Faithful Witnesses in Dark Times

Introduction

I was thinking about all of the nurses and emergency responders that we have in the church this week. At night, in the hospital, the hallways are dimly lit, most patients are sleeping, and the day shift energy faded. This is when the night shift nurse truly shines. While the world sleeps, she moves quietly from room to room - checking vitals, adjusting medications, offering comfort to the anxious patient who can't sleep. She administers hope during the darkest hours, provides skilled care when few others are watching, and stays faithful to her calling even when no one applauds her efforts.

When the morning shift arrives, they'll find detailed notes about every patient, medications given on schedule, and crises averted through vigilant care. The night shift nurse didn't work in the spotlight, didn't receive the recognition that day shift gets from grateful families, but her faithfulness during the dark hours kept people alive.

The church serves as God's night shift in a spiritually dark world. We minister in times that feel hopeless, offer comfort when pain seems overwhelming, and provide the life-giving medicine of the Gospel when others have given up. We work faithfully even when our efforts seem invisible, even when the world appears to be sleeping through its greatest crisis.

In Revelation 10-11, God shows us what it means to be faithful witnesses during the dark hours of human history. Like that night shift nurse, we have a sacred calling that doesn't depend on applause or recognition - it depends on faithfulness until the morning comes and our shift is complete.

An interlude here, just like there was an interlude during the seven seals.

The seals, trumpets, and bowls numbering “seven” speak of the judgment of God on those who dwell on the earth because they refuse to worship the Lamb and they persecute his church.

The interludes speak of the the activities of the church during that time.

The Testimony is Light in the Darkness (Rev 10:1-11)

This chapter answers the question, “How long before the end?” The time is short, but the exact time is hidden from believers.

Revelation 1:1 ESV

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Sweet Promise and Hidden Details (Rev 10:1-7)

The Radiant Messenger (Rev 10:1-4)

Revelation 10:1–3 ESV

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

The interlude starts with a messenger of light.

You might wonder whether this mighty angel is Jesus:

he is wrapped in a cloud like God’s presence (Exod 13:21; Mark 9:7; cf. Rev 14:14)

he has a rainbow over his head like God’s throne (Rev 4:3; Ezek 1:28)

he has a face shining like the sun and legs like pillars of fire (Rev 1:15-16; Exod 13:21)

he has a roar like a lion (Rev 5:7)

These are all descriptions that remind us of Christ’s glory

But John cals him “another mighty angel”

Angels have been mighty messengers throughout the Revelation (Rev 5:2; 8:3; 18:1; 20:1)

Even in John’s Gospel, where he uses the word “angel” he never refers to Jesus

In verse 6, the angel swears by “God,” something that seems inappropriate for Jesus since he is fully God

Here’s what matters most:

the mighty angel brings an important message from God.

The glory of the angel tells us how important this message is in the little scroll.

His feet on the sea and dry land show that the message is for the whole world.

This angel’s message is confirmed by pictures of God’s presence among his people and the promise is that what’s in the scroll is going to lead us to a new and better promised land, the new heavens and new earth.

The rainbow in Genesis 9 was a sign that God saved Noah through the judgment of the world and brought his family to a new land. God is going to do it again and in a better way for us when he saves us through the judgment of the world and brings us into the new heavens and new earth.

Revelation 10:4 ESV

And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

The seven thunders roar, and just as John is about to write the message, he is told to stop. Some things about the future remain sealed from us, and that’s exactly how God wants it.

Jesus said,

Matthew 24:36 ESV

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

It’s like John got to open a Christmas present early, saw what was inside, and then was told to wrap it back up and put it under the tree until later.

Here’s what this means for us: When anxiety about the future creeps in this week, remember that God’s timing is perfect even when ours feels urgent.

The end is coming, but some dimensions of the future judgment are hidden from us–and that’s not a problem, it’s a blessing.

But God’s timing isn’t the only thing we can count on

The Reliable Plan (Rev 10:5-7)

Revelation 10:5–7 ESV

And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

God’s promise is absolutely certain.

The mighty angel raises his right hand to heaven and makes an oath - the most serious form of promise possible.

He swears by God the Father, who lives forever, who created everything in heaven (where God is) and earth (where we are) and sea (where the beast will come from in the next vision)

When someone makes an oath like this, you can bank on it.

The prophet Daniel in the Old Testament also saw visions of the end times. He asked, “How long?” He was told there would be a delay (Daniel 12:7), but now there is no more delay.

God’s plan will be completed exactly when he says it will.

The Seventh Trumpet changes everything.

We saw last time that the trumpets end with this victory, because in Israel trumpets were sounding when a king was installed. The one who is coming has come! Jesus is the final king and his kingdom is forever!

Spoiler alert! Turn the page and read Rev 11:15-19.

Bitter Reality, Clear Calling (Rev 10:8-11)

John Eats the Scroll (Rev 10:8-10)

Revelation 10:8–10 ESV

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.

John is told to take and eat the scroll.

It sounds like what we used to do to our younger siblings when we went out to eat. Drink this concoction that has ketchup, pepper, milk and hot dogs!

The prophet Ezekiel was given the same command when he was commissioned as a prophet

Ezekiel 3:1 ESV

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

John is told it will taste sweet but be bitter in his belly. Why?

To the Christian it is sweet because it is full of promises: forgiveness, eternal life, hope, life with God.

To the enemies of God it is bitter because it is full of warnings: judgment, the reality of sin, the punishment to come revealed in this book.

Think about a doctor delivering test results. The diagnosis might be difficult to digest, but knowing the truth is essential for genuine care.

God’s Gospel is medicine for our soul. Sometimes bitter, but always beneficial.

It’s why we are told we must speak the truth to one another in love.

Prophecy to All Peoples Must Continue (Rev 10:11)

Revelation 10:11 ESV

And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

This word of prophecy will go to all peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

The scroll John ate contains the rest of the book of Revelation, and in chapter 11, it’s the same message we are called to share.

Revelation 22:10 ESV

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

We Are Witnesses in a Dark World (Rev 11:1-14)

In chapter 10, John received his assignment - digest God’s word and proclaim it. Now in chapter 11, the focus shifts from “What should John do?” to “What should we do while we wait?”

The answer is clear. We are to be faithful witnesses to the gospel rather than passive observers. Like that night shift nurse working faithfully through the dark hours, the church has a job to do until Christ comes.

Before we dive in, let me be honest with you. Godly Christians - including people in our own church and even Pastor Amel - disagree with me on the details in this chapter. We are all still growing and learning, and I’m hoping to convince Amel to change his position by the time I’m done with the book of Revelation!

Some see the two witnesses as two future prophets right before Jesus comes. I see them as symbolic of the church.

Here’s what we all agree on: Jesus is coming back, and he is our blessed hope!

Peter captures this beautifully in Titus:

Titus 2:13 ESV

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Whether these events happen exactly as we imagine or differently than we expect, the outcome is the same.

We will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thess 4:16-18).

We Are Secure in God Despite Persecution (Rev 11:1-2)

The Church as the Holy Temple Protected (Rev 11:1)

Revelation 11:1 ESV

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,

John is told to measure the temple, its altar, and the worshipers. But what temple is this? The Jerusalem temple had been destroyed for over twenty years when John wrote Revelation. So what is God talking about?

Throughout the New Testament, the temple isn’t a building - it’s God’s people.

John follows the rest of the NT in identifying the temple as the church of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:19; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-9).

Paul writes to the Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

And to the Ephesians he says

Ephesians 2:22 ESV

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The temple, the altar, and the worshippers are the same thing: the church.

The measuring represents God’s protection and care for his people.

The Bible’s theology of the temple is not about a building so much as it is about God being with his people.

This means the presence of God is in us by his Spirit, his glory rests on us and his protection covers us.

If people want to meet God today, they don’t go to the temple in Jerusalem, they come to us, the church! Jesus said, “I’m with you always even to the end of the age.”

The Church as the Holy City Persecuted (Rev 11:2)

Revelation 11:2 ESV

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.

What does this mean? While God’s people (the measured temple) are protected spiritually, they still face persecution from a hostile world.

I believe that the “forty-two months” (Rev 11:2; 13:5) appears throughout revelation as a symbol of the entire church age. It is the time between the resurrection of Jesus and his return. It is described as 1260 days (Rev 11:3; 12:6), a time, times, and half a time (Rev 12:14)

Three and a half years is half of seven, and in God’s timeline, it represents a limited season of difficulty that feels long to us but is brief in comparison to eternity.

The trampling has an expiration date. The forty-two months will end when Christ returns and “the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.”

We are Strong for God (Rev 11:3-14)

Now, here’s where things get really interesting.

Empowered for Witness (Rev 11:3-6)

Revelation 11:3–6 ESV

And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

God grants authority to his “two witnesses” who prophesy for 1260 days - the same period as the 42 months.

But who are these witnesses?

Some think they are literal individuals like Elijah and Moses returning to earth. Others suggest they are two specific future prophets.

For a couple days in 1969, Steve Fernandez thought it was him and his brother Matt! They thought they were the only two Christians on earth!

I believe they symbolize the church.

In Revelation 1, John saw Christ walking among seven lampstands, which he explicitly tells us represent the seven churches.Later, in chapters 2-3, Jesus addresses these same churches as lampstands.

Now in chapter 11, these two witnesses are also called 'two lampstands that stand before the Lord.' This connects them directly to the church.

Since the church is the lampstand, and these witnesses are lampstands, the two witnesses represent the church itself throughout the 1,260 days - the same period as the 42 months. This means the church serves as God's faithful witness during the entire church age.

Why two witnesses?

The Old Testament required two witnesses to establish the truth (Num 35:30; Deut 19:15: Matt 18:16; John 8:17)

Jesus sent out his disciples “two by two” as witnesses.

Here, the church serves as God’s faithful witness throughout the church age (Rev 12:17; 19:10), clothed in sackcloth because we call the world to repent.

Who in your life needs to hear about Jesus? Tell them! Bring them here!

If you are sitting here needing to hear about Jesus, he is a friend of sinners. Come to Christ!

These witnesses are called “olive trees” and “lampstands” connecting to Zechariah’s vision where the Spirit empowers his people.

Zechariah 4:2–6 ESV

And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold…And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” …Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

The church in chapters 1 and 2, representing the entire church, shine as a lampstand in the darkness and receives her power from the Holy Spirit like olive oil fueling a lamp.

The church is the light of a dark world, pictured in a midnight slumber, but the dawn is coming. No night in the New Jerusalem!

Moses and Elijah, with their judgments and plagues, are not going to physically return but picture faithful testimony to all of Scripture and anticipate the plagues of the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments.

Suffering for the Message (Rev 11:7-10)

Revelation 11:7–10 ESV

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, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 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.

Eventually the beast, and worldly opposition, makes war against these witnesses and kills them (cf. Rev 6:9-11).

The church faces persecution and sometimes martydom for its faithful witness.

The city of this world does not honor Christians in their death. It is like Egypt because it persecutes the saints. It is like Sodom because it is wicked and will be destroyed in judgment.

The earth dwellers (unbelievers) are filled with joy at seeing the demise of believers, celebrating with gifts and proclaiming a holiday. Later, this great city will be called “Babylon.”

Perfect Vindication (Rev 11:11-14)

Revelation 11:11–13 ESV

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. 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. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

After three and days, a symbolic period showing that evil’s triumph is brief (this time of great tribulation at the end of the age) - God breathes life into the witnesses and calls them to heaven.

Here is the resurrection and vindication of the saints. And we get a some timing here from what follows. The physical resurrection of the saints will be at the last trumpet when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.

This is our ultimate hope: Current suffering is temporary, but eternal victory is guaranteed. The world that celebrates our defeat will one day witness our vindication when Jesus returns.

Revelation 11:14 ESV

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Third Woe (Rev 11:14): The third woe is the seventh trumpet because in bringing salvation to us, Christ brings judgment upon his enemies. It is the day of the wrath of the Lamb.

Forever in the Light of God (Rev 11:15-19)

After all this suffering and witness, what’s the outcome?

The Victory Announcment (Rev 11:15)

Revelation 11:15 ESV

Then 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 shall reign forever and ever.”

Evil looks terrifying, sin feels overwhelming, and demons seem powerful - but they're all just noise before this trumpet blast.

Trumpets in Israel announced the installation of kings. This final trumpet announces that Jesus - the King of kings - has taken His rightful throne over all earthly powers.

Thanks for God’s Reign (Rev 11:16-18)

Revelation 11:16–18 ESV

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reignThe 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.”

The twenty-four elders fall on their faces in worship, thanking God that His plan is complete. They declare both wrath for His enemies and rewards for His servants - the same event brings judgment to some and salvation to others.

No corrupt politician, no terrorist, no world power will stand in His way. Our Lord Jesus is the Lord of history, and victory is guaranteed!

The Promise Fulfilled (Rev 11:19)

The opening of God’s heavenly temple signals the close of history

The ark of the covenant pictures God keeping his promises and dwelling among his people in their midst.

The thunderstorm, earthquake and hail all picture the final judgment.

Remember John earlier, told to seal up what the seven thunders said - like wrapping that Christmas present back up? Well, here in verse 19, the wrapping finally comes off completely.

God’s promise to dwell with this people forever is fully revealed.

Conclusion

The night shift is almost over.

We're not apostles like John - we don't receive apocalyptic visions or eat prophetic scrolls. But we do have a mission. God hasn't sealed up the words of Revelation. Instead, He's told us to share its message openly because "the time is near."

Throughout this book, faithful witnesses take center stage: Overcomers in the churches, the multitude from every nation, martyrs under the altar, those who endure persecution. All of them point to the same truth - God protects His people even when the world opposes them.

Like that night shift nurse we talked about earlier, we've been given everything we need for our shift:

We know God knows us personally - He's measured us as His temple

We know God empowers us - His Spirit fills us like oil in the lampstand

We know God protects us - spiritually secure even when physically vulnerable

We know our message matters - sweet promises and bitter truths that the world needs to hear

We know our labor isn't in vain - even if opposition comes, vindication is guaranteed

We know our shift has an end - when the seventh trumpet sounds and the kingdom comes

The morning shift is coming. Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

Until that trumpet sounds, we remain faithful witnesses in dark times. We shine as lampstands, speak as two witnesses, and serve like that nurse through the longest hours - not because we see the dawn yet, but because we know it's coming.

The kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. That's a hope - that's a promise. That's not a possibility - that's a guarantee.

So who will you tell this week? Your shift isn't over yet.