Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 11
Many people say that the aim of life is to be happy. They can imagine nothing better than for everyone to be happy. However, it is possible to make people happy by means of a very wicked act. Then happiness is not a good thing; it is evil, cruel and terrible.
Revelation 11:9-10 describes such an incident. There, people across the world become happy after the murder of the two witnesses. These two witnesses will declare the truth about God during the last years before Jesus’ return. Because people at that time will be very evil, these witnesses will have power to carry out God’s judgements (11:6). The purpose of those judgements is to warn people to turn back to God. However, when people refuse to do that, they become even more wicked. They choose on purpose to oppose God and his servants. That is why people will hate the two witnesses so much. People cannot attack God (Psalm 2), but God sometimes allows them to attack his servants (Mark 13:9-13).
It will not seem enough to the people of this world that they have killed the two witnesses. Even after their deaths, the people will want to show how much they hated them. So, they will display the bodies publicly, as the cruellest enemies did in the ancient world (for example, 1 Samuel 31:8-13). They will leave the bodies where birds and wild animals can attack them. People from every nation will come to stare at the bodies. That awful sight will make them very happy.
For three and a half years, the two witnesses declared God’s messages. For three and a half days, their dead bodies will suffer shame in this manner. Then God will permit it no longer.
Next part: The two witnesses become alive again (Revelation 11:11)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 700+ page course book.
© 2016, Keith Simons.