What does Revelation 11:13 mean?
In a display of His power and judgment God shakes Jerusalem with a devastating earthquake when He raptures His two witnesses. He never lets sin go unchecked. Sometimes He prolongs judgment, but at other times He judges sin immediately. In the case of the unbelievers' foul treatment of His witnesses and their subsequent celebration of the heinous crime, God's judgment falls immediately. The earthquake levels one tenth of Jerusalem and snuffs out the lives of seven thousand people. We should recall that an earthquake rattled Jerusalem when Jesus died at Calvary. Matthew 27:51 tells us "the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split."According to this verse, panic grips the survivors of the earthquake that occurs when God raptures His two witnesses. The survivors are said to ascribe glory to God. This does not mean those people worship or honor God. They recognize His power, but they are not said to repent. Whether individuals do or not, such a response is so limited that it's not worth mentioning. The world will respond in awe, and fear—giving glory to God by their reaction—but without any deliberate sense of honoring Him.