1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. 2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
"The measuring line was a form of judgement, see Lamentations 2:8 The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together. In 622 there was the first muslim conquest of Jerusalem, and the city would be trampled for 42 months until 1882 at the First Aliyah of the Yemenite Jews. The tribes were sealed in chapter 7 and they will return as the bride in chapters 18-22 after they are again measured and found worthy, shown in Zechariah 2. Then God will dwell with mankind and Jerusalem will be a city without walls, verse 1 And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3 And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4 and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” 6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: 9 “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. 11 And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
The prophecy for the tribes can be summed up in these verses in Isaiah: Isaiah 41:16 You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel and later in Isaiah 43:6 (the beginning of this fulfillment is in chapter 14) I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth. Matthew 24 describes the beginning of this diaspora when the core believers were scattered out to the four winds. See the blog posts for an explanation on these.
From Strong's "trample": The verb πατέω portrays the forceful act of trampling with the foot. Scripture uses the image to communicate mastery, conquest, profanation, or judgment. Whether depicting serpents crushed underfoot or grapes pressed in a winepress, the action is decisive and public, leaving visible evidence of what has been subdued.
3 And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
The lampstand here is the fulfillment of the sons of new oil shown in Zechariah 4:1 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts...(11) “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil (in Hebrew it is just "gold) is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones (sons of new oil) who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Many people say that oil is the Holy Spirit, instead of it being the Word of God. The Spirit is compared to water, as when Jesus teaches about baptism in water and baptism in the Spirit, and out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water. If the Spirit of God is the water, we can see that God's Word is the oil. The Israel is the olive tree, using the law and the prophets, the two olive trees. We cannot understand the law without the prophets, and vice versa. Paul tells how the gentiles were wild olives, grafted into the tree in Romans 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
The olive is the fruit of the tree. In order to make oil, the fruit is ground into smaller pieces then pressed until oil flows. The Word is studied in pieces, and we press in and meditate until revelation is given. Zechariah 4 calls this oil GOLD, and Jesus tells us to buy from him gold refined in fire with the Laodicean church in chapter 3. Although this chapter was fulfilled hundreds of years ago, it is imperative that we study these verses because of their relevance to the Laodicean church, and the parables in Matthew 25 concerning the end-time church. Research the following examples below. I recommend going to biblehub with the verse listed and go to "parallel" and it will show you other verses with the same theme. Then you can cross reference those to get a deeper meaning about this topic.
Oil is used for light - In Luke 12:35-48 is a parable which starts with the lamps of the virgins. The parable of the virgins show they did not have enough oil to make it through the night. In Luke 12:47 it gives the answer to what the oil and light are as that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will... How else do you know the will of God unless you read what he says.
Oil is used for healing/salve - Luke 10:34 shows the good Samaritan pouring wine and oil on the wounds in order for them to be healed. Wine is the fruit of obedience described in John 14-15. Jesus commends the good Samaritan because he actually felt compassion and followed through with tangible effort. See this spoken of in James 2:15-16 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. / If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? The oil of healing is our spoken prayers of faith, because of our belief in the Word. There are many scriptures to stand on in regards to healing.
Oil is used for anointing and consecration. In Leviticus 8 the oil was used to consecrate the tabernacle, the altar and even for Aaron's head. God had specific requirements to keep all the tabernacle holy, as well as procedures to keep his priests holy. It was more than just a set of laws to be obeyed as we can see in Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. Oil was used to anoint David as king, and he was not only blessed with power to rule, but he had a prophetic voice as well. The prophetic words of David, both for his seed and from his mouth, are still being fulfilled even now. We have the Word of God as the law of Moses, and the Word of God as spoken to the prophets, two trees that are necessary to see the complete word of truth.
Oil is used for to meet financial needs. In 2 Kings 4 is a story about a widow. The creditors were coming and the prophet provided a supernatural blessing to her and she was able to sell the oil and pay the creditors. The wisdom of God works in the same way as in Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. And Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. We know that the Word is more precious than fine gold by looking again at Psalm 19: picking up at verse 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Oil is used for food. Oil was mixed with fine flour to make the shewbread that was in the temple. Jesus is the bread of life and bread was typically made with wheat, salt, oil and water. To fully understand Jesus, the wheat, we need the salt of covenant, oil of the word and water of the Spirit. He is the fulfillment of old testament prophecy, including the mystery of the law. For example, we don't need to offer up a Passover lamb, Jesus is our Passover lamb. We look to the meaning behind the law and we will see Jesus, we need to have all the components together for a proper loaf of bread. The law is the shadow and Jesus is the substance seen in Hebrews 10.
Oil is used for the cleansing of leprosy, a sin of rebellion and murmuring against authority. Miriam was afflicted by this in Numbers 12, and in Leviticus 14 it describes the process of cleansing leprosy by first taking blood from a sacrificed lamb and applying it on the ear, the right thumb and the big toe of his right foot. This is like the process of salvation, we are saved by the blood of Jesus. After that, the oil was to be applied to the same places. When we are delivered from sin it first takes the authority of Jesus to cast out the sin, then the Word of God to keep our house from being empty and the enemy to come back and fill it as shown in Luke 11:25. We are to cast down imaginations with the Word 2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
The golden oil as referenced in Zechariah 4 is revelation of the word. There is an end-time parable in Matthew 25 and Luke 19 about the minas or talent which is gold coins. A talent was actually 60 minas so a very large sum. The mystery of this parable is explained in Matthew 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Knowing the secrets of the word is golden oil, and understanding Revelation gives you an abundance of this precious oil. This is critical for today because Jesus says to the Laodicean church to buy from him gold refined in fire. We are required to rightly divide the word, and be sure to use all of God's word, not just use the new testament. If we are foolish, then we won't have enough oil, and our light will go out just as the bridegroom comes for us. The parable of the minas is explained in the Laodicean Church age.
Here we have two witnesses with a prophecy of 1260 days, different than the one above concerning the temple. They prophecy in sackcloth, which refers to their mourning, grief and poverty. These two that witness are called lampstands, which Jesus called the churches in Chapters 2-3. We need to look for two communities of people with similar religious mindset. They are also olive trees so they have a foundation of the Old Testament as well. There are two churches, one in northern Italy and the other in France, where Jesus set his feet in chapter 10, called the Cathars and the Waldensians. These two churches knew the word of God apart from the Roman church, and were a witness to that word. They transcribed their Bibles, and would even take pages out and sew them into their clothing to secretly pass them on to others. The Roman church was threatened by them and set out decrees to have them tortured and killed. The papacy called them heretics and felt it was their godly duty to persecute them and confiscated their lands. The papacy pretty much wiped out the history of the Cathars. Very little is known about them now, but God avenged them as we see in the following verses in this chapter. They preached in sackcloth for a prophetic 42 months. The literal fulfillment is taking the 42 months, which is 3.5 years, and multiply by 10 x 10, or 350 years. Our prophetic timeline starts with the Synod at Verona in 1184 where their tribulation begins, and ends 350 years later with the Act of Supremacy, where the Reformation will remove their sackcloth of suffering and poverty. Keep in mind that these prophetic timelines are the most useful to confirm a prophecy that's already fulfilled. I have not seen any commentator yet that was successful in predicting events based on these sorts of timelines.
Here is one short example of the beliefs of the Cathars, from the Cathar's Book of Two Principles: [14] On Service to God. From this comes the basis for our service to God, in that we may fulfill His works, or rather, that God may consummate through us that which He proposes and wishes to be done. In this wise He achieved salvation of His people through the Lord Jesus, although Christ did nothing good through himself or even by free will. For He said of himself: "I cannot of myself do anything"; and again, "But the Father, who abideth in me, he doth the works." " And so, we serve God when we fulfill His will with His help, not that we are able through free will to do anything good of which He himself is not the cause and principle. Thus, the Blessed James says in his Epistle, "Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights." " And in the Gospel of John, Christ says, "No man can come to me except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him." And of himself, He said: "I cannot of myself do anything. As I hear, so I judge"; and again, "But the Father, who abideth in me, he doth the works." And the Apostle says to the Ephesians: "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man may glory." " And the same Apostle says to the Romans, "So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth mercy.
Around 1100, the Cathars were an established group of Christians and by the 1140s–1160s the movement formally begins to challenge orthodox Catholic teachings and ecclesiastical hierarchy. In northern Italy, Peter Waldo begins preaching which starts the Waldensian movement. The Cathars are condemned by eight local church councils, the last of which, held at Tours, declared that all Cathars should be put into prison and have their property confiscated. The Third Lateran Council of 1179 repeated the condemnation and they were excommunicated. The Catholic Church viewed the Waldensians as unorthodox, and in 1184 at the Synod of Verona, under the auspices of Pope Lucius III and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, they were excommunicated. This is the start of the Papal Inquisition where bishops would seek out local heretics . By 1207 there are public debates in Montréal, southern France, and the Cathar leaders formally denounce the Catholic Church as the "Church of the devil" and compared the papacy to the apocalyptic Whore of Babylon. In 1209 the conflict had infiltrated the papacy and when Pierre de Castelnau was murdered, Pope Innocent III held the Cathars responsible. Details are on the " Massacre at Béziers" Wiki page. By this time, Pope Innocent had declared being a heretic is treason and he used this moment to start the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 - 1229. Pope Innocent III, the most powerful pope in the middle ages, went even further during the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, officially denouncing the Waldensians as heretics. This is the same council where he solidified Nicene Christianity, just as the Roman Emperors Constantine and Justinian did in the Roman Empire. In 1229 The Council of Toulouse permanently establishes the formal Inquisition to seek out and eradicate remaining Cathar and Waldensian communities in the Languedoc. In 1231 Pope Gregory IX officially institutes the Papal Inquisition to question believers whether or not they held to the Nicene views of Christianity required of the papacy called, Firmiter credimus. We also have the start of the black friars of the Dominican Order, commissioned by Catholic Church to be judges and inquisitors. They were the ones who did the dirty work behind the scenes, and were largely responsible for the medieval torture devices that were perfected in the most evil ways imaginable. See the resemblence here to the modern Jesuit black pope, the dragon in chapter 12 that is follows Mystery (secret) Babylon in chapter 20. This fulfills the words Jesus used when he called them the synagogue of Satan of the Pergamum church age.
5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
The divine justice being gathered can be compared to that as shown in Jeremiah 5:11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the Lord. 12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. 13 The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’” 14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them." Because the "men of God" were treacherous, lying and arrogant, God sent a consuming fire to their mouths. Ergotism is caused by eating contaminated bread, called St Anthony's Fire and it affected areas in France towards Germany. France was the hardest-hit country overall.
Here is a quote from the National Library of Medicine's website (https:// pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12849122/) "Between 1085 and 1927, epidemics of "convulsive ergotism" were widespread east of the Rhine in Europe due to consumption of grain contaminated with ergot, which is produced by the fungus Claviceps purpurea. West of the Rhine, consumption of ergot-contaminated food caused epidemics of gangrenous ergotism. The clinical features of convulsive ergotism--muscle twitching and spasms, changes in mental state, hallucinations, sweating, and fever lasting for several weeks...
The harlot is burned with fire in chapter 16, and the red dragon beast is killed in the final lake of unquenchable fire in chapter 20.
Ergotism was so prevalent that the church started building hospitals to care for those afflicted. In Revelation 9:20 the church is accused of practicing sorcery, which is the Greek word phármakos. In the 1300s, hospitals operated by the Order of Saint Anthony treated this mysterious, terrifying illness called St. Anthony's Fire. Because the disease caused painful burning sensations, spasms, and vivid hallucinations, medieval society frequently attributed these symptoms to demonic possession.
The Antonine hospitals did not possess actual medical cures for demonic possession, but their treatments were highly effective for ergot poisoning because they treated the patient with a strict diet that inadvertently removed the moldy grain. Patients were encouraged to touch "holy" relics and pray to St. Anthony for deliverance, and because of the improved diet, many believed they were miraculously cured. The connection to sorcery/pharmakea and the Catholic Church was now entrenched. There was the Drought of the Century from 1302 to 1307, as well as the great famine of 1315-1322, killing 10-25% of the population. The Black Death – Bubonic Plague from 1346 to 1353 was the result of unclean and poisoned wells, hence waters to blood. Death estimates are between 25-50 million people."
7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,
We have here the first definition of the beast described later as the red beast of chapter 17 (it was, is not, and is about to rise out of the pit), which is the red dragon in chapter 12 that tries to conquer the persecuted church. It is the dragon, the ancient serpent rising out of the pit in chapter 20. The dragon did not have it's power until it became sovereign in 1929 as the Vatican, then it becomes a beast and takes back the power of the 10 horns. These are the 10 horns of Daniel's dreadful beast, that were then on the European beast of chapter 13, then back on the dragon beast. These will be explained again in the following chapters.
8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
Sodom in the Bible were the godless, men who were ruled by their flesh. Egypt in the Bible were pagans and worshipped many gods that The Most High God found as an abomination. France (Cathar region) would later be a nation of atheists, and Italy (Waldensian region) would be home of the Catholic/Jesuit cult ruled by Egyptian/Babylonian gods and cult practices, even putting an obelisk from Heliopolis Egypte in the center of St Peter's Square. The Cathars and Waldensians followed Jesus to the death, some being whipped and scourged, and tied to a stake before being burned alive. The crucifixion of Jesus is similar that he also died on a stake, a tree of shame.
At the Lateran Council in 1179, Popes forbid mass and burials for those that were labeled as “heretics” by the papacy and were martyred at the hands of the Catholic Church. Another decree was issued on 1254 that forbade burial to not only “heretics” but also those who believed them or defended them. They left the bodies out in the open to remind others of the consequences of siding against the Catholic Church.
At the Lateran Council in 1179, Popes forbid mass and burials for those that were labeled as “heretics” by the papacy and were martyred at the hands of the Catholic Church. Another decree was issued on 1254 that forbade burial to not only “heretics” but also those who believed them or defended them. Even bodies of assumed heretics were dug up because church graveyards were considered too sacred for heretics. The bodies were then disposed of on unconsecrated soil, or burned as was common during the inquisitions. This was done to remind others of the consequences of siding against the Catholic Church.
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The three and a half days is yet another fulfillment of prophecy in addition to the two above. On May 5, 1514, the popes convened for the 5th Lateran Council, Session 9, to declare that the heretics had been taken care of. The pope waited until the “noxious brambles of heresies had been first uprooted from the Lord's field” and then convened so they could get on with the matters of making more rules for the Roman church. Three years after that council would be 1080 days (360 days to a biblical year x 3) and 179 more days after May 5, 1517 puts you to October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses. The next day (180th day, half a year) on their pagan "All Saints Day", they would have seen his scathing rebukes, which were the breath of life from God, causing the believers of the true Word of God to stand up on their feet. Great fear fell on the leaders of the Roman church because this started a Christian revolution against the harlot church. The revolution went from Germany to France to England simultaneously, fulfilling the phrase "went up to heaven in a cloud" like a cloud of witnesses as in Hebrews 12:1. God was on the move!
Come up here! is a phrase God used to describe promotion, see Proverbs 25:6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men; 7 for it is better that he says to you, “Come up here!” than that you should be demoted in the presence of the prince. Even what you have seen with your own eyes, 8 do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?
The prophecy in verse 3 of the 350 years in sackcloth ended with the Act of Supremacy from England in 1534 that declared common men able to read the Bible in their own language. The king of England even required a new Book of Prayer in churches so that the congregation could participate and understand the services. The great city is the nations of Europe, which we will look at in chapter 13 and again the great city Babylon in chapter 18. The Act of Supremacy was also the catalyst for England to break away from the rule of the Catholic authority over government by establishing an independent Church of England. The seven thousand people killed were the seven provinces of the Netherlands that signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579, and the Dutch revolt of 1581. Even those that stayed under Catholic dominion were starting to see the truth of God and give him glory!
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” 19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
We are introduced to the final trumpet, also called the third woe, which is not to be confused with the final trump in Matthew 24. There Jesus was describing the siege of Jerusalem and the final trump was the Jewish Revolt before Jesus came on a cloud of judgement in 70 AD. There are a couple blog posts about separating the two prophecies that are listed in Matthew 24. The trumpet here is not the final trumpet because the seventh trump is followed by the vial judgements then the lake of fire for the two beasts of chapter 13, then the final unquenchable fire in chapter 20. The trump in Matthew 24 says Jesus will come like lightning and that doesn't fit here either. The seventh trump, the vial judgements, take many years to fulfill, but the siege of Jerusalem was only 5 months, starting at Passover and was over before the time of the fall feasts.
The 24 elders are first introduced in chapter 4 before the opening of the seals. Here they worship God for fulling his promise of the coming kingdom. This connects with the phrase in verse 15 that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of Jesus, and the 24 represents 12 tribes and 12 disciples, the complete revelation of God. We also need to note the phrase “begun to reign” which looking at the Strong’s interpretation, there should not be the word "begun." We have the beginning of the reign of Christ in Chapter 5. Here’s the KJV version of this verse: 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.
The wrath here is the vial judgements that come starting in the 1600s, in chapter 15. This verse takes the prophecy to the very end, to the judgement of the dead and destroying the destroyers in chapter 20, to the reward of the saints in chapter 21.
The dead here are those who do not have the life of Jesus in them, and now they are judged by the law of Christ because believers now have the word in their own language spoken at their church services. They can rightly divide the word for themselves, speak the words of truth over others, and make disciples of others without the hierarchy of the Roman Church. The dictate of England to read the word for yourself spanned the entire planet because of Imperialism, and every English community, small and great, was to serve the crown by following the dictates of their new church. God’s temple was opened and the ark was seen, the truth and the presence of God was available for those that entered the holy of holies by faith and in Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
After the Act of Supremacy there were many wars of religion, you can look up the Wikipedia page European Wars of Religion to show how many there were and how widespread over the continent they were. Many were quick like lighting, several that were a few decades, and there were 3 that were right at 80 years long. At the end of the 30 years war in the Holy Roman Empire, the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 marked the decline of central imperial power in the Holy Roman Empire. This fulfills the earthquake here, just as the splitting of the Roman Empire fulfilled the great earthquake in chapter 6. This would start the decline of the Roman head of Europe, and it's final fall, the descent into the abyss, happens in 1804 after the vial judgements.
Chapter 11 (pdf)
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