Friends and Bible Study Group of Divine Timing, welcome to Revelation chapter 11. This is David Brooks, and I’m sincerely glad you’re here.

Today’s study is absolutely critical. We’re going to see the two witnesses appear for the first time in Revelation. We’re going to see Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles. And we’re going to see something that absolutely blew my mind—the REAL Ark of the Covenant in heaven!

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THE MEASURING ROD & THE TRAMPLED CITY

Verse 1: “Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship in it.'”

John is told to measure the temple. But then verse 2 drops a bombshell: “But leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles; and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”

Forty-two months. Three and a half years.

Now here’s what I want you to notice. This looks like the Daniel 9:27 modification of the Abraham Accords. Jerusalem divided—which is what makes God angry. Joel chapter 3 tells us that God is furious when His land is divided and His city is trampled.

And that’s exactly what’s happening. The Gentiles are trampling the holy city.

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THE TWO WITNESSES: WAITING IN THE WINGS?

But then verse 3: “And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.”

Twelve hundred and sixty days. That’s the same forty-two months. The same three and a half years.

This is the first appearance of the two witnesses in Revelation. And I often wonder… could they have been placed here now, waiting in the wings for their moment? Just like the man of sin is waiting?

Also, regarding the identity of these two men—theoretically, it’s not super important, but people often guess who they are. Could it be Elijah and Enoch? Or Elijah and Moses? The two who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus?

Here’s another clue. Verse 4: “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth.”

That’s a direct reference to Zechariah chapter 4, verses 11 through 14. When the angel explains the vision, he reveals that the two olive trees represent “the two anointed ones” who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.

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FIRE FROM THEIR MOUTH: THE POWER OF THE WITNESSES

And look at their power in verses 5 and 6: If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. They have power to shut up the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophesying. They have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague.

Does that sound familiar? Elijah shut up the heavens so it didn’t rain for three and a half years. Moses turned water into blood and struck Egypt with plagues.

These two witnesses are going to torment those who dwell on the earth for three and a half years.

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THE BEAST KILLS THEM… BUT GOD RAISES THEM

But then verse 7: “When they have finished their testimony and given their evidence, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will wage war with them, and overcome them and kill them.”

The beast—the Antichrist—will kill them. Their dead bodies will lie exposed in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Jerusalem.

And those from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice. They’ll send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented them.

But then… verse 11. This is where it gets absolutely incredible.

“But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear and panic fell on those who were watching them.”

They come back to life! And after three and a half days, they hear a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they ascended into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.

And in that very 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 overcome with terror, and they glorified the God of heaven.

The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

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THE SEVENTH TRUMPET: THE KINGDOM COMES

Then verse 15: “Then the seventh angel sounded; 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 will reign forever and ever.'”

The twenty-four elders fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged.”

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WOW BROTHER: THE REAL ARK IN HEAVEN!

And then… verse 19. This is the verse that absolutely blew my mind.

“And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning, loud rumblings and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.”

We see the human temple at the beginning of chapter 11. John is told to measure it. But then in verse 19, we see the REAL THING in heaven!

Look at this—the Ark! The REAL Ark of the Covenant in heaven! Not the one Moses made. That was just a copy. A shadow.

But the REAL thing—the actual Ark of God’s covenant—is in heaven!

So amazing.

The earthly temple is being trampled by the Gentiles. Jerusalem is divided. But the true temple in heaven is opened, and the real Ark is revealed.

God’s covenant was never lost. It was never broken. It’s been safely preserved in heaven this whole time.

⚡ YOUR 5-MINUTE ACTIVATION: PREPARE FOR THE WITNESSES

The two witnesses are coming. The seventh trumpet is about to sound. Take 5 minutes to prepare your heart for what’s coming.