Revelation 11:6 describes two witnesses who have God-given authority over the sky and the waters, able to hold back rain and turn water into blood, and to strike the earth with plagues. The verse is part of a vision John recorded to encourage the church during hard times, showing that God’s messengers are protected and empowered until their work is finished. It is spoken by the angel in John’s vision, which John writes down for the seven churches of Asia Minor.
These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
Revelation 11:6 (WEB)
What Revelation 11:6 Means
The phrase “these have the power to shut up the sky” describes the witnesses holding back rain for a set period. In the Old Testament, Elijah prayed and the sky was closed for years, so the image would have been familiar to the first readers as a sign of a prophet speaking with God’s authority. The rain stops “during the days of their prophecy,” which tells you the power is limited in time and tied to a specific mission rather than to the witnesses’ own desires.
The verse then moves to power over the waters and the earth, turning water into blood and striking the land with plagues “as often as they desire.” This language echoes the plagues of Egypt in Exodus, where God demonstrated that he rules over nature and over those who oppose his people. The verse does not promise that believers will be given such powers today, and it does not describe ordinary Christian life. It describes the particular role of these two figures within the visions of Revelation.
The Context of Revelation 11:6
Revelation was written to churches facing pressure, and it often uses symbols to speak about God’s justice and his care for his people. Traditionally the book is attributed to the apostle John, who was exiled on the island of Patmos, and most scholars date it to the late first century. Chapter 11 sits in a section describing the church’s witness in a hostile world, and the two witnesses are presented as faithful servants whose testimony is protected until its appointed end.
Just before verse 6, the witnesses are said to have fire coming from their mouths to consume any who try to harm them. Just after, the verse goes on to describe their death at the hands of a beast and the public shame of their bodies in the city. Read together, the passage holds both God’s protection and the real cost of faithful testimony, and that balance shapes how verse 6 should be understood as a display of divine authority rather than a promise of personal power.
Key Phrases in Revelation 11:6
1 Kings 17:1
Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
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This verse records Elijah announcing a drought, the same image of a closed sky that appears in Revelation 11:6. Reading the two together shows how the prophetic tradition shaped John’s imagery and how God’s authority over rain was a sign of his word being spoken through his servants.
Exodus 7:20
Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck 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.
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This passage describes the Nile turning to blood under Moses’ staff, the plague that Revelation 11:6 echoes. Seeing the earlier event helps readers understand that the power over waters in Revelation points back to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 11:6
Lord, you hold the skies and the waters in your hands, and nothing in creation moves outside your will. When I feel small and unable to make a difference, remind me that you work through faithful people whose witness you protect until it is finished. Teach me to trust your timing and to speak the truth with courage, even when I cannot see the result. Keep me steady in your care, and let my life reflect your authority and your love. Amen.
