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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 13, 2025
◘The Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:1-13
◘Introduction
John Walvoord begins his commentary on Revelation 11 quoting Henry Alford in The Greek New Testament, IV (pg. 655) that this chapter “is undoubtedly one of the most difficult in the whole Apocalypse.” I would agree that there are some very difficult sections in this chapter as we shall see in our study today, but part of the reason so many commentators do have difficulty with this chapter is the effort to force it into some sort of allegorical scheme which ends up with contradictions instead of letting the text speak for itself in its historical and grammatical context. I will point some of this out as we go through the text this morning. We will only be examining verses 1-13 this morning because verse 14 transitions to another section in the chronology of the book when the seventh trumpet is blown. Our passage for this morning’s study occurs in an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet that began in Revelation 10 which we looked at last week.
◘You may recall that chapter 10 concerns a strong angel who is glorious in appearance that stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and having a little scroll in his hand which was open. The angel’s stance symbolically demonstrates possession of both sea and land with authority to execute the judgment he will pronounce that will involve those who dwell on the earth. The angel cried out with a voice as loud as that of a lion’s roar to which the seven peals of thunder responded with articulate voices. ◘John was about to write down what the seven peals of thunder said when a voice from heaven forbid him to do so. As I pointed out last week, there are times when God allows a prophet or an apostle to understand future events or heavenly matters that He then restricts them from revealing to anyone else. God knows what would be good and what might be detrimental for His people to know, so He purposely keeps some things secret until the proper time. Frankly, there is enough in what God has revealed for us to spend our lifetimes learning and applying it to our lives that we should not be concerned about what He has chosen to keep secret. Proverbs 25:2 states that it is the glory of kings to search out a matter, but it is the glory of God to conceal it. While it is good to try to figure out the meaning of even difficult Biblical texts, there also needs to be enough humility to recognize that if God has not chosen to reveal a matter, we should be content with that. In addition, we must not become dogmatic about our speculations about such things. In this case, John was stopped from writing down what the seven peals of thunder said and there is no reason to speculate about it in the present. We will learn what they said when this future event takes place. That same principle can be applied to many prophecies that have not yet been fully revealed. As Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 29:29 (LSB), “The secret things belong to Yahweh our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
◘The strong angel then gave a prophecy, swearing by the eternal creator of all things in heaven, earth and the sea as an affirmation of its firm truthfulness, “that there will be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He proclaimed good news to His slaves, the prophets.” That is the answer to the cry of the martyrs in the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9-11. How long before God brings judgment and avenges their blood? ◘There would no longer be a delay after the seventh trumpet is sounded. The final events will quickly unfold as God’s bowls of wrath are poured out on “those who dwell on the earth” that continue in rebellion against Him, and Jesus then returns as conquering king to set up His millennial kingdom (Revelation 16-19). That will be followed by a final judgment of the wicked and the establishment of new heavens and a new earth with the righteous dwelling with God for eternity (Revelation 20-22).
◘John was then directed to take the scroll from the strong angel and eat it, and as forewarned, it was as sweet as honey in his mouth and bitter to his stomach. The revelation of God concerning the future is sweet when we recognize God’s sovereign control of it and the blessings that will come when Jesus returns and then the promise of the bliss of heaven. But there is also bitterness, a sharp discomfort, as we consider His wrath being poured out on the earth and the unrighteous. Things on the earth we currently know and enjoy will be destroyed, and people we care about will suffer eternal torment because of their refusal to repent of their sins and accept God’s gracious offer of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Our consolation is the future earth will be far better than what exists today, and God will wipe away all of our tears. (See: The Angels & the Little Book)
◘Measuring the Temple – Revelation 11:1-2
1 And there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff, saying, “Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 “And leave out the court which is outside the sanctuary and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.
◘Revelation 10:11 concludes with John’s re-commissioning to prophetic ministry – “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” Chapter 11 is connected to this with the simple conjunction, kaiv / kai – “and,” so it is apparent that the first action John was to take after this renewal of his prophetic ministry in revealing and proclaiming future events is to measure portions of the temple, the altar and those worshiping there. ◘The instrument given to him to be used for this task is a reed, kavlamoV / kalamos, a plant that grows in the Jordan valley that can reach heights of 15-20 feet. Since it was hollow, it was light weight, yet is was strong enough to even be used as a walking staff (Ezekiel 29:7 LXX). For this reason, it made a very good measuring rod. In Ezekiel 40:3-43:17 the prophet describes in his vision an angel using such a reed to measure the temple. This reed is described as looking like a staff.
◘The text does not state who gave John the measuring rod or commanded him to rise and go measure the temple. The last person speaking to John was the strong angel (Rev. 10:9-11), so he is the most likely person to hand him the rod and give the command, but whether it was this angel or God (Rev. 10:8), the command ultimately will trace back to God since good angels only state what God tells them. John once again becomes a participant in the events being revealed to him to prophesy. In this he is similar to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel in taking actions that portray the thing about which they were prophesying. (See Isaiah 20:2-5; Jeremiah 32; Ezekiel 12:1-7). His actions in measuring will also have similar prophetic meaning.
◘The three things John was to measure were the temple of God, the altar, and the people worshiping. Since he is told specifically to “leave out,” (actually “cast out” – <span style=”font-family: TekniaGreek;”>ejkbavllw</span>/ ekballow), and not measure the area outside the sanctuary, the temple here, <span style=”font-family: TekniaGreek;”>naojV </span>/ naos, refers the temple building, the court of the Israelites surrounding it, and the court of the women surrounding that. The altar mentioned here would be the brazen altar of sacrifice which is in the court of the Israelites. It could not be the altar of incense because that was inside the temple building which was restricted to the priests. John would not have been eligible to enter that area. The people would be those in the inner courts in which the worship God was taking place.
◘It must be kept in mind that starting in Revelation 10 John’s position shifted from heaven where he had observed the results of the first six trumpet judgments to the earth where he was interacting with the strong angel. This is not the temple built by Herod for that was destroyed in A.D. 70 more than twenty years earlier. This is the future temple that will be rebuilt and will exist during the tribulation period. There are multiple prophecies concerning the future anti-Christ desecrating the temple (Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4), so this is a future real, physical temple, and not something figurative or allegorical. As Robert Thomas summarizes the efforts to do that, “The nonliteral interpretation is woefully inconsistent and self-contradictory. In addition, this figurative explanation (the temple refers to the church) results in a hopeless effort to identify the outer court and the holy city in 11:2” (Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary, pg 81)
◘The court beyond the temple which John was to cast out and not measure is the court of the Gentiles which the text states “has been given to the nations.” This area was supposed to be a place where anyone from any nation could come to approach God. Matthew 21:12-13 record that Jesus had to drive out the money changers and sellers of doves from this court stating, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” It quickly reverted back to being a den of thieves after Jesus’ crucifixion. This court area and the future temple will only be used properly for a short time, for as the text states, they (the Gentiles), “trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.” ◘The “holy city” is a common reference to Jerusalem, and this will be confirmed later in the text. The idea of “tread over” or “trample” (patevw / pateō) is “to harm severely by subjugation – to subdue by force” (Louw-Nida). This will last for forty-two months. That matches the prophecy in Daniel 9. More on that in a minute.
◘Notice that though John is told to measure, he does not record any of his measurements. This makes it apparent that the point here is not the physical measurements, but being directly tied to the renewal of John’s prophetic ministry, this is measuring out to mark what will be within God’s favor and what will be excluded. An example of such a measuring of favor and rejection is in 2 Samuel 8 in which after defeating Moab, David has them lie on the ground and he measures out two lines to be put to death and one line to be kept alive. This is an object lesson similar to those done by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel I mentioned earlier. God’s favor will be upon the future godly remnant that will worship Him in the rebuilt temple. Excluded from God’s favor and therefore subject to His wrath will be those who oppress the godly Jewish remnant and oppress Jerusalem in the period before Jesus’ return.
◘There are all sorts of symbolic interpretations of the forty two months, which by the way equals time length in the “times, times and half a time” of Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14 which is three and half years, and the “1,260 days” in Revelation 11:3 and 12:6. Thomas analyzes the efforts to interpret this symbolically and then states, “Yet sane biblical interpretation requires that words be taken in their natural meaning unless contextual factors require something other than a literal interpretation.” There are no contextual factors requiring or even suggesting this statement about the forty-two months to be anything other than the stated length of time.
The question immediately arises about what 42 months is being referred to here? ◘The context here makes it clear that this is in the later part of the tribulation period since this is being described in the parenthetical section just prior to the seventh trumpet which, as stated by the strong angel. Brings without any further delay the bowl judgments which culminate in Christ’s return and the millennial kingdom. That is “the mystery of God” as proclaimed to “His slaves the prophets” (Rev. 10:7). This is the period that matches the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 in which during the middle of the 70th week the anti-Christ puts a stop to sacrifice and grain offerings and commits the abomination that makes desolate. While Revelation does not give a specific reference to the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4), this would be the best reference to the time period in which that will happen. That puts it between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments.
◘The Two Witnesses – Revelation 11:3-13
Their Ministry – Revelation 11:3
The next subject of this passage of Scripture is also connected by the simple conjunction kaiv / kai – “and,” which shows the continuity between the measuring of the temple and verse 3, 3 “And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” The length of time here of 1,260 days also shows a connection since that is the same time length as 42 months (of 30 days each).
◘The speaker is not specifically identified which is the usual pattern in Revelation of when God the Father or Christ speaks (1:12; 4:1; 10:4,8, etc.). The angel who spoke in verse 1 is the near speaker, and if that angel is also speaking here in verse 3, then he is again only saying what God has told him to say. However, the difficulty with this being an angel speaking is that the text states these are two witnesses of the one speaking – “my two witnesses.” It is better to understand that this is God the Father or Christ speaking who grants His two witnesses to prophecy for 1,260 days.
◘To prophesy (profhteuvw / prophēteuō) is to speak under divine inspiration with or without reference to the future. It is to declare whatever God will have them to say, which in this context would include declarations of God’s law and will and warnings of what will happen in the future if there is no repentance. Those are the two elements included in the speech of all the prophets and that is what these two witnesses of God will do. The fact that these two are wearing sackcloth adds to the somber nature of their message for wearing sackcloth was a sign of bad news. It was worn to demonstrate grief and mourning such as when someone died (2 Samuel 21:10), or being severely distressed as was Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19:1, or of repentance and humility over sin such as Ahab in 1 Kings 21:27.
◘I appreciated the opening section of MacArthur’s commentary on this chapter because he stressed God’s faithfulness in providing prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah to His people to correct and warn them of coming judgment for their unfaithfulness and rebellion while offering hope if they would repent. A good example of this is Jeremiah 25:1-6.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years the word of Yahweh has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking, but you have not listened. 4 “And Yahweh has sent to you all His slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, 5 saying, ‘Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the ground which Yahweh has given to you and your fathers forever and ever; 6 and do not walk after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will bring no evil against you.’”
The ministry of these two witnesses here in Revelation 11 will be carried out in the same manner. We will see that God’s mercy continues to be extended even in the midst of His wrath being poured out on rebellious and unrighteous people.
◘Their Identification – Revelation 11:4
There is a lot of speculation about the identity of these two witnesses, some of which are absurd such as them being symbolic representatives of a corporate body. Only individuals can wear sackcloth and the description gives them specific power and distinct identities. The two suggestions with the most merit are Elijah and Moses because of the similarity of their ministries and the miracles they performed and the fact they appeared with Jesus when He was transfigured in Matthew 17:3. The greater strength of one of them being Elijah is the prophecy in Malachi 4:5 that the Yahweh would send “Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of Yahweh.” John the Baptist only partially fulfilled that prophecy (Matthew 17:10-12). However, since the text does give the specific identity of these two men that is not germane to the point of the passage. ◘What the text does give is their symbolic identity in verse 4. “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”
That is a reference to Zechariah 3 & 4 and the ministries of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest in their mission of restoring Israel in the return to the land after the exile. ◘Both are also presented in those passages as symbolic of a future restoration in which the iniquity of that land would be removed and the people would dwell in peace. This identification is also an allusion to their ministry being done in the power of the Spirit with the olive trees providing the oil needed to fuel the lamp (Zechariah 4:2-6). (Sermon on Zechariah 2-4).
◘Their Protection – Revelation 11:5
Verse 5 explains the protection God grants to them in carrying out their commission to prophecy. 5 “And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way.” You can be sure that this would not have to happen a lot for their enemies to get the point and stay away from them. This ability brings to mind 2 Kings 1:10-14 when Elijah called down fire to consume the bands of 50 soldiers sent by evil king Ahaziah to arrest him. He only had to do that twice to cause the third group of fifty to come in all humility and beg Elijah for their lives.
The grammatical construction in the first sentence assumes the actuality of the wish – “if anyone engages in desiring.” The second sentence varies the grammar to include the more remote reality – “If anyone may desire.” The consequence of either results in the same thing, “they must be killed in this manner.”
◘Allegorists try to make this into something symbolic, but this emphasis that “they must be killed in this manner” of fire coming out of their mouths and consuming them stresses the reality that this is what will actually happen. Just because we do not know how God will enable them to do this does not mean that He cannot or will not do so. ◘God is not limited in what He does by your ability to understand it or lack of ability to explain it. Remember, as previously pointed out in some of the earlier judgments, God is also not limited by what we think of as the laws of physics. The very fact that these are miraculous – outside known physics – points to their origin in God and Him alone.
◘Their Powers – Revelation 11:6
Verse 6 adds to the miraculous abilities given to these two men. 6 “These have the authority to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; they also have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish.” ◘The ability to shut up the sky and prevent rainfall is the same as given to Elijah in 1 Kings 17. These witnesses have the authority to do the same during their entire time of prophesying. That power was specifically granted to Elijah by prayer and lasted for the same length of time according to James 5:17. I take it that they exercised this ability over limited areas in the same way as Elijah otherwise the Euphrates river would already be dried up before the sixth bowl judgment which causes that to happen.
They are also given the ability to turn the waters into blood and to “strike the earth with every plague.” That is similar to the ability given to Moses in Exodus 5-12 except these men can do that “as often as they wish” and it includes “every plague” and not just the limited few God used Moses to bring upon Egypt. I also take this to be limited in scope instead of worldwide otherwise the sea and the rivers and springs of water into will have become blood before that happens when second and third bowl judgments are poured out.
◘Their Deaths – Revelation 11:7-8
The ministry of these two men has a fixed duration of 1,260 days. Verses 7-8 explains what happens after that. 7 “And when they have finished their witness, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.”
◘This is the first mention of the beast that comes up out of the abyss – the bottomless pit. The beast will be specifically mentioned another 35 times in Revelation. The word beast here, qhrivon / thērion, was used in Rev. 6:8 to describe the animals that were included as part of the means by which a quarter of mankind was killed. It is that connotation of being of the nature of a carnivorous creature of unreasoning violence that is applied here to this person that comes up from the abyss. As we saw with the fifth trumpet judgment, the abyss is associated with the demonic and this person is certainly demonically empowered. This not Satan, for he is described in Revelation 12 as the great red dragon. Later descriptions show this beast to be a ruler who falsely represents himself to be a Christ figure. There is no time indicator of when this beast comes out of the pit other than it is before he overcomes and kills the two witnesses.
◘His actions of making war with the two witnesses, overcoming and killing them reflect the actions of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 that wages war with the saints and overpowers them. We must keep in mind that God’s view of physical death is different from our own. For us, death brings an end to life as we know it. For God, physical death of His saints puts them into a new phase of life with Him that is glorious. That is why Psalm 116:15 states, “Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of His godly ones.” That is also true of the death of these two witnesses here, but God has not lost control and He is not finished with them just yet as we will see.
◘As a sign of the utter hatred for these men, their corpses are left in the street. It was an extreme indignity in that culture to leave a body unburied. Burial was usually done very quickly in part because decay would begin quickly and the rotting body would stink. Hence the concern of Martha about Jesus having the stone removed from the tomb of Lazarus because after being dead four days there would be a stench. The Romans and other ancient cultures were not adverse of leaving the body of a criminal on a cross or hanging the body of an enemy on a wall to rot as a warning to the public.
◘The location of this is “the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” The last phrase identifies this as Jerusalem since that is where Jesus was crucified. It is amazing how many commentators suggest this is Babylon or Rome. Commitment to allegorical interpretation in which most everything is symbolic of something else blinds to what is obvious. Why is it called mystically, spiritually (pneumatikw:V / pnematikós) Sodom and Egypt? Because being trampled by those who are evil that becomes the character of the city. Sodom speaks of its utter immorality. Egypt speaks of its idolatry, oppression and slavery.
◘Celebration by the World – Revelation 11:9-10
The indignity of their corpses being left in the street was bad, but it gets worse. 9 “And 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 send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”
◘The four designations: peoples, tribes, tongues and nations, are as in their earlier usages (5:9 & 7:9) a comprehensive expression for all mankind which is here described twice as “those who dwell on the earth.” An expression used ten times in Revelation to refer to the wicked and unrepentant that come under the wrath of God. ◘The two witnesses caused the wicked of the world much torment by not only their abilities to incinerate their enemies, turn water into blood and every kind of plague as often as they desired, but also their preaching which would have pricked the hearts of evil people. ◘The world now rejoices and celebrates their deaths even sending gifts to one another while refusing to allow their bodies to be put in a tomb. Instead, they morbidly look at their dead bodies. With the invention of electronic imaging and broadcasting, cameras will be pointed at them and pictures of them shown on screens around the world for three and half days. That would be longer, but God has other plans.
◘Their Resurrection – Revelation 11:11
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.” ◘We can only imagine the shock this will cause. The wicked world is rejoicing they are dead, when suddenly, God brings them back to life and they stand up on their feet. Since this will certainly be recorded on video and the scene will be replayed over and over again. Their fear is great, mevgaV / megas – mega fear! Considering the ability of these two to torment the wicked by their actions and preach before they were murdered, what will they now do to them in coming back to life! Will they seek revenge on those that rejoiced and celebrated over their deaths? This in an obvious intervention by God, so what could prevent them from doing whatever they wanted?
◘Their Ascension – Revelation 11:12
That particular fear is short lived for they do not remain on the earth. 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.” ◘This is most probably the voice of Christ who summoned John to heaven back in Rev. 4:1. They ascend to heaven in a similar way to Jesus at His ascension in Acts 1. It is not instantaneous as will be the rapture which happens in the twinkling of an eye, but they will rise up into the cloud even as their enemies watch. You can be sure that video recording will also be replayed over and over again. Again, this is clearly the hand of God at work. And that fact begins to weigh on the hearts and minds of many.
◘The Earthquake – Revelation 11:13
John records in verse 13 something that happened very soon after the ascension of the two witnesses. 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.” ◘This is an earthquake strong enough to collapse a tenth of the city and in the process kill seven thousand people – literally, “names of men,” an unusual expression perhaps indicating this is a carefully and precisely stated number. This happens in the rebuilt Jerusalem of the future for at the time John wrote this about A.D. 95, Jerusalem was still in ruins from its destruction 25 years earlier by the Romans.
◘The reaction to this is interesting. It is understandable that rest of the population of the city are terrified, e[kfoboV / ekphobos, extremely afraid considering all that they had just witnessed. The response here by those left alive in Jerusalem is to give “glory to the God of heaven.” ◘This is the action of those that worship God (Revelation 4:9; 19:7), and the opposite reaction of those that refuse to repent (Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9). This appears to be true repentance and a point of hope in a time when the hearts of the vast majority of men is only hardening. God extends mercy and grace to the wicked that will repent even in the midst of His wrath. It seems that these are people that finally understood, believed and heeded the preaching of the two witnesses. ◘Since the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be mostly Jewish even though it was being trampled by the Gentiles, they may well be part of the Jewish remnant that are saved in conjunction with Jesus’ second advent as Paul points out in Romans 11.
◘Conclusions
The main take-away I want you to have from today’s sermon is the faithfulness and mercy of God to send repeated warnings to the wicked to repent. The vast majority will not repent and therefore will suffer the consequences of His wrath, yet out of those shaking their fist at God, His word and Spirit changes their hearts to turn and believe to become worshipers of Him. ◘Don’t give up on those who are not yet saved even if they treat you terribly. Continue to pray for them, proclaim God’s truth – both the warnings against sin and good news of forgiveness and salvation freely offered in Christ – to them to the best of your ability, and then patiently wait as God does His work.
Sermon Notes – 7/13/2025
The Two Witnesses – Revelation 11:1-13
Introduction
Revelation is more difficult to understand when it is ________into a system instead of letting the text speak
Review
The ___________________has one foot on the sea and one foot on the land and he cries out in a loud voice
The seven peals of thunder answer him, but John is not allowed to write want they say – it remains ________
The strong angel swears by the ___________& gives a prophecy which answers the question of the martyrs
___________________after the 7th trumpet is sounded – the final events will culminate in Christ’s kingdom
John ______________ – sweet in the mouth but bitter to the stomach: Future prophecy is both sweet & bitter
Measuring the Temple – Revelation 11:1-2
Chapter 11 connects directly the renewal of John’s commission to ______________- Rev. 10:11
This reed is lightweight, yet strong, & makes a good ________________________
Regardless of who gave John the reed & command, it eventually traces back to _________
John is to measure the temple, altar & those worshiping – and cast out / do not measure the __________court
John is on the earth – this is the _____________rebuilt temple in Jerusalem
The outer court was to be the area where _______could approach God – it was often used for other purposes
The “holy city” is Jerusalem – it would be trampled for 42 months. That matches the prophecy of _________
John records no measurements – the purpose was ____the physical size, but marking God’s favor & disfavor
No contextual factors for the _________________ require or suggest a non-literal interpretation
The context puts these 42 months in the ___________________ of the Tribulation period
The Two Witnesses – Revelation 11:3-13
Their Ministry – Revelation 11:3. Connects to measuring the temple with a simple conjunction – “______”
The speaker not specifically identified – either God the Father of Christ for they are “______two witnesses”
To prophesy is to speak under _____inspiration with or without reference to the future: Forth-tell & Foretell
God faithfully provides prophets to correct & warn His people while offering _________if they will repent
Jeremiah 25:1-6 – an example
Their Identification – Revelation 11:4
Much speculation, some absurd. Best suggestions are Moses & Elijah – but specific identity _____________
Symbolic identity – olive trees & lampstands – point to ______________& example of Zerubbabel & Joshua
Symbolic of a ___________purified land, people dwelling in peace, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit
Their Protection – Revelation 11:5
Fire devours / kills their enemies desiring to harm them – reminiscent of ___________(2 Kings 1:1-14)
Emphasis on “they must be killed in the manner” shows this is _________, not figurative / symbolic
God is __________by your ability to understand Him – or even the “laws of physics” – He does true miracles
Their Powers – Revelation 11:6
Elijah had the ability to shut up the sky & prevent rain via _________(1 Kings 17; James 5:17)
Moses was also given the ability to turn water to blood & many miracles – but not every plague __________
Their Deaths – Revelation 11:7-8
The beast from the abyss is demonical empowered, but it is ____________(who is the red dragon – Rev. 12)
The beast is able to wage war, overcome & kill the two witnesses after they _____________their 1,260 days
Their ____________________in the street. Burial was done quickly except for criminals and public enemies
The location is ____________. Sodom reflects their immorality, Egypt their idolatry, oppression & slavery
Celebration by the World – Revelation 11:9-10
The four groups: peoples, tribes, tongues & nations are a comprehensive expression for ________________
The two witnesses had ______________the wicked world by their miraculous abilities & preaching
The _______rejoices and celebrates their deaths even giving gifts to one another – and watching their bodies
Their Resurrection – Revelation 11:11
The world is shocked & caused great (mega) fear when the two witnesses come ______________& stand up
Their Ascension – Revelation 11:12
Called by a voice from heaven (Jesus – Rev. 4:1) to come up there, they ___________like Jesus did (Acts 1)
The Earthquake – Revelation 11:13
A strong earthquake collapses a tenth of the future rebuilt city of Jerusalem & kills _______(names of men)
The reaction of those remaining alive in Jerusalem is extreme fear – and __________________________
This is the opposite reaction of the unrepentant – and points to true _______________
This fits with the prophecy of a Jewish remnant being __________in the time period of the Lord’s 2nd advent
Conclusions
God is faithful & ____________to sinners even when He pours out His wrath on the unrepentant
Don’t give up on the unsaved – continue to _________ and __________to them. God is still at work
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children: Draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times the two witnesses are mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents who these men are and their importance.
THINK ABOUT IT! – Questions to consider / discuss with others. What is the connection between the renewal of John’s prophetic ministry and his measuring the temple? What is the significance of what John was to measure & what he was to leave out? Since no dimensions are recorded, what was the purpose of the measuring? What is the ministry of the two witnesses? What is their identity? What does it mean they are two olive trees and two lamps? How does God enable them to protect themselves? Is this an actual ability or symbolic of something else? Explain. What powers does God give to them? Are these actual powers or symbolic? Explain. In what city do they exercise their ministry? Why does God allow them to be killed by the beast? Who is the beast? Why does the world celebrate their deaths? What happens after 3 ½ days? How do people respond to that? How do people respond after the earthquake? Why is that hopeful?
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