Two Witnesses and the 7th Trumpet! - Revelation 11
Notes
Transcript
Intro: The Rise of Dr. Phil…
Intro: The Rise of Dr. Phil…
*Oprah was in crisis, she was being litigated against…
-Her livelihood and future were hanging in the balance…
*At just the right time Dr. Phil said, “THIS IS HAPPENING!”
-Get a hold of yourself, now is the time to act.
TS: In the same way the events of the book of Revelation are going to happen, there is no stoping it! The question is will we align ourselves with God as these events unfold?
1 Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there.
2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
3 I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
Point #1: God Appoints Two Witnesses to Prophesy for Three and a Half Years!
Point #1: God Appoints Two Witnesses to Prophesy for Three and a Half Years!
John is given a measuring rod to measure the Temple of God...
The Temple is an exact representation of the Temple God had Solomon build...
The Earth Temple was a representation of the Temple in heaven...
John is instructed to not measure the Temple court because they belong to the nations...
Which will trample the city for 42 months (which is 3.5 years)...
God sends two witnesses to prophesy...
They prophesy wearing sackcloth (which symbolizes repentance and mourning).
Who are these witnesses?
There are two men from the Old Testament that did not die...
24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.
The second was Elijah...
11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.
Others believe that these witness may instead be Moses and Elijah because to the since to the Jews they represent the Law and the Prophets. Additionally, they appeared to Jesus on the Mt. of transfiguration.
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[e] of the earth.
5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.
They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
Preterists:
Measuring is a symbolic action used in Scripture to “divide between the holy and the profane” and thus to indicate divine protection from destruction (see Ezek. 22:26; 40–43; Zech. 2:1–5; cf. Jer. 10:16; 51:19; Rev. 21:15–16).
One clue as to the identity of the witnesses is found in the observation that they are the two olive trees and the two lampstands (v. 4). The expression seems to derive from Zechariah 4:11–14, where the figure generally is connected to the high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel. On the other hand, the miracles attributed to them are reminiscent of Moses and Elijah (vv. 5–6).
Futurist:
Clark adds: Here is so plainly the destruction of Jerusalem that it could hardly be put in plainer words. It seems evident that there is no getting away from the fact that here we are dealing with the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70,
Most futurists take them to be two actual men who will arise to prophesy in Jerusalem in the Tribulation. The similarity of their miracles to those of Moses and Elijah have encouraged some to believe that the witnesses are Moses and Elijah themselves. Moses and Elijah appeared together with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, and would aptly represent to the Jewish people the Law and the Prophets, respectively, in whom the Jews put their trust. Elijah’s coming was promised in Malachi 4:5–6, which is an added support for his identification with one of the witnesses.
CONTINUING IN REVELATION 11:7
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them.
8 Their dead bodies will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
9 And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.
10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
Point #2: The Two Witnesses are Martyred for Their Testimony!
Point #2: The Two Witnesses are Martyred for Their Testimony!
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them.
8 Their dead bodies[f] will lie in the main street[g] of the great city, which figuratively[h] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
9 And some of[i] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.
10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
Preterists:
This is the first passage in Revelation that introduces an evil beast, though chapters 13 and 17 will expand on the concept. Concerning the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit (v. 7), who ultimately manages to silence the voice of the witnesses, Chilton writes:
The enemy of God and the Church is … always Beast, in its various historical manifestations. The prophets often spoke of pagan states as terrifying beasts that warred against the Covenant people (Ps. 87:4; 89:10; Isa. 51:9; Dan. 7:3–8, 16–25). All this will be gathered together in St. John’s description of Rome and apostate Israel in Revelation 13.
Futurist:
In these verses we encounter the first of thirty-six references to the beast (v. 7) in Revelation. Whether this is the same beast as in 13:1 is not certain. Walvoord gives his answer:
The beast out of the pit is Satan. The beast out of the sea is the world dictator (13:1). The beast out of the land is the false religious leader of that day (13:11). This unholy trinity is the satanic counterfeit of the divine Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Gaebelein and Ironside identify the beast in this passage with the beast from the sea in 13:1, and they consider both symbolic of the “revived Roman empire” or its ruler, the coming world dictator.
CONTINUING REVELATION 11:11
11 But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them.
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.
13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!
Point #3: At This Point the Two Witnesses are Raised from the Dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit!
Point #3: At This Point the Two Witnesses are Raised from the Dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit!
11 But after three and a half days, the breath[j] of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet.
Great fear fell on those who saw them.
12 Then they heard[k] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.
13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake.
The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!
Preterists:
The attempt to destroy the Witnesses seemed to be successful, not only in silencing individual prophets, but in abolishing the Testimony of the Covenant itself.… Yet the evil time is brief, being limited to a mere three and a half days … Through the resurrection of Christ, the Church and her Testimony became unstoppable. In union with Christ in His Ascension to glory (Eph. 2:6), they went up to heaven in the Cloud, and their enemies beheld them.… The story of the two witnesses is therefore the story of the witnessing Church.
Futurist:
The resurrection of the witnesses is a spectacle that will be viewed with awe and horror by the world. Ryrie paints the picture:
It is not difficult to imagine the scene. A crowd will be standing around or filing past their bodies lying in the street. Undoubtedly there will be radio and television coverage. Suddenly they will stand up … The two witnesses will disappear out of sight in the cloud of glory.
Before the newspapers can report the story or the commentators write their interpretations there will be another great event to cover, an earthquake centering in Jerusalem which destroys a tenth part of the city and kills 7,000 men.
CONTINUING IN REVELATION 11:15
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.
16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God,
17 saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.
19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.
Point #4: Heaven Invades Earth, The Kingdom of Earth Becomes the Kingdom of God and the Jesus!
Point #4: Heaven Invades Earth, The Kingdom of Earth Becomes the Kingdom of God and the Jesus!
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.
16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God,
17 saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was,[l] because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward
to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.
19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant[m] appeared in his temple.
There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake,[n] and severe hail.
Preterists:
Though it is announced that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ (v. 15), this is not a declaration that the entire earth has at this point come under the forcible and conscious rule of Christ, as at the end of time. The time frame is that of the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The meaning of the declaration is given by David S. Clark:
The first great opposer is swept away, and “the kingdoms of this world,”—no, rather the rule or sway of this world belongs to Christ. Now the kingdom was really given to Christ at his ascension; but two things had to happen before it was rightly on its way as a world conquering power. The first was spiritual, the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost; and the second was physical, the breaking down of the barrier of Judaism in the fall of the first great opposer. Then Christianity became a world religion.
Futurist:
Virtually all futurists, being premillenarians (Abraham Kuyper, an amillennialist, being a rare exception), see the trumpet of the seventh angel (v. 15) as heralding the Second Coming of Christ to put down all opposition, take the authority of the nations to Himself and establish His millennial kingdom on earth. The mention of the Second Coming at this point has raised questions about the chronological structure of Revelation.