Revelation 11:1-14

Revelation 11:1-14

What are People Seeing?

Intro:

This part of the chapter continues on with what has been in most of the Book so far and what has really been going on throughout the entire Bible. John shows us two sides, how the world sees God and His people and How God sees his people

Read Verses: Revelation 11:1–6 (CSB): Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.

Main Point: The power and authority for effective witness lie in the Spirit of God.

I. People See Power (1-6)

To get to the numbers first, 42 months is the same as 1260 days, they both equal 3 ½ years. Given that the next few chapters detail the end of everything, most scholars think this 3 1/2 year period is the last half of the tribulation.

So what John is seeing and then relaying to his audience is that the world and God’s witnesses are at odds. There is a Power struggle going on.

The Angel tells John to measure the God’s Temple and the altar and count those who worship there. But exclude the outside courtyard because it has been given to the nations. The outer part is given over to the world. With that information, it would seem that the people inside the temple are God’s people.

The people outside of the temple are going to trample the Holy City. And the city is not going to be a peaceful place, but the basic message indicates there will be some people preserved and other people will be destroyed.

When we went thorough Mark, we talked about the imagery in certain parts of that Gospel showed people with Jesus who were inside a building or group and the other group that was outside.

So what is the temple and city? One commentator says that the temple is the third temple built by the Jews themselves and that it is simply taken over by the Antichrist, and his people but given what John says, about the nations being kept outside that doesn’t make much sense,

Another commentator says For John, the temple was not a literal building but “the Christian community who worship God.” It is the church, the people of God (as in 1 Cor 3:16-17, 2 Cor 6:16 and Eph 2:19-22 Whatever the imagery may have intended if it originally belonged to a Jewish apocalypse, there is little doubt that for John it means that God will give spiritual sanctuary to the faithful believers against the demonic assault of the Antichrist.

The measuring of the temple is a symbolic way of declaring its preservation. The background is probably Ezekiel 40–42, where the prophet in a vision watches every part of the temple measured with painstaking care.

The symbolism is that we see that God’s people have been given protection and that comes in the form of the two witnesses.

So before we look at what the witnesses are, let’s look at who they represent.

John now identifies the two witnesses as the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. The background is Zechariah’s vision recorded in chapter 4 of his prophecy. There, a single golden lampstand (Israel?) supports a bowl with seven lamps (“the eyes of the LORD ,” v. 10) and is flanked by two olive trees (Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the Jewish governor under the Persian king Darius) that supply it with “golden oil” (v. 12). The angelic interpretation is, “ ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (v. 6). As God’s Spirit works through his chosen leaders, despite all their apparent weaknesses, the temple will be brought to completion. As usual, John uses his source with considerable freedom. 87 The one lampstand becomes two, and these two in turn are said to be synonymous with the two olive trees. Already in chapter 1 the seven churches (symbolic of the church universal) have been symbolized by seven lampstands. They are the bearers of divine light (cf. Matt 5:15–16). These light bearers are also olive trees in that “the oil of the Spirit … keeps alive the light of life.”

They represent Elijah and Moses. Both are prophets, both are on the mount of transfiguration with Jesus.

Elijah and Moses both challenged their respective Worlds. Ahab called Elijah the enemy to Israel and stopped the rains for 3 ½ years. Moses was the prophet that had the rivers turn as red as blood and he challenged Pharaoh and all the things he did.

So the witnesses could be two people or it could represent the two parts of the church. Israel and The multitude that was spoken about in Chapter 7.

The prophetic message they spoke was one of repentance.

Application:

The World has a different view of what Power is.

The Preaching goes on for the same amount of time as the trampling of the city or the pagan rebellion against God.

The Prophets use their words and the World uses their might, destruction, and noise to demonstrate their perceived power.

II. People See War (7-10)

Revelation 11:7–10 (CSB): 7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies, will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The beast, which is an emissary of Satan, comes out of the abyss and makes war on the witnesses and kills them. The Beast is a direct contrast to the church or the witnesses. Satan contrasts God, the Antichrist opposes Jesus, and the Beast opposes the witnesses or the church. As the little horn of Daniel 7 made war with the saints (v. 21), so the beast of the Abyss overcomes and kills the two witnesses.

This attack is more indicative of a war between nations rather than a fight between two individuals.

The bodies are left in the street and those who live on the earth will gloat, party and give gifts to each other. Which was a huge indignity or offense to the family of the deceased. This was done by the Romans when they crucified people. The word let them be buried. Which may speak to how Pilate perhaps regarded Jesus as a king because he allowed Joseph of Aramethea to take Jesus’ body and bury him.

But this celebration and chance to gloat about the loss is basically it is like Christmas for them or A wizard of Oz moment where all of the sudden the Munchkins come out of their homes and sing ding dong the witch is dead.

When people see the war, and the beast wins or at least they think he wins because their enemy, the prophets or witnesses of God are lying in the street. But they miss one crucial clue as to why they were allowed to be killed. Their mission was finished, the message was preached and they reached the people they needed to reach.

So just Iike the aspect of power and how the world sees they think War is the be all/ end all of power. The nations, the world, and the beast think that war is the correct avenue to solve their problems. Might is right. War has a place and purpose,but it should not always be the go-to answer. But the nations think that the prophets or the church got what they deserved for making their lives miserable.

And they think they have Victory, but the clock has not run out yet.

III. People See Victory (11-12)

Revelation 11:11–12 (CSB): 11 But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.

So the victory the world thinks they have over God’s people lasts three and a half days and then God breathes life back into the witnesses.

The language of this verse follows the vision recorded in Ezekiel 37 in which God sends the breath of life into the dry bones, which come to life and stand upon their feet. The reveling is cut short, and terror strikes the inhabitants of the earth who have just witnessed this remarkable event. Since murder is the last resort, what can be done about those who rise from the dead! The resurrection of the church is a sure indication that God possesses the ultimate authority over life and death.

Then not only are they revived, they are now called into Heaven and most likely everyone sees this rapture take place.

Likewise, Jesus was treated like any other person claiming to be the messiah; he was taken and killed and they buried him thinking that that was the end of it. But the Pharisees were obviously worried about something happening because they ordered guards to the tomb and they sealed the tomb to make sure no one could steal Jesus Body.

But in five weeks we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. God brought him back to life and the tomb’s door was rolled away and the angels stood and said he is not here, he is risen. And the resurrected lord was seen by many people.

IV. People See Devastation (13-14)

Revelation 11:13–14 (CSB): 13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!

Ezek 38:19–20 predicted a great earthquake that would precede the end. Zechariah says that the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west when God returns to crush his enemies (Zech 14:4). Although the earthquake may symbolize some great upheaval in the social order here, as in Rev 6:12, it is part of an apocalyptic vision that portrays in a literal manner the events yet to come.

John is confirming the End is near. All of the events in the book so far has been the slower half of Stairway to Heaven. You listen and no matter how many times, you hear it, and you think oh its going to pick up and then it slows down again and it repeats. But then it gets to the You are going to hear loud guitars and crashing drums the tempo picks up and you just want to bang your head. Because the song is at its apex or crescendo.

Application:

What do people see when they see you?

Do they see a Christian who is struck with fear or do they see God’s power coming through you?

People will not always like to hear the Truth but we are to tell them about Who God is. We can point them to Exodus 34:6-7 as a descriptor of God’s character

We cannot control people’s reaction to us when we tell them the Gospel about Jesus descending from Heaven and then living out his human life before dying for their sins and mine and yours, on the cross. But He was resurrected on the third day. And then returned to Heaven to his rightful place.

So we will face persecution for our beliefs form the world and they will rejoice when the church members fail and fall. But take heart in the fact that God is the truly powerful one. And he is moving his Good news around the Earth. Paul told the Philippian church 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.