Revelation chapter 11

Verse 1-14: The ministry of the two witnesses.

“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. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”(Rev.11:1-14).

Verse 1 is an earthly scene, and the key to the whole of this chapter. Therefore we shall deal with it a bit extensively and in depth. The revelator is given a reed, a kind of a measuring rod used in the Ancient Near East, about 10ft or 3m long. He is instructed by the supervising angel to measure the temple, the altar and those who worship therein. Right now there is no temple, but certainly before the middle of the 70th seven, there will be one. May be the Beast-antiChrist will permit the Jews to rebuild their temple after the seven year peace treaty between six Arab and Islamic nations and Israel brokered by the antiChrist is signed and ratified. The Jews have already made preparations for the rebuilding of temple. There is also an altar. If there is an altar, there must also be priests who minister at the altar. The Temple Mount Institute in Jerusalem have trained priests, carefully chosen from the house of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi through DNA tests, ready to start ministering at any moment the temple and the altar are ready. The vessels of the ministry have also been prepared. The Sanhedrin has been reconstituted and a Cohen Gadol appointed. The “Para Aduma”(the Red Heifer) has also been found.

These things send jitters to the Arab and Islamic world who frequently accuse Jews of attempting to blow up the al Alqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock in order to rebuild their temple.

How are we sure the Jewish temple must be rebuilt? Primarily because the Scriptures say so, as we have seen here and, secondarily because history supports it. Historically, each period of the kingdom of Israel had a temple. The first kingdom had a temple built by Solomon. This temple was destroyed by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BC. The second kingdom established after the return of the exiles from Babylon beginning in 538 BC, following the proclamation of liberty for the Jews by Cyrus The Great, King of Persia, after his forces overran Babylon: had its temple built by the returning exiles. It was finished about 515 BC. It was extensively and lavishly refurbished by Herod the Great, a puppet of Rome. This temple was destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD, following the Jewish rebellion that began in 66 AD. Because of this concurrence of a particular kingdom period with a temple, the kingdom periods are also referred to as temple periods or simply temples. Therefore there are first and the second temple periods or temples. Each period lasts for years before a temple is built. The third temple period or third temple has already begun since 15th May, 1948 when Israel was declared independent. During the Yom kippur war when Israel was nearly swallowed by its Arab neighbors, the then defence minister of Israel, Moshe Dayan said: “The third Temple is over”. At that time, as at now, there is no temple. He was referring to the third kingdom period which began in 1948 and will end at end of the 70th seven of Daniel’s 70 weeks which corresponds with the death of the two witnesses.

We know certainly there would be a Jewish temple standing on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem at the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel’s prophecy of 70 sevens. How that will come about is the exclusive preserve of the Almighty God of Israel. We may speculate about it, but can never be cocksure how it would happen, until it happens. There are also worshippers. Therefore Jews and Judaism will remain until we enter the last 7 seven years of this age, no matter how hard their enemies try, and how ingenious they become in devising means by which they hope to exterminate the Jews and liquidate Israel. They said, come, let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance(Psalm 83:4). Jews as a peoples group will never be wiped out. That would only be possible if men can change the ordinances of the sun, moon and stars(Jere.33:23-26). And again, I make a full end of other nations where I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee(Jere.30:11). Rather Abba shall punish their enemies for their efforts to exterminate them(Jere.2:3), and the nations for dividing His land which He gave to the descendants of Abraham through Jacob by a covenant of salt(Joel 3:2). “Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.”(Jere.2:3). The God of Israel has served notice to the nations not to meddle with His people and the land He gave them, but they will not hearken.

In verse two, John the revelator is instructed by the angel not to measure the outer court: for it is given to the Gentiles. In old testament times, the gentile proselytes to Judaism had access to the outer court, but they were barred from the inner court or the sanctuary. The priests ministered in the Holy Place. The Holy of Holies is forbidden to everyone else but the High Priest; and that once a year, when he approaches with the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, first for himself, and then for the errors of the people. So, as at other periods of the kingdom, the Gentiles shall have access to the outer court of the third Temple.

“And the Holy City shall they thread under foot forty and two months.” Biblical scholars are agreed that this period corresponds to the second half of the seven years of the 70th week of Daniel alotted to the Beast-antiChrist. During this period, the antiChrist invades Israel in what biblical scholars call the Jerusalem campaign, relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem, takes over the Temple and the city, which he thoroughly desicrates by importing a statue of himself into the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah, The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and demands worship of all mortals, both Jews and Gentiles(2 Thess.2:4). This is not unlike Antiochus Epiphanes who imported a statue of the Olympian Zeus and the Canaanite Baal Shemen, in the image of his burst into the temple, who serves as a prefigure of the Beast-antiChrist. At this time Jews and Gentiles, more so believers who do not take the Mark of The Beast-antiChrist shall be barred from the city under the pain of death. It shall be like in the days of Emperor Hadrian, after He defeated the Jews in the Bar Kochba Revolt(132-136 AD). Jerusalem was ploughed with yokes of oxen, rebuilt and renamed Aelia Capitolina. Jews were barred entry into the city under the penalty of death. For forty and two months, the Gentiles shall have full control of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. If the Gentiles have control of the city of Jerusalem, they certainly have control of the temple.

“But the court which is without the temple, leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the Holy City shall they three under foot forty and two months.”

The studies of Asher Kaufman has shown that the location of the Holy Of Holies of the Jewish temple on Mount Moriah is neither within the Dome of the Rock or al Aqsah mosque, but a few meters away at the Dome of The Tablets. The implication is that the Jews can rebuild their temple without tampering with both Islamic mosques in the vicinity of the temple Mount. Perhaps this is what is meant by the statement: “the court which is without the Tempe leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” The Jews may not regain the outer court. And a full temple may not be rebuilt, but a tabernacle-like structure that can be easily assembled. But the Jews have made preparations for the rebuilding of the temple. Architectural drawings have been made of the temple based on the plan in Ezekiel 40-43. Every necessary material has been procured. More than $100 million have been raised. What is needed now is the permission to build or the political will of the leaders of Israel.

Verse 3: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”

During this period, God Almighty annoits His two witnesses with extraordinary power to bear Him witness. There is a consensus of opinion amongst biblical scholars that the period of the ministry of the two witnesses corresponds to the 1,260 days or 42 months or three and one half years of the second half of the 70th seven. During this period when the antiChrist persecutes Jews, Christians and anyone else who fails to capitulate to his authority, the two witnesses shall bear witness to The God of Heaven that no one should worship the beast or his image or take the number of his name; nor be involved in the humanistic religion of the antichrist, but worship only the God of heaven. Apart from spitting fire on those who attempt to harm them, the ministry of the two witnesses is encapsulated in the three angelic announcements of Rev.14.

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”(Rev.14:6-12).

“These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

Verse 4 calls them the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the whole Earth. What does this mean? The olive tree is the source of olive oil which has various uses and symbolism in the Mideast. The candlestick is the source of light which also has various uses and symbolism also. But suffice it to say that these men are powerfully annoited and are a source of light in a world almost covered by darkness. No one else has the bravado to challenge and poke his fingers into the face of the antiChrist as these two would do, without being executed instanta. Their ministry is right there in Jerusalem, perhaps on The Temple Mount, right under the noses of the Beast-antiChrist and the false prophet and their soldiers and security agents. They are divinely protected, perhaps, with an army of invisible angels about them(Ps.125:1,2). May be God Almighty would be there with them, in person, on Mount Zion(Heb.12:22-24).

Who are these two witnesses. Some say they are Moses and Enoch, and others, Moses and Elijah. One of my fathers in eschatology, Robert van Kampen of blessed memory believed very strongly they are Moses and Elijah brought back to the Earth, which he taught in his book, “The Sign” – which I believe to be the most biblically accurate and comprehensive work so far in the field of eschatology- and he portrayed them so in the novelization of his glorious work, “The Fourth Reich.” The wonderful thing about these three biblical characters and personalities is they never died like other men. Enoch was translated, and he was not found, God took him(Gen.5:22). The Great Apostle Paul, our beloved brother wrote: “by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation, he had this testimony, that he pleased God”(Heb.11:5). Enoch was spared the agony of death. By faith he was translated, because his life and testimonial were pleasing to God.

Of all Old Testament characters and personalities, none is honored, revered, and venerated like Moses. Amongst the rabbis it is said, from Moses to Moses- Moshe Ben Maimon(Maimonides)- there is none like Moses. Moses actually died physically. No one is arguing about that. The Bible made it clear that God buried him(Deut.34:5,6). If he had not died, he would not have been buried. If he had not died, the archangel Michael could not have fought Satan over his body(Jude 1:9). My view is that God buried him in a secret location in order that his body shall not be venerated and become a source of idolatry to Jews in particular and the world in general. Why was Satan interested in his dead body? Obviously he had some use of it, and that would not have been glorious. Elijah was taken by a whirlwind into heaven(2 Chr.2:11). Elijah could not have gone into heaven in his physical body: for flesh and blood doth not inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption(1 Cor.15:50). Besides, no man has gone into heaven except the Son Of Man who came down from heaven; and no man had seen God at any time but the Son who is in the blossom of the Father He has declared Him(Jon.18,32). That was the situation before Jesus rose from the dead. Today, the resurrected OT saints and the NT saints who slept in the Lord are in Heaven.

Of these three personalities, the ministries of the two witnesses match those of Elijah and Moses. However, I personally do not believe they are Moses and Elijah come back to life, for the following reasons:

(1) “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgement”(Heb.9:27).

(2) “Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption”(1 Cor.15:50).

It is obvious that these men could not have gone to heaven in their earthly mortal bodies, awaiting to be brought back to the Earth to bear witness to God in the last days. Had they received glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies when they were taken to heaven, the antiChrist will not be able to kill them at the expiry of their ministry. Or were their disembodied spirits and souls taken to heaven and reintroduced to the Earth in the last days in new mortal bodies? We can begin to see the insurmountable problem this assumption would present. God’s word does not support reincarnation of the saints.

(3) Jesus said: “no man has ascended to heaven, but the son of man who is from heaven”(John 3:13). The implication of this statement, taken at its face value, is that up until the time of Jesus, The Messiah, no man had ascended into heaven. When Jesus rose from the dead, the bodies of departed Old Testament saints arose from their graves and appeared unto many in the city(Matt. 27:51-53). Where were these men before this time? Bible scholars like Tim LeHaye believe and teach that paradise was formerly a part of the underworld of the dead where the Old Testament righteous were kept. And I concur. This part of the underworld of the dead called Paradise or more appropriately its occupants were taken to heaven at the resurrection of Jesus, The Messaiah. No physical body could survive in these two locations, Heaven and the underworld of the dead. Now would God give these two men resurrection bodies? If so the antichrist would not be able to kill them: for resurrection bodies are immortal. Would He give them new mortal bodies? That would contradict His Word: for it is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgement. And that would support reincarnation. And that cannot be allowed to stand. My submission therefore is that these men are ordinary men like you and I who believe in God, and who will be given the anointing and spirit of these men, perhaps a double measure and portion, to do a work similar to and above theirs in the last days. And this is borne out by the fact the Jesus called John the Baptist Elijah, not in the sense that he was Elijah come back to life, but that he was anointed with the power and spirit of Elijah(Matt.17:10-13).

There is a consensus of opinion amongst biblical scholars that John the Baptizer was not Elijah come back to life, though he was the herald of His coming. Before Christ’s first advent, God sent a herald, a man anointed with the anointing and spirit of Elijah: an Elijah but not Elijah in person. This person was John The baptist. Jesus said that Elijah had already come and they did to him whatever they liked. By that the disciples understood Him to mean John the Baptist(Matt.17:10-13). We know, and we have conclusively and unequivocally proven that John the Baptist was not Elijah come back to life. In the same vein, before His second advent, God shall send another herald, not John the Baptist, not Elijah come back to life, but an ordinary believer annoited with the spirit and power of Elijah. This usage is similar to what we see in literature today. If the works of modern writer parallels that of Shakespeare, or George Elliot, we say he is a Shakespeare or a George Elliot. He is neither Shakespeare nor George Elliot come back to life. He is no more Shakespeare nor George Elliot than he is a monkey’s uncle or cousin.

The Characteristics of the ministry of the Two Witnesses.

Verses 5 & 6: “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

In these two verses the characteristics of the ministry of the two witnesses are revealed. Again these characteristics match those of the ministries of Moses and Elijah to a large extent: but there are differences. They are as follows:

(1) Fire:

If any intends to hurt these men, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. This is the manner of death that befalls those who attempt to harm these men. There would not be just a few of these cases, with the location of their ministry right there in Jerusalem, right under the noses of the two beasts, the antiChrist and the False Prophet and their armies and security agents. When God called Moses, it was by fire. The Lord appeared to him in the burning bush(Ex.3:2). He was baptized with fire. His ministry began with the ten plagues in Egypt, and one of the components of the 7th plague was fire from heaven(Ex. 9:24). When the tabernacle was reared up in the wilderness fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. Under the ministry of Moses, the children of Israel were led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar fire by night throughout their wondering in the wilderness( Ex. 40:34-37). At Taberah, when the people of Israel complained, the fire consumed those in the uttermost parts of the camp(Num.11:3).

Elijah’s ministry was also characterized by fire. In the contest with the prophets of Baal, by the words of Elijah, fire came down from heaven and consume the sacrifice(1 Kin.18:38). When Ahaziah King of Israel sent the captains of fifties with their fifties, by the words of Elijah fire came down from heaven and consumed the two captains of fifties with their fifties(2 kin.1:9-12). When Elijah was taken by whirlwind into heaven, there were chariots of fire(2 Kin.2:11).

(2) Drought:

The two witnesses have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the of their prophecy. This phenomenon was evident in the ministry of Elijah. , “Elijah was a man subject to like passion as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit”(Jam.5:17,18; cp. 1Kin.17:1).

(3) Turning Water into Blood:

This miracle was evident in the ministry of Moses(Ex.4:9; 7:20).

(4) Plagues:

Moses commanded the ten plagues on the land of Egypt(Ex.7-11).

(5) Elemental Control:

Both Moses and Elijah controlled the elements as we have seen.

(6) The Span of their ministry:

This is where they differ from both Moses and Elijah. Both Moses and Elijah have longer span of ministries. Moses ministered for 40 years and Elijah probably for a shorter period under the reign of Ahab, King of Israel. The span of the ministry allotted to the two witness is 1,260 days or 42 months or three and one-half years which corresponds with the second half of the 70th Seven Of Daniel, and the time allotted to the antiChrist to reign(Rev.13:5).

(7) Death:

Moses died and was buried by God Himself. No one knows the whereabouts of his grave to this day. Elijah was taken by a whirlwind into heaven. Like Enoch he was spared the pain and agony of death. He was translated.

Verse 7-10: The Death of the Two Witnesses.

“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”

Before the expiry of the allotted time of the two witnesses, no one can hurt them. This clearly shows that everything concerning the servant of God is in His hands. Everything works according to His plans and purpose. When their ministry is over, they are fare game for the antiChrist, the Beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, who makes war against them, overcomes and kills them(v.7). They are killed on the last day of the 70th week or early on the first day of the 30-day reclamation period; the extra 30 days that leads to the 1,290 days spoken of by Daniel the prophet(Dan.12:11). We are not told the way and manner in which they shall be killed. They probably will not be among those who were beheaded for there their witness(Rev.20:4). Verse 8 tells us that their corpses shall lie in the street of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the great city, spiritually referred to, at this time, as at the time Christ, as Sodom and Egypt, because of the blatant idolatry, license, immoralities and debauchery practised by its inhabitants at that time, the majority of whom are Gentiles, with the tacit approval of the antiMessiah, the Emperor Of The Eighth Beast Empire who makes Jerusalem the international capital of His Empire, and converts the Third Temple And Temple Mount to his residence and tactical headquarters. In verse 9, the living wicked earth-dwellers of all races and colours will accede to the public display of their corpses for an indefinite period for all to see. They will not permit them to be buried. This will serve the ego of the Beast who would want all to know how powerful he is, and again to show that he is in control. In the past one would have wondered how the world would view their bodies all at the same time. Today it is no longer a wonder for modern technology has made it practically possible.

In verse 10, the living wicked earth-dwellers rejoice and make merry and exchange gifts in celebration of the demise of the two witnesses whom they see as God’s agents of terror. A good part of their ministry shall lie within the day of the Lord, the period of God’s Wrath which begins with the breaking of the 7th seal(Rev.8:1). Their ministry will end with the expiry of the sixth trumpet which also marks the end of the 70th week.

Verse 11-14: The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses.

“And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”

Verse 11 tells us that three and one-half days after, the two witnesses are killed, precisely on the fourth day into the 30-day Reclamation Period, the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet. Great fear fell upon the men in the vicinity of Jerusalem who saw them. Verse 12: “A voice was heard from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended into heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them.” God interrupts the public display and desecration of their corpses by the antiChrist and his minions which most probably would have gone longer had God not intervened. What a great way of honoring these marvelous servants of God. God exalted these two great servants of His in the presence of their enemies. Besides this visible and open resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven of the two witnesses, God honors them further by wreaking harvoc on their enemies. At that same hour, there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of seven thousand. As result, these living wicked earth-dwellers were frightened and glorified the God of heaven. This kind of worship to God is unacceptable because it is rendered out of fear not reverential awe. In verse 14, the second woe occurs. This follows the 6th trumpet which occurs shortly before the end of the the 70th seven but before the 7th trumpet which occurs a few days into the 30-day Reclamation Period of the kingdom.

Verse 15-18:The Seventh Trumpet: God Almighty Reclaims His Rule Over The Earth.

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”(Rev.11:15-18).

Verse 15: This is a heavenly scene. The trumpet is blown by the seventh angel; “and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become(the kingdoms) of God and of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” The power of the Beast-antiChrist to act is over, having been paralyzed at the breaking of the 6th seal judgement, his allotted time of 42 months or three and one-half years is complete at the end of the 70th week. The allotted time of three and one-half years of the two witnesses is over, and their ministry of the same span is complete. They have been killed on last day of the 70th week or the first day of the 30-day Reclamation Period of the kingdom. Three and one-half days later, precisely on the 4th day of the 30-day reclamation period, they were resurrected to life and taken to Heaven by The Spirit of God. Most probably on the 5th or 6th day of the 30-day reclamation period, the 7th trumpet is blown by the seventh angel. This is interesting because it is full of political intrigues. As we have said, this is a heavenly scene but has ripples both in heavens and on Earth.

God gave Adam authority to rule the Earth as his heavenly representive in the earthly realm of His universal kingdom for six days or better still, six millennia. The 7th day or better still, the 7th millennium would be the Shabbat of the Lord. In other words Daddy would take over his kingdom at the expiry of the 6th millennium. But Adam sold out to the devil. Satan became the god of the age. The transaction was legal and binding because Adam had the legal right to do that, but he did not have the moral right. The usurpation by Satan of the authority granted Adam by God Almighty shall expire as the expiration of God’s lease to Adam. This is what happens here. As soon as the 7th trumpet is blown, there were voices in heaven, the voices of men and of angels, saying: “The kingdoms of this World are become of God and of His Christ….” In the previous quotation of this verse I deliberately put the second kingdoms of in brackets. In the second quotation, I deliberately omitted it altogether. This is because it does not exist in the original Greek. This is why it rendered in italics in the KJV. In the World ruled by the devil, there are kingdoms, but God has only one kingdom. The Earth is one realm of that kingdom. When God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth, the kingdoms of this World or better still this Age will become the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.

This is like the formation of a government in exile to fight and take over a nation whose people have been defeated, scattered and taken over by a foreign power. Once the government in exile is formed, the foreign power knows it has a big problem because the enemy can now better co-ordinate itself. Once this happens, the citizens of the oppressed nation will rejoice, but there will be confusion, anger and recklessness by the foreign government. When the government in exile gains a foothold in its own land and reestablishes itself in it, the foreign oppressor becomes jittery and takes reckless action, but there is joy amongst the citizens of the oppressed nation. This is exactly what happens here as we shall see in the following verses. These kingdoms shall be in place when God Almighty reclaims His rule of the Earth. This is exactly what the Scriptures say in the book of Daniel: “And in the days of these kings shall God Almighty set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever…..”(Dan. 2:44,45).

The Reaction in Heaven.

In verses 16 & 17, the 24 elders who sat upon their seats in God’s Throne Room in heaven, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, “saying We give thee thanks, oh Lord God Almighty, who art, and was, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” The reference to Lord God Almighty here is to Jesus, the second person of the Godhead, because he is the one who is, and was, and is to come. God the Father will never rule the Earth directly, because He is a spirit being and possesses no physical body. He will always administer the Earth through an earthly representative, an Adam.

“The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from the Heavens.”(1 Cor.15:47).

When The Father regains His rule over the Earth, He hands it over to His earthly representative, an Adam, The Second Man, the son of man from the heavens. Or even more appropriately, The Second Man reclaims rule over the Earth in the behalf of God. Therefore Jesus must be here on Earth, on Mount Zion to reclaim God’s rule over the Earth.

The Reaction on Earth.

In verse 18, the nations react angrily: “because thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou should give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, small and great; and shoulder destroy those who destroy the earth.” Here on Earth, at that time, besides the Eighth And final Beast Empire consisting of ten nation confederation, there will be other nations and kings like the kings of the north, east and south. These other kings are not allies of the Beast-antiChrist. As a matter of fact, they oppose him at the end of time(Dan.11:40-45). But when God Almighty regains His rule of the Earth, they become very angry against God. They put away their differences and unite to fight against God. This is a marriage of convenience in order to defeat what they perceived to be a common enemy. They do not want God to retake physical possession of the Earth through His representative. They know that would spell doom for them, because God would judge them for corrupting the Earth, and would reward His servants, the prophets and the saints.

To continue with our analogy, when the oppressed nation defeats its oppressor and regains its freedom and independence, the government shall punish the citizens of the oppressor and its collaborators amongst its own citizens, but shall reward its own citizens who had fought gallantly against the oppressor. This is exactly what happens here. When God Almighty regains His rule over the Earth, Jesus returns to Heaven, the prophets and the saints are rewarded at Bema Seat judgement, and the marriage of the Lamb to His bride, the raptured saints are held in Heaven. Here on Earth, the Beast-antiChrist, and the nations, though battered and paralyzed by the sixth seal, the trumpet and the bowl judgments are allowed of God to gather their forces for the final showdown on Earth, 25 days later, at the battle of Armageddon.

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

In verse 19, the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the Ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. The temple of God was opened in Heaven and the Ark of His covenant with Israel was displayed. This has ripple effects on Earth where there are lightnings and thunderings, voices and earthquake and great hail. This is like the display of power by a superpower, in a military parade, which is about to go to war to defeat its enemies. Here, God Almighty serves notice to the nations of the Earth that He is about to wipe them out at Armageddon and take over physical possession of the Earth. In ancient Israel, when the nation is right with God, the appearance of the Ark of the God of Israel in battle meant utter defeat and annihilation of the enemies of Israel. The display of the Ark of God in the heavenly Temple spells doom and utter defeat to the kings and kingdoms of the Earth.

Avraham Shallom.