Revelation 11:1-10

v1 At least one of the purposes of “measuring the temple” is to ensure that it is the same as the Temple of God in Heaven from v19. This is a symbolic exchange where John is asked to check if the ordinances and temple are being correctly performed, or used.
v2 “the Holy City” Jerusalem “shall they” the Gentiles “tread under foot” occupy forty and two months
I don’t know anything about the number 42 so I turned this into years and got 3.5 or 3 1/2 years. 3 1/2 is exactly half of 7 which number represents perfection, completeness, wholeness. I take this to mean that the Gentiles will occupy Jerusalem for an imperfect, or incomplete time.
v3 These 2 “witnesses” prophesy for 1280 days again I change the time to months and years to see a symbolic meaning and I get 3 1/2 years. Shocking so during the occupation by the gentiles there will be 2 “witness prophets”. I think that witness implies specifically that they have seen or witnessed the resurrected Christ as did Peter, James, John, and Paul.
v4 2 new symbols are introduced for the witnesses. Candlesticks and olive trees. In the temple the candle sticks (minorah’s) were placed to the left of the Holy Place as one entered. It was the only light in the Temple. The Olive tree has always represented the Tree of Life that God caused to be guarded so that Adam and Eve couldn’t eat of it after eating of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Both great symbols for these new and modern prophets.
v5-6 They fight as did the prophets of old, using the power of God, plagues, fire, water to blood, famine. This powerful display will surely be noticed by many in the holy city and elsewhere.
v7-8 Ultimately the fate of the 2 great prophets is death at the hand of the Beast (Satan). They will be left to rot in the street of the great city Jerusalem. Notice it isn’t called the holy city now but spiritually Sodom and Egypt. This is an attack that Jerusalem is now wicked along with the Gentiles that have overrun it.
v9 The dead bodies stay there 3 1/2 days and no one puts them in graves but they are left out as a mockery of their power.
v10 The people of the time will “rejoice over them and make merry, and shall send gifts on to another” because of the joy they have that they are not bothered by these prophets. Interesting how the righteous love commandments, and the chance to be more dedicated, devoted and to worship more perfectly, and the wicked are tormented by the words of true prophets. How glorious it would be to be led by a Witness of the Lord Jesus, A Prophet like ancient Israel was. This would be a time of deep sadness for those still faithful to the Lord, their prophets just slain and people rejoicing thier death.

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Tagged as: Book of Revelation