the Scripture the Gentiles (Palestinians?) are going to get control of at least part of the City for 42 months. But that will be timed at about when that Jewish Temple is built. Jerusalem will become more of a 'prize' when that Temple is built!

To me, the building of the Temple must be in the FIRST 42 months of the Great Tribulation, because the Tribulation only lasts 84 months. Apparently in the first 3.5 years, the Temple is either begun or completed. The angel told John that the City would be trodden under foot for forty two months. That means their possession of the City will be during the last half of the Great Tribulation. It will be vain for the Palestinians to declare Jerusalem the Capital of their State, until God permits it to come.

Since the Book of the Revelation is going to be prominent, it will become a means for people on the earth to know what's coming. Hallelujah! God is never going to leave Himself without a witness among mankind. It will still be just as much God's will for people to be saved then, as it was before. But people's hearts will be so hard, that many of them will REFUSE. Therefore, I believe that the angel's statement to John in Revelation 10:11, means that John is going to prophesy before people via the Book of The Revelation, especially when those things occur.

The Book of Revelation will become prominent, headline news, to the world! They will have a hard time misunderstanding it when it starts happening! It won't be a so called 'closed book' any more. It will he so open, they will wish they couldn't see it! Remember that the book in the angel's hand was OPEN, 10:2.

Understand that the Jews want the Temple because they have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah. They want to worship God according to the Old Testament. Therefore, they will have no part in the Rapture of the Church.

When the tribulation begins, the Book of Revelation will become an 'open book' because earth dwellers will see it's prophecies come to pass in very rapid succession. During the Revelation of Christ to the world, He is going to come quickly, and the things written in this prophecy shall shortly be done, during their appointed times, as noted in chapter 1:1 and 3.

The Great Tribulation will run it's course exactly as God has foretold it. How are they going to argue with it? They can't, but they will just get more hard hearted. Still, end time events will converge so as to cause multitudes of people to get saved.

Verse 3: The Two Witnesses shall prophesy 1,260 days (42 months of 30 day months) clothed in sackcloth. Their time will be unto them a time of great mourning. They are individual men, but they are so closely associated with the Scripture that there is no possibility of them being wrong.

They are not part of the 144, 000, sealed in chapter seven. The word Witness (#3144 in Strong's Concordance) is the Greek word, Martus, which means witness. Literally, it means 'one who remembers, one who has information, or knowledge, or joint knowledge of anything, hence one who can give information, bring to light, or confirm anything.' Those Witnesses will know what's written, because they will have the Book of the Revelation.

God revealed the Book to John, who gave it to the Churches, and it has been preserved for some twenty centuries by Gentile believers, because the Jews WOULD NOT RECEIVE THE CHRIST IT REVEALS UNTIL THE TIME SHALL COME! God want's it known, and the Two Witnesses shall have it. They will give it especially to the Jews of that time, but the world will also learn of it through them. They will broadcast the Book to the whole world, doubtless via modern technology. Planet earth, and they who dwell on it, shall hear it!

When they begin their work, they prophesy and proclaim the Word of God, right out of the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Jews, those who compose the House of Israel, will hear it, and they will get the information they need to reject the beast's claims that he is God. Therefore, they shall NOT be deceived.

At that time, if out understanding is correct, the Rapture of the Church shall have already occurred. People on the earth shall have witnessed the disappearance of millions of people. That is going to impact the remainder of people on the earth! (Especially the IRS!)

There will be such signal events that earth dwellers can't ignore them. Therefore, the world will not be ignorant. God is not just going to 'dump' things on people; they will have living, positive proof of His judgment. God shall work great and marvelous signs, but the beast and the false prophet shall try to counter them with lying signs! 1 Thessalonians 2:9-10.

Most of the world will believe false signs, but the House of Israel, the Remnant, will believe those Two Witnesses, and others will too, else there would be no martyrs by the beast as is noted in Revelation 20:4. In that light, I can understand how there could be a great multitude of ethnic peoples saved during the Great Tribulation.

Could one of those men be the Apostle John, because of chapter 10:11? There is the argument that it couldn't be John or Moses because they have already died, and it is appointed once to men to die. But in the Bible there are several people who died physically TWICE! How about Lazarus? How about the daughter of Jairus? How about the Shunamite's son in the Old Testament? They certainly died twice. As we study, search, and meditate, the Holy Spirit will lead us right into the Truth, if we will let Him. At this time, I don't dare assert that one of the Witnesses IS John.

Verse 4: The angel told John that the two Witnesses are the two olive trees , and the two candle stick that stand before the God of the earth. He identified them in that form. If we could understand who the Olive Trees and the Candle Sticks are, we could know who they are, though perhaps not their personal names.

We read about SEVEN candle sticks in Revelation 1:7. It is exactly the same word in Revelation 11:4. Notice #3087 in Strong's Concordance. The word candle stick is luknia, and it means lamp stand, literally or figuratively. But these 'lamp stands' are not Churches because the Churches are more than one or two individuals.

The Two Witnesses have remembrance, and they can give information. Their ministry shines like a candle stick, or like a lamp. That is probably their simile as lamps. Verse 5: fire proceeds out of their mouths against any one who would hurt them. If any one makes an attempt on the, the MUST be KILLED in this manner: they will die by fire from the Witnesses mouths.

Why would any one want to hurt them? Because through the use of the Scripture they shall turn people to Christ! The devil wants to be worshipped, and they shall frustrate his claims made through the beast. This is supposed to be his time, per 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, yet people shall get saved right 'under his nose'!

You have never seen anybody so frustrated as the devil shall be during the Tribulation. True, the Bible says that he shall be given power over all nations. But note that as many as would NOT worship him shall be killed. Chapter 13:15. Therefore, not every one is going to worship him, praise the Lord! Not every one is going to co-operate with him. He is going to be desperately frustrated, praise the Lord!

He shall seek to get worship, but he shall be hindered by wars, and he can't get 'any thing done'. He can't even stop the Two Witnesses until the time comes, which God controls. Ha!, Ha!, praise the Lord! For any one else in that situation, one could feel sorry for them, but not him Ha!, Ha!, Ha!

At that time in the Tribulation, the waters and rivers shall have already been turned to blood. Now the Two Witnesses shut heaven so that it can't even rain. That shall be a BAD situation. The Scriptures said that God gave them BLOOD to drink! He does that because they have shed the blood of prophets and saints. that, at least in part, fulfills Jesus' promise that God will avenge His Elect speedily. We're studying about it right now. Due to drought, fire danger shall become high, crops shall fail, and thirst shall become paramount. Many things happen during a drought: this one can last as long as three and one half years, just as it did in the prophet Elijah's time.

Verse 6 says that the Two Witnesses have power to turn water into blood. If the previous turning of waters to blood before had been permanent, what water would these Two Witnesses have to turn into blood? It appears then that the Two Witnesses do it again! First the angel did it in chapter 8:8, and now the Two Witnesses do it.

Why does God send these two men, when the angels had been exerting judgment in chapters 8-10? Because they are one of the Woes noted in chapter 8:13! They, themselves, are a form of God's judgment! They are righteous men, and they are moved to execute God's judgment as often as THEY wish.

Verse 7: When they finish their testimony, the beast is going to kill them. He can't until God permits it, but at last he shall. This verse of Scripture shall inform them that the beast is coming, and that he will kill them. They cannot kill the beast by burning him, as they have their other attackers.

Verse 8: The dead bodies of the Two Witnesses lie unburied for 3.5 days in the street of what is called spiritually, Sodom and Egypt. I.e., Jerusalem. Why? Because their contemporaries are abominable and rebellious. The Jews have often been rebellious against God.

We can be glad that in God's mercy He remembers His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He keeps Covenant for ever, even to a thousand generations. Thus, He extends repentance and salvation to the Jews who turn to Him. He would do the same for the Gentiles at that time, if they too, repented. But they WON'T!

So the world shall rejoice over the Two dead Witnesses and shall send gifts to one another in celebration of their death. Talk about Christmas! They think they are done with them. NOOO! The Two Witnesses tormented the nations, and most of the nations will be glad when they are dead. They won't even allow their bodies to be buried. The Witnesses shall be a spectacle to the whole world, no doubt through satellite television. The world shall enjoy taunting them, and exulting over their dead bodies. Those people are in for a shock!

Verse 10: How did they torment them? First of all, they told them the Truth.Wicked people are often tormented by God's Truth. They also have a witness from God. They tell them what's coming. They smite the earth with plagues, shut heaven, and turn water to blood. Verse 11: Three and one half days after they shall die, the Spirit of God shall enter into them and they shall stand up on their feet. Great fear shall fall upon the world. Every body shall be able to see them and hear the voice that bids them to come up to heaven. The merriment shall be over! Note that this is one of the five resurrections that can be seen in the Book of the Revelation.

It is so uncommon for a dead body to get up, that by that event God is going to shock the world. One might think the people would 'get the message.' But they shall become so hard hearted that they will think they can actually take on Jesus Christ Himself, in Revelation 19:11-21. To me, that is a stunning thought.

Verses 16-17: The 24 Elders commend God because He at last has taken to Him His great power and has reigned. This is when "Adam's Lease" runs out. How many people have wondered how long is God going to let things go on as they are, in sorrow, pain and distress? He will until Adam's Lease runs out, and it runs out right here.

From the end of the Great Tribulation onward, it won't be sinful man's kingdom any more. There will never be another alien kingdom on this planet, because the kingdoms of this world shall have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. That means the medical kingdom. That means the financial kingdom. That means the political kingdom. That means all kinds of things that people have reigned over: they are going to become God's kingdoms.

Aren't you glad for 1 Thessalonians 5:9 which says that God has not appointed us to wrath? Be advised that the Great Tribulation time is a time of wrath, but thank God, we are not appointed unto wrath.

The prophecy of the Apostle John, at least in the form of the Book of The Revelation, and of the Two Witnesses, is going to inform the world, whether they want to know or not. They will be compelled to recognize Divine Judgment and wrath, and they will get so shook up that they will have to give God glory. They still will not repent; instead their hearts get harder.

May I suggest a scenario about the rebuilding of the Temple? What one thing do the Jews want most? What if someone made a deal with the Moslems in order to get at least half of Jerusalem as the Palestinian Capital, by letting the Jews rebuild their Temple? I'm sure the Jews would snap it up! In that way, the Genius would avoid a Moslem war when the Jews rebuild the Temple.

They ARE going to rebuild it, in some way. Would not the anti-christ gain world wide recognition for his genius if he did that? Would not the Jews be happy if they could do that? Wouldn't the world say: "Ah, peace and safety at last"? But that is the trigger of the wrath that is to come, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

Per Daniel 9:24 a prince is going to confirm a covenant with Israel, and then break it after 3.5 years. That's exactly the time of the Two Witnesses, and mid Tribulation. The Man of Sin, the beast, will be willing for the Jews to build the Temple, because he intends to go into it and declare himself to be god. The Two Witnesses will have alerted the Jewish community, and they will reject him, and then calamity break out.

The Moslems will go along with that Man of Sin, because they are already part of his kingdom. He, by flatteries, will persuade the Moslems to let the Jews build their Temple, and probably will placate them by leaving the mosque where it is. The Jews get their Temple, the Moslems get to leave their mosque there, and they get Jerusalem as their capital. What could they ask for more than that? Every body's happy: aren't they? Not quite! If that happens, the world is in trouble.

One may ask: "Why do the Moslems want Jerusalem? I know that Jesus walked there, but the Moslems don't want it for that reason. They don't believe that He is the Divine Son of God. Jerusalem isn't even their most holy shrine. How come they want it? Because GOD ALMIGHTY is going to gather all nations against it, that's why!

At that time, Luke 21:36 shall be especially important for the Remnant of the House of Israel. There the Lord Jesus said to watch, and to pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, and to stand before the Son of Man. The Jews in those days will be hard pressed just to survive what they shall endure. The time that Jesus comes will seem to them an unlikely time for it. During those days, the devil is going to dreadfully persecute them! But Jesus said that in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man comes.

He's not talking about the Church: we get caught up in the clouds to meet Him! In that sense we can pray that we may escape and to stand before Him. But the people on earth are going to see Him coming in the clouds. It will be marvelous to the Jews on earth to be able to stand before Him at that time, instead of being in terror and mourning as shall every one else.

Wherefore, I say, DON'T FORGET, oh, Jews, the Two Witnesses no doubt shall tell you what is coming. Believe them, and according to the Lord Jesus, pray that your flight may not be in the winter neither on the Sabbath, Matthew 24:20.

People say, we've always had earthquakes and wars etc. That is true, but not like it will be in the times of the Great Tribulation. There will be other things with the earthquakes that will amplify the events. People will have a hard time missing that it is God causing those events. He is going to get their attention.

Notice again in 11:3: God will give power unto His Two Witnesses and they shall prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sack cloth. As far as we know the prophetic canon is complete at the end of the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is true that in the Body of Christ, the Gift of Prophecy and the office of a prophet are yet functioning, but no one is writing "new" Scripture.

Therefore, I do not suppose that the Two Witnesses will be prophesying "New Scripture." I suggest that they will prophesy what is already in Scripture. Their ministry seems to be a special Prophetic Office. It is somewhat distinct from what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11. For instance Prophets since then have not slain people with the words of their mouth. Fire doesn't come out of their mouth and slay their enemies. But that will happen in the ministry of the Two Witnesses. Therefore, I conclude that theirs will be a special manifestation of the Prophetic Office.

There seems to be much surmising about these two men. Many have speculated (I have too) that these must be two men that have not died yet. The Old Testament shows that neither the Prophets Elijah nor Enoch died. It nearly seems a requirement that one of them must be Elijah, in order to fulfill Malachi 4:5. If the other one MUST be a man who hasn't died yet, and it isn't Enoch, we have no firm idea as to who he is.

Some insist that they have to be men that have not died yet, because of Hebrews 9:27, which says that it is appointed unto men once to die. That Scripture is true, but the Bible states that many are going to die a Second Death, Revelation 20:12-15. Therefore, I think that we need not insist that those men must be Elijah and Enoch simply because they have not yet died.

Verse 4: The Two cannot be the Old and New Testaments, because neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament have mouths out of which fire proceeds, as is said of these Two. In addition, I'm sure that the Old Testament or the New Testament shall not lay in the street for three and one half days and then ascend to heaven. The details of the Scripture inhibit such misapprehension. No, they are two men.

They are going to bring WOE to the world in their ministry. Thus far, the world has never seen God execute the extent of judgment that He shall during the Great Tribulation time. People have taunted God for millennia, but at last their taunts will turn upon themselves. God will be glorified as God, whether they are willing or not. When God does this, sinners are not going to be happy.

It seems to me that God, in the ministry of the Two Witnesses, still seeks to gain the attention of mankind, before the ultimate wrath falls. We noted in chapter 9:21 that people did not repent. One would think they would have, after suffering five months from the locusts, desiring to die, but couldn't. They shall be compelled to realize that the events in the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the work of God.

The chapter mentions nothing of warfare or of human resistance, because those events are supernatural, and people shall have no means of defense against them. Mankind has never known a time when they COULDN'T die if they wanted to. But in chapter 9:6 they CAN NOT DIE! Talk about absolutes! There is another absolute that I want to relate to you; something that I have realized with sudden shock: "People that go to hell CANNOT COMMIT SUICIDE TO GET OUT OF HELL!"

When the world sees the Two Witnesses rise from the dead and ascend to heaven, they are going to be so awestruck that they will give glory to God, chapter 11:11. They won't turn away from their sins, but they will glorify God. According to Romans 1:28 people can become so hardened in their sins that God gives them over to a reprobate mind. These chapters in Revelation 6-19 seems to give us a picture of what that's to be like.

Remember also that in Revelation 8:11 there was a half hour of silence before the beginning of the trumpet Judgments. One thing is certain, God is a merciful, long-suffering God, NOT willing that any should perish. God does not rejoice when the worst fiend goes to hell. He is not glad when the wicked person gets what's due him.

God laid the sins of the whole world on Jesus, and Jesus paid the debt. Therefore, ANYBODY can obtain mercy from God if they will believe Him and receive it. But there comes a time, in God's time, when He must deal with sinners.

Verse 18: The Elders say that the nations were angry, and that God's wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that reward should be given to them that serve God and fear His Name, small and great, and to destroy them that destroy the earth.

Verse 19: Then John says that the temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of His Covenant was seen. Also, that there were lightenings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake and great hail. The ark was a place of mercy towards mankind. God bade Moses to make the ark that He gave the Children of Israel, according to the pattern of this ark. The ark in the wilderness with Israel was a place of propitiation and of mercy.

So here in verse 19, mercy is laid bare in heaven via the exposed ark. Later, God is going to pour out His wrath without mercy! The ministry of the Two Witnesses begins at about mid-Tribulation and lasts until near the end of it, a total of 1,260 days. Therefore, there shall have been about 3.5 years of tribulation prior to their appearance.

Calamitous things shall begin to happen shortly after Jesus takes the Church off the earth, and begins opening the Seven Seals, as noted in chapter six. Therefore, we should see that God, from that time, metes out stronger and stronger acts of judgment during the first 3.5 years. For example, chapter 8 notes that His judgments only affected one third of the trees, not all of them. There appears to be a division point in the Tribulation, and what we might think is severe in the first 3.5 years, is going to become MUCH MORE severe in the last 3.5 years.

The reason that we count the Tribulation time to be seven years is due to what is written in Daniel 9:24. Seventy Weeks are determined upon the Jews. Those weeks are weeks of seven years. I.e., each 'week' is seven years long, not merely seven days as is common to our calendar weeks.

The Root of Jesse, as mentioned in Isaiah 11, is Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is going to be a sign to the House of Israel. They are to be gathered, obviously after the Diaspora. Since 1948 the Jews have been re-gathering to the National Land of Israel. Also, we know that the Lord has not yet destroyed the tongue of the Egyptian sea, so we know that this prophecy is Isaiah 11:10-16 has not all been fulfilled. God is yet going to bring the House of Israel to a National recognition and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

The Book of the Revelation shows God bringing the whole Age to a conclusion. That's why the earthquakes and other signs are more significant during the tribulation time than they have been previously. In the Revelation the earthquakes are expressions of Divine judgment. Earthquakes today seem to mean only geological activity.

In Jeremiah 30:6-7 God said that there shall not be a day like the time of Jacob's Trouble. That means the time when He is dealing with Israel to bring them to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said the same thing of the Great Tribulation time. It is to be a time of trouble such as has never been, and never shall be hereafter, thank God. Michael, the archangel also said the same things in Daniel 12:1.

When is God going to raise up David? During the millennial reign of Christ, David is going to reign under Christ, over the Nation of Israel. The Twelve Apostles will reign over the Twelve Tribes of Israel, under David, under Christ.