Revelation 11:3-14
God Has A Witness
Review:
We have been looking at the major events of Revelation. Presently,
we are waiting for the 7th angel to sound his trumpet. That will
also start the third woe. We have divided the judgments into several
categories:
1. Man against Man judgments \\#Rev 6:1-11\\
2. Nature against Man judgments \\#Rev 6:12-8:12\\
3. God against Man judgments or the Woe judgments
a. \\#Rev 9:1\\ In the first woe…
(1) What appeared to be a door to hell was opened and
some kind of locust-like creatures were loosed on
the earth to afflict mankind for 5 months.
(2) \\#Rev 9:11\\ told us that they had a leader over
them who was out of the bottomless pit, meaning he
is some kind of demon.
b. \\#Rev 9:13\\ In the second woe…
(1) Four beings (we suppose demons) are loosed from the
Euphrates River.
(a) With them come an army of 200 million "things."
(v) This army kills 1/3 of the earth’s population.
(2) An angel descends and promises that time is close to
being finished.
(3) Seven secret thunders, which we suppose will be
judgments, thunder.
(4) John is commanded to measure the temple.
(a) Meaning there will be a temple.
(b) But the temple will be turned over to the
Gentiles as the time of Gentiles comes to a
climax.
Introduction: This morning we are at the fifth (and last) element of
the 2nd woe \\#Rev 9:13-11:14\\. It is the ministry of the two
witnesses. As we look at these two witnesses this morning, I want to
impress upon you that God has a plan for them. There are only eleven
verses in this section, but you will see over and over again that
everything worked exactly according to God’s plan.
Notice some specifics behind this witness.
I. \\#Rev 11:3\\ These two have a DIVINE PURPOSE.
A. They are called upon to WITNESS.
1. This is the second group of witnesses God has called.
a. \\#Rev 7:1\\ God called and sealed 144,000 Jews to
serve Him after the sixth seal was opened.
b. We suppose their task is to witness for Him.
c. I believe those 144,000 witness to the world during
the first half of the tribulation.
d. We will read of their promotion to heaven shortly.
2. It seems obvious to me that these two witnesses are
serving in last half of the tribulation.
a. Their job is told us.
b. They ARE to witness during the LAST half of the
tribulation.
c. It is obviously important to God that lost people be
warned!
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
B. We are not told what they shall proclaim but I would imagine
the message would be three-fold.
1. They will encourage the lost to trust Christ and to stand
for Him.
2. They will encourage those who turn to God concerning the
persecution. (The second half of the tribulation will be
a time of great persecution.)
3. They will rebuke the devil and his forces.
II. \\#Rev 11:3\\ These two have a DIVINE TIME.
A. Their duration will be 1260 days, which is 3 1/2 Jewish years.
1. That is the duration of the last half of the tribulation.
2. The Scripture is going to jump ahead here to describe how
things will end for these two, but that will not be until
the tribulation is almost over.
B. These two are not mentioned again so we don’t know exactly
when their deaths fit into the last events of Revelation.
III. \\#Rev 11:4\\ They two have been DIVINELY PROPHESIED.
A. This a reference to an Old Testament prophecy concerning God
sending two olive trees AND the two candlesticks to Israel
\\#Zech 4:1-7\\.
B. That is a difficult text and is probably a reference to the
self sustaining light these two witnesses will give to Israel
to see during those dark days.
IV. \\#Rev 11:5\\ These two have DIVINE PROTECTION.
Rev 11:5 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.
A. We have spoken of the 144,000 witnesses
1. Some think they will be invulnerable.
2. We noted that the Bible never says that about them.
3. I believe they are exempt for the locust-like creatures
torment because \\#Rev 9:4\\ says so.
4. Most Bible students feel these witness live until the end
of the tribulation but since Revelation 14 announced
their arrival at home, I do not.
B. Regardless, the Bible tells us these two witnesses are
divinely protected.
1. The Bible says if anyone hurts them, fire will come
out of their mouth to destroy their attackers.
a. That could be literal but I believe it to be symbolic.
b. There is no Scriptural reason for me taking that
position.
(1) God can create fire-breathing people if He wants
to.
(2) I just don’t think He will want to.
c. Some have taken this phrase to mean that whatever
others try to do to these two witnesses will be
turned back onto them. That is also possible but I
don’t think the text calls for it.
2. I believe that anyone who attacks these two witnesses
will die at the MOUTH of these two witnesses.
a. The power of the two witnesses is in their WORDS.
b. Like prophets of old, they speak and God does
accordingly.
c. What a unique and powerful relationship these
prophets had with God.
d. We have many such accounts in the Bible.
1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the
inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the
LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word.
V. \\#Rev 11:6\\ These two have DIVINE POWER.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that
it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and
have power over waters to turn them to blood,
and to smite the earth with all plagues, as
often as they will.
A. They have power to stop the rain, turn water to blood, and to
smite the earth, at will, with plagues.
1. These powers are given to prove the two witnesses are
God’s and to get the attention of the WORLD.
2. These powers are the greatest ever given to any human. No
one has ever done miracles that encompass the whole
earth!
B. Because of their powers and the type of miracles that they
will perform, some think they are Elijah and Moses returned
to the earth.
1. Anything is possible with God.
2. However, since we know that these two witnesses will die
and that Moses already died \\#Deut 34:5,7, Josh 1:1,2\\,
I think it is unlikely that God will bring him back to
die again.
3. Of course Elijah did not die. He was taken to heaven in a
chariot of fire.
4. God could bring back Elijah or He could just put a spirit
like Elijah and Moses upon two that are alive at that
time. (That is what God did to John the Baptist).
C. We don’t know who these witnesses will be and it must not be
very important or God would probably tell us.
1. Who they are is not as important as Who they work for or
what they will do.
2. They are there to serve the living God and represent Him
to a persecuted people.
VI. \\#Rev 11:7\\ These two have a DEFINITE ADVERSARY,
"the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit."
A. Their adversary has not been introduced to us yet, but he will
be the anti-Christ, the beast, and the false prophet. They
will be the demonic trinity.
B. All of these will happen in the last half of the tribulation.
VII. \\#Rev 11:7-10\\ These two have a DIVINE FATE.
Rev 11:7 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.
A. \\#7\\ They will FINISH THEIR TESTIMONY,
that is, they will complete their mission.
B. \\#7\\ Then they will die.
1. Nothing will stop these witness until they have finished
their course.
2. However, in the end, Satan will think he has defeated God,
so it stands to reason that even God’s witnesses will be
overcome by the end of the tribulation.
C. \\#8-9\\ Their bodies will be put on display.
Rev 11:8 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.
1. It is interesting that the Bible doesn’t tell us where
they will die but it does tell us where they will lie.
a. The name of the city is not mentioned but a
description and an event make it clear.
(1) It is the city "where our Lord was crucified,"
Jerusalem.
(2) It is spiritually called "Sodom and Egypt."
b. What is Sodom known for?
(1) Homosexuality - If you do not think what is
going on in this country has end time
ramifications, think again.
(2) Israel, like many American cities, has their gay
parades.
(3) There are a lot of sins going on in Israel today.
I find it interesting that God associates this
one with end time Israel.
c. Egypt is a type of the world in the Bible.
(1) Egypt is a picture of carnal, fleshly, earthy
things.
(2) Israel is back in the land but, as yet, they have
no spiritual soul.
2. It is interesting that all the people of the world will be
able to see there broken bodies. That may indicate
several things.
a. We are living in an age where our modern-day
technology could make this once impossible miracle an
every day occurrence.
b. For this to happen by the end of the tribulation with
our technology, some measure of earthly
reconstruction will have to take place.
(1) Between the repeated earthquakes and the earth
wobbling on its axis, much of our modern-day
technology will have been badly set back.
(2) The fact that some of it may be working by the
end of the tribulation again suggests that the
catastrophic destructions of Nature against
Mankind happened during the first half of the
tribulation and then stopped.
(3) The anti-Christ, while consolidating his power
and persecuting the Jews during the last half of
the tribulation, will have some time to rebuild
the world’s fallen infrastructure.
D. \\#10\\ The witnesses will be despised.
Rev 11:10 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.
1. The amount of hate that the lost world has for these two
witnesses seems incredible.
a. The world has a celebration!
b. They are rejoicing in the death of these two men.
2. However, we will also find that Satan’s hold on these
people is also incredible.
a. The world will follow him blindly.
(1) We are seeing this kind of unfounded loyalty to a
politician in recent years.
(2) A politician with a questionable past, with no
record of achievement, and with loyalties toward
socialism and extremism has been heralded as the
Messiah and followed despite his faulty and
foolish thinking.
(3) That is nothing to what the world will think if
the anti-Christ.
b. Why the hatred?
(1) No doubt, the world will reject and resist the two
witnesses.
(2) That would mean the two witnesses will defend
themselves and fulfill their ministry with
judgments and plagues world-wide.
(a) This is the "torment" that \\#10\\ mentions.
(b) I don’t see these two witnesses walking in
grace and mercy toward this evil world but
in judgment and justice.
c. All of this will create a hatred for the witnesses that
makes this behavior seem tame.
VIII. \\#Rev 11:11-12\\ These two have a DIVINE INTERVENTION.
A. \\#11\\ They will be resurrected.
Rev 11:11 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.
1. God will allow their bodies to lie on the streets for 3
1/2 days.
2. I suppose the Bible says 3 1/2 not 3 to help us avoid any
notion that these men are anything more than men.
3. Can you imagine the surprise on the faces of those
celebrating when they watch CNN and see those men get up!
a. The Bible says that those who see it will be afraid.
b. That is probably another of those Scriptural
understatements.
B. \\#12\\ They will be removed from this earth.
Rev 11:12 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.
1. The Bible describes their departure in much the same
terms as Jesus’ ascension.
2. They will simply ascend up into the heavens.
3. It would be interesting to watch the satellites trying to
track them, wouldn’t it?
IX. \\#Rev 11:13\\ These two have a DIVINE FAREWELL.
Rev 11:13 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.
A. God sends them off with a earthquake.
1. This is the third mention of an earthquake in this book
\\#Rev 6:12 and 8:5\\.
2. This appears to be the smallest of the three, affecting
only part of a single city, killing 7,000 men in the
process.
B. \\#Rev 11:8\\ tells us that the city this earthquake occurs in
is city where our Lord was crucified, Jerusalem.
Through this message we have seen the plan of God for these two
witnesses. What you and I need to understand is that God has a plan
for us that is just as detailed. You say, "Not me. I am not important
enough." You are to God.
I don’t know the whole plan of God for your life but I know how it is
supposed to start.
1. God’s plan for your life starts with salvation.
2. Then God wants you to grow in your knowledge of Him.
3. Third, He wants your behaviors to change and you to become
more Christ-like.
4. Fourth, He wants you to get busy and do something for Him.
There is more to the plan but you will never know it until you accept
Jesus as your Savior. Would you do that today?
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