Living in the Last Days (16)

“The Two Witnesses and the Tribulation Temple”

Revelation 11:1-14 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out …”

I. Intro

When the seventh seal is opened, two sets of judgments begin-the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of wrath. So far, John has described the judgments through the sounding of the sixth trumpet. Chapter ten is a parenthetical chapter describing the mighty angel and the little scroll. Chapter eleven continues this parenthetical section. It has three parts, beginning with the measuring of the temple.

II. The Measuring of the Temple (Revelation 11:1-2)

John is no longer a spectator in his vision; he is a participant. He is given a measuring reed like unto a rod. John is now instructed to measure the Temple. This command is given after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and in the context of the Tribulation. The events described in this chapter indicate the Jewish temple has been rebuilt. Biblically, there is only one place it can be rebuilt-in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. 2 Chron. 3:1 “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of ||Ornan the Jebusite” Concerning the coming of our Lord, Paul writes that He will not come until that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. 2 Thess. 2:1-4 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” That has not happened yet and cannot happen unless the temple is rebuilt. This is a clear indication that the Temple will be rebuilt. Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” It is important to note that there is no necessity for the Tribulation Temple to be rebuilt before the Rapture. In fact, it will probably be rebuilt as a result of the peace treaty signed in Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” , which occurs after the Rapture. The Temple must be rebuilt and operational by the mid-point of the Tribulation, at which time the Antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel, stop the Temple sacrifices, and enter the Holy of Holies demanding to be worshipped as God. A divided city of Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles for three and a half years (42 months). This is the second half of the Tribulation, after the Antichrist breaks his covenant, enters the Temple, demands the Jews to worship him as God, and begins his persecution of Israel. The prophesy of a divided Jerusalem is absolutely amazing in light of the fact that Jerusalem has been a divided city since 1967 and the final status of how this city and its holy sites, especially the Temple Mount, will be divided is the most difficult of all the issues currently dividing Israel and the Arabs. Before 1948, few people believed the Jews would again be a nation on their original land. The rebuilding of the Temple will rekindle many Jews’ interest in the Messiah. The awakening of the Jews to the true Messiah apparently causes the Antichrist to act. Therefore, in the middle of the seven year tribulation, it appears the sacrifices will stop and the Antichrist will desecrate the temple, setting himself up as a god.

III. The Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-14)

John is told power will be given to two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, or 1,260 days, or three and a half years. Many scholars, myself included believe the identities to be Elijah and Enoch, because they are the only two men who never died, and Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed to men once to die. They will give a mournful and prophetic message of judgment. They will be clothed in sackcloth, which in the OT, was a sign of mourning. They are the two olive trees that we learned about in Zechariah several weeks back. Zech. 4:2-3 “And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.” They will be preaching the message of the light of the world by the Spirit of God. Anyone who tries to harm them will be sorry, because they have the power to send fire out of their mouths against all who would harm them. As often as they desire, they have the power to close the heavens from bringing rain, they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with plagues if they so choose to. After the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the Antichrist slays them. God does not allow His witnesses to be harmed until after they have finished their course and it is time for them to come home. This applies to all God’s faithful witnesses today. Satan has no power over you without God the Father’s permission. Job 1:12 “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” Their dead bodies are left unburied on the streets of Jerusalem to be viewed and mocked by all the nations of the world. All the earth rejoices for three and a half days. This could be through the use of a television satellite or the internet. They actually celebrate hell’s version of Christmas, sending gifts to one another in triumph over the death of God’s messengers. After three and a half days, God’s Spirit enters their bodies and they stand to their feet. The mockers are now terrified at this awesome display of God’s power. The two witnesses are called up into Heaven. Then, a powerful earthquake causes one-tenth of the city to collapse, killing 7,000 people. The remnant, inhabitants of Jerusalem who have come to faith in Christ, are terrified to give glory to God. The second woe, which is the sixth trumpet, has now passed and the third woe cometh quickly. The fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpet judgments are called woe, woe, woe.

IV. The Seventh Trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19)

The nations are angry because God’s wrath has come, and it is time for the dead to be judged. It is also a time when God’s people will be rewarded and a time for destroying them which destroy the earth. This refers to those who destroy, or pollute the world with sin. As Jesus said, when He returns, the world will be like the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37 “ But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Next, God’s temple in heaven is opened and the ark of the covenant is seen within His temple. God’s throne room in heaven is the pattern for the tabernacle, and later the temple, in the OT. The Ark of the Covenant was the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies. Many scholars believe it was destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar burned the temple in 586 B.C. When John sees the Ark of the Covenant in God’s temple, or throne room, there are lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. This is a reminder of God’s awesome power over nature and of His coming judgments. The judgments of the seventh trumpet are the seven bowls of wrath recorded in chapters 15 and 16. They are the final judgments before the Second Coming. Chapters 12-14 are a parenthesis in this book, taking us back through the tribulation up to the seventh trumpet. They record details of the Antichrist, whose diabolical career covers the same period as the seals and the trumpet judgments.