- Home
- Bible
- Revelation
- Chapter 11
- Verse 11
Revelation 11:7
Verse
Context
The Witnesses Killed and Raised
6These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.7When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.
Sermons
Robert B. Thompson
Stephen Kaung
David Servant
Joseph John Gurney 
Reggie KellySummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit - This may be what is called antichrist; some power that is opposed to genuine Christianity. But what or whence, except from the bottomless pit, i.e., under the influence and appointment of the devil, we cannot tell; nor do we know by what name this power or being should be called. The conjectures concerning the two witnesses and the beast have been sufficiently multiplied. If the whole passage, as some think, refer to the persecution raised by the Jews against the Christians, then some Jewish power or person is the beast from the bottomless pit. If it refer to the early ages of Christianity, then the beast may be one of the persecuting heathen emperors. If it refer to a later age of Christianity, then the beast may be the papal power, and the Albigenses and Waldenses the two witnesses, which were nearly extinguished by the horrible persecutions raised up against them by the Church of Rome. Whatever may be here intended, the earth has not yet covered their blood.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
finished their testimony--The same verb is used of Paul's ending his ministry by a violent death. the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit--Greek, "the wild beast . . . the abyss." This beast was not mentioned before, yet he is introduced as "the beast," because he had already been described by Daniel (Dan 7:3, Dan 7:11), and he is fully so in the subsequent part of the Apocalypse, namely, Rev 13:1; Rev 17:8. Thus, John at once appropriates the Old Testament prophecies; and also, viewing his whole subject at a glance, mentions as familiar things (though not yet so to the reader) objects to be described hereafter by himself. It is a proof of the unity that pervades all Scripture. make war against them--alluding to Dan 7:21, where the same is said of the little horn that sprang up among the ten horns on the fourth beast.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And when they shall have finished their testimony,.... For Christ, his truths and ordinances; when they are about to finish it, and almost concluded it, even towards the close of the 1260 days or years, in which they must prophesy in sackcloth: or else their testimony and their prophesying may be considered as two distinct things, and the one be finished before the other; their open public testimony, as witnesses, so as to be heard, attended to, and received, will be finished before the last war of the beast against them, in which they will be killed; but their prophesying will continue to the end of the beast's reign, these two being contemporary, of equal date, beginning and ending together; for they will prophesy when they are dead; being dead they will yet speak, and their very death will be a prophesying or foretelling that the ruin of antichrist is at hand; and upon their resurrection and ascension, that will immediately come on. But when their testimony is finished, by a free and open publication of the Gospel, the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit; the same with that in Rev 13:11, with which compare Rev 17:8; and which is no other than the Romish antichrist; called a beast for his filthiness and cruelty; and said to ascend out of the bottomless pit, out of hell, because his coming is after the working of Satan: he is raised up, influenced, and supported by him; he is a creature of his, and has his power, seat, and authority from him, the great dragon, the old serpent, called the devil and Satan; his original and rise are the same with those of his doctrine and worship, the smoke of the bottomless pit; they all come out of it, and they will return thither again. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, read, "the fourth beast that ascendeth", &c. as if it was the same with Daniel's fourth beast, Dan 7:7, as it doubtless is. Now this filthy and savage beast shall make war against them; the witnesses; a war he has been making against the saints ever since he was in power, by his decrees, his counsels, his anathemas, and by sword, fire, and faggot, Rev 13:7; but this will be his last war, and it will be a dreadful one; it will be the last struggle of the beast; and though it will be attended with the conquest and slaughter of the witnesses, yet it will lead on to, and issue in his own ruin; this is "the hour of temptation", in Rev 3:10; and shall overcome them; not by arguments taken out of the word of God, by which their mouths will be stopped, so as to be confounded, and have nothing to say, or so as to yield to him, and give up the truths and ordinances of the Gospel; but by outward force and tyranny, so as that they shall be obliged to give way, and he will take possession of the kingdoms and nations in which they have prophesied: he will first attack the outward court, the bulk of formal professors, and will prevail over them; and then, the outworks being taken, he will more easily come at the inner court worshippers within the temple. And kill them; not corporeally, but civilly; for as their dead bodies lying three days and a half, that is, three years and a half, unburied, and their resurrection from the dead, and ascension to heaven, cannot be understood literally, so neither the killing of them; not but that in this war there may be a great slaughter, and much blood shed, in a literal sense: but the killing spoken of seems to regard them, not as men, but as witnesses; they will not be suffered to bear an open testimony any longer; they will be silenced; they will be banished, or removed into corners; and they will not only be under the censures, excommunications, and anathemas of the Romish antichrist, but they will lose all credit and esteem among those, who once pretended to be their friends; who will be ashamed of them, and will join in reproaching and rejecting them; so that their ministrations will be quite shut up, and at an end.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
11:7-8 When the witnesses finish their testimony, the scene changes dramatically. The beast (cp. 13:1) is introduced for the first time; it is associated with the bottomless pit. Like all enemies of God, the beast engages in war against God’s witnesses, and he kills them.
Revelation 11:7
The Witnesses Killed and Raised
6These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.7When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
A Trained People
By Robert B. Thompson1.8K1:18:00PSA 105:111CO 14:3HEB 4:12REV 11:7In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of studying the two witnesses in the book of Revelation to understand what God wants in his church and what constitutes true revival. The preacher emphasizes the need for personal transformation and growth in the word of God, highlighting that there should be a continual process of change in the lives of believers. The preacher also emphasizes that God works with a handful of people, often starting with just one person, to bring about great changes. The sermon also highlights the key verse of Revelation 10:9, which is seen as crucial to understanding the message of the two witnesses. Additionally, the preacher discusses the shift from the gospel of the kingdom to the gospel of heaven and emphasizes the importance of preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the whole world.
The 1st Vision: The Testimony of Jesus
By Stephen Kaung1.1K1:06:04TestimonyREV 1:1REV 1:9REV 6:9REV 11:7REV 12:17REV 19:10REV 20:4In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of the testimony of Jesus Christ as revealed in the book of Revelation. The speaker highlights that it is God's pleasure and duty to reveal his Son to us through the Holy Spirit. However, the speaker also points out that many people receive little of this revelation due to their lack of faithfulness. The theme of the book of Revelation is not just about future events, but rather the spirit of prophecy and the testimony of Jesus.
Day 249, Revelation 11
By David Servant0REV 11:2REV 11:7REV 11:12REV 11:18David Servant delves into the mysterious prophecies in Revelation 11, discussing the significance of the final days of Jerusalem being trodden underfoot by nations for three-and-a-half years, the appearance of the two witnesses who prophesy for the same duration, and the powerful yet fruitless ministry they carry out. Despite their eventual demise at the hands of the antichrist, their resurrection and ascension to heaven will shock the world, followed by an earthquake in Jerusalem. The events lead to the sounding of the seventh trumpet, signaling God's imminent judgment and reign over the earth.
The Papal and Hierarchial System - Part 2
By Joseph John Gurney02TH 2:31JN 2:181JN 4:3REV 11:7REV 17:3REV 19:19Joseph John Gurney preaches on the topic of Antichrist, the man of sin, as described in the Bible. The term 'antichrist' is shown to have a general application, representing a spirit among men that rebels against the dominion of the Son of God, invents false doctrine, and corrupts good manners. The apostles warn about the presence of deceivers and antichrists who deny the Father and the Son, spreading false teachings and leading people astray. The Scriptures provide a detailed account of the rise and characteristics of the man of sin, who exalts himself above God, deceives with signs and wonders, and persecutes the saints, culminating in a final battle against the Lord and his faithful followers.
The Mystery of Iniquity
By Reggie Kelly0GEN 3:15ISA 28:15DAN 8:25DAN 9:25JHN 3:34COL 1:192TH 2:71TI 3:16REV 10:7REV 11:7Reggie Kelly delves into the profound mysteries of Genesis 3:15, connecting it to the comprehensive plan of God revealed in the Bible, particularly focusing on the two seeds representing the lines of men leading to redemption. He explores the nature of Satan in fallen man versus the nature of God in His saints, culminating in the personal incarnations of the two princes in Daniel. Reggie discusses the revelation of the Man of Sin and the Antichrist, emphasizing the intricate events leading to their manifestation and the ultimate battle between good and evil.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit - This may be what is called antichrist; some power that is opposed to genuine Christianity. But what or whence, except from the bottomless pit, i.e., under the influence and appointment of the devil, we cannot tell; nor do we know by what name this power or being should be called. The conjectures concerning the two witnesses and the beast have been sufficiently multiplied. If the whole passage, as some think, refer to the persecution raised by the Jews against the Christians, then some Jewish power or person is the beast from the bottomless pit. If it refer to the early ages of Christianity, then the beast may be one of the persecuting heathen emperors. If it refer to a later age of Christianity, then the beast may be the papal power, and the Albigenses and Waldenses the two witnesses, which were nearly extinguished by the horrible persecutions raised up against them by the Church of Rome. Whatever may be here intended, the earth has not yet covered their blood.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
finished their testimony--The same verb is used of Paul's ending his ministry by a violent death. the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit--Greek, "the wild beast . . . the abyss." This beast was not mentioned before, yet he is introduced as "the beast," because he had already been described by Daniel (Dan 7:3, Dan 7:11), and he is fully so in the subsequent part of the Apocalypse, namely, Rev 13:1; Rev 17:8. Thus, John at once appropriates the Old Testament prophecies; and also, viewing his whole subject at a glance, mentions as familiar things (though not yet so to the reader) objects to be described hereafter by himself. It is a proof of the unity that pervades all Scripture. make war against them--alluding to Dan 7:21, where the same is said of the little horn that sprang up among the ten horns on the fourth beast.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And when they shall have finished their testimony,.... For Christ, his truths and ordinances; when they are about to finish it, and almost concluded it, even towards the close of the 1260 days or years, in which they must prophesy in sackcloth: or else their testimony and their prophesying may be considered as two distinct things, and the one be finished before the other; their open public testimony, as witnesses, so as to be heard, attended to, and received, will be finished before the last war of the beast against them, in which they will be killed; but their prophesying will continue to the end of the beast's reign, these two being contemporary, of equal date, beginning and ending together; for they will prophesy when they are dead; being dead they will yet speak, and their very death will be a prophesying or foretelling that the ruin of antichrist is at hand; and upon their resurrection and ascension, that will immediately come on. But when their testimony is finished, by a free and open publication of the Gospel, the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit; the same with that in Rev 13:11, with which compare Rev 17:8; and which is no other than the Romish antichrist; called a beast for his filthiness and cruelty; and said to ascend out of the bottomless pit, out of hell, because his coming is after the working of Satan: he is raised up, influenced, and supported by him; he is a creature of his, and has his power, seat, and authority from him, the great dragon, the old serpent, called the devil and Satan; his original and rise are the same with those of his doctrine and worship, the smoke of the bottomless pit; they all come out of it, and they will return thither again. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, read, "the fourth beast that ascendeth", &c. as if it was the same with Daniel's fourth beast, Dan 7:7, as it doubtless is. Now this filthy and savage beast shall make war against them; the witnesses; a war he has been making against the saints ever since he was in power, by his decrees, his counsels, his anathemas, and by sword, fire, and faggot, Rev 13:7; but this will be his last war, and it will be a dreadful one; it will be the last struggle of the beast; and though it will be attended with the conquest and slaughter of the witnesses, yet it will lead on to, and issue in his own ruin; this is "the hour of temptation", in Rev 3:10; and shall overcome them; not by arguments taken out of the word of God, by which their mouths will be stopped, so as to be confounded, and have nothing to say, or so as to yield to him, and give up the truths and ordinances of the Gospel; but by outward force and tyranny, so as that they shall be obliged to give way, and he will take possession of the kingdoms and nations in which they have prophesied: he will first attack the outward court, the bulk of formal professors, and will prevail over them; and then, the outworks being taken, he will more easily come at the inner court worshippers within the temple. And kill them; not corporeally, but civilly; for as their dead bodies lying three days and a half, that is, three years and a half, unburied, and their resurrection from the dead, and ascension to heaven, cannot be understood literally, so neither the killing of them; not but that in this war there may be a great slaughter, and much blood shed, in a literal sense: but the killing spoken of seems to regard them, not as men, but as witnesses; they will not be suffered to bear an open testimony any longer; they will be silenced; they will be banished, or removed into corners; and they will not only be under the censures, excommunications, and anathemas of the Romish antichrist, but they will lose all credit and esteem among those, who once pretended to be their friends; who will be ashamed of them, and will join in reproaching and rejecting them; so that their ministrations will be quite shut up, and at an end.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
11:7-8 When the witnesses finish their testimony, the scene changes dramatically. The beast (cp. 13:1) is introduced for the first time; it is associated with the bottomless pit. Like all enemies of God, the beast engages in war against God’s witnesses, and he kills them.