First 42 Gentile Months: Transformation from Holy City to Sodom and Desecration
The temple here is the one on Earth because of the language used to describe it; the temple in heaven has a totally different setting.
Re 11:1, Re 11:3
Re 10:1, Re 11:1 — ESV "I was told, Rise" vs in the KJV the angel stands. In both of the root Greek manuscripts, it appears that the Angel of Revelation 10 is still speaking. This transitions the two segments in Revelation 10 and 11.
Re 11:1, Re 11:8 — The city is called "holy" here, but when the two witnesses die, it is called "Sodom." That shift from holy to unholy supports placing the 1260 days and 42 months at the beginning of the 7 years, not at the end. If this were the end, the change would be the opposite—from unholy to holy—as Jesus takes the city at the end of the tribulation. There are many other supporting proofs for this timing, but this is sufficient for this context.
Re 11:2, Re 20:9
Re 11:2, Re 13:5 — 42 months is always related to the "nations". When we see the sea beast having a time of 42 months, it indicates he is Gentile, that is, of the nations.
1260 Days Start: The Two Witnesses
Important Note: The two witnesses are saints whose overpowering words of prophecy burn up anyone who tries to harm them (Jeremiah 5:14).
When we read “I will give unto my two witnesses,” the expression can feel incomplete in English, since no direct object is stated. While English translations often supply “power” or “authority,” no such word appears in the Greek. Rather, the construction leaves the gift undefined and immediately connects it to the result, “and they will prophesy.” This suggests that what is given pertains to their prophetic commission, without specifying its exact nature. The idea that the witnesses themselves are the gift is not really grammatically possible and contextually unlikely, since they are presented as the recipients of the giving, not its content.
Re 11:1, Re 11:3 — These are Jesus' witnesses. We know this because the messenger in verse 1 is Jesus (who we saw in Revelation 10).
Re 11:3, Re 11:9
Zechariah 4, Re 11:3, Re 11:9
Re 11:3, Re 12:6 — The 1260 days refer to the first half of the 7 years.
Satan Wages War After Being Removed From Heaven
Important Note: "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" is Satan's title in Revelation 20. He is the 8th head in Revelation 17. There are a few wars in Revelation; this is the middle one against the saints. The beast here is the red dragon.
Re 11:7, Re 12:3, Re 17:3, Re 17:8 — The Devil and Satan. Red dragon. Not to be confused with the sea beast due to the names of blasphemy (the red dragon has implied names of blasphemy in 17). Satan is the one who comes from the bottomless pit, which requires a key to open; it is not a place anyone can open – the sea beast accends from the sea, not the bottomless pit. Many other subtle proofs of this being Satan also exist in the text.
In Isaiah 13:19-20, God compares the destruction Babylon to the destruction Sodom and Gomorrah, this may create a link between Jerusalem, Babylon, and Sodom as both Jerusalem and Babylon are compared to Sodom in scripture.
Re 11:8, Re 14:20, Re 16:19 — Named as Jerusalem in location, but there are many locations of Babylon, like Mesopotamia, Sodom, Egypt, and in Revelation 17, a mystery location. All Babylons are the center of power of man. Do not confuse this Jerusalem Babylon, where the Sea Beast rules, with Mystery Babylon. We know Jerusalem is where Jesus was crucified, so this Babylon is NOT a mystery.
Re 11:8, Re 16:19, Re 17:18, Re 18:10, Re 18:16, Re 18:18, Re 18:19 — The phrase “the great city” (ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη) appears to function as a theologically loaded designation in Revelation, used predominantly for Babylon (Rev 17:18, 18:10, 18:16, 18:18, 18:19), yet applied to Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8—“where also our Lord was crucified.” In that context, Jerusalem is “spiritually” called Sodom and Egypt, indicating a transformation from its identity as the “holy city” (Rev 11:2) into one aligned with paradigmatic centers of rebellion and judgment. This suggests that Revelation is not using the term merely geographically, but associating it with a city’s spiritual condition and opposition to God.
Because Revelation 17:18 defines “the great city” as the one that “reigneth over the kings of the earth,” it may be inferred that the designation corresponds to a center of dominant, God-opposing power. When read alongside Revelation 11:8, this raises the possibility that Jerusalem, in its corrupted state and in connection with the rise of the beast, temporarily participates in that same category (It is possible to infer from Daniel 11:45 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that Jerusalem becomes a focal point of the final ruler’s activity). However, while this pattern allows for a typological relationship—because Babylon is “the great city”—the text does not explicitly state that the title transfers sequentially or that Jerusalem becomes identical with “Mystery Babylon.” Thus, “the great city” may function as a theological marker for a ruling, rebellious center.
As for Revelation 16:19, also marked as "the great city", it does not automatically become Jerusalem or Mystery Babylon; such a claim must remain a reasoned inference drawn from the book’s patterned language rather than an explicit textual claim. And, as it is not likely Mystery Babylon for numerous reasons, it very well could be Jerusalem as the ruling city of the sea beast.
Re 11:1, Re 11:8
Re 11:3, Re 11:9 — Same ratio of days in years to their time of witness.
The Two Witnesses Ascend
The ascension of the two witnesses is not connected to a rapture of the church on its own; this ascension is a rapture of the two witnesses alone base on the text.
Re 4:1, Re 11:12 — Jesus used the same words before.
Surprising Glory Given to God
Important Note: No other group in Revelation gives glory to God except those who honor God, such as the saints, the 24 elders, the 4 beasts, the angels, and the 144,000. So this "remnant" or "rest" is very interesting and elicits the question, who are they? Why? Because they give God glory. Those who reject Jesus seem to always be non-repentant when plagues strike; they give gifts when the two witnesses die. If this is a general group and not the 144,000, it is striking and likely points to that group repenting. Again, a shocking moment in Revelation, and likely pointing out the magnitude of the impact of this moment.
The Seventh Trumpet: Voices, Thunders, Lightnings, & Earthquake
Linear Scene 1.4: Picking back up at Trumpet 7 from Trumpet 6. This is also the 7th angel's voice in Revelation 10. We are now in the final days, at the end of "time" (KJV) or "season" (ESV). Also, when a woe ends, it is not saying that the immediately prior section of text was the woe plague; it is just making sure it is clear that we know the next plague is starting. Thus, "Temple Built and First 42 Gentile Months" are not a part of the second woe; only the 200,000,000 army. This moment will pick back up again in Revelation 15, when there, "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened".
Revelation 11 cannot flow directly into chapters 12–13, because in 11:15 the kingdoms of this world are declared to have become Christ's, yet in chapter 13 the sea beast is still permitted to conquer the saints. These two realities cannot occupy the same narrative moment. Moreover, "the kingdoms of the world" in chapter 11 does not correspond to "the kingdom of our God" in chapter 12, which refers to heavenly authority during the war in heaven, not earthly rule. While themes overlap, the details mark a clear transition in both time and perspective. Chapter 11 resolves forward into chapter 15, not into chapters 12–14, which function parenthetically and shift the reader backward in scope and context.
Finally, each time a plague is introduced in Revelation, its description remains brief, direct, and thematically contained. This pattern holds true for the seals, the trumpets, and the vials alike. When the narrative expands beyond those defined parameters, it signals that the plague itself has concluded and the text has transitioned to new material. For this reason, the material in chapter 10 and the account of the two witnesses cannot properly be considered part of the second. The second woe is confined to the judgment of the two hundred million horsemen described in Revelation 9; the extended narrative that follows serves a different structural purpose within the book.
Not speaking of heaven, the kingdom of God; this is not a link to 12:10. This is about the earth.
Season of waiting for judgement ends.
Re 10:7, Re 11:15
Re 11:15, Re 14:15
Re 11:15, Re 10:7, Re 14:16, Re 15:2 — When the 7th trumpet blows as the messenger begins to sound (Revelation 11:15), the mystery of God will be finished (Revelation 10:7). At that exact moment, Revelation takes us to chapter 15:2, and we see saints standing on the sea of glass. This also corresponds to the reaping in Revelation 14:16.
Re 10:7, Re 11:18 — τοῖς δούλοις σου τοῖς προφήταις — Thy servants the prophets.
Re 11:18, Re 19:5
Re 11:19, Re 15:5 — The time the temple opens in heaven and the ark is seen marks when chapters 11 and 15 synchronize. This strongly indicates the reaping of saints in the tribulation.
Parenthetical Scene 3: In Revelation 10:11, John is told that, even though the 7th angel will mark the final days, there are still more details before time ends. He is then taken and hears about the 42 months and 1260 days. The temple and two witnesses, who appear at the start of the 1260 days. Each time we see 1260 days, it marks the start of the 7-year period. And, when we see 42 months, it is designated to the Gentiles. Here, we see that the temple is likely already built before the 7 years of great tribulation begin, because the temple is being measured.
The main point of this parenthetical scene appears to be an indication that when the two witnesses are slain, the city—once called “the holy city” (Rev. 11:2)—is described spiritually as “Sodom and Egypt” (11:8). That moral transformation corresponds naturally with the period in Revelation 13 in which the beast is worshiped and exercises authority for forty-two months (13:5, 8). The shift from holiness to open blasphemy aligns thematically with the rise of beastly dominion. Moreover, this pattern harmonizes with the prophecy of the Book of Daniel, where the sanctuary is profaned during the climactic period of oppression (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7). Daniel speaks of a “time and times and the dividing of time” (12:7), linked with the shattering of the holy people and the desecration of what is sacred. This places the two witnesses at the start of the 7-year period and makes Revelation 12-13 the broader, full 7-year timeframe for those events.
Important Note: The time counts should be understood as overlapping, not as 7 years total — you can read more about this in the articles on this site.