THE TESTIMONY OF THE TWO WITNESSES AND THE SEVENTH TRUMPET Revelation 11

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1 THE TESTIMONY OF THE TWO WITNESSES AND THE SEVENTH TRUMPET Revelation 11 INTRODUCTION This is definitely Jewish in its context 1. The Jewish temple NOTE: Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Revelation 11:1-2 NKJV 2. Jerusalem NOTE: And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:8 KJV 3. The ark NOTE: God s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail. Revelation 11:19 HCSB This is one of the most difficult and one of the most important chapters in the Revelation. I. THE TWO WITNESSES Revelation 11:1-14 A. The Period Of Their Ministry The measuring vs. 1 a. This indicates the idea of an impending claim NOTE: Surveyors at a new home b. This signifies this belongs to God in a special way

2 2. Related Scripture a. Zechariah 2 - A man seen measuring Jerusalem b. Ezekiel 40 - The Millennial Temple is measured c. Revelation 21: The New Jerusalem is measured NOTE: The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). Revelation 21:15-17 NLT 3. The exclusion vs. 2 a. The outer court is excluded b. Called the court of the Gentiles c. No portion staked out for the Gentiles 1) Unsaved 2) They will trod down the holy city - 42 months cf. Daniel 7:25; 12:7 (1 year + 2 years + 1 / 2 year) NOTE: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. Daniel 7:25 KJV NOTE: Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. Daniel 12:7 NKJV 4. The four courts of the Temple a. Priests b. Men c. Women d. Gentiles 5. The Temples in Scripture a. Solomon's Temple 1) Built I Kings 8 2) Destroyed II Kings 24-25

3 b. Zerubbabel's Temple 1) Built Ezra 3 2) Destroyed by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C. c. Herod's Temple 1) Built NOTE: What! they exclaimed. It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days? John 2:20 NLT 2) Destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. d. God's present Temple 1) The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. Ephesians 2:21 HCSB 2) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV 3) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV NOTE: Christians have no place on earth to worship NOTE: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 4:23 NKJV e. Two future Temples 1) Tribulation Temple 2) Millennial Temple 6. 1, 260 days of ministry 7. Clothed in sackcloth a. Expressing mourning b. Declaring the need for repentance NOTE: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they

4 would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. Luke 10:13 NKJV B. The Possible Identity Of The Two Men 1. Joshua and Zerubbabel 11:4 a. Zechariah 4 b. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying Haggai 1:1 KJV c. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:2,4 NKJV 2. Elijah a. Did not experience death NOTE: And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you? Elisha said, Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. So he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so. Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. II Kings 2:9-11 NKJV NOTE: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment Hebrews 9:27 KJV NOTE: When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:7-8 NKJV

5 b. Elijah is to appear before Messiah NOTE: Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, Says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner s fire And like launderers soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3 NKJV NOTE: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. c. Withholding of rain for 3 1 / 2 years Malachi 4:5-6 KJV NOTE: And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1 Kings 17:1 KJV NOTE: But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land Luke 4:25 KJV NOTE: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18 NKJV 3. Enoch a. Translated

6 NOTE: Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him. Genesis 5:24 HCSB NOTE: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him ; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5 NKJV b. A prophet of judgment NOTE: It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude ESV 4. Moses and Elijah a. At the transfiguration NOTE: Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Matthew 17:3 NLT b. Two men at the tomb NOTE: And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. c. Two men at the ascension Luke 24:4-7 NKJV NOTE: And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same

7 way as you saw him go into heaven. Acts 1:10-11 ESV C. The Purpose Of Their Ministry vs To display the power of God to the unsaved a. Some may be saved b. The wrath of the Beast comes upon them 2. They have power 11:6 a. To hold back rain b. To turn water into blood c. To smite the earth with plagues NOTE: As often as they will D. The Persecution In Their Ministry vs Only after they have finished their testimony are they killed by the Beast vs. 7 NOTE: "Beast" a. The first of 36 references in Revelation to the Beast b. The ungodly trinity 1) Beast out of the pit is Satan NOTE: And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. Revelation 11:7 KJV 2) Beast out of the sea is the world dictator NOTE: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. Revelation 13:1 KJV 3) Beast out of the land is the false religious leader of the day NOTE: And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Revelation 13:11 KJV

8 2. Their bodies lay in the open for 3 1 / 2 days to be seem by the whole world NOTE: O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of Your servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them. Psalm 79:1-3 NKJV NOTE: Why should the nations say, Where is their God? Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! Psalm 79:10-11 ESV 3. "They that dwell on the earth" a. Phrase used at least twelve times in Revelation b. Those whose hope is limited to the present life 4. Sending presents a. Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king. Esther 2:18 NKJV b. Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another. Esther 9:19 ESV E. The Panic After Their Ministry vs An earthquake can be a direct judgment from God a. Death of Jesus NOTE: Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:51 HCSB b. Resurrection of Jesus

9 NOTE: And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Matthew 28:2 KJV 2. "Slain of men" vs. 13 a. 7,000 b. Unique term 1) Persons of distinction 2) People of renown 3) Celebrated persons 3. The remnant give glory to the God of Heaven a. "God of Heaven" only found twice 1) In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. Revelation 11:13 NKJV 2) and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. Revelation 16:11 ESV b. Recognized the true God in contrast to the Beast 1) Not salvation 2) Same as: a) Pharaoh b) King Saul c) Judas NOTE: The Tribulation Temple may be destroyed by this earthquake II. THE PRAISE IN HEAVEN Revelation 11:15-19 A. The Trumpet vs The third woe 2. The result is the Lord's Prayer is now fulfilled NOTE: Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 NKJV 4. He shall reign forever and ever a. Never again will the earth be under control of sinful people b. People will try but Christ will control even then B. The Praise Of The Twenty-Four Elders vs

10 NOTE: There is no record of praise to the two witnesses entering heaven NOTE: This is the third record of the heavenly praises a. As Creator NOTE: the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:10-11 NKJV 2. As Redeemer NOTE: Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. c. As King and Judge Revelation 5:8-10 NKJV NOTE: And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth. Revelation 11:16-18 NKJV 1. To Christ a. Which art b. Which wast c. Which art to come

11 2. Because: a. Thou hast taken to Thee great power b. The nations and the devil are angry NOTE: Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. Revelation 12:12 NKJV NOTE: Angry with Christ and the people of God so persecutions will increase c. The judgment of the dead d. The reward of Thy servants 1) Prophets (Old Testament) 2) Saints (New Testament) 3) Small and great who fear Thy name e. Thou wilt destroy them that corrupt the earth C. The Promise Of God vs The temple on earth is a pattern of the heavenly temple NOTE: And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. Exodus 25:40 NKJV 2. The Jerusalem temple is polluted by Antichrist; the heavenly temple shows God is in control CONCLUSION I. THE TWO WITNESSES II. THE PRAISE IN HEAVEN