The Two Witnesses. The Seventh Trumpet. Revelation 11:1-19

Transcription

1 1 The Two Witnesses The Seventh Trumpet Revelation 11:1-19

2 2 Text: Revelation 11-:1-19, The Two Witnesses The Seventh Trumpet 1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, s2aying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2. 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. 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5. 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. 6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophesy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7. 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. 8. 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.

3 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God. 17. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were

4 4 lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (AKJV) Introduction: I. Chapter 9 is considered a very difficult chapter to interpret. II. By some well regarded expositors, chapter 11 is considered the most difficult chapter of the book to interpret. III. We will not try to assign meanings to the symbols except in so far as to do may lend itself to a clearer understanding rather, we will seek to understand the message. Commentary: Revelation 11:1-6, The Two Witnesses 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

5 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. 6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophesy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (AKJV) I. Measure the temple of God. (11:1-2) A. There was to be a measuring of three things: temple, altar and the worshippers. 1. The reed being the measuring tool would suggest a firm standard. 2. In Isaiah 8:20, we have a firm standard by which the Lord measured the actions of the children of Israel. (AKJV) a. Isaiah 8:20, To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (AKJV) 3. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus spoke of His word as being the judge. (John 12:48) a. John 12:48, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken; the same shall judge him in the last day. (AKJV) 4. 2 Timothy 2:19, Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal. The Lord knoweth them

6 6 that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (AKJV) B. Not to be measured: the court outside the temple. 1. It has been left to the Gentiles. 2. In Romans 2:28, 29, we are told that the true Jew is one who worships the Lord and lives a devoted life because of the heart s willingness to obey. a. Romans 2:28, 29, For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (AKJV) 3. Those who are part of that group would be the ones measured by the Lord favorably while those in the Court of Gentiles would be outside the ark of safety. B. They shall tread the holy city for forty-two (42) months. 1. To dominate, devastate and destroy. a. Luke 21:24, And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (AKJV) 2. What is the holy city?

7 7 a. Some interpret the city to be of the world (1 John 2:15-17) while the outer court would be those who are Christian in name, but not in heart (or, they want to be Christian in heart, but the cares of this world are too interesting and distracting). i. I John 2:15-17, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (AKJV) b. Others think that the temple of God is the inner man while the outer court would refer to the physical body. i. 2 Corinthians 5:1, For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (AKJV) c. Both interpretations have merit and it is difficult to choose between the two though the former appears to be most likely correct. 3. The forty-two (42) months correspond to the 3 ½ years, 1260 days, and a time and times and half a time. a. There is a sense of incompleteness relative to time (but a limited period of time).

8 8 b. Roper cites the work of McGuiggan who says it is a period of time indicating a state of affairs in where the saints are persecuted, but protected. II. Power to the Two Witnesses. (11:3-6) A. Who are the two witnesses? Frankly, we do not know. Some suggestions have been the two testaments, Christ and the church, and Christ and the apostles. Roper says the two witnesses were Christians, or specifically it refers to all the faithful throughout every age (pp ). B. The duration of their prophetic mission: 1260 days. C. Their description. 1. Clothed in sackcloth (representing those who mourn because of sin). 2. They are two olive trees and two lampstands. a. Zechariah 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: (AKJV) 3. They stood before God. D. Their protection. Fire proceeded from their mouths.

9 Kings 1:10, 12, And Elijah answered and said to the captain of the fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. And Elijah answered and said, unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (AKJV) 2. Jeremiah 5:14, Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. (AKJV) E. Their mission. They are to preach (prophesy). Revelation 11:7-10, The Beast From the Bottomless Pit 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. (AKJV)

10 10 I. Overcome the two witnesses. (11:7-8) A. The beast out of the bottomless pit will ascend and kill the two witnesses. 1. This is the first mention of the beast. Roper said it is mentioned thirty-six (36( times. 2. Is the beast the same as Revelation 9:2, 11? Many assume so. This is uncertain. a. Revelation 9:2, 11, And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (AKJV) 3. The phrase make war against them (NKJV) is present tense. This suggests that there was much in the way of opposition to the two witnesses (Hailey says the witnesses were opposed and driven from place to place, then finally, the gospel was preached to all the creation, Colossians 1:23; p. 256; however, RWP thinks it paints a picture of single combat), but only after the testimony was complete was there victory over them. a. Colossians 1:23, If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under haven; whereof I Paul am made a minister. (AKJV)

11 The great city has the character of Sodom (immoral vice), Egypt (tyranny), and Jerusalem (blind disobedience). B. The dead bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the street for three and one-half (3 ½) days. There will be no burial. II. Response of those on earth. (11:9-10) A. There will be no burial. B. The people rejoice. These two verses are understood as an attempt by the beast and his followers to put to open shame the Lord s will. Remember Voltaire? Revelation 11:11-14, Life Given to the Two Witnesses 11. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (AKJV) I. VICTORY: The two witnesses resurrected. (11:11-12)

12 12 A. In the previous verse, there was joy at the dead bodies of the two witnesses. B. Then God gave life to the lifeless bodies. Remember the valley of dry bones. (Ezekiel 37) 1. Ezekiel 37:1-28, The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut

13 13 off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any

14 14 of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. (AKJV) C. Man will seek to destroy the truth of God, but only find out he cannot do so. It may be that he will find this out on the Day of Judgment, but whenever he finds out, he will find out! II. JUDGMENT. (11:13-14) A. Judgment from God. B. The third woe is coming quickly.

15 15 Revelation 11:15-19, The Seventh Trumpet is Sounded And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (AKJV) I. The Lord shall reign. 11:15. A. Some think this picturesque language speaks of God s triumph over Rome which is possible. However, it seems best to understand this as the consummation of all things. A. The kingdoms (kingdom) of the world have come to an end that is, that the kingdoms of this world are many considered in themselves; but in reference to the sway of Satan, there is only one kingdom ruled over by the god of this world (Prof. Stuart, as cited by Barnes, E-Sword).

16 They have now been compelled (cp. Philippians 2:10) to submit to the Lord s authority, but in this respect they will not be living under His authority because they will have been judged! II. Song of praise. (11:16-18) a. Philippians 2:10, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (AKJV) A. The twenty-four elders worship. (11:17) B. What man has sown, he will now reap. Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (AKJV) 1. The nations rage. 2. The Lord s wrath. 3. The people judged. 4. The saints rewarded. 5. The destroyer of the earth (people) will now be destroyed. Those who sought to corrupt the righteous will now be corrupted; those destroying the earth (corrupting the earth) (RWP, E-Sword). III. Temple of God opened in heaven. (11:19)

17 17 Questions Revelation 11: John was given a like a and was told, Go and the of and the, and count the there. (NIV) 2. But exclude the ; do not it, because it has been given to the. They will on the for. (NIV) 3. I will give power to my, and they will for days, clothed in. (NIV) 4. These are the and the that stand before the of the. 5. If anyone tries to harm them, comes from their and their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to them must die. (NIV) 6. These have to up the so that it will not during the time they are ; and they have power to turn the into and to the with every kind of as often as they want. (NIV)

18 When they have finished their, the that comes up from the will attack them, and and them. (NIV) 8. Their will in the of the, which is figuratively called and, where also their was. (NIV) 9. For and a men from every,, and will gaze on their and them. (NIV) 10. The of the will over them and will by sending, because these had those who on the. (NIV) 11. After the and a a of from entered the, and they stood on their, and struck those who saw them. (NIV) 12. Then they heard a from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up to in a, while their looked. (NIV)

19 At that very there was a and a of the. people were in the, and the were and gave to the of. (NIV) 14. The has ; and the is coming soon. (NIV) 15. The sounded his, and there were in, which said: the of the has become the of our and of his Christ, and he will and. (NIV) 16. And the -, who were on their before, fell on their and. (NIV) 17. We give to you,, the who is and who was, because you have taken your and have begun to. (NIV) 18. The were ; and your has come. The time has come for the, and for your the

20 20 and your and those who your, both and and for those who the. (NIV) 19. Then s in was, and within his was seen the of his. And there came of,, of, an and a. (NIV) 20. What three things were to be measured? 21. By what standard did the Lord measure the actions of the children of Israel? 22. What is said in the New Testament to be the standard of judgment?

21 Who were those in the court outside the temple who would not be measured? 24. What is the holy city that was to be trodden under foot for 42 months? 25. What is the significance of 42 months? This time frame is also referred to otherwise. By what designations? 26. Who are the two witnesses? How are they otherwise referred to? 27. What came from their mouths and what is their mission?

22 What happened to the two witnesses? Who was responsible for this? 29. The has the character of ( ), ( ), and ( ). 30. Who were the people who rejoiced? 31. The two witnesses were resurrected? How could this be? What does this mean? 32. Explain Ezekial 37. What does it mean?

23 What man, he will. s. The s. The. 34. The of the ( ) will now be. Those who sought to the will now be. 35. The ( ) of the have come to an. The of is in.