The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!

John was given a rod and told to measure the Temple building but not the Temple court, with the reason that the Temple court will be given to the Gentiles for three and a half years. This may refer to the time when the non-believers, being referred to as Gentiles, will control God's place for three and a half years. For the same amount of time, power will be given to two witnesses who will prophesy.

These two witnesses will have great power and if anyone tried to harm them, they will shoot fire from their mouths. They have the power to stop the rain and to turn water to blood and to cause plagues on earth. However, when they finished their testimony, they are allowed to be defeated by the evil from the bottomless pit. The place where this occurred is the place where the Lord was crucified, which is Jerusalem, and the passage also calls it the spiritual Sodom and Egypt - perhaps showing the spiritual state of Jerusalem at that time.

Since the two witnesses preached on things the non-believers hated to hear, the non-believers will rejoice at their deaths. The people wanted the death of these two witnesses so much that they did not allow the bodies to be buried, so they can see their dead bodies all day. However, after three and a half days, the Spirit brought the witnesses back to life and they ascended to heaven. As the people saw this, there was also an earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city and over seven thousand men.

Then the seventh angel sounded the shofar. Heaven declares the earth to belong to the Lord and the twenty four elders worshipped and thanked God. They declare that God's judgment has come and the wicked shall be judged while God's servants will be rewarded. Heaven was opened, revealing the ark of his testament and the earth rumbled with lightnings, earthquakes, thunders and hail.




Revelation 11
The Two Witnesses

1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood,[a] saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God[b] of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed

7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our[c] Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow[d] their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they[e] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms[f] of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,[g]
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant[h] was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

There were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel

The revelation given to John about the opening of the seals stopped at the sixth seal for a while. The next vision is that four powerful angels are stationed at the four corners of the world to hold back the winds, probably the winds of destruction. These may be the angels of judgment because there appeared another angel from the East who called on these four angels to delay their destruction, so that 144,000 ( a hundred and forty four thousand) of the descendants of Israel can be sealed or set apart.

These 144,000 are not just the modern Israelites who can trace their ancestry back to the kingdom of Judah (and the tribe of Benjamin). The Scripture here is specific, the 144,000 Israelites are composed equally of the twelve tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe.

Then the vision is of a multitude of people, who are the Gentile and non-Gentile saved believers (with white robe) in Yshua. So the 144,000 are clearly in addition to the Christians (believers white robes). So these Christians praised God and together with the 24 elders and the four beasts, worshipped God. Then one of the elders revealed to John that these multitude of people in white robes are the ones that have gone through the tribulation period. Hence the people in white robes are also in addition to Christian believers caught up in the Rapture. In other words, the tribulation period will result in many people coming to the Lord.





Revelation 7
The Sealed of Israel

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;[a]
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir,[b] you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.[c] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

God's Reminder to Solomon About Covenantal Promise

Just as in the desert a few hundred years ago, God showed physical evidence of Himself as fire coming down from the sky to consume the burnt offerings and sacrifices when Solomon finished the dedication prayer at the Temple. The Glory of the LORD was so evident that the people all bowed their faces on the ground.

God reaffirms Solomon by appearing to him again and confirmed that He had heard Solomon's prayer. The LORD reiterated that when He is punishing his people for sins, but if they were to ask forgiveness, then He would forgive. God told Solomon that He will hear the prayers from the Temple always, not that God would not hear prayers elsewhere but probably more of an encouragement. Once again God reminded the covenantal obligation for Solomon and the Israelites to obey the statutes and commandments. Failing to do so will incur God's wrath and lead to God forsaking them at the mercy of their enemies. One of the main sins that God warns against was about the people embracing, worshipping and serving other gods.



2 Chronicles 7

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

 1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.[a] 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:

      “For He is good,
      For His mercy endures forever.”[b]
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,”[c] whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.
7 Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.
8 At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.[d] 9 And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel. 11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon
 
12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’
19 “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
21 “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’”