Two Witnesses To Earth Dwellers 2
01/11/2009
TWO WITNESSES TO EARTH DWELLERS
REVELATION 11:1-3; 7-8; 10-12
On December 14th I preached a message titled THREE WARNINGS TO EARTH DWELLERS. During that message we learned that the three warnings to earth dwellers involved: Demonic ANGELS being RELEASED, Demonic ARMIES being RECRUITED and Demonic ATTACKS being RESISTED.
In our message today we are going to be introduced to TWO WITNESSES TO THE EARTH DWELLERS. Exactly who are these EARTH DWELLERS?
The phrase “Earth Dwellers” (or “those who dwell on the earth”) is found twelve times in the book of Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 12:12; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8).
This phrase means much more than “people who live on the earth,” because that is where all living people reside. Instead, this phrase refers to a kind of people: the kind of people who live for the earth and the things of the earth.
In other words this phrase refers to the people who rejected Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and missed the Rapture!
Whenever a person misses the rapture they have sinned away their day of grace for salvation. In 2 Thess 1:8 The apostle Paul says that God is going to be dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 9 these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the Presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed---for our testimony to you was believed!
In addition to this these “earth dwellers” are going to believe the lie of the Anti-Christ and give all of their loyalty to him and his agenda.
Since none of the “earth dwellers’ have been or can be born again then according to chapter 13:8 All who “dwell on the earth” will worship him (Anti-Christ), everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear (Rev. 13:8-9).
After the THREE WARNINGS are given to the Earth Dwellers in chapters 8-10 God follows it up with TWO WITNESSES TO THE EARTH DWELLERS. I call your attention to our text in 11:1-14.
First of all I would like for you to notice that:
I. PROVISION IS MADE FOR WORSHIP (during the Tribulation)!
**Satan has longed for the day when he will be worshiped by all who dwell on the earth! During the Tribulation he will be worshiped!
**In chapter 11 we see three great truths about what is going to happen in the near future. The first thing that we see in this text is the fact that during the Tribulation:
A. The TEMPLE will be REBUILT!
11:1 . . . and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it
**There are some people who believe and teach others to believe that there is not going to be a literal Temple built in Jerusalem for the Jews to worship in.
**They believe that this should be interpreted “spiritually” instead of “literally”. They say that the Third Temple is the body of Believers.
**I believe that we are the TEMPLE of GOD and our bodies are the Temple of God and He really does live inside of us. However that is a separate teaching from what is in our text today.
**I believe that the Third Temple is going to be a literal Temple and the sacrificial system is going to be reinstituted for the Jews to be able to worship in the way that they believe is right for them.
**I believe the Temple is going to be Rebuilt for three reasons. First of all because:
1. DANIEL said there would be a literal Temple
Daniel 9:27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate . . .
2. JESUS believed there would be a literal Temple
Mt 24:15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) 16 then those are in Judea must flee to the mountains . . .
3. PAUL believed there would be a literal Temple
2 Thess 2:3 . . . and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God
**Notice the next thing that we see in our text in 11:2. Not only will the TEMPLE be REBUILT but:
B. The TREATY will be REVOKED!
11:2 Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under-foot the holy city for forty-two months!
**We read about this earlier in the message. In Daniel 9:27 we learn that he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate . . .
**In Mt 25:15 Jesus said when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) 16 then those are in Judea must flee to the mountains . . .
**No matter how large and in charge the Anti-Christ wants people to think that he is, God is still in control. Even during this time of great deception God is still going to make sure that:
C. The TRUTH will be REVEALED!
11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days . . .
**In 11:3 we see that God has two special witnesses that he has been using to preach the truth. Notice what 11:3 says And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days . . .
**You can imagine just how unpopular these two witnesses will be at this time. After all they are openly defying the Anti-Christ and they have refused to take the mark of the beast and they constantly PROPHESY for 3 ½ years!
**So we have learned that PROVISION will be made for WORSHIP during the tribulation. The TEMPLE will be REBUILT, the TREATY will be REVOKED but the TRUTH will be REVEALED.
**The second thing that I want to call to your attention is the fact that:
II. PERSECUTION IS MADE OF WITNESSES
**There are three things that I want to call to your attention about these two witnesses. First of all:
A. Their MESSAGE will be AUTHENTIC!
11:3 And I will grant authority to My two witnesses . . .
*Notice the words AUTHORITY and the word MY in 11:3.
**Once again we see the truth that God does not want anybody to perish but He desires for everyone to repent and be saved or born again.
**Satan will have his false prophets preaching and teaching but there will be a noticeable difference in these two witnesses and Satan’s witnesses!
**God’s two witnesses will have a MESSGE that is AUTHENTIC and:
B. Their MINISTRY will be ANOINTED!
11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp-stands that stand before the Lord of the earth
**Notice the word LAMPSTAND. This represents their FUNCTION! To give LIGHT in DARKNESS i.e. To Remove Darkness from the world!
**Notice the word OLIVE TREES. This represents their UNCTION! We have plenty of POLISHED preachers and PRETTY preachers and POPULAR preachers but what the world is looking for is POWERFUL preachers!
C. Their MARTYRDOM will be APPOINTED!
11:7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them . . .
*I call your attention to the phrase “finished their testimony” . . .
**The Anti-Christ tried for 3 ½ years to kill them but was not able to do so. However we see in 11:7 that the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them . . .
**There is a very important truth to acknowledge from this verse. The devil knows about this truth but he does not want you to know about it.
**The truth is that the devil does not have the authority to take another persons life from them. God is the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus has the keys to death and hades and as long as we are living for God we will FINISH our TESTIMONY for the glory of God!
**However Satan will take all the credit for killing these two witnesses and he will use it to make the world believe that he is God and the has all authority.
**He will declare a national and international holiday and he will put these two witnesses on display in the middle of Jerusalem.
** All of the news outlets will have their television cameras tuned to this holiday. It will be broadcast over the internet and there will be a world-wide party taking place and then something will happen.
**Notice what our text says in 11:11 . . .
1. The RESURRECTION will be MIRACULOUS!
11:11 . . . But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell upon those who were watching them!
**There was a man who was drunk and he was taking a short cut through the cemetery. He fell into a grave that had been dug out for a funeral the next day.
**He tried and tried to get out but he finally gave up and sat down. About midnight there were some young boys running through the cemetery and did not know that there was an open grave. The young boy fell into the open grave and as soon as he hit the bottom of the open grave he began trying to climb out. He tried a few times and then he heard this voice say to him, “You can’t get out of here” . . . BUT HE DID!
2. The RAPTURE will be MARVELOUS!
11:12 . . . And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “COME UP HERE.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud and their enemies watched them!
3. The RESPONSE will be MYSTERIOUS!
11:13 And in 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! 14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly!
*I remember the time and place when I was born again by grace through faith. I have been baptized AFTER I was born again by grace through faith!
*Today I choose to be born again by grace through faith.
*I need to be baptized and today I choose to become accountable for being baptized!