The End Arrives

(1) Mystery Accomplished

In the next two chapters of Revelation we are given additional events that take place during the same time as the previous events:

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” (Rev. 10:1-7)

The only trumpet yet to sound is the seventh trumpet, and here we learn that the mystery of God is completed just before the seventh trumpet; in other words, the seventh trumpet signals the completion of the mystery of God. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia defines mystery as, “The counsel of God, unknown to man except by revelation, especially concerning His saving works and ultimate purposes in history” (Vol. 4, p. 327). Paul said:

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

Homer Hailey, in Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, says:

In the New Testament the word mystery describes the purpose and plan of God for human redemption. . . . The word does not imply the idea of “the mysterious,” that which cannot be understood by man, but refers to that which can be understood only when the meaning is revealed to the initiated by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets. (p. 114-115)

The seventh trumpet signals the completion of God’s plan to bring his Kingdom to Earth, which brings with it the Day of Judgment for the world and the rule of Christ on Earth. It also brings the end of the Gospel Age and the Rapture. Though God’s wrath has already been visiting Earth in a limited way, it is not until the seventh trumpet that his total wrath will come upon the world. But the seventh trumpet is not sounded here in Rev. 10; the angel is only about to sound. It will actually sound in the second half of Rev. 11. The New English Bible says,

“There shall be no more delay; but when the time comes for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet, the hidden purpose of God will have been fulfilled, as he promised to his servants the prophets.” (NEB)

Revelation 10 continues:

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” (Rev. 10:8-11)

The little scroll is God’s plan to bring in his Kingdom. The events in the scroll, or book, are being completed here in Revelation. Many Christians will be killed just before the Rapture as they proclaim the coming of Messiah with judgment to the world.

(2) Measuring the Temple

The first half of Revelation 11 will take place during the Great Tribulation and bring us up to the seventh trumpet, where Revelation 10 left off.

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” (Rev. 11:1-2)

The first response to this passage is the expectation that the Jewish temple will be rebuilt, but this is symbolism like the seven candles mentioned in chapter one. As such, it does not refer to a literal temple. Barnes Notes on the New Testament says,

Of course, this could not be understood of the literal temple – whether standing or not – for the exact measure of that was sufficiently well known. The word, then, must be used of something which the temple would denote or represent, and this would properly be the church, considered as the abode of God on the earth.

Every occurrence of the word “temple” in Revelation is the Greek word “naos” (3485), and refers to the Holy Place inside the Temple, and is used of “the mystical Body of Christ . . . of a local church . . . of the present body of individual believers” (VED). The physical building of the Temple itself is referred to by the Greek “hieron.”

So this temple is the inner temple, and refers to all Christians, because Christians are now the temple of God. The literal Greek does not say anything about counting the worshipers; merely to measure the worshipers.

And there was given to me a reed like to a rod, and the messenger stood, saying, `Rise, and measure the sanctuary of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it; (Rev 11:1 YLT)

An angel gave me a measuring stick and said: Measure around God’s temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshiping there. (Rev 11:1 CEV)

The measuring of the inner temple, the altar, and the worshipers refers to God judging the hearts, works, and purity of devotion of individual believers to determine who will go in the Rapture. Those found worthy will be numbered among the 144,000. Notice that the outer court has been given to the Gentiles. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary says:

Just as the Jews referred to all other people outside the covenant as “Gentiles,” so there gradually developed a similar Christian usage of the term that saw all peoples who were outside of Christ as ethnos [Gentiles], including unbelieving Jews. (Vol. 2, p. 1176)

Since Christians are among the 144,000, of spiritual Israel, they are not part of the Gentiles mentioned here. The Gentiles here are non-believers. Notice that the Gentiles trample on both the outer court and the holy city, but not the temple. It does not say that an Antichrist or any beast will trample the holy city, but “Gentiles.” The Gentiles are now in charge of the governments and systems of this world.

• The Temple = the hearts of Christians throughout the world.
• Measure the temple, altar, and worshipers = Judging individual Christians to determine who is worthy to take part in the Rapture; same as the numbering of the 144,000.
• The outer court = non-believers. The Holy City = the outward physical world. Just as God considers the whole planet to be his kingdom in Matthew 13, here it is the Holy City.
• Trample for 42 months = the final 42 months of Gentile rule over this world, before Christians takeover. Corresponds to the 42 months of beast rule (Rev.13).

The measuring takes place at the start of the Great Tribulation. The fact that the outer court and the holy city are not measured means that they are not yet judged. The Gentile world will be judged during the tribulation and especially at the end of the tribulation, but not at the start of the tribulation. Judgment will come first upon Christians (1 Peter 4:17).

There might be a physical parallel to the above scenario. Jesus said, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The Jews took control of most of Jerusalem in 1967, but not the Temple mount where a Muslim temple now stands. So the most important site is still controlled by Gentiles. Which means that, if Rev. 11 has any application to this situation, the Gentiles will continue to control the Temple mount to the very end of the Gospel Age and the return of Christ and the Jewish Temple will not be rebuilt. The times of the Gentiles are not fulfilled until Christ returns and ends the rule of anti-god Gentile governments. Revelation 11 now continues.

(3) Two Witnesses:

(The remainder of this chapter is not available online.)