Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Revelation Chapter 11 mean?

This chapter introduces two prophets referred to as the “two witnesses.” Their message, supernatural power, death, and resurrection are dramatic moments in the story of the end times. Their influence precedes the end of the trumpet judgments, and sets the stage for the final series: the seven “bowl” judgments.

John is first given a measuring device and told to measure the temple, altar, and worshippers. Measuring, in that era, was symbolic of ownership. Only those who had rights to something—land, a building, or people—were allowed to measure them. As part of this task, John is told that the outer court of the temple is not to be measured. This area, occupied by “the nations,” which is a term for Gentiles, is part of a “trampling” experienced by Jerusalem in the end times (Revelation 11:1–2).

God next introduces two un-identified “witnesses” who stand in Jerusalem and proclaim Him. Obviously, at this time, that message will not be well-received. However, the men are supernaturally protected. Everyone who tries to hurt them is obliterated by fire from the witnesses’ own mouths. These men are also able to bring various plagues on earth, such as drought (Revelation 11:3–6).

Finally, these two men will be murdered by “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit.” Most interpreters believe this is the same “beast” described in Revelation chapter 13, also referred to as the Antichrist. To the unbelieving world, this will seem like a major victory—their leader will have defeated those claiming to speak for God. The world will be so overjoyed at this triumph that they will celebrate and exchange gifts, while leaving the bodies to rot in the streets. Thanks to modern technology, it’s entirely possible that people across the entire world can see these events happen in real time (Revelation 11:7–10).

After three and a half days, however, the joy of the world will turn into shock and horror. God will resurrect the two witnesses in full view of the world. Announced by a voice, and carried by a cloud, they will be taken into heaven. At the same time, a massive earthquake will strike Jerusalem, destroying a tenth of the city and killing seven thousand. Those who survive will not honor God deliberately, but their fearful reactions will demonstrate His glory (Revelation 11:11–13).

Earlier, those reading Revelation were warned about certain “woes” yet to come. The first and second of these were the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, respectively. These were far worse than the terrible trumpet judgments that came before. The third woe will be inaugurated with the seventh trumpet. Just as the seven trumpet judgments were all part of the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet will contain individual events, know as the “bowl judgments.” In the meantime, as the seventh trumpet sounds, heaven praises God for His righteous judgment on evil (Revelation 11:14–19).

The next few chapters will discuss seven major figures in the end times, including the Antichrist and the false prophet. Chapter 16 will resume the sequence of judgments and begin bringing the book of Revelation to a close.

Chapter Context
The eleventh chapter of Revelation provides information about an event that transpires between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets. It involves two powerful witnesses that God raises up in the middle of the tribulation. These two witnesses minister throughout the second half of the tribulation. They are martyred, but God raises them up and lifts them to heaven. Concurrent with their ascension a mighty earthquake destroys one tenth of Jerusalem and kills seven thousand people. This is the second woe. The first woe is described in chapter 9 as an invading army of locusts.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. 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,

This verse tells how John received a measuring rod and a command to measure God’s temple, the altar, and the worshipers. This temple is not in heaven, because the following verse says it will be occupied by the Gentiles. Obviously, the Gentiles cannot take over the temple in heaven.

The temple mentioned in verse 1 appears to be one rebuilt after the rapture. Apparently, during a period of peace at the beginning of the tribulation, the Jews will construct the temple and resume sacrifices on the altar. First Thessalonians 5:3 implies that some level of earthly peace is present when the rapture occurs, and Revelation 6:4 describes the rider on a red horse as taking peace from the earth after the rapture. When the temple is rebuilt, Jews will assemble there for worship, perhaps anticipating the Messiah’s arrival. Zechariah 1:16 predicts, “Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”

In Scripture, measurement is often assigned the symbolic meaning of ownership. God’s command to measure these items implies His right to do so.

Chapter Summary
This chapter continues the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. John received a measuring rod and was told to measure the temple, the altar, and the worshipers. However, he was told not to measure the court outside the temple, because the Gentiles would overrun it for three and a half years. During that time, two divinely authorized witnesses would prophesy. They would have power to summon fire from heaven and to strike the earth with plagues. At the end of their testimony the beast from the pit will kill them and leave their bodies in a street in Jerusalem. But, three and a half days later, God will resurrect their bodies and draw them up to heaven. At that time a powerful earthquake will level a tenth of Jerusalem and kill seven thousand people. When the seventh trumpet sounds, loud voices in heaven proclaim Jesus as the possessor of the world’s kingdoms, and the twenty-four elders praise Jesus as the Lord God Almighty who will begin to reign. He will judge the dead but reward His servants. The chapter ends with the opening of the temple in heaven.

Verse 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.

First Thessalonians 5:3 implies that there will be peace, of some notable kind, at the time of the rapture. Revelation 6:4 suggests that the rider on a red horse takes peace from the earth. The prior verse mentions a temple, and this verse suggests its outer court is occupied by “the nations.” This phrase—”the nations”—is used in reference to the Gentiles, or the non-Jewish peoples of the world. Therefore, this temple is an earthly structure, most likely built during this phase of peace early in the end-times sequence.

Resumption of sacrifices at the temple will continue during the first half of the period called Daniel’s 70th week. However, in the middle of the tribulation, the head of the Revived Roman Empire, the first beast of Revelation 13, will stop the sacrifices (Daniel 9:27). Because the temple’s outer court and Jerusalem will be under Gentile control for forty-two months, the second half of the tribulation, John was commanded not to measure it.

According to common interpretation, this seems to be the expected sequence of events: At the commencement of the seven-year tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week, Israel will form a military alliance with the Revived Roman Empire and receive assurance that the Empire will provide protection against aggression from the North—most likely Russia. However, in the middle of the tribulation, the first beast (Revelation 13:1), the head of the Revived Roman Empire, will break the treaty. Then, the false prophet in Israel will regain that protection by placing a statue of the first beast in the holy of holies, thereby reintroducing idolatry to Israel.

Verse 3. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Throughout history, regardless of how dark and evil the times are, God has His witnesses. Noah was His witness in pre-flood days. Abraham was His witness in Canaan centuries before the Hebrews occupied Canaan. Joseph was His witness in pagan Egypt. Gideon and other judges were His witnesses in the times of the judges, when “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals” (Judges 2:11). Elijah stood for the Lord in the days of wicked Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Daniel was God’s faithful witness in Babylon.

A faithful minority has continued to witness for God from then until now, and in the tribulation the sealed 144,000 saved Jews from the tribes of Israel will witness for God and lead many souls to Jesus (Revelation 7:1–10). Revelation 11:3 introduces us to two more witnesses. Under divine authority, these two faithful witnesses will prophesy for 1,260 days, the second half of the tribulation. The following verses describe an awe-inspiring sequence of events meant to prove God’s involvement in their message.

Context Summary
Revelation 11:3–14 follows on the heels of a brief assertion that the Gentiles will possess the temple’s outer court and trample Jerusalem for forty-two months. We learn also that God will authorize two witnesses to prophesy during those forty-two months. Here we gain information about the two witnesses’ ministry, what happens to them, and God’s immediate response. The passage ends by alerting us to the fact that the second woe has ended, but the third woe is coming soon.

Verse 4. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Prior verses indicated that these two witnesses would prophesy for 1,260 days. The witnesses are referred to here as the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. The reference is appropriate. The Old Testament prophet Zechariah received a vision of a gold lampstand and two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand. The lampstand had a bowl and lamps into which the olive trees poured oil.

Olive oil was used in Bible times as fuel for lamps. The angel who gave the vision told Zechariah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6), and he identified the lampstands as “the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:14). Jesus told a parable about ten virgins. Five of them were wise; they took flasks of oil with their lamps. The other five were foolish; they took no oil for their lamps (Matthew 25:1–4). One can see the oil in Matthew 25 as the Holy Spirit, and the 2 olive trees in Zechariah as the witnesses of Revelation. Based on that, God’s two witnesses during the second half of the tribulation will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to shine God’s light into a dark world.

Verse 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.

In this verse we read about the remarkable power the two witnesses possess. No foe can stand against them. We learn that fire issues from their mouth and destroys anyone who dares to harm them.

This judgment is reminiscent of what happened when the king of Samaria sent three groups of fifty soldiers to the prophet Elijah. In each situation Elijah called down fire on the fifty soldiers and their captain (2 Kings 1:9–14). Perhaps Jesus’ disciples James and John recalled Elijah’s fiery response to the king of Samaria’s soldiers when a village of Samaria refused to receive Jesus. They asked, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus responded to their question by rebuking them (Luke 9:55). The tribulation, however, is a period of retribution for those who adamantly oppose the Lord. Those who endeavor to harm the two witnesses are “doomed to be killed” (Revelation 11:5).

Verse 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.

There has been much speculation about the identity of the two witnesses. The most popular choices are Elijah and Moses, but some Bible teachers suggest Enoch may be one of the two. They base this opinion on the fact that “it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). Because Enoch did not die (Genesis 5:24), they believe he must die at a future time. Elijah also did not die, but was taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1–12).

The identification of the two witnesses as Elijah and Moses is based on the witnesses’ power to withhold rain from the earth, which Elijah did when he was a prophet in Israel (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17), and to smite the earth with plagues, which Moses did when he told Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from bondage (Exodus 7:14—12:29). It was also Elijah and Moses who were present at Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8). Jewish tradition believed Moses and Elijah would return in the future (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; Malachi 4:5), but these Old Testament references were also fulfilled by Jesus and John the Baptist. Another consideration is that Moses and Elijah are the human representatives of the Law and the Prophets, both of which bear witness to God.

Of course, the two witnesses could be entirely different people. In the final analysis, it is not necessary to know exactly who the two witnesses are. What matters, in this context, is what they do.

The witnesses’ sackcloth demonstrates their mourning over Israel’s backslidden condition. This is a common symbol, especially in the Old Testament, of regret and sadness (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; Jonah 3:5).

Verse 7. 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,

Up to this point, the two witnesses have been invincible—everyone who attacks them is killed (Revelation 11:5), and they can send plagues (Revelation 11:6). Still, according to this verse, the two witnesses become the victims of a demonic force from the bottomless pit. It is important to note that they did not meet death until they “finished their testimony.” It has been said that the servant of God will live until his or her appointed work is done. So the two witnesses cannot die until they have completed their ministry of prophesying for 1,260 days. This follows Revelation’s theme that everything which happens is according to God’s timeline, and by His permission.

The beast that ascends from the bottomless pit is likely the first beast of Revelation 13. He is sometimes called the Antichrist or the Roman prince or the head of the Revived Roman Empire. Other references to this evil person, whose origin may be traced to the bottomless pit, are Revelation 14:9, 14:11; 15:2; 16:2; 17:3, 13; 19:20; and 20:10. Empowered by Satan, the beast from the bottomless pit wages war against the two witnesses, conquers them, and kills them.

Verse 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.

According to this passage, the two witnesses have encountered great opposition. Those who tried to kill them, at first, were consumed by flames (Revelation 11:5). They administered plagues on the earth and caused droughts and other disasters (Revelation 11:6). All of this happens while they are prophesying on God’s behalf, bringing a message which the world does not want to hear.

For all that, it’s not surprising that when these men are finally killed, they do not receive a decent burial. Instead, their bodies are left in a street like animal carcasses. Like so many prophets before them, the two witnesses experience martyrdom. Jesus indicted Jerusalem for killing the prophets and stoning those who were sent to it (Matthew 23:37). The street is in “the great city” that some expositors identify as Rome or Babylon. However, the context argues for its being Jerusalem. Verses 1 and 2 refer to the temple, the altar, the outer court, and worshipers, all of which point to Jerusalem. Further, verse 8 indicates the great city is where our Lord was crucified. Jesus died on a cross outside Jerusalem, not Rome or Babylon. John tells us that the great city symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt. In the tribulation Jerusalem will be morally corrupt like Sodom and its residents will be in bondage to the beast that controls the economy and their lives (see Revelation 13:16–17).

Verse 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,

At times in the past, people doubted some of the incidents depicted in Revelation, claiming that there was no way for the “entire world” to literally see something as it happened. Today, through the media of television and hand-held devices, people can follow events around the globe in real time. It is not hard to believe, therefore, that for three and a half days, at least some people from virtually all tribes and languages and nations will gaze at the dead bodies of the two witnesses.

Their morbid delight at viewing the dead bodies is matched only by their wicked refusal to grant the bodies of the two witnesses burial in a tomb. The people demonstrate by their despicable delight in the death of the two witnesses that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). When Jesus hung on the cross and would soon die, “the rulers scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One’” (Luke 23:35). The soldiers also mocked Him. However, both Jesus’ adversaries and the two witnesses’ adversaries would soon learn that evil cannot triumph over good.

Verse 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.

Merriment. Hilarity. Relief. These are the kinds of emotions unbelievers worldwide experience when they see the dead bodies of God’s two witnesses lying in the street. They “rejoice over them and make merry.” The sinful world is so happy to see these men murdered that they exchange gifts! Widespread celebrations break out around the world.

Why such rejoicing? The unbelievers rejoice because the two witnesses had tormented them; that is, they had been severely offended by the preaching of the two witnesses, and angered by their supernatural powers (Revelation 11:5–6). Darkness cannot tolerate light! Now the tribulation unbelievers celebrate that they are rid of the two witnesses. Something similar occurred when Jesus, the Light of the world, came into the world. John 3:19 declares, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” Ultimately, the lovers of darkness demonstrated their hatred of Jesus by nailing Him to a cross.

Verse 11. 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.

In contrast to the glee felt when the two witnesses are killed, there comes a rude awakening: terror and dread, and one would assume surprise, shock, and dismay. These emotions will wash over unbelievers just three and a half days after the beast kills the two witnesses. Just as God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s lifeless body after creating him, so God breathes into the lifeless bodies of His two witnesses, and they stand up.

It’s important to remember that the world is watching these bodies rot in the streets, celebrating their deaths. One can imagine shock waves circling the globe as media viewers see the dead bodies become alive. This verse makes an expected observation: “great fear fell on those who saw them.” Their resurrection prefigures the resurrection of righteous Old Testament saints at Christ’s return to earth.

In Ezekiel 37, Ezekiel expressed what he saw and heard regarding this end-time resurrection. In a valley full of bones, he saw dry bones, but heard the Lord say, “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5). Daniel, too, prophesied about the resurrection of Old Testament saints after the tribulation. He wrote: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” (Daniel 12:2).

Verse 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.

Those who witness the resurrection of the two witnesses also hear a loud voice. The voice commands the witnesses to come up to heaven. Then the witnesses ascend to heaven in a cloud as their enemies look on. We may assume some of those who watch the ascent will have seen astronauts pass through earth’s atmosphere in spacecraft. However, the witnesses’ ascent into heaven involves a cloud—it will be unlike anything they’ve seen before.

Unlike the rapture of the church, the “rapture” of the two witnesses is a public event. Their dead bodies have been shown around the world as unbelievers celebrate their deaths (Revelation 11:7–10). Perhaps the cloud in which the witnesses ascend is the shekinah glory cloud that settled over the tabernacle and guided the Hebrews by day across the Negev (Exodus 40:34–38). Also, it may have been the cloud that received Jesus into heaven while His disciples looked on (Acts 1:9). By killing the two witnesses and letting their bodies lie in a street, unbelievers worldwide thought they had triumphed over them, but God shows who the real victors are by raising them up all the way to heaven.

Verse 13. 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.

In a display of His power and judgment God shakes Jerusalem with a devastating earthquake when He raptures His two witnesses. He never lets sin go unchecked. Sometimes He prolongs judgment, but at other times He judges sin immediately. In the case of the unbelievers’ foul treatment of His witnesses and their subsequent celebration of the heinous crime, God’s judgment falls immediately. The earthquake levels one tenth of Jerusalem and snuffs out the lives of seven thousand people. We should recall that an earthquake rattled Jerusalem when Jesus died at Calvary. Matthew 27:51 tells us “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”

According to this verse, panic grips the survivors of the earthquake that occurs when God raptures His two witnesses. The survivors are said to ascribe glory to God. This does not mean those people worship or honor God. They recognize His power, but they are not said to repent. Whether individuals do or not, such a response is so limited that it’s not worth mentioning. The world will respond in awe, and fear—giving glory to God by their reaction—but without any deliberate sense of honoring Him.

Verse 14. The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

This verse recalls the past and anticipates the future. It announces that the second woe has passed and the third woe is coming. The first woe was introduced by the sound of the fifth trumpet that brought the plague of invading locusts (Revelation 9:1–12). The second woe was introduced by the blast of the sixth trumpet. It involved the release of four fallen angels to kill a third of mankind (Revelation 9:13–21).

The blowing of the seventh trumpet introduces events that occur until Christ executes final judgment on the unbelievers of all ages. Just as the seventh seal judgment was, in fact, the trumpet judgments, so too is the seventh trumpet judgment composed of the “bowl judgments.” Seven bowls of the wrath of God will be poured out on the earth (Revelation 16:1). These judgments begin with the affliction of painful sores on the people who bear the mark of the beast and worship his image (Revelation 16:2). The judgments end with the fall of Babylon (Revelation 16:19). God will avenge his faithful people and usher in the kingdom of His Son.

The verses following this passage describe seven major figures of the end times, and Revelation does not resume its direct narrative until chapter 16.

Verse 15. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, 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 shall reign forever and ever.”

When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, spontaneous worship breaks out in heaven. Loud voices proclaim the good news that the kingdom of the world is now the kingdom of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Although Jesus does not return to earth at this time or establish His kingdom on earth at this time, both events are anticipated and will take place at the end of the tribulation when Jesus comes to earth in glory, defeats His enemies, and casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:11–21).

Christians anticipate the rapture but also Christ’s earthly kingdom. When He rules the world, there will be no more crime, warfare, corruption, poverty, injustice, or blasphemy. Nor will despots be in the kingdom. Jesus will be king over all the earth, and He will reign during the millennium, and forever and ever after it, with peace, justice, and righteousness (Isaiah 9:7). While the millennial kingdom will have some level of dissent (Revelation 20:7–10), the new heaven and new earth will be entirely redeemed (Revelation 21:22–27).

Verse 16. And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,

This verse tells us how the twenty-four elders who sit on thrones in front of God respond to the declaration that Christ will reign forever and ever. But first we need to identify the twenty-four elders. Some believe they represent all believers throughout history. Others believe they are the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel plus the twelve apostles. Still others believe they are all the redeemed of the church age.

It is impossible to identify these persons with absolute certainty. All we know is they are victors and humble worshipers of God. They acknowledge God as the supreme and holy ruler by falling on their faces and worshiping him. These are the same twenty-four elders we read about in Revelation 4 and 5. In Revelation 4:10 they “fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.,” and in 5:14 they “fell down and worshiped.” If the twenty-four elders do represent all believers throughout history or all believers of the church age, their act of worship previews one aspect of the Christian’s life in heaven.

Verse 17. saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,who is and who was,for you have taken your great powerand begun to reign.

The twenty-four elders express their worship by giving thanks to the Lord and by acknowledging that He is Almighty and eternal. Our concept of God affects our worship. If we see Him as the giver of every good gift and every perfect gift, as James saw Him (James 1:17), we will understand better how much we owe to His grace and kindness. As a result, we will render heartfelt thanks to Him. If we see Him as almighty, we will recognize that nothing is too hard for Him (Genesis 18:14), and we will submit ourselves, our needs, our challenges, and every trial to Him. If we see Him as eternal, we will recognize that we can look forward to spending eternity with Him. This prospect instills thanksgiving in our heart.

Once again, we need to understand that Revelation does not present events in strict chronological order. The twenty-four elders say the Lord has taken His great power and begun to reign. His reign begins when He returns to earth.

Verse 18. The nations raged,but your wrath came,and the time for the dead to be judged,and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,and those who fear your name,both small and great,and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

The twenty-four elders continue their worship by recalling how the nations raged, but God’s wrath came. This part of their praise reads like Psalm 2. The psalmists asked, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:1–3). However, the Lord laughs at the nations’ plot and will “terrify them in his fury” (Psalm 2:4–5). The elders’ worship anticipates the event described in Revelation 19, in which Jesus returns from heaven and utterly destroys His foes.

The elders’ words of worship also anticipate Jesus’ rewarding of His servants. Jesus promised in Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming soon, bring my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” The destroyers of the earth, as Revelation 11:18 indicates, will be repaid at that time with destruction.

Verse 19. Then God ‘s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

John reports in this verse that the temple in heaven opened, and he saw the ark of the covenant in the temple. In Old Testament times the ark symbolized God’s presence. It contained the tablets of the law, an urn of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded (Hebrews 9:4). The ark disappeared during the Exile, but it never lost its significance. The appearance of the ark in heaven indicates that’s God’s presence and protection continue for His people. Wars and earthly calamities cannot destroy the ark’s significance. Similarly, no power on earth can rob believers of the presence and protection of their Lord. Hebrews 13:5 holds Jesus’ promise: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Because of His promise, the writer of Hebrews writes in verse 6: “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

At the end of the trumpet judgments, powerful phenomena accompanied what John heard and saw in heaven. These same phenomena occurred at the end of the seal judgments (Revelation 8:5). It seems all nature gave its “amen” to what God was doing.

End of Chapter 11.

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