Question 1

What does it mean that John is told to measure the temple and the worshipers?

Accepted Answer

John is given a reed and told to measure the temple, the altar, and those who worship there. This picture shows God knowing, marking off, and caring for His true church. The measuring is like testing by a standard. It raises the question: Is this worship shaped by God’s way or by human ideas? The people in the inner temple are those who truly belong to God. They are known, protected in a deeper way, and called to worship Him in truth, not just by outward form.

Question 2

Why is the outer court left out and given to the Gentiles?

Accepted Answer

John is told not to measure the outer court because it is given to the Gentiles, who will trample the holy city for forty-two months. This shows that what is only outward and empty in religion is not counted as God’s true temple. It also pictures a time when what should be holy is treated with contempt. Faithful readers have seen the Gentiles here as people who corrupt worship and oppress the church. God allows this for a set time, but it does not cancel His care for His real people.

Question 3

Who are the two witnesses, and why are they clothed in sackcloth?

Accepted Answer

The two witnesses are called olive trees and lampstands before the Lord of the earth, which links them with God’s people who bear His light. Many understand them as faithful preachers and churches God raises up through history to speak against false worship and sin. They wear sackcloth because their message is serious and sorrowful. They grieve over the state of the church and the world. Their power to shut heaven, bring plagues, and breathe fire shows that God backs their words, even when they seem weak.

Question 4

What is the meaning of the beast killing the two witnesses and their bodies lying in the great city?

Accepted Answer

The beast from the bottomless pit making war on the witnesses shows a fierce, evil power that hates God’s truth. It seems to win for a time by killing them. Their bodies lie in the street of the great city, called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where the Lord was crucified. This points to a place of corruption, bondage, and rejection of God, even while it claims something holy. The world celebrates their silence, but only for three and a half days, which hints that this triumph of evil is short and limited.

Question 5

Why do the two witnesses rise after three and a half days and ascend to heaven?

Accepted Answer

After three and a half days, the spirit of life from God enters the witnesses, they stand on their feet, and fear falls on those watching. Then a loud voice calls them up, and they go to heaven in a cloud as their enemies look on. This shows that God does not leave His faithful servants in defeat. Even when it seems their work is dead, God can restore and honor it. Their rising and going up picture God’s approval, His power over death, and the sure hope that faithfulness to Him is never wasted.

Question 6

What happens when the seventh angel sounds the trumpet?

Accepted Answer

When the seventh angel sounds, loud voices in heaven say that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of the Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever. The twenty-four elders fall on their faces, thank God, and praise Him for taking His great power and reigning. This trumpet points to the time when Christ’s rule is openly seen, the nations’ anger meets God’s wrath, the dead are judged, God’s servants are rewarded, and those who ruin the earth are destroyed. It gathers up hope, warning, and worship all at once.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s judgment and reward?

Accepted Answer

The voices in heaven speak of a time when the dead are judged, God’s servants the prophets are rewarded, along with the saints and all who fear His name, both small and great. At the same time, those who destroy the earth are themselves destroyed. This shows that God sees both faithfulness and rebellion. No one is overlooked, whether known or unknown on earth. In the end, harm done to God’s creation and His people is not ignored. God’s judgment is not random; it is a fair settling of all accounts.

Question 8

Why is the temple of God opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant seen?

Accepted Answer

At the end of the vision, God’s temple in heaven is opened and the ark of His covenant is seen inside. The ark in Scripture pictured God’s presence and His promises to His people. Seeing it in heaven shows that God’s promises still stand and are brought to their full end. It reminds us that all of this comes from God’s faithfulness to His word. The lightnings, voices, thunder, earthquake, and hail that follow show His holy power. Mercy and judgment appear together: a faithful God, and a holy God who will act.

Question 9

How can believers today apply the picture of the two witnesses and the measured temple?

Accepted Answer

This vision encourages believers to care more about being part of God’s true inner temple than about outward religious labels. It calls churches and Christians to test their worship and teaching by God’s word. The two witnesses show that speaking God’s truth can bring rejection, but God gives strength and guards the final outcome. Even when faithful voices are pushed aside, God can raise them up again. So this passage invites you to stay steady, speak truth with humility, and trust that Christ’s kingdom will, in the end, be seen by all.

Revelation 11:1

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The Two Witnesses

The Witnesses Killed and Raised

The Seventh Trumpet

The Two Witnesses

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Revelation 11:1

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

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The Two Witnesses

The Witnesses Killed and Raised

The Seventh Trumpet

The Two Witnesses

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