Faithful Wintesses - Faithful Examples (Revelation 11:1-14)

Revelation 11:1–14 NLT

1 Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. 2 But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.” 4 These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. 7 When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. 8 And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. 9 And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. 10 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. 11 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. 13 At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.

REMEMBER What Revelation is?!

It is a LETTER, written to 7 SPECIFIC churches, dealing with THEIR specific circumstances and struggles. It is written to them and for them to lead them to a SPECIFIC desired response.

If we read the letter today with the assumption that John’s hearer/readers would have no clue what John wrote WE ARE WRONG and need to readjust our interpretation.

Likewise, if we read the letter in a way that removes them, and us, from any action or response in our world given the circumstance WE ARE WRONG and need to readjust our interpretation.

We cannot read the letter and say, “Well, there’s terror and struggle now, but it will get worse. But just wait, sometime in the future, when it is really bad, God will step in and it will all be good for the believers at that time.

NO! Although we recognize that God will step in - the purpose of the letter is to remind the readers that God is working a plan. Evil does exist and fight against that plan. But, the hope is NOT ONLY that it will be good SOMEDAY. The hope is that God’s grace and strength will enable us to be FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS of the LAMB and FAITHFUL WITNESSES of the Lamb up until that point - NO MATTER THE CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY COME FROM THAT FAITHFULNESS!!!

Chapter 10 details how John must bear the word of God, as a prophet to his world

A sweet message of salvation

A bitter message for those who refuse to hear

A bitter message for those who live their lives according to this sweet message, but are persecuted

Ch. 11 answers the question of what are we supposed to do now.

What is meant by temple?

Not an actual building

Does not mean that the temple must be rebuilt and then there would be 7 years of “tribulation” (Not to be seen in conjunction with Daniel 9 and the 70 sets of seven)

Metaphorical

Revelation 3:12 “12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.”

Examples...

Revelation 2:13 “13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.”

There was possibly a throne in that city. And, we saw how the city buildings could look like a throne and footstool. BUT, we also recognize the metaphor that this is NOT literally Satan’s throne, but it is a place of great evil and Satan has a strong foothold in that city...

This fits in with scripture

Matthew 18:20 “20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.””

1 Peter 2:5 “5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.”

Ephesians 2:19-22 “19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

The Temple is the COMMUNITY whereby God is known in the World. The Temple is a reference to the faithful followers of Christ who bear faithful witness.

The temple being measured, or marked out, is another way of sealing the faithful followers of Christ As we saw in Ch. 7

The outer court that will be trampled is a reminder that there will be those who claim to be faithful, but actually aren’t, who will fall away. They will find it easier to succumb to the world’s pressures and assimilate to the culture.

The idea of the tribulation lasting for 42 months or 1, 260 days or 3½ years is a way of saying that in the end it will be temporary.

Remember, the number 7 is a number of completeness, wholeness, perfection. It is a number that represents GOD’s actions in the world and is a reminder of God’s act of creation.

It is half of 7 so half of fullness. It is NOT a complete action, and it is ONLY temporary at worst.

It is a reminder of Antiochus Epiphanies who desecrated the actual Temple building in 167 BCE. He marched into the Temple and offered a sacrifice of a PIG on an alter built for the god Zeus. For 3½ years he tried to keep the people of God from worshipping GOD and tried to force them to eat pig flesh.

Now, on to these two prophets

Who are the prophets?

Some believe it is actually Moses and Elijah come down from heaven

Some hold the belief that Moses, like Elijah, didn’t actually die, but was ushered into heaven.

It was believed that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah, who was believed to usher in the End of the World.

Malachi 4:5-6 “5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.””

Yet, we must recognize a couple of issues with this interpretation. The first - it leaves US, and JOHN’S church with NO RESPONSIBILITY.

Interpreting this literally, where two prophets/witnesses come from God as people who have never died limits the scope of what John is saying. That interpretation makes this story about those 2 and not about the Church as a whole.

But, there is more.

Moses DID die...

Deuteronomy 34:1-8 “1 Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; 2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; 3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.” 5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until t…”

Jesus declared that the Prophet like Elijah, who was to come before the Messiah, has already come...

Matthew 11:11-14 “11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. 13 For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.”

So, we must acknowledge that has happened… So maybe there is something more for us to ponder...

In keeping with the idea that the Temple is the community of God, these 2 prophets describe the Role of God’s faithful people in the world.

The testimony of 2 witnesses was necessary to validate the claims of someone.

Don’t think “witness” as solely your personal testimony; witness carries with it the idea of a faithful, truthful, testimony in court.

Deuteronomy 19:15 “15 “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

Deuteronomy 17:6 “6 But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.”

The point is that the faithful community, numbering as a great multitude, is to bear faithful witness that validates God in our world!

Also, they are identified as Lampstands (11:4), which in Revelation 1:20 states are the church!

Revelation 1:20 “20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

How? As prophets that follow the example of Christ!

A prophet is someone who declares God’s word into the world no matter what the cost.

Just as John in ch. 10 is commissioned to be a prophet, so the faithful community of God is to act as prophets who bear faithful witness following the example of Christ, the greatest, faithful witness.

Let’s look at the Moses/Elijah paradigm and typology for a moment to help us out...

They are, both, considered to be the GREATEST prophets in the Old Testament - so, there is something about looking at what they did and seeing how these two prophetic witnesses can teach us today.

What did Moses and Elijah do?

They confronted the oppressive powers that kept people from worshipping God.

Moses confronted Pharaoh

Elijah confronted Jezebel and King Ahab who convinces the people to turn from worship of YHWY to worship Ba’al and Asherah

Moses and Elijah stood up to the powers that kept people from worshipping God, and/or led them to worship other gods.

They confronted those who oppressed God's people in an effort to force them into idolatry.

And, they risked their life doing this. Elijah was hunted down by the prophets of Ba’al and Asherah

They remained faithful witnesses in the face of great evil.

There is a Greek word that is translated “witness” that is important to remember here. The word is MARTYR. For us, today, that word means so much more than witness - it means faithful witness to the point of death and allowing GOD to declare those who are faithful victorious!

Christ is the faithful witness

Those who seek to be faihtful to the Lamb in our world MUST follow the example of Christ - like these to prophets.

The Lion/Lamb messiah

Who suffered, but was vindicated and declared victorious by God

Revelation 1:5 (NLT) 5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.

Antipas, the faithful witness like Christ.

Revelation 2:13 (NLT) (Pergamum) 13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

And, like the Lamb they are witnesses of, they die. But, they are dead for 3.5 days...

Hmm, yes a reminder of the death and resurrection of the Lamb. But, there's more.

Remember, 7 is the number of creation and completion. It is the number of wholeness. It is often seen as God's number.

3.5 is half of that, yes. It highlights that death is only temporary for those who are faithful. Death is NOT the completion to the story - nor God's intention for the story.

It comes to the faithful, but doesn't last long. But, and please note this, the vindication of the faithful comes AFTER their DEATH and even THROUGH THEIR DEATH!

Those who are faithful witnesses do not get an “Escape Card”. They suffer just as Christ suffered but are vindicated by God eternally

The role of the Faithful Witnesses

Faithfully proclaim God’s word

Suffer and die

Vindicated by God

There is no escape from suffering. There is no rapture mentioned. No “get out of tribulation” card. The moment the faithful witnesses are called to heaven is AFTER THEIR FAITHFUL DEATH!

They act like the prophets, they are challenged like prophets, they die like prophets, they are VINDICATED like prophets!

Olive Trees

Joshua (priest) and Zerubbabel (King)

Zechariah 4:11-14 (NLT) 11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, 12 and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?” 13 “Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I replied. 14 Then he said to me, “They represent the two heavenly beings who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”

Like Elijah who shut out rain from the sky (1 Kings 17)

Like Moses who turned water into blood and strike the earth with plagues (Exodus 7-11). A reminder of the use of plagues to deliver God’s people

Like Jeremiah and they use fired from their mouth (words of judgement to consume their enemies)

Jeremiah 5:14 (NLT) 14 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies says: “Because the people are talking like this, my messages will flame out of your mouth and burn the people like kindling wood.

What about the city where they lie dead

Not a specific city, but a reminder of all cities that rebelled against God’s order and God’s rule. Cities like Sodom, Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Jerusalem etc...

What is the purpose of the faithful witnesses?

Not full destruction

1 tenth destroyed in the earthquake

7,000 people

Remember 9:20-21

Their purpose is to faithfully follow God, preach HIS message of Repentance so that people are delivered from their idolatry and can worship God FREELY - LIKE MOSES AND ELIJAH!

Let’s compare a couple of verses...

Revelation 9:20-21 “20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Compare that to

Revelation 11:13 “13 At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

The purpose of the faithful witnesses is that through their faithful suffering and willingness to remain faithful to and through the point of death they will bear witness to God that leads to transformation and the repentance of the inhabitants of the world!

Where the plagues failed, the witness of the faithful followers of Christ succeeds.

But, we often succeed by being defeated on earth...

Tertullian was correct when he wrote, “We are not a new philosophy but a divine revelation. That’s why you can’t just exterminate us; the more you kill the more we are. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. You praise those who endured pain and death – so long as they aren’t Christians! Your cruelties merely prove our innocence of the crimes you charge against us… And you frustrate your purpose. Because those who see us die, wonder why we do, for we die like the men you revere, not like slaves or criminals. And when they find out, they join us.”

What is our purpose. To be faithful to and through the point of death, suffering, persecution, ridicule, IN ORDER THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!

After the faithful witness of the followers of Christ, then and only then can God’s Kingdom come!

Matthew 24:14 (NLT) 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

MAY THE GRACE OF GOD STRENGTHEN US IN OUR WEAKNESSES TO ENABLE US TO BE CONTINUALLY FAITHFUL NO MATTER THE COST!