The Two Witnesses
See comments
(This chapter clearly describes political events of the future. It predicts two people who will make a political career with a program according to the teachings of Jesus and other Bible prophets and threatens serious consequences, if these two people are harmed.)
I was given a stick like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, (find out, how much humanity follows the divine morals and principles made known by Jesus and various other prophets)
and count the people who worship there. (People who truly believe in God and also follow his morals and principles in politics and everyday life, even if they have to suffer persecution.)
(2) But leave the outer courts. (The traditional theological and church establishment who are paid to proclaim pleasant doctrines, see 2:2.)
Do not measure them, because they have been given to the godless people. (People who only pretend to be Jews or Christians, but do not live according to the teachings of Jesus and other prophets, see 2:9 and 3:9.)
They will trample on the holy city (They will bring religion and the church into disrespect through their policies, see Isaiah 1:12.)
for 42 months. (Three and a half years, three is the number of God, four the number of the earth, for three and a half years means: until God's power comes to the earth.)
(3) I will give power to my two witnesses, (These two persons will be politicians.)
and they will make God's message known (They will also be religious leaders and prophets.)
for 1260 days, dressed in sackcloth." (They won't wear fancy outfits.)
(4) These two are the two olive trees and the two lanterns (see 2:5 and Zechariah 4:14)
that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and ruins their enemies. (They have a strong effect by their words and the arguments they put forward exposing the immoral behaviour of their enemies.)
This is how anyone who tries to harm them will be destroyed. (exposed and ridiculed)
(6) They have the power to shut up the sky so that no rain will fall (Rain represents the element of water meaning emotions, which means these two people have a marked effect on people's emotional behaviour through their messages.)
during the time they make God's message known; and they also have power over the waters. (people's emotions)
They can turn them into blood, (Blood represents the element of "water" with the colour red representing fire, which means that the "two witnesses" can also produce violent reactions among the people.)
and strike the earth ("Earth" symbolizes the greedy money orientated world of finance and business.)
with every kind of plague (Political effects unwelcome for bankers and other very rich people.)
as often as they want. (7) Now when they have finished proclaiming their message, the Beast (The Lion representing destructive greed.)
that comes out of hell (see 17:8)
will attack, defeat and kill them. (We should always regard predicted disasters as threats and not as an inevitable future, which means that whoever wants to be one of these Two Witnesses should be cautious but not over-anxious.)
(8) Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, (London, see 2:13)
whose symbolic name is Sodom (The symbol for immorality.)
and Egypt, (The symbol for occultism, black magic, see also 18:2.)
where also their Lord was crucified. (Several commentators of the Revelation have suspected that this last part of verse 8 was added later, because the Revelation is about 200 years older than the idea that Jesus is God. On the other hand no modern culture is as hostile to Jesus as the English calling the anniversary of his brutal, politically motivated murder "Good"-Friday. The Red Cross, red through the blood of Jesus, is the sign of Satan's temporary victory over Jesus and the flag of England. This means, symbolically, Jesus is being crucified in London every day.)
(9) For three and a half days (Three is the number of God, four the number of the earth, for three and a half days means until God's power comes to the earth.)
people from every race, tribe, language and nation will look (on TV)
at their bodies and refuse to bury them. (Treat them in a dignified way otherwise normal for deceased.)
(10) The inhabitants of the earth (Materialistic people, who are preoccupied with money and other things from the element of earth.)
will be happy that they are dead and will celebrate by sending each other presents, because these two prophets had made those suffer who live on the earth. (Rich and money-orientated people.)
(11) But after the three and a half days (when God's power finally came to the earth)
a life-giving breath from God entered them, they stood on their feet, and everyone who saw them was terrified. (12) Then the two heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, (This might not actually be a resurrection of dead people, but the resurrection as well as the death may only be symbolic ones.)
while their enemies watched. (13) At the same moment there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city was destroyed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and everybody else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (God interferes in human history and punishes humanity for the evil they have done to his servants. This verse is a serious threat to anyone who wants to do harm to God's prophets.)
(14) The second horror is over; the third horror is coming soon. (Here the historical account finishes and we are now looking at the spiritual aspect of the events.)
The 7th Trumpet
(15) The 7th angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven shouting, "The kingdom of the world has now become the kingdom of our Lord(see 19:6)
and of his Messiah, (The politician who forces the morals and principles of Jesus into power, in chapter 6 and 19 referred to as The Rider on the White Horse, see 17:14, 19:7, 19:11)
and he will rule for ever and ever." (16) And the twenty-four elders (lesser spiritual beings associated with God's power, the number 24, like the hours in a day, may imply that they have a special significance for time, see 19:4)
who sit on their thrones before God lay with their faces downward and worshipped God (17) saying, "We thank you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to rule. (18) The godless people were furious; and your anger has come. (see above verse 13)
The time (see above verse 16)
has come for the dead to be judged. The time (see above verse 16)
has come for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who honour your name, whether they are small or great - and for destroying those who destroy the earth." (People who cause damage to the environment through greed.)
(19) Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the arc of his covenant (A fierce weapon, the sign of destructive divine power, capable of destroying the walls of Jericho, see Joshua 6.)
was seen there. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, claps of thunder, an earthquake and a violent hailstorm. 
(A major cataclysm, could be a nuclear blast or the earth being hit by a meteorite, see 4:5, 6:13, 8:5, 16:18, 18:21, Isaiah 2:10.)