REVELATION UNCOVERED 10: CHAPTER 11 THE TWO WITNESSES 1 BACK INTO REVELATION We are resuming our journey through the Book of Revelation and it s a fascinating adventure! Here are a few important principles to refresh our memories before we move on: -God has communicated with John through imagery. The imagery stands for very real truths, but much like a dream, much of it is not literal. -The imagery is designed for maximum impact on a Jewish Christian who was well versed in the Old Testament. We need to come at it from John s perspective; or we re walking into the middle of a conversation of strangers. -God is laying out His plan several times from different angles. For example, the tribulation is displayed as seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. One tribulation; seven events; three angles. -Before we took our Easter break, we had just entered the interlude in the seven trumpets. -We looked at the little scroll; it was John s future ministry. It was sweet and bitter, and that makes a lot of sense, when we look at the big spiritual picture. It is a sweet truth that we can now how a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Who are we that we can actually be friends with God?! But the truth is also that we are embroiled in a spiritual war and eternity is at stake. War is always bitter. -In a sense, everyone who follows Christ has a little scroll. Until God takes a person from this earth, there is something He has for them to do. And it will be sweet and bitter by default. We move from chapter 10 to chapter 11, and there is no chapter more disputed in Revelation. Some scholars claim that John was merely getting sidetracked, while others say, it is a beautiful fly-over that takes a bird s eye view of the entire vision. Personally, I m with those guys! CHAPTER 11: THE TWO WITNESSES Again, for such a short chapter, there are two powerful areas of focus. This morning, we ll look at only one, the two witnesses. This evening we ll look at the other, the measuring of the temple. Both contain crucial information. And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, and they stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. (Rev. 11:3-12) So, who exactly are these two witnesses? Let s start with this; they are two olive trees and two lampstands. Olive Trees If we look back in Scripture, especially in other prophetic writing, what did olive trees stand for? Psalms 52 says the worshipper is an olive tree who flourishes in God s house. Jeremiah 11 says the olive trees are Israel and Judah who were meant to bear beautiful fruit.
REVELATION UNCOVERED 10: CHAPTER 11 THE TWO WITNESSES Zechariah 4 says they are the word of the Lord to rebuild the temple, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty (Zech 4:6) As we ve found it the vision so far; we are most likely, not speaking of individuals, but something far broader. By Old Testament reference, we are talking about a group of people. They are worshippers who flourish in God s house. They are not mighty in themselves, but by God s Spirit. The people the old prophets are speaking of are those returning from Babylon, so it is a remnant of God s people. Lamptstands The two witnesses are also called lampstands. We ve seen that imagery as we started into this vision, the lampstands referred to the churches. But why TWO witnesses? One angle might be the imagery of justice. In John s time, it took two witnesses to bring legal testimony. That may well be part of it. But a line of thinking that captivated me related to the two great divisions of all of Scripture. We have an Old Testament and a New Testament. The Old Testament The Old Testament is the background to the Messiah. It is the WHAT, and WHY. The Old Testament tells us how man fell; how we end up with this fallen nature that we have. It points out our separation from God and how sin costs life. The Law of Moses is all about sacrifice. There is a way to atone, in the Law, but it is temporary. It is the Old Testament that illustrates our sin and need for redemption. It is the Old Testament that illustrates a holy fear of a limitless and perfect God. It is the Old Testament that gives the proper perspective of the Messiah who was, and is, and is to come. When we have a theology that is only New Testament, do you know what we get? -We get a loving, but nambypamby man-god who cries when we don t want to be friends with Him. Christianity becomes my story and my needs. It s how we end up with the, what s in it for me, consumer mentality. We get a culture-infused, superficiality that fools people into thinking they are actually Christians. -As the Apostle Paul puts it; having a form of religion but denying the power therof. (2 Tim 3:5). On the other hand, a theology that is heavily, or solely Old Testament is dry bones. The Apostle Paul told the church in Rome, that the Law had only one great purpose; to drive home the point that we can t do it. We can t be righteous no matter how hard we try! He told his Jewish brothers at the time, look, we ve been trying for over 3000 years and look where that s got us!! If the Old Testament is the What and Why background of the Messiah; the New Testament is the HOW and WHO ; the manifested experience of the Messiah. It is the Spirit breathing life into our relationship with God, and it is a name and face to the Messiah, long awaited. Two also as meaning in the lampstands: a remnant of what is genuine in the church. In the beginning of Revelation we had seven churches and seven lampstands, but do you remember how many of those churches were actually right with God? -Only two; Smyrna and Philadelphia. The scholar, Leon Morris points out two other clues that the imagery is of a group. The beast doesn t simply kill them, he makes war on them. From the beginning, that is what Satan has done against the church. (v. 7) 2
REVELATION UNCOVERED 10: CHAPTER 11 THE TWO WITNESSES A second clue is in verse 8: In the original Greek, it doesn t actually say, their bodies are left in the street, but body singular. The church is many, but one body. What we have, when we put all of this together is: The two witnesses are not individuals, but rather, the full story of God; Old Testament and New, in balance. It is a belief that balances the WHAT, WHY, and the HOW and WHO, of the Messiah. Two witnesses make the full and proper perspective of the CHRIST STORY. The two witnesses are not simply, the church, but the remnant, the true church. It is true because it embraces the whole God-story, and lives by it. So if the two witnesses is the Biblically whole church; what s their story in this time? -The witnesses are in Sackcloth That s an interesting feature. Sackcloth represents two things throughout Scripture: mourning and repentance. If they are the true church, why are they in sackcloth? -Because you can t gain a holistic understanding of God without mourning and repentance. You cost God His life. You were hopeless in your fallen nature. You understand the wages of sin is death, for yourself, and everyone in the world. That s the bitter side of the scroll. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesian church, remember; remember you were once pagans, you were without Christ, you were aliens from God. We need to remember, not to beat ourselves up; but to keep perspective. -The witnesses have a definite time window. This time period comes up in different ways: 1,260 days, two and a half years, a time, a time, and a half a time, or 42 months. It always points back to Daniel s prophecy, which points to the abomination of desolation, which came centuries later under Antiochus Epiphanes who violated the temple by burning a pig on the altar. His tyranny of Israel lasted 42 months until the Maccabees, the Jewish resistance, kicked him out. It was a time that spiritual war became very real for the Jews. The imagery probably doesn t point to a literal number of days, but is a metaphor. It will be a time of extreme spiritual violation. -The witnesses will have mouths of fire. Fire and mouths has a tradition of verbalizing the burning truth. It doesn t fit the Biblical picture of the church to have them weaponized to destroy enemies; even under extreme persecution. Speaking the pure truth despite the consequences, and destroying comfortable lies; now that fits! The Word does that, the Holy Spirit does that, the imagery of Christ in Revelation does that. God is a consuming fire because He is pure truth. -The witnesses are powerful. The vision says they have powers reminiscent of Moses and some of the prophets, like Elijah. But we need to keep in mind how God works. God gives His servants as much power as they need in their service. When we are sitting comfortable and unchallenged, don t be surprised if we experience very little power of God. Extreme power has always come in times of extreme challenge, and mission, and obedience. -The witnesses lose! 3
REVELATION UNCOVERED 10: CHAPTER 11 THE TWO WITNESSES This is one to get our heads around, it could change everything in how you see Christianity. We tend to feel: if we are not winning, as we define winning, then we must be doing something wrong. So the church industry has all kinds of material on appraising your projects and programs. How did we do with this or that? How were the numbers? What was the feedback? How was the giving? How popular are we? How much have we turned the culture? What do we do with this prophecy?! The true remnant of the church will lose! Satan will defeat them! And the whole world won t even give them the respect of a decent burial. This may be literal: In the last century, there have been more martyrs than the rest of Christian history combined. It s also figurative: There is such a growing momentum of ignorance and caricaturizing of Christianity that cultural respect is continually eroding. Some is the church s own fault; but at a far deeper level, it is the shifting of values. As Morris puts it, The great city is every city and no city. It is civilized man in organized community. It is the civilized world by whatever definition we have at the time. Truth will be so unpopular that people will celebrate when it s gone. Christians often voice their anxiety of where the culture is going, and the diminished impact of the church; what s going to come of it all? Well, let me put your minds to rest on that question:. According to God s Word, the church will go extinct, and Satan will win! (Wow, what an inspiring sermon- we lose, Satan wins.) CONCLUSION: A COMFORTING TRUTH But, what if I were to tell you that this is one of the most comforting truths we could discover? Here s why; it is part of God s plan. It is one of the stepping stones to His ultimate victory and restoration of the universe. It is comforting because it is already part of the story. It seems like the end, but it is not the end. After three and a half days, once again, the number may be figurative echoing the resurrection of Christ, or it may be literal. But one thing is for sure; it is according to a plan that must unfold this way. Witness in the original language is the same word for martyr. There must be a time of seeming defeat in order to have resurrection, in order to have the rapture. The voice of God is heard by everyone. It is a time of vindication, the world won t be able to deny anymore. They will be in terror for their mistake. Here s the riveting uncomfortable question: What really is victory or success as we walk in our Christian faith? According to this, it isn t popularity, or relevance, or numbers, or personal gratification. You can t find out from an after project appraisal. In the end, it comes down to resurrection and rapture. And what guarantees an individual s inclusion in the Christian resurrection and rapture? They spoke the truth to the end, despite the culture or consequences. They lived God s way to the end. It comes down to one simple word: OBEDIENCE. 4
REVELATION UNCOVERED 10: CHAPTER 11 THE TWO WITNESSES This little chapter has us turn our natural ideas of success on their ears. Perhaps THE big question isn t- Was the message inspiring? Was the music well received? Did my kids and I enjoy church, or are we doing churchy things? -Perhaps the one question that measures success is: WAS I OBEDIENT TO GOD? How do we gauge obedience? Is what you are doing a full and balanced view of God s Word? At least, that s a good point to start. And the real question for this chapter becomes not- WHO ARE THE TWO WITNESSES? But- ARE YOU THE TWO WITNESSES? When we see it this way; it s not an abstract question about unknown individuals in an unknown future. It begs an answer right now. Right now; are you; am I; a balanced, living example of Christ s people? Keep in mind, those are the only people that Revelation mentions alive with God. 5