Sermon: The Center of The Revealtion: The Protection & Wtiness of God's People, Amid the Attack of the Beast
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I hope you’ve been surprised so far this first half of the book of Revelation - how much of Jesus there is in it, how much of worship, prayer, and how much of the first half deals with the judgments and suffering that Satan afflicts not primarily by the weaponry of modern warfare, and not in a small concentrated piece of real-estate in the Middle East- but that God’s judgments on the whole earth, not complete but growing, that Satan’s attacks are under God’s control - exacted on this whole world of sin in general, but some especially on those who refuse to repent and actually persecute followers of Christ. And last week we saw that before we get to the most intense time of suffering, the last half of Daniel’s last week, the people of God are given a role to play - not just prayer,. But remember last week, between 6 and the 7th trumpet - interlude, and it included the re-commissioning of one of God’s servants about 2000 years ago John. Remember he actually enters the vision. The message is that before the most intense suffering climaxes, with the final and 7th judgments falling, the church you and me have a job to do. Before the 7th trumpet, and the second half of the book, this chapter 11, right at the centre, sharpens up what it is the people of God are about and how God protects them! And just like with what happened to John, 2000 years ago commissioned to witness prophesy, so too with the church - like John called to replicate life of Jesus in suffering witness. Instead of just receiving visions, like John and we given 3-D glasses, and experience these judgments around us, church of Christ called to action!
Even if people can’t agree on the details of temple and city, and id of witness, all Christians should agree on main point at heart of the book, message to the churches: Here it is:
Key Truth: God will protect his people against all satanic opposition, and they will proclaim the gospel until the kingdom comes.
Key Truth: God will protect his people against all satanic opposition, and they will proclaim the gospel until the kingdom comes.
Chapters 11 begins with the protection:
A. The Measuring Rod of Protection Upon God’s Temple & People! (Who & Where)
A. The Measuring Rod of Protection Upon God’s Temple & People! (Who & Where)
Now here is something so encouraging. Just like after that cycle of 6 seals of judgment, there was an interlude, and God first gives John a special number of God’s people first heard and then seen 144000. And what was the big significance of that interlude between 6 seals and the seventh climatic one. That in the midst of all this world-wide brokenness, judgment and suffering - guess what God’s people are sealed with God’s Name. A pledge that will be kept ultimately - untouchables in eternal sense. Keep up .. hold on .. time isn’t not yet… Well, so too here as again we have a pause between 6 judgments of the trumpets, the last 3 at the end specifically at spiritual attack against unbelievers. We saw at the end of ch 10, these were designed to bring repentance of all those either trapped in idolatry of the world, or those in the church compromising! But they don’t, in this interlude, we have a vision not of God’s people in heaven and on earth, but of angel/messenger with all the attributes of God, and he comes with that little Open Scroll - says more important than these prayers, more important these judgments, you must prophesy, John, who is both a partner in the tribulation but also now participant in these unfolding end times. And John must prophesy to the whole world about the whole gospel! WORK NOT DONE. And now in chapter 11 John must encourage the witnesses that he is a partner with these two witnesses. And who are they? John tells us quite specifically. Rev 11:4
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
Now this is not first time that we have heard these symbols describing people. Before we try to identify just who they are, you must first notice their job and function!
The prophesy is so clearly from Zechariah - two olives trees, re-build and establish God’s temple - not but might nor by power, but all God’s people led by the Spirit!
Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the prince rebuilder. And also connected to that vision are these other two symbols from Zechariah, these lampstands. Remember how that worked oil of the Holy Spirit pours down these tubes, and fills the candle sticks. Like having a supply tube of liquid gold into our lives, int the community of Christ! The Oil is the Spirit, the Light is Jesus and His Grace, and it flows into the people who are the people of God the menorah - the lamp of the world light to the nations.
But notice that there are only two, and as I mentioned 80-90% of this book is allusion to the OT. Does anyone remember where we have two or maybe three, but at the very least two witnesses in the OT? The law requires all claims to be established on the legal testimony of two. Remember Jesus sends out 70 to proclaim the gospel - how two by two!
And so what we have here are witness to the gospel, witness to both the bitter judgments and warnings but also the sweet the gospel of God. We are to explain God’s response to sin and sinners, and witness to the atrocities commited in this world against followers of Jesus - as well as witnesses of the Resurrected Jesus, Merciful calling for Repentance King. Now this is certainly a central character - the witnesses of God amid the woes and tribulation coming on this world and before the final climax of the seventh seal, trumpet. Before the 7 bowls of wrath which will then not be 1/4 of the earth, or a 1/3 of the earth, but the Final Judgment of all the earth. Before all that happens Jesus gives John this vision of what his witnesses must be about!
And notice one other thing about the way these witnesses will do their work. It’s not just willy-nilly lets try this or that, gimmicks to attract people to jion a program or church, a slick message that would give people health,w wealth and look a ticket to heaven to boot. No listen Rev 11:3
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
When have we seen those words before? Grant Authority and it would seem remarkable success at first! They are pictured not as one being Moses and another Elkjah. But both have powers - and success of their witness is shown. They have been given authority! Remember Matthew 28:18 before the words of commissioning, remember what Ascension Day is all about: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore… Our witness are going to be Jesus-empowered authorized words. Jesus said to his disciples before the Cross, as the Father sent me in the world, so I send, You. He said after the Cross and the Resurrection, at his Ascension: Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus said, as the Father bestowed a kingdom on me, so I bestow a kingdom on You. Do you understand that all God’s people - given authority and the Spirit - not necessarily to be evangelists, but to be the witnesses to God’s grace in Jesus! So that’s the who of the protection, but now the where -
But notice also where Jesus wants to underline they will be based out of when they do this witnessing. Rev 11:1
But notice also where Jesus wants to underline they will be based out of when they do this witnessing. Rev 11:1
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,
Now you might be thinking that John was commanded to measure a physical area with a physical measuring tape. But look at those three entities to be measured, a temple, an altar, and worshippers. Now that word temple of God, both in Revelation and in the rest of the NT is used of the people of God again and again. In fact, only once is that phrase “temple of God” used for the physical temple in Jersualem, and even then in Jesus description of how it would be destroyed! Measure the headquarters of God’s presence, then measure the altar. Now two types of altars in the temple of God - one in the holy place - altar of incense before God - and often has come up a few times already in this book - represents the people of God at prayer. The other is the altar of burnt offering, outside the court , for people to bring their burnt offerings for forgiveness and acceptance into Gods presence. But that altar says Hebrews 10:9 has been completely fulfilled by Christ and the Cross, - it is abolished, so the only sacrifice is for us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God!
But then third entity to be measured is very telling. It’s not something that you can measure in feet and inches cubits and stadia at all, a measuring rod for blood-bought forgiven sinners, who have now become the worshippers of God in Christ. They are now the Temple of the living God. These three terms describe the whole complex of the new Temple of God. And now comes the biggest question of why in the world at the middle of the book of Revelation, do we have these witnesses, and who are with these worshipers being measured as the temple of God?
Well, the answer to that question must be found in the prophesy John is alluding to here in Ezekiel. God gives Ezekiel 40ff a vision of the re-built temple and city of God - and guess what it is so big, all of Israel couldn't contain it - guess what it is a perfect cube like the New Temple at the end of the Book of Revelation that is Zion the People of God, in which there is no physical temple be God and the Lamb are its temple.
Many Evangelicals, especially after ethnic Israel but 1948 national Israel and the taking of Jerusalem in the 6 day war of 1967, took the view that only the first chapters are about the church, then raptured out of world, not at Christ’s return once and for all, but before the tribulation falls. And that the rest of the book, is really not for the church, but for Israel and that this is referring to a literal rebuilt physical temple in which an altar and sacrifices will be restarted. But when Jesus spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the abolishing of the temple -he makes no mention of a physical temple ever being rebuilt. And clearly we see when John is re-commissioned in the midst of these tribulations, and those who follow the Lamb are the whole church.
Jesus Himself says to the Christians at Philadelphia, that they need to have patient endurance for the hour of trial coming on them, and when they do look at his promise: Rev 3:12
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
And the Israel of God in the NT is Gentile-Christians grafted into the line of Jewish believers who embraced the Messiah. That’s the one church of God, the fulfillment of God’s Israel in Christ. Grafted into spiritual nation the church of Jesus Christ! Jesus says, destroy this temple I will rebuild - with real tabernacle - guess what? My people Jews & Gentiles redeemed and sanctified - that’s the temple, your body the temple of the Holy Spirit now, and together a temple made of people! This is what Jesus told the woman at the well: time s coming and now is, when neither in this temple nor that, not in physical building, with outer rituals and ceremonies of the OT - but by the gospel all worship in Spirit and in Truth Just read Eph 2 and 1 Peter 3 and see how the church has become God’s kingdom, his family, a temple built together by the Spirit built of people. Paul says in 1 Cor 3 You are the temple of God. It’s interesting that the believers in Qmran called their community, of uncompromised Jewish believers the Temple of God! So, understand this is not a distant future temple, but one that exists in John’s day for him to measure.
But the question that brings us to crux of the interpretation and of the comfort!!! Why measure, the temple, the altar and the people of God, all who worship the Living God and the Lamb? Well in Ezekiel the measuring stands for - security - so just like those inside this measured temple can’t ultimately be touched by the suffering.
Have you ever measured your property - special piece of paper realtors often require - a survey. This is God’s survey of His dwelling place on earth - it includes all His people, and He says this is mine you can’t damage or destroy - and don’t need court of gentiles, because now with Christ the Gentiles are in the temple. Outside, the boundaries pressing like Jesus said are the gates of hell, this world is under the power of the evil one, with the wisdom of the world, they will push down and marginalize, oppress and even attack the Church of Jesus Christ, but we’re measured, and the gates of hell will not prevail. But this Church must go out among the nations. They must finish their witness, oh they may suffer death and suffering eventually, but they are spiritually protected, and even physically bullet proof until God’s witness through them is done, so are we! And did you see it, John and the witnesses and you and me we are will conquer as we follow the pattern of Jesus’ Christ suffering witness amid the rise and fall of Kingdoms and judgments!
And that brings us to the heart of the action of this text, and of God’s people in this world of woe!
B. The Heart of the Action for God’s People is Witness amid Spiritual Attack (Why & When)
B. The Heart of the Action for God’s People is Witness amid Spiritual Attack (Why & When)
Did you notice the one part of the temple that was not measured, why leave that out? It’s given to the what the nations to be trampled! So you got God’s people as the temple of God, that’s the headquarters of God’s presence on earth, where God abides, protects them, feeds them by His Spirit. Zech 2 shows the measuring is what belongs to God and is protected by God amid all the judgments of the seals and trumpets! But right on our door step, are the nations of a world, that doesn’t know and own Christ yet! And that place, those people are not measured and protected in that way. And what is going on in that unprotected place? Why, the nations are trampling on the HOLY CITY. Now let me ask you in John’s Day, who was trampled among the nations, do you remember who this book is written to? Remember those at Pergamum Antipas, Remember what’s going on in Smyrna: Revelation 2:9-11
“ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Remember what Jesus himself said to the Church at Philadelphia at the beginning of this Book … this being trampled and keeping on witnessing is what the book is all about! Rev 3:8,10
“ ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
Yes, they will be protected and yet they can’t stay within the spiritual firewalls of the church, they must be in the world but not of it. And its here, that John uses the image of God’s people as the two witnesses, grant authority where they must bear witness. And that was the problem at the beginning of the book, 7 church but only two are giving uncompromising witness, and they were suffering like Jesus for it! You feel this too, you are with unbelievers in your family, neighbours, and you can either try to be with them, by being like them of the world, or you can withdraw from them, or you can be in their world but not of it and really give a witness!
Here Jesus is saying: Share John’s prophetic call, be a partner with him. Ultimately Jesus says: share my ’ prophetic office, tell the world the gospel. SO Protected spiritually but still persecuted in the mix of this world as we hold out God’s Word! Preservation yet still testing and suffering in its mission!
But look when this is to happen. A time period called 42 months, how many days is that 1,260, how many weeks, 3 1/2 years that Daniel 7 tells us are when the beast will attack, not just two witnesses, but all the saints of God! Daniel 7:21 . Again and again this beast and this period of intense persecution will come up in the rest of the book, Where is it from? From prophesy of Daniel, and some just say ok that number of days repeated a few times. But the point of this repeated number is not its literal length. That is exactly half of what? 7 Daniel 12 ,1260 days, 30 day months = same period. John had no idea how long it would be, but he uses the time frame, 3 1/2 years from Daniel in which all God’s persecuted until the events of the Great End Come, and The Ancient of Days comes and brings judgment and salvation on the Last Day Dan 7:22 . The big deal is not how long, but what this period Daniel talks about and Jesus repeats, will mean for the church’s struggle and God’s mission in a world, gone mad! A jew in John’s day hearing 3 1/2 years would think of Antiohcus AEphancs, 3 1/2 years took over temple and used it in heathen worship. Jesus is saying such a period will mark the days before His return.
Symbolic numbers in the Bible 7 is a number of completeness. Jesus uses that 3.5 to tell his church in the last days, intense suffering for witness, cut in half - it won’t last forever and that’s the context of the church age from Jesus death and Resurrection until he comes again. And he wants His authorized legal witness, and he wants you and I like this little light of mine I’m going to let it shine, And now look at the most extraordinary Part of the Prophesy - what happens if the witnesses, in this tribulation will open their mouths!
C. When witnesses open their mouths in tribulation some will repent!
C. When witnesses open their mouths in tribulation some will repent!
And here is the connection to the next big section of this book from Rev 12 to Rev 16’s, 7 Bowls of Ultimate Wrath of Final Judgment and the Absolute Fall of Babylon, the prostitute, the Dragon and the Two Beasts and the False Prophet. This interlude actually lasts a long time and gives a more detailed description, a spiritual road map or even getter the spiritual battle plan of this war between God’s eople in their function as God’s witnesses and Satan’s power in this world!
And so we have the mention in Rev 11:7
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,
Did you here that astoundingly good news. Witnesses will finish their testimony. Yes v.6 says, there will be some who would harm them as they witness, you too - but we are absolutely bullet proof in terms of our lives, and witness , spiritual being held by the living God until we have finished the witness. God ordains the trial, and it purifies us in it; and it results in witness. None of us, will be attacked beyond what we can handle with Christ, even if that is martyrdom, none of us will ever die before the witness God ordained for us to give. But seek to harm they will. Jesus predicted it to, if they persecuted me, persecute you too, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, measuring rod, has counted and protected you you will have my peace and finish my work. Jesus conjures up the picture of Elijah in the days of Jezebel and Ahab - give them my witness, and here by your prayer Iw ill frustrate their plans, and the worship of their Baal the rain god, answer with fire of judgment on those who stand against God - power to shut the sky, You go like Moses to the Pharaoh’s courts in this world - and you press the claims of My Kingdom of my truth and worship - and you’ll be surprised I’ll turn the Nile of their confidence into blood. Your witness the counsel of your words, the wisdom of the Kingdom - it will be effective.
And I wonder if you believe that your witness will be effective too. Look how Paul describes this power of ours in less symbolic manner: 2 Cor 10:4-5
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Oh do you believe that the gospel will triumph in this world, even in the days of tribulation? That like Christ who shows up in the end to exact justice and deliver His suffering church, that its all done by the Word of His Mouth. Gospel declarations of the promises and judgments of God! . Yes the kingdom of darkness and the beast will attack and after our witness, there even be martyrdoms, and at the very same time the kingdom of darkness will also expand and go from bad to worse. Parallel developments of two kingdoms on a collision course.
But look what we will also see happening, which indeed in this last century, more gave their lives for Christ and his gospel and killed for Christ it than in any other time of world history. Even on our TV screens in orange jumpsuits kneeling to be beheaded by Isis. Yes with a demonic rage the beast who deceives the nations, from the bottomless pit - picture in Jewish Apocalyptic literature of rulers opposing God opressing His people, with demonic behind them. Such a world-city puts these witnesses to death.
And where? Here is the first mention in the book of the Great City - not the holy city, that is the temple back in v.2, which is the people of God, as is seen also at the end of the Book. There will be a battle between Zion, New Jerusalem , people of God and what we have in Rev 11:8 here. the Great City .
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.
These are the two great rival cities, everyone ever lived belongs to one or the other! And note that it is symbolic of Jerusalem, but symbol with Sodom and Egypt. Why are those symbols - Lot persecuted, God’s people persecuted in Egypt, and why Jerusalem? Not because that alone is where this happens, but because the supreme example of this kind of persecution, came when the Faithful Witness who made the good confession before the nations, before Pilate, he was put to death, cruelly persecuted! Every where else in the Book the Great City is Babylon, in John's Day Rome. And in John’s Day it appeared that Rome would decimate the church, but it not only rose from the ashes of persecution in the lands of the Roman Empire, like Tertullian said, the Blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. But all through history nation after nation will fall into dust bin of history under God’s judgments he raise a up and takes down, but the Church of Christ even in those places rises again!
You need to know that you can suffer harm, but God is still with you. You need to know the Beast from the Bottomless pit could unleash a persecution that even kills us, but listen - not out of God’s control and your vindication is certain! Know that whatever suffering whatever death - story is not over! And look at how its described what the nations will do when they put to death those witnesses: Rev 11:8 They deny them proper burial, try to desecrate them and mock their witness, and v.10 they even celebrate their cruelty like executions in soccer stadiums of the witnesses of Jesus. IN this church age, persecution and martyrdom will happen, and especially the very end of the Age before Final Judgment. As Daniel 12:7 puts it with divine figure stretching out his hand to heaven like here:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
It will appear in the end that the Church has been defeated but… But then something so strange is recorded, like Jesus, they are vindicated by God raising them up. Now some think speaking of them coming to life on the streets of literal Jerusalem, and then a glory cloud coming down on them, and Come UP Here. But Language matches Ez 37 valley of dry bones, after die in exile Israel, raise you up. And developed in Rev 20:4-6 the kingdom passage speaks of this vindicating resurrection for God’s people!
But listen if speaking of the whole church and her witness in this age, those 3 1/2 days describing short in determinate time. And look what else happens at that exact hour: Rev 11:13
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.
Picture it they are resurrected, earthquake with 1/10 of the city falls, 7000 killed, at the end of the sixth seal we had it too, end of sixth trumpet - announcing the final woe is here. And the rest of the people actually give glory to God! The beginning of the final judgment is starting. Judgment Day, now in v.15 the Seventh Trumpet blows… won’t describe it until all the bowls of wrath. Before that chapters 12-16 will show these battles described between the dragon, the beast and the 144000 who follow the Lamb where ever he goes, but when judgment day comes and God’s witnesses are raised to life and they are vindicated just like Jesus will be - they see that Jesus is the way of Life and that He is King of King and His people of grace and mercy - were not scum to be trampled upon. A
And so we have any and all who have witnessed to jesus raised up on the last day - resurrected to eternal life. The cause of Christ will be publically vindicated and the destroyers of thee earth will be brought to ultimate justice!
So do you see it now, both the urgency for this witness to go the nations before their judgment falls, and the promised protection and the promised effectiveness of the witness of God’s people. ie Stalin, Mao, Edict of Nantes Huguenots - … Kings touch Christ’s church at own peril. This is the very centre of the book - a message from Jesus to you to give you courage to persevere in your witness, not to compromise, not to shrink back in discouragement because battle is hard, but to step out in faith because Jesus is strong and He is good and He is patient. God grant us authority - to speak words of witness in this church age, and recognizing that we are no better than our neighbours who would trample Gods word, recognizing the mortal danger do this humbly - gently giving reason for the hope, but confidently leaving the results up to the LORD - and so we do it with sackcloth - with an earnest ess saying repent - turn straighten with Jesus who delivers from the suffering trials and the wrath to come! Amen.
506 Glorious Things Of Thee are Spoken