Skip to main content

The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 - Part II

 
 

 
 

 

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 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. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

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. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

11 But after the 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. 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. 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." 

 

Good Morning my beloved,

 

We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord. It is a privilege to have you here with us today. We are especially grateful for those of you who have been continuing to share the ministry website with all of your family and friends. Your faithfulness to share God's Word with others continues to bring about tremendous results. People are responding to God's Word!
   
I want to let all of you know how grateful I am for all of you. We are so thankful your prayers. Prayer is powerful tool, and a mighty weapon against the adversary. And through your sharing, God continues to bring a number of people to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God! May He continue to use you and this ministry mightily to effect change in even more lives. All for His glory!
 
Many Christians get rather excited when they hear of efforts to rebuild the temple. However, most Jews both religious or secular, do not seem care the least bit about building a temple. Though, there is a group of Jews, who dedicated to rebuilding the temple and attempt to educate the public and raise awareness for a new temple. In fact, they are trying to replicate everything they can for a new temple, down to the specific pots and pans used in sacrifice. 
 
The primary Jewish group leading the charge to rebuild the temple is an organization called Faithful of the Temple Mount, who claim they will continue their efforts to re-establish the Jewish temple on the Mount. One leader of this organization is quoted as saying "We shall continue our struggle until the Israeli flag is flying from the Dome of the Rock." Gershon Salomon is director of the Temple Mount Faithful, an organization that has been trying to prepare Israeli society to accept and promote the rebuilding of the Temple through demonstrations at the Temple site. However, many religious Jews do not support this idea.
 
Most orthodox Jews hold the belief that the Messiah will rebuild the third temple. However, the messiah the initially embrace, may well be the Antichrist. Jesus said in John 5, " I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him."
 
As the redeemed of Christ, Satan no longer has power over our lives. And, as I believe we will discover in our passage today, we cannot be taken off of this earth until we finish our testimony. The Lord will protect us until our testimony is finished.

Let us pray

Heavenly Father,

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for keeping the doors of grace open to the world and not leaving the lost without a witness, who will preach both warning and hope, even until the end. Thank You for reminding us this is our time, to take the gospel to every person in every corner of the world. May we be faithful to call them to repentance and salvation before it is too late. Lord, we pray that You would help us to that end. May we call the church to purity and to righteousness. May we live in that light, until You come from Your church. We surrender our lives and commit this ministry to serving and pleasing. 
We ask and pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen
 
Today's Message: The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 - Part II
 
In many respects, we are living in the most incredible times the world has ever known. Through the advancements in technology has allowed us, for the first time in human history to actually watch developments of great significance as they unfold. Today, live reports via satellite reports the latest events from around the world, right into our living rooms. Biblical prophecy states that the whole world will, at the same time, be able to see the two witnesses in the streets of Jerusalem. For decades, I have wondered how could the whole world see two dead witnesses lying in the streets of Jerusalem at one time? Today, that no longer seems like an impossibility. I believe this is one more indication that we are approaching the end.
 
Open your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter eleven. Revelation 11. This portion of the text runs from the beginning of the chapter through verse 14. We have just met the two witnesses, who are being used by God as the instruments of the final harvest of the nation Israel. They are in addition to the one hundred and forty-four thousand witnessing missionaries, who have been preaching the gospel all over the world. And, we know that they have had a significant impact as both many Jews and Gentiles have believed. In our passage today, under the power of these anointed two witnesses, there is going to be a tremendous response.
 
I invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 1 through 14, to refresh the text in our minds as we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit is saying to us. I believe this passage will illustrate to us, the difference between being a witness and giving testimony. A witness is something we are, giving a testimony is something we do. Revelation 11:1-14.

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 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. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

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. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

But after the 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. 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. 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.

The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly."

Allow me to point out, that these two witnesses are powerful, they are not politically correct, they are not user-friendly. They preach repentance, salvation, and they preach grace and forgiveness. They are utterly unstoppable. No one, not even Satan can hinder their work for the Lord until God Himself is ready. I believe their experience is merely a reflection of what God has called each of us to do.

Let pick up where we left off, at verse 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'd like you to notice, that John begins with "When they have finished their testimony," this is a very important statement. This is significant because until they appointed time is complete, they are invincible, they are literally death defying. As we come to the end of the three and a half year period, "the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them." The word overcome is the verb "nikáō," implies a battle. It means to conquer.

By the way, this is the first of thirty-six mentions of the beast in the book of Revelation. He’s been at work all this time, even during the first three and a half years. He is the same one who made a covenant with Israel at the beginning of the seven years, he desecrated the temple at the midpoint, set himself up as God. This is none other than the Antichrist, a man empowered by Satan, who has been ruling the world overrun by demons and the wrath of God.

Look at verse 8, "And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." Their ministry has been diametrically opposed to his purposes, so he goes all out to silence their testimony. The Antichrist is victorious in killing them, which he had previously been unable to do,  and the world is ecstatic they're finally dead.  And, they're laying in the street of the great city, which Jerusalem. 

Notice that John identifies it as Sodom, a city and Egypt, a nation, the two most wicked places of oppression and ungodliness. Jerusalem, the city which was God’s city. Now synonymous with the ultimate in pagan wickedness. We know this is Jerusalem, because John identifies it clearly, when he says "where also their Lord was crucified." That’s where they’re preaching about salvation and judgement, when they're killed.

In verse 9, we see that their dead bodies will be put on public display as a symbol and proof of the beast’s power who has at last been able to kill these invincible witnesses. "Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like evil has won. However, because the two witnesses are overcomers in Christ, this victory is only temporary by divine design. "Their dead bodies," is the word "ptóma," implies they are left to lay, right where they fall with no burial as the Old Testament Law demanded, even of the worst criminals. This is a vile act of degradation, the ultimate dishonoring. By the way, phrase "those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations," would have been familiar term for the Gentile world. As we mentioned earlier, the entire world will "will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days."

Three and a half days is enough to see severe decay. Remember Lazarus, had been in the tomb four days and his sister Martha said to Jesus "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

In verse 10, the unrepentant sinners will gloat with the Antichrist and give the him glory. John uses the present future tense verbs "chairó" and "euphrainó," to draw our attention to the fact that their celebrating will be short lived. By the way, this is the only mention of rejoicing and celebrating on earth during the Tribulation. This display of hatred shows just how hardened peoples hearts have become. The Antichrist has killed these two powerful preachers, and the world is having a party. Then John says "and they will send gifts to one another." Nothing says evil like sending gifts to celebrate two dead witnesses. This illustrates just how far the world has plunged into darkness.

Hebrews 3 says "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me."

The reason the did this was "because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." You will remember that the phrase "those who dwell on the earth," is a phrase used to describe the  unrepentant sinners. Oh, how the world needs to realize, there will be severe consequences for their actions. Their response certainly parallels their spiritual condition.

 In verse 11, God waits until there is no absolutely question about their being dead, then suddenly God intervenes. Then, the unimaginable happens. "But after the 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." Can you just imagine the panic and the fear? John says "and great fear fell upon those who were watching them." Picture it, these two witnesses are just lying there dead on the street, with a world-wide party going on, celebrating their deaths and then all of the sudden, they just rise up, much like we would waking up from a nap, while the world is watching!

Look at verse 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." A historic world wide event, a two man rapture.  I believe the world will immediately begin to realize God's not dead!  I mean, these two witnesses, who have been laying dead in the streets for three and a half days, have just risen from the dead. They hear a voice from heaven and "they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them." And, of course there will be people with their cellphones, there will be television news coverage. I believe this is a final warning of the supreme power of God over man, life and death. Further, it will be similar to the rapture of the church, except it will happening so quickly, there won't be any time for people to observe it. 

Let's look at verse 13, to see the impact. "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." This will occur in and around Jerusalem, killing 7,000 people. At the end of the verse John says "and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." I believe this describes Israel’s salvation. Certainly, giving glory to God is an appropriate response.

Yet, the rest of the word, because of the hardened condition of their hearts, many will become confirmed in their unrepentant condition. They've reached the point of no return!

In Luke 16, Jesus said "If they don’t believe Moses and the prophets, they won’t believe even though someone is raised from the dead."

Then, in verse 14, the parenthetical interlude ends, which elucidated many of the details of the Tribulation. "The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly."

You will remember, the first woe was the fifth trumpet, the second woe was the sixth trumpet, and the last woe will be the seventh and final trumpet, However,  now John resumes the sequential movement of the final judgment, which comes in rapid succession, which is the greatest woe, because it includes the seven bowl judgments. Though they aren't mentioned here. The end of the age is near.

In Acts 3, the Apostle Peter says "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time."

Once the seventh trumpet is blown, its judgments will come, hitting like a sledge hammer. We'll look at that next time. 

In Closing..

The greatest torment for those who embrace darkness is light. Fearing God is not a a common practice in our society today, the modern church has made Jesus into a spiritual teddy bear. However, if we are not living in obedience, and in perfect love, we have reason to fear. 

In Jesus' earthy ministry, they brutally scourged Him, they mocked Him, they made a crown of thorns and put it on His head, then, they even nailed Him to the cross, they laid Him in a tomb, but they should have known you can’t keep a good man down.

May it be so..
 
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
 
 
 
Copyright © 2019-2021 All Rights Reserved
 

 

The Brian Monzon Ministries

Contact

Name

Email *

Message *

Check Out Our Most Popular Messages

You Can't Quarantine The Word of God

" 35  Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. 36  Simon and his companions went searching for Him. 37  They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!” 38  And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” 39  So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. 40  Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees, begged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” 42  Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed. 43  Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once, 44  telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansin

The Things Which Must Soon Take Place

    " The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2  who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near." Revelation 1:1-3 Good Morning my beloved,   We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord. Thank you for joining us today, we're glad to have you here. We are especially grateful for those of you who have been sharing the ministry website with all of your family and friends. Your faithfulness to share God's Word with others continues to bring about tremendous results. We are grateful to each of you. And through your sharing, God has brought a number of people to Christ. Praise God! May He continue to use you and this minist

Nothing Has Changed If You Haven’t Changed

Good Morning beloved family, I'm so glad to have all of you joining us today! Let's give a shout of praise to the Lord! Amen! Heavenly Father, As we gather here today, enlighten our understanding, purify our hearts every desire, quicken our wills, and strengthen every right purpose. Grant us wisdom and discernment, that we may better know Your Word and understand. Direct us, in clarity, during this time of worship, guide us to the magnifying and exalting of Your name, and to the e nduring good of us Your children and servants, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen " To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:   A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A ti

Ministry With A Mission

    " Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, 2  To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." I Timothy 1:1-2     Good Morning my beloved,   We welcome to all of our beloved brothers and sisters, from all around the world, who have been lead to join us today. We are glad to have you here!   I know that I mentioned this to you in our last message, however, Scripture calls us to pray with and for our brothers and sister in Christ. I again, would like to encourage all of you to visit our Prayer Wall, there are a number of them who are in great need of some faithful prayer warriors. I pray that you will join us in praying for them in their time of need. I would greatly appreciate it, and I know that they would as well!   I Timothy 2:1 tells us " First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and than

The Power Of A Humble Prayer

      " Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; 2  and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. 3  But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one . 4  We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5  May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." II Thessalonians 3:1-5     Good Morning my beloved,   Welcome to all of our beloved brothers and sisters, from all around the world, who have been prompted to join us today. We are glad to have you here!   I believe that peace, encouragement and good hope are present realities for any true believer. It stands in stark contrast to what the world offers. In the face of life's challenges, discouragements persecution, and shattered dreams, God brings encouragement to th