Lesson 17
John is now no longer a spectator in his vision; he is a participant. He is given a measuring rod like a staff. Then, what is he told to do (11:1)?
Concerning the coming of our Lord, Paul writes that He will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship (2 Thess. 2:1–4a). Then, what does Paul write (2:4b–c)?
So, how can the Jews ever rebuild the Jewish temple in its original place? No one knows, but before 1948, few people believed the Jews would again be a nation on their original land. It is probable the temple will be rebuilt early in the first half of the Great Tribulation, under the protection of the Antichrist (Dan. 9:24–27). The rebuilding of the temple will rekindle many Jews’ interest in the Messiah. Apparently, many will come to realize what truth in Hebrews 10:4?
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus talks about “the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel.” What warning is in the last phrase of that verse?
The bodies of God’s two witnesses are viewed for three and a half days by the peoples and tribes and languages and nations of the world (11:9). This could be through the use of a television satellite or the internet. What is the reaction of the world to the death of God’s two witnesses (11:10a)?
After three and a half days, a breath of life from God enters the two witnesses, and they stand to their feet, causing great fear to those watching. The two witnesses then hear a loud voice from heaven (11:11–12a). What does the voice say to them, and what is the result (11:12b–c)?
Therefore, the nations are angry because God’s wrath has come, and it is “time for the dead to be judged.” It is also a time when God’s people will be rewarded and a time “for destroying the destroyers of the earth” (11:18). This refers to those who destroy, or pollute, the world with sin. As Jesus said, when He returns, the world will be like the days of Noah (Mt 24:37). How is the culture of Noah’s time described in Genesis 6:5?
Next, God’s temple in heaven is opened and the ark of his covenant is seen within His temple (11:19a–b). God’s throne room in heaven is the pattern for the tabernacle, and later the temple, in the Old Testament (Heb. 9:23–24). The Ark of the Covenant was the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies. Many scholars believe it was destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar burned the temple in 586 B.C. According to Hebrews 9:4, what three items were kept inside the Ark of the Covenant?