Revelation 11:1-19
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRO
How do I measure up?
PRAYER
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MESSAGE
The Mission / Message
The Mission / Message
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
We have been given a task, and a message
1 Peter 2:9 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
We have a limited time to do so
James 4:14 “14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
Our is a message of hope
Ephesians 2:4–5 “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”
To tell and to live the gospel.
The Measure
The Measure
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
Where are you measuring from?
Matthew 5:48 “48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Psalm 19:7 “7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;”
Without Jesus we all fall short.
1 Samuel 6:20 “20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?””
Romans 3:10–12 “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.””
Jesus closes the gap between us and God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Ephesians 4:4–7 “4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
God is a righteous Judge who will hold ALL to account.
The Misfortune / Merriment
The Misfortune / Merriment
7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,
10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
We who are His can rest in His sovereign care
Exalting Jesus in Revelation We Have God’s Promise of Protection to Complete Our Ministry (Revelation 11:3–6)
The Baptist missionary to China, Lottie Moon, said, “I have a firm conviction that I am immortal ’til my work is done”
Exalting Jesus in Revelation We Can Expect Persecution and Even Death for Telling the Truth (Revelation 11:7–10)
The faithful missionary to the Auca Indians, Jim Elliott, had the same conviction as Lottie Moon. In a letter to his parents, he wrote,
Remember you are immortal until your work is done. But don’t let the sands of time get into the eyes of your vision to reach those who still sit in darkness. They simply must hear.
Philippians 1:21 “21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
James 1:2 “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”
Those who want to live for Christ ought to be prepared to suffer for Him as well
Hebrews 12:1–3 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
You cannot love both the world and Jesus
James 4:4 “4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Those who are friends with God are enemies of the world.
The Majesty
The Majesty
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
We can be assured that God will honor your faithful service!
Matthew 25:23 “23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Revelation 14:13 “13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!””
We can be assured that we who die will live again
1 Corinthians 15:19–22 “19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1 John 5:13 “13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
We can be assured that Jesus wins the day!
Revelation 19:20 “20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”
Our God reigns and is victorious.
CLOSE
17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
GROUP QUESTIONS
God has often used the death of His people to advance His kingdom. Where do we see examples of this in Scripture?
How does the world view martyrs? How does this line up with or differ from the way God views them?
How do you think the two witnesses of Revelation 11 fit into the overall plan of God?
Do you share Lottie Moon’s and Jim Elliott’s confidence in their immortality? How does this truth spur you on toward faithfulness?
Should every Christian expect to be persecuted? Should every Christian expect to be martyred?
Why does the world rejoice at the death of the two witnesses? Do you see the same spirit today?
How does God promise to vindicate those who serve Him unto death?
How should the certainty of the coming of God’s kingdom shape the way we live now?
What do you think is the significance of the full visibility of the ark of the covenant? How does this compare with the ark in the Old Testament?
How is God’s faithfulness shown in both mercy and wrath? Are these contradictory?