And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
In Revelation 11, John describes a vision of two prophets who represent God's faithful witnesses on earth. For an extended period, they have been speaking uncomfortable spiritual truths, and the people around them have grown to despise them for it. When these two are finally killed, the world does not simply feel relieved — they throw a party. They exchange gifts in celebration. The word "tormented" is the key to understanding the hatred: these prophets had not physically harmed anyone. Their torment was the torment of truth — consciences pricked, comfortable lies exposed, a spiritual mirror held up that people desperately wanted to smash.
God, don't let me shrink from the uncomfortable parts of following you. Give me the courage to hear hard truths and the wisdom to speak them gently. Protect me from a faith so carefully managed it costs nothing and changes no one. Amen.
Gift-giving to celebrate the death of truth-tellers. It sounds grotesque — and it is. But there is a sharp, almost clinical psychological honesty buried in this image. Truth is genuinely uncomfortable, not in some abstract theological sense but in the visceral, keep-you-up-at-night way. Not mild advice. Not inspiration. The kind of truth that says: you are living for the wrong things, your priorities are upside-down, what you do when no one is watching matters, the person you have been treating as invisible is made in the image of God. People do not plot to silence comfortable suggestions. They only plot to silence what actually gets under their skin. This verse is not an invitation to be obnoxious in the name of "speaking truth." But it does press on something harder: Has your faith ever made anyone genuinely uncomfortable — including yourself? Or has it been carefully managed to avoid disruption, kept polished and palatable and safe? There are versions of belief that cost nothing, disturb no one, and require nothing to change. Revelation, with characteristic bluntness, seems to suggest those versions are not even worth throwing a party over.
What does the crowd's use of the word "tormented" reveal about why they hated the two prophets — what kind of truth produces that kind of reaction?
When has hearing a difficult spiritual truth felt like a torment to you personally? What happened when you sat with it rather than dismissing it?
Is it possible to speak hard truth without being harsh or self-righteous? What does that look like in an actual conversation?
Is there someone in your life who needs you to say something honest but difficult? What is holding you back from saying it?
What guardrails would you need in place to become someone who tells the truth even when it is unwelcome — someone who speaks with both courage and genuine love?
Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
Esther 2:18
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
Isaiah 54:11
They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
Amos 5:10
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Micah 7:8
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
John 16:20
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Daniel 7:25
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Revelation 12:12
And those [non-believers] who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice; and they will send gifts [in celebration] to one another, because these two prophets tormented and troubled those who live on the earth.
AMP
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.
ESV
And those who dwell on the earth [will] rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
NASB
The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
NIV
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.
NKJV
All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.
NLT
Those people will cheer at the spectacle, shouting 'Good riddance!' and calling for a celebration, for these two prophets pricked the conscience of all the people on earth, made it impossible for them to enjoy their sins.
MSG