The Two Prophets / Christ Will Rule Forever

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. 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. 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. (Revelation 11:1-19 kjv)

THE REVELATION to John The author of the Book of Revelation is the Apostle John (Rev. 1:1, 9; 21:2; 22:8; see the introductions to John's Gospel and 1 John). The title of the book describes the content and purpose of John's writing. The word "Revelation" means "to take the cover off," from the Greek word apokálupsis (602). It is the uncovering or unveiling of the glory of Christ and of future events (1 Thess 2:19). Revelation was addressed to the churches of Asia Minor (Rev. 1:4) specifically named in chapters two and three. This book was written at a time when these churches were undergoing persecution and difficulty. The two most important such periods were during the reigns of Nero in A.D. 37 -68 and Domitian in A.D. 81 -96. There are four views on the interpretation of the Book of Revelation.   The first is the preterist view. It places the events and visions described as belonging to the past, particularly to the Roman Empire of the first century A.D. The proponents of this view explain the highly symbolic nature of the book as John's endeavor to hide the real meaning of what he was saying from the general populace, making it relative to the believers who lived at that time. They also consider the main purpose of this writing was encouragement for believers regarding God's ultimate intervention in the affairs of men. It is very unlikely that this view is correct in light of the prophetic nature of the book (Rev. 1:3). Some of the descriptions are of future events and cannot possibly be identified as historical ones. The second view is the historical view, maintaining that Revelation is a panoramic view of history from the first century A.D. to the Second Coming of Christ. However, this position is unsubstantiated because historians have been unable to identify precise events in history, which would answer particular visions that are symbolized. The third view is the symbolic (allegorical) view, which contends that Revelation portrays the continuing conflict between the forces of good and evil throughout the span of human history. According to this view, the book was designed to give encouragement because good will triumph in the end. The fourth view is the futuristic view, maintaining that from chapter four to the end of the book, Revelation deals with end-time events. According to this view, Revelation is not concerned with the events of John's own day as much as later historical events, particularly those things that will take place in connection with the Second Coming of Christ.   The proponents of this view would outline Revelation as follows (cf. Rev. 1:19): chapter one deals with the past; chapters two and three discuss things that were present at that time and throughout the church age; chapters four through twenty-two speak of things that are yet to come, which things include the "Day of the Lord" as well as the Second Coming of Christ (cf. Rev. 4:1). [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422]