Revelation 11:6 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The powers described here can feel startling because they are severe. Their purpose becomes clearer in the chapter's setting: the witnesses speak during a time of rebellion, opposition, and mourning. Their testimony carries the weight of the God before whom they stand.
Revelation 11:6 presents the two witnesses with God-given authority over drought, waters, and plagues, echoing earlier prophetic judgments and confirming the serious authority of their testimony.
The Context of Revelation 11:6
Revelation 11:3 introduces two witnesses who prophesy for 1,260 days in sackcloth. Verse 4 calls them two olive trees and two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. Verse 5 says that those who seek to harm them meet judgment. Verse 6 expands their prophetic authority through images familiar from Scripture: shutting heaven against rain, turning waters to blood, and striking the earth with plagues. After their testimony is finished, the beast kills them, yet God raises them and calls them up to heaven.
What Does Revelation 11:6 Mean?
"These" points back to the two witnesses. They have power to shut heaven so rain does not fall during their prophecy, power over waters to turn them to blood, and power to smite the earth with plagues. The repeated phrase "have power" emphasizes authority granted for their mission. "As often as they will" describes the exercise of that authority within the vision; it does not make the witnesses independent rulers over creation. They stand before the God of the earth in verse 4. Their acts are prophetic signs and judgments, confronting a world that celebrates the silencing of God's prophets. Sackcloth already shows that their ministry includes grief and summons to repentance.
The first two images strongly recall Elijah and Moses. Elijah announced a drought in Israel during a time of idolatry, and Moses' ministry before Pharaoh included water turned to blood and plagues upon Egypt. Revelation gathers such memories to show that the God who acted in Israel's history still judges evil and sends witnesses. The chapter also calls the city where the witnesses die "Sodom and Egypt" spiritually, linking moral corruption and oppression to the Exodus pattern. The witnesses' authority therefore speaks against arrogant resistance to God. Their message carries consequences because the God of heaven and earth takes truth, violence, and worship seriously.
The witness of Jesus gives the needed center for this severe imagery. He described himself as the faithful and true witness, and Revelation repeatedly presents him as the Lamb who has overcome through suffering. In this chapter, the two witnesses are killed after completing their testimony, then receive life from God and ascend in the sight of enemies. Their path reflects a biblical pattern in which God's servants may suffer, yet death cannot cancel God's word. The judgments in verse 6 are not spectacles for curiosity. They underline the holy seriousness of a testimony that calls the earth to acknowledge God.
Bible Verses Related to Revelation 11:6
“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
- 1 Kings 17:1
“And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.”
- Exodus 7:20
“For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.”
- Exodus 9:14
“These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
- Revelation 11:4
Where Revelation 11:6 Echoes in Scripture
James 5:17 provides a focused later echo of the drought image by recalling Elijah's prayer and the period when rain did not fall. Revelation 11:6 reaches beyond one event by also invoking Moses and the plagues of Egypt. Together these echoes present prophetic authority as dependent on God and directed toward a people who must reckon with his word.
How to Apply Revelation 11:6 Today
We may receive this verse with humility rather than treating divine judgment as material for speculation. It reminds us that words spoken in God's name are weighty and that creation itself belongs to him. The witnesses are clothed in sackcloth, so their authority is joined to mourning, seriousness, and costly service. In ordinary life, we can cultivate truthful speech, repentance where we have resisted correction, and compassion for people living under the effects of sin and disaster. Prayer can include confidence in God's power alongside reverence for his wisdom in judging the earth.
Reflection & Prayer
Do we seek God's power mainly for control, or do we welcome the sober responsibility of bearing truthful witness? Consider the sackcloth of the witnesses as well as their authority. Pray: "Lord God of the earth, make our words faithful, keep us humble before thy judgments, and form in us the courage to serve thee when truth is costly."