The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11 drops us into the middle of intense prophetic action. Trumpets are sounding. Judgment is unfolding. The nations are restless. And right in the middle of all of it, God does something that feels rather personal. He measures. He appoints witnesses. He protects His purposes. And He makes it unmistakably clear that He isn't finished with this world, with Israel, or with His plan of redemption.

In this passage, there are numbers, symbols, judgments, and deaths. But beneath all of that is a very hopeful message. God knows what belongs to Him. God speaks even when the world refuses to listen. And God always vindicates His truth.

Measured by God, Known as His Own (Revelation 11:1–2)

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months." (Revelation 11:1-2)

John is told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there." In Scripture, measuring is often connected to ownership, protection, and intention. God isn’t measuring to inspect flaws. He’s measuring to mark what belongs to Him.

This reminds us of Ezekiel 40–42, where a heavenly figure carefully measures a future temple. It also reminds us of Zechariah 2:1–5, where Jerusalem is measured because God intends to dwell in her midst and be a wall of fire around her. Measurement isn’t about exclusion alone. It’s about preservation.

I believe this temple is best understood as a literal, future temple in Jerusalem that will exist during the Tribulation period. God’s covenant purposes with Israel haven’t been abandoned. Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Even in a time of judgment, God is still working out His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

At the same time, there’s a comforting truth here for us. God knows who belongs to Him. In seasons when the world feels hostile to faith, when truth feels trampled, and when obedience feels costly, God hasn’t lost track of His people. You aren't overlooked. You’re measured, known, and seen.

Jesus echoed this reassurance when He said, “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14). The measuring rod in Revelation points forward to the Good Shepherd who already knows every sheep by name.

A Limited Season of Opposition (Revelation 11:2)

The outer court is given over to the nations for forty-two months. That important to note, but not in a cold or academic way. Please notice what we're shown here. Evil is allowed, but it's limited. God places a boundary on rebellion.

Forty-two months, or three and a half years, corresponds to the second half of the Tribulation, often called the Great Tribulation. Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:7, and Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 all point to this same period of intense distress. It’s severe, but it isn’t endless.

That’s encouraging for weary hearts. When darkness feels loud, it’s tempting to believe it’s permanent. Scripture keeps reminding us it isn’t. God has set the clock. He isn't improvising. He’s executing a plan that leads toward restoration and the reign of Christ.

God Sends His Witnesses (Revelation 11:3–6)

"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 "These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire."  (Revelation 11:3-6)

God appoints two witnesses who prophesy for 1,260 days. They are clothed in sackcloth, a sign of mourning and repentance. Their message isn’t light or popular. It’s urgent, confrontational, and merciful all at once.

These witnesses are described as “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (v. 4). That language comes directly from Zechariah 4, where Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor are empowered by God’s Spirit to accomplish His work. The message there was clear. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

There has been much debate about the identity of these witnesses. Many believe they are Moses and Elijah, based on the miracles described. Fire consuming enemies reminds us of Elijah in 2 Kings 1. Turning water into blood and striking the earth with plagues reminds us of Moses in Exodus 7–11. 

Others suggest Enoch and Elijah, since neither experienced death in the Old Testament and Scripture tells us in Hebrews 9 that it's "appointed for man to die once." Genesis 5 tells us that Enoch walked with God and God "took him."  2 Kings 2 tells us that Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Maybe these two men were taken up to heaven in order to be reserved for this later time. I honestly think that might be the case, but Scripture doesn’t explicitly name the two witnesses that are spoken of in Revelation 11, so humility with our guesses is honestly the best response. What matters most is the role these men will fulfill.

We're told that they speak God’s truth in a world that hates it. They’re protected until their mission is complete. No one can silence them until God allows it.

That’s both sobering and encouraging. Sobering because rejection of truth has consequences. Encouraging because obedience is never wasted. Jesus said something similar to His disciples in Luke 21:18–19, when He promised that not a hair of their heads would perish apart from God’s will.

Faithfulness, not popularity, is what God honors.

The World Celebrates Silence (Revelation 11:7–10)

"And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth."  (Revelation 11:7-10)

When the witnesses finish their testimony, the beast is permitted to kill them. This is the first mention of the beast in Revelation.  Later in the book, it will be explained to us that the beast is the Antichrist, a real, future individual who will rise to global political power during the Tribulation. When we get to chapter 13, we'll be discussing him more fully.

The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the street of Jerusalem, symbolically called Sodom and Egypt. The world rejoices. People exchange gifts. Celebration breaks out because truth has been silenced.

This scene is unsettling because it feels familiar. There’s something in the human heart that resents repentance and resists accountability. Jesus warned that the world would hate His followers just as it hated Him (John 15:18–20). What happens to the witnesses is an extension of what happened at the cross.

From a human perspective, this looks like defeat. God’s messengers are dead. God’s word appears to be mocked. But Scripture keeps teaching us that what initially looks like defeat is often the doorway to God’s greatest victories.

Never forget that the cross looked like failure, but the resurrection proved otherwise.

God Has the Final Word (Revelation 11:11–12)

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.  (Revelation 11:11-12) 

After three and a half days, the breath of life from God enters the witnesses. They stand on their feet. Fear falls on those who see them. Then they hear a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here!” And they ascend in a cloud.

This moment is fascinating and worth thinking about for a moment. It’s a public vindication. God doesn’t quietly fix what the world celebrates breaking. He reverses it in full view.

The phrase “breath of life” takes us back to Genesis 2:7, when God breathed life into Adam. It also reminds us of Ezekiel 37, where dry bones live again by the Spirit of God. Resurrection has always been God’s signature move.

This moment points us unmistakably to Jesus. Revelation 1 already introduced Him as “the living one” who died and is alive forevermore. The resurrection of the witnesses is a preview of the greater resurrection hope that has been secured by Christ.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:20 that Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Because He lives, death never gets the final word. All those who are united to Jesus by faith will experience the blessing of resurrection from death.

A Warning That Still Leaves Room for Mercy (Revelation 11:13–14)

"And at 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.

14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come." (Revelation 11:13-14)

A great earthquake follows. A tenth of the city falls. Seven thousand people are killed. And then we’re told something surprising. “The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven” (v. 13).

Even here, in judgment, God is still drawing people to repentance. That’s His heart. He doesn’t delight in destruction. Ezekiel 33:11 reminds us that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that they turn and live.

This moment shows us that even in the Tribulation, even after severe warnings, God’s mercy is still active. The gospel is never sidelined. Judgment and grace run alongside each other until the very end.

Living Faithfully While We Wait for the King

Revelation 11 doesn’t just tell us what will happen. It should influence how we live right now.

We live as people who belong to God, measured and known by Him. We speak truth even when it’s costly, trusting that God determines the outcome. We don’t mistake temporary silence for permanent defeat. And we cling to resurrection hope when obedience feels heavy.

Most of all, we fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the true and faithful witness. He was killed in the city that rejected Him. He rose in power. He ascended in glory. And He’s coming again to reign.

The witnesses remind us that God still speaks. The resurrection reminds us that God still saves. And the gospel reminds us that no matter how dark the moment feels, the story is moving toward the triumph of Christ.

So don’t lose heart. Don’t measure success by applause. And don’t assume God is absent just because the world looks loud and unrepentant.

God is still measuring. He’s still witnessing. And He’s still bringing all things under the rule of His Son, Jesus Christ.

© John Stange, 2026