Witness Tampering
Notes
Transcript
v.7:
The first reference to this person in Revelation, who is none other than the Antichrist (see ch. 13).
Note that he will ascend out of the bottomless pit. This tells us that his power is satanic.
When the witnesses have finished their testimony, is when the power of the antichrist will be fully manifested.
This reinforces that the two witnesses will appear at the beginning of the tribulation.
The antichrist will have 42 months of unhindered reign after the testimony of the witnesses is complete.
Once their witness is complete, and not a moment before, the antichrist will kill them.
God provided divine protection for them, and gave them supernatural powers so that they could not be harmed before their mission was complete.
Even the antichrist could not have harmed them before their work was done.
So, with their ministry completed, God will withdraw their supernatural protection.
The beast will then be able to accomplish what many had died trying to do.
With the death of the witnesses, the war against the saints will be in full swing.
With the death of the witnesses, the war against the saints will be in full swing.
Daniel 7:21
Daniel 7:21
“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
vv.8-9:
There is a threefold reference which centers around Jerusalem, but it almost certainly extends beyond, and is representative of the condition of the entire world: great city, Sodom, and Egypt.
These three references emphasize the wickedness of this time.
"great city," is a designation that refers to Babylon throughout the rest of Revelation.
"great city," is a designation that refers to Babylon throughout the rest of Revelation.
Revelation 18:10
Revelation 18:10
standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
In fact we see this usage throughout chapters 16-18.
The city of Babylon in revelation is the city of Satan and will eventually be destroyed.
Revelation 18:21
Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.
The original Babylon was a place where Israel was kept in captivity.
It was a center of pride and rebellion, which eventually met with destruction by God.
The Original Babylon was the center of Pride and rebellion, which was ultimately destroyed by God.
The Original Babylon was the center of Pride and rebellion, which was ultimately destroyed by God.
Isaiah 13:19-20
Isaiah 13:19-20
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
It is also spiritually called Sodom and Egypt.
Sodom connotes rebellion against God, the rejection of the poor, moral degradation, sexual perversion, and ultimately God's judgment and destruction.
Sodom was a place of pride and sexual perversion, which met with God’s judgment and destruction.
Sodom was a place of pride and sexual perversion, which met with God’s judgment and destruction.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
Jude 1:7
Jude 1:7
as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
2 Peter 2:6
2 Peter 2:6
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
Egypt was a place of idolatry, which kept Israel in slavery. It too, met with God's judgment.
Egypt was a place of idolatry, which kept Israel in slavery. It too, met with God's judgment.
Exodus 10:7
Exodus 10:7
Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
This threefold reference is a chilling prophecy of what's to come.
It is telling also, that the center of where all of this plays out, is where Christ was crucified.
It is also a reminder that what happened to Christ can also happen to any of us.
It is foolish to think that Christ endured so much persecution, yet somehow His followers are immune from it.
The only thing we are immune from is the wrath of God. Satan and the world have plenty of wrath to share with us.
Christians may be immune from the wrath of God, but Satan and the world have plenty of wrath to share with us.
Christians may be immune from the wrath of God, but Satan and the world have plenty of wrath to share with us.
1 Peter 4:12
1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
These two witnesses, once their work is complete, will see that wrath first hand.
Refusing to bury one’s enemies was a way to dishonor and show contempt for them.
They will be treated with the utmost contempt, as people from all over the world gleefully gawk at them.
Make no mistake, there are many people in the world, even today, who would love to see outspoken christians suffer this same fate.
v.10:
People will be glad to see them gone. Their death will spark a celebration.
They will have been seen as persecutors, simply because they preached God's judgment.
That same attitude is becoming more and more prevalent in our world today.
Those who take a stand on Biblical principals are deemed hateful and bigoted.
They are seen as wanting to persecute those who promote sinful ideals.
They are looked upon as oppressors, wanting to deny the rights of individuals.
The most glaring example of this in today's world is the LGBT crowd.
Many of whom seek to punish anyone who would speak against them.
God has made it very clear that the world cannot continue to glorify and embrace sin without facing His wrath.
This message seems lost on the world today, but that doesn't make it any less real.
Those who dare to preach it, are labeled as judgmental and hateful. They are said to lack grace, not knowing God's love.
What is love without correction?
What is love without correction?
Hebrews 12:6
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
Where is grace without a repentant sinner?
Where is grace without a repentant sinner?
Romans 5:20-21
Romans 5:20-21
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If we don't warn people about their sin, how will they ever know God's grace?