---
title: "Revelation 11 - Study King James Bible with commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible"
description: "Read Revelation 11 with commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible commentary. 1 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 th"
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url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/revelation/11"
---

[ Read](/kjv/revelation/11)[ Commentary](/study/revelation/11)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/revelation/11) Audio

 1 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.

 2 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.

 3 And I will give *power* unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred *and* threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

 5 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.

 6 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.

 7 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.

 8 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.

 9 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.

 10 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.

 11 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.

 12 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.

 13 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.

 14 The second woe is past; *and*, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

 15 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.

 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

 17 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.

 18 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.

 19 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 10](/study/revelation/10) [Revelation 12](/study/revelation/12)

## Commentary

 To verse 1
 
**1. and the angel stood**—omitted
in A, *Vulgate,* and *Coptic.* Supported by B and *Syriac.*
If it be omitted, the "reed" will, in construction, agree
with "saying." So WORDSWORTH
takes it. The *reed,* the canon of Scripture, the measuring reed
of the Church, our rule of faith, *speaks.* So in :- *the altar* is personified as *speaking* (compare
*Note,* see on [Revelation 11:1](/kjv/revelation/11/1)).
The Spirit speaks in the canon of Scripture (the word *canon* is
derived from *Hebrew,* "*kaneh,*" "a reed,"
the word here used; and John it was who completed the canon). So
VICTORINUS, AQUINAS,
and VITRINGA. "Like a
rod," namely, straight: like a *rod of iron* ([Revelation 11:1](/kjv/revelation/11/1)- :), unbending, destroying all error, and that "cannot be
broken." [Revelation 2:27](/kjv/revelation/2/27); [Hebrews 1:8](/kjv/hebrews/1/8),
*Greek,* "a rod of straightness," *English Version,*
"a scepter of righteousness"; this is added to guard
against it being thought that the *reed* was one "shaken by
the wind" In the abrupt style of the Apocalypse, "saying"
is possibly indefinite, put for "*one said.*" Still
WORDSWORTH'S view agrees
best with *Greek.* So the ancient commentator, ANDREAS
OF CÆSAREA, in the
end of the fifth century (compare *Notes,* see on [Hebrews 1:8](/kjv/hebrews/1/8)- :). 

**the temple**—*Greek,*
"*naon*" (as distinguished from the *Greek,*
"*hieron,*" or temple in general), the Holy Place,
"*the sanctuary.*" 

**the altar**—of incense;
for it alone was in "the sanctuary." (*Greek,*
"*naos*"). The measurement of the Holy place seems to
me to stand parallel to the sealing of the elect of Israel under the
sixth seal. God's elect are symbolized by the sanctuary at Jerusalem
([1 Corinthians 3:16](/kjv/1-corinthians/3/16); [1 Corinthians 3:17](/kjv/1-corinthians/3/17),
where the same *Greek* word, "*naos,*" occurs for
"temple," as here). Literal Israel in Jerusalem, and with
the temple restored ([Ezekiel 40:3](/kjv/ezekiel/40/3);
[Ezekiel 40:5](/kjv/ezekiel/40/5), where also the temple
is measured with the measuring reed, the forty-first, forty-second,
forty-third, and forty-fourth chapters), shall stand at the head of
the elect Church. The measuring implies at once the exactness of the
proportions of the temple to be restored, and the definite
completeness (not one being wanting) of the numbers of the Israelite
and of the Gentile elections. The literal temple at Jerusalem shall
be the typical forerunner of the heavenly Jerusalem, in which there
shall be all temple, and *no* portion exclusively set apart as
*temple.* John's accurately drawing the distinction in
subsequent chapters between God's servants and those who bear the
mark of the beast, is the way whereby he fulfils the direction here
given him *to measure the temple.* The fact that the *temple*
is distinguished from *them that worship therein,* favors the
view that the spiritual temple, the Jewish and Christian Church, is
not exclusively meant, but that the literal temple must also be
meant. It shall be rebuilt on the return of the Jews to their land.
Antichrist shall there put forward his blasphemous claims. The sealed
elect of Israel, the head of the elect Church, alone shall refuse his
claims. These shall constitute the true sanctuary which is here
measured, that is, accurately marked and kept by God, whereas the
rest shall yield to his pretensions. WORDSWORTH
objects that, in the twenty-five passages of the Acts, wherein the
Jewish temple is mentioned, it is called *hieron,* not *naos,*
and so in the apostolic Epistles; but this is simply because no
occasion for mentioning *the literal Holy Place* (*Greek,*
"*naos*") occurs in Acts and the Epistles; indeed, in
[Acts 7:48](/kjv/acts/7/48), though not directly,
there does occur the term, *naos,* indirectly referring to the
Jerusalem temple *Holy Place.* In addressing Gentile Christians,
to whom the literal Jerusalem *temple* was not familiar, it was
to be expected the term, *naos,* should not be found in the
literal, but in the spiritual sense. In [Acts 7:48](/kjv/acts/7/48)- : *naos* is used in a *local* sense; compare also
[Revelation 14:15](/kjv/revelation/14/15); [Revelation 14:17](/kjv/revelation/14/17);
[Revelation 15:5](/kjv/revelation/15/5); [Revelation 15:8](/kjv/revelation/15/8).

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