Rev. #34~11:1-7 THE TWO WITNESSES –pt.1 12-12-09
Today we’ll continue in our study of the Revelation, we’re here in chapter 11:
Lets remember that chapters 10: -14: are like a parenthesis, their sorta like a pause of the destruction that we’ve been reading about, as the Lord directs John of certain people and events that He wants us to know about.
Chapter 9: 13 -11:14 are still under the 6th trumpet judgment.
Listen as I read chapter 11: verse 1-7
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 prophecy: 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.
There are 7 personesseges in these 4 chapters; we’ll point them out, as we get to them.
There are a lot of people that disagree as to who these two witnesses are, some say that their Elijah and John the Baptist, some Elijah and Enoch, but most believe its Elijah and Moses, and to me Elijah and Moses are who they are, Elijah caused it not to rain for 3 ½ years in
1 Kings 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.
Moses called down 10 plagues on Egypt there in Exodus, and it was Moses and Elijah that was with the Lord on the Mt. Of transfiguration in
Matthew 17:1-4 1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
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11:1 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.
This reed was some type of measuring devise, and this “angel” is still the “Mighty Angel” that we read about in chapter 10:, and we believe that its the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus of the N.T. is the “Angel of the Lord” of the Old Testament. Why does Christ appear in the Tribulation Period as an angel?
>> He appears as an angel because reference is made to conditions in Israel before their Messiah had been revealed to them in His incarnation. <<
Lets realize that we’re reading about Jewish things here in these verses “temple, the altar, and a place the Gentiles worship, the outer court”.
Ø S0 here He takes the same position as He occupied in Old Testament times.
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2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles:---- and the holy city {Jerusalem} shall they **tread under foot forty and two months.
--The last half of the Tribulation---
John is told that the outer court "is given unto the Gentiles” an event having already occurred at this time).
But then John is also told “and the holy city {Jerusalem} shall they **tread under foot forty and two months.” -- (future tense). == It say’s shall they ==
Ø Listen, the last half of the Tribulation is what this particular verse is telling about, because the ending of the forty-two months corresponds to the end of the "times of the Gentiles" that we see in Luke 21:24. When this last half has run it’s coarse then the arrival of Christ and the introduction of the Millennial Kingdom takes place.
Listen: for forty-two months The holy city (Jerusalem) will be tread underfoot which equals to 1260 days (three and one-half years of the seven year tribulation.
Always remember, in scripture a prophetic year is 360 days.
We’re reading about a rebuilt temple yet future to our time, often called the Tribulation Temple.
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Ø Let me say, the Bible speaks about five distinct temples:
1. Solomon’s temple that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C.
2. The Zerubbabel temple, which was took over and consecrated to Jupiter in 168 B.C. by Antiochus Epiphanies.
3. Herod’s temple that was reduced to ashes by Titus in A.D. 70, not one stone being left upon another.
4. The yet to be built Tribulation Temple that we’re talking about right now.
5. The future Millennial Temple described in Ezekiel 40-47.
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Ø Listen: this next verse would be confusing if we didn’t pay close attention:
In verse 2 we read “they **tread under foot forty and two months” this is telling us about the last half of the 7 year Tribulation, but verse 3 is telling us about the 1st half of the Tribulation.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. –
This is the 1st 3 ½ years. Why do we say that?
This is the first half of the seven-year Tribulation because the Antichrist, the beast, has not begun his great persecution of the Jews as yet; he over comes the two witnesses in verse 7.
Ø Verse 3 can not be in reference to the last half of the Tribulation because:
1. It is the beast, the Antichrist, who is destroyed at the close of the Tribulation in Rev. 19:20, not the two witnesses.
2. When God is finished with their ministry of witnessing He will allow the Antichrist to over come them but not until then, let’s realize that these two witnesses are invincible while God is using them, and the two witnesses certainly would not allow the beast to sit in the Holy Place to declare himself as god as he will do according to 2nd Th. 2:4 if God was still using them.
3. Why would the two Jewish witnesses, who are key in the revival of the Jews during the Tribulation along with the 144000 Jewish missionaries, be found in Jerusalem after the Jews have fled to their fortress of Petra due to the intense persecution of the Devil, the dragon, that begins at the midpoint of the Tribulation?
How could the beast overcome the witnesses at the end of the Tribulation and the world throw a big celebration at the very time Antichrist is heavily involved with the Campaign of Armageddon and the arrival of Christ?
And how could the earth dwellers be have great celebrations and sending gifts to each other if this was at the end of the Tribulation? At the end they’ll not be any rejoicing going on I promise you that, according to Word of God, they’ll be crying out for the rocks to fall on them.
5. The overthrow of the prophets, the two witnesses, would contribute more to the rise and fame of the beast if it were at the end of the 1st half, not at the end of the Tribulation.
6. If Christ returns with the resurrected saints to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, why would these two resurrected witnesses ascend to heaven?
Ø But all of these problems disappear if the 1,260 days mentioned here in verse 3 are understood as telling about the first half of the Tribulation.
===You might want to mark your Bible while it’s fresh on your mind, --verse 2 is telling about the last half of the Tribulation.
Verse 3 is telling about the 1st half of the Tribulation====
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Let’s be sure to notice that it’s this “Mighty Angel” that says, {And I will give power unto my two witnesses} not just any ordinary angel can give this power to any one, it’s the Lord Jesus.
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--4These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing **before the God of the earth.
These two witnesses are called “the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth”.
Ø What John saw here in chapter 11: is explained in Zechariah’s vision in
Zechariah, chapters 4:11 + 14 11Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that “stand “ by the Lord of the whole earth.
So we understand that the two olive trees represent two individual anointed persons, in Zechariah it was Joshua and Zerubbabel, they were men who were the means that the Word of God was transmitted to the people.
But these here in the Revelation, the two olive trees, the two witnesses, are Elijah and Moses.
They are two candlesticks standing before the God.
Not only do these two witnesses declare God’s words, but they also do God’s works and perform miracles of judgment, reminding us of both Moses and Elijah.
Lets remember that “two or three” is what the Bible says is a witness.
Even though believing Jews will suffer great persecution at this time, God will still get His message out. Two witnesses will be especially significant at this time. Valid testimony required two witnesses under the Old Covenant, the law of the O.T.
Deut. 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
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5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth**{THEIR MOUTH, BOTH} , and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These witnesses will be able to protect themselves by calling down fire on their enemies who try to harm them, as Elijah did in
1 Kings 18: 37-38 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
They will be God’s anointed servants who bear the light of His truth along with the 144000 true Jehovah witnesses of chapter 7:. They are dependent on the Holy Spirit and speak for God, who controls the whole earth.
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6-7 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.
7And 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.
No one will be able to kill them until God permits this at the very end of their ministry.
7-a the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit-
We believe that the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit is Judas Iscariot.
Ø Listen as I read from
Acts 1: 15-25 15And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. –A reference to him hanging himself.
19And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. –
Psalm 109: 8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
21Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, -unto- that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Here we see the starting point,{from the baptism of John} and the ending point.{unto} the day He was taken up from us.
23And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. –the bottomless pit.
Notice; Judas fell from “this ministry and apostleship” he did not fall from grace, no where in the gospels can we find where Judas ever called the Lord Jesus, “Lord”
Judas always called Jesus Master, Judas was never saved, he did not fall from grace but from his place in the ministry. Just because a man may preach, or maybe even be a Pastor of a church does not automatically make him to be saved.
Let me remind us that it is not the man that might lead some one to the Saviour that saves a person, it’s the WORD OF GOD, did you know that a lost person can lead some one to the Lord? Jesus said in
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,--
There’s multitudes of people that have read gospel tracts that have the “word of God” in them that are saved without any one being there with him, so it’s not some person that saves some one, it’s not some person that saves another person, it’s the Word of God”, when the Word of God is taken in then The Holy Spirit of God gets involved, He will convict that lost sinner and then he can be saved.
I enjoy hearing good gospel music, but know one is ever saved by hearing songs, it’s the WORD, if the WORD is not involved no one will ever be saved, some time in ones life he or she must hear the Word. Paul said in
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
A person can never have saving faith apart from the Word of God.
Ø Listen closely as I read from
REV.17: 7-8 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, at one time Judas was alive and on the earth--and is not, when John pinned this down Judas was not on the earth--and yet is.- and yet he is, he’s being held in his own place as we are studying here together today, he’ll be released from his own place when Gods set time rolls around.
Remember Peter said in ACTS 1:24 Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
