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The Two Witnesses

¹ Then there was given to me a ^(F1)(C1)measuring rod like a staff; and ^(C2)someone said, "^(F2)Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar of incense, and count those who worship in it. ^(VR1)2 "But leave out the ^(C1)court of the Gentiles which is outside the temple and do not measure it, because ^(C2)it has been given to the Gentiles (the nations); and they will ^(C2)trample ^(C3)the holy city for ^(C4)forty-two months (three and one-half years). ^(VR1)3 "And I will grant authority to My two ^(C1)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(C2)twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in ^(F1)(C3)sackcloth." ^(VR1)4 These witnesses are the ^(C1)two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. ^(VR1)5 And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(C1)fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(C2)he must be killed in this way. ^(VR1)6 These two witnesses have the power from God to ^(C1)shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during ^(C2)the days of their prophesying regarding judgment and salvation; and they have power over the waters (seas, rivers) to ^(C3)turn them into blood, and ^(C4)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they wish. ^(VR1)

⁷ When they have finished their testimony and given their evidence, ^(C1)the beast that comes up out of the ^(C2)abyss (bottomless pit) will ^(C3)wage war with them, and overcome them and kill them. ^(VR1)8 And their dead bodies will lie exposed in the open street of the ^(C1)great city (Jerusalem), which in a spiritual sense is called by the symbolic and allegorical names of ^(C2)Sodom and ^(C3)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ^(VR1)9 Those from ^(C1)the peoples and tribes and languages and nations ^(F1)look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and ^(C2)will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.¹⁰ And ^(C1)those non-believers who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice; and they will ^(C2)send gifts in celebration to one another, because these two prophets tormented and troubled ^(C1)those who live on the earth.

¹¹ But after three and a half days, ^(C1)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. ^(VR1)12 And the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "^(C1)Come up here." Then they ^(C2)ascended into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ^(VR1)13 And in that very hour there was a great ^(C1)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell and was destroyed; seven thousand ^(F1)people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest who survived were overcome with terror, and ^(F2)(C2)they glorified the ^(C3)God of heaven as they recognized His awesome power.

¹⁴ The second ^(C1)woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet—Christ's Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(C1)seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were ^(C2)loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(C3)"The kingdom (dominion, rule) of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(C4)His Christ; and ^(C5)He will reign forever and ever." ^(VR1)16 And the twenty-four elders, who ^(C1)sit on their thrones before God, ^(C2)fell face downward and worshiped God,

¹⁷ saying, "To You we give thanks, ^(C1)O Lord God Almighty the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all, Who are and Who were, because You have taken Your great power and the sovereignty which is rightly Yours and have now begun to ^(C2)reign.¹⁸ "And ^(C1)the nations (Gentiles) became enraged, and ^(C2)Your wrath and indignation came, and ^(C3)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time came to reward Your ^(C4)bond-servants the prophets and the saints (God's people) and those who fear Your name, ^(C5)the small and the great, and the time came to destroy the destroyers of the earth." ^(VR1)

¹⁹ And ^(C1)the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(C2)the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of ^(C3)lightning, loud rumblings and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a ^(C4)great hailstorm. ^(VR1)