BEAR WITNESS BOLDY
Revelation 10 & 11 (p 866) July 14, 2013
These two chapters can be hard to understand. How can they help me in my Christian Life… first notice the main characters:
Read Revelation 10: 1-11, John is the featured character in chapter 10…but in chapter 11 we read “I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophecy for 1,260 days, clothed in sack cloth. They are the 2 olive trees and the 2 lampstands, and they stand before the Lord of the earth. ” (v5, 4)
The 2 witnesses are the featured characters in chapter 11
All three are commanded to speak the message of God, but all three discover that preaching is not all about congratulations and conversions…
Notice when John swallows God’s message its bitter…when the witnesses finish speaking their testimony, they get killed
Revelation 11: 5-7 (p866) What do I learn from this? Witnessing means telling God’s truth no matter the consequences… As Frank Smith Jr. said, “The Church must be prophetic or it will be pathetic.
I WHAT IS OUR PROPHETIC WITNESS TO THE WORLD TODAY
I wrote a blog the other day on face book after the Supreme Court struck down the DOMA about legalizing same sex marriages in California…
Here’s my blog:
I understand you cannot legislate morality…no law can be created, proposed, and signed into effect that will make people obey it. Laws are meant to be foundations and fences. Foundations, because they are solid…fences, because they protect. For those of us who believe that God’s word is an absolute authority, and foundational, and God’s Word is a protective fence…its heart breaking when…men and women create legislation that deteriorates His law. Yes we all are sinners yours truly included…Big Time…but trying to legitamize something that God says is clearly sinful...doesn’t change the fact that our authoritative foundation and fence says, “Yes, it is!” Loving people, all people doesn’t imitate the relationship in denial of sin….it goes forward seeking redemption, not ignorance. Just my thoughts about today’s Supreme Court ruling.
We live in a world today…especially when it comes to “millenniums” 16-25 year olds that people should be able to do what they want to do..The overwhelming majorities weaken this age group have non Biblical world views when it comes to social issues like abortion or homosexuality…many of my non-Christ following friends had immediate and harsh reactions to my blog…
So, what if in two or three years from now saying that homosexuality is a sexual sin, like adultery…and yet we believe Homosexuals can be redeemed and restored by the saving blood of Christ is labeled hate speech…and I’ll be fined or imprisoned for speaking those words.
Our prophetic witness for the world today is: We are all sinners…we are all broken…we are all in need of healing and rescue….Jesus died on a cross to pay for the debt my sin created between myself and God…He rose from the grave conquering Sin’s punishment: DEATH…WHETHER YOU STRUGGLES WITH HOMESEXUALITY OR PROMISCUITY… WHETHER YOU’VE HAD AN ABORTION OR COMMITTED ADULTERY…If your heart is filled with Greed and pride…God has given his son as the remedy, for our sin…won’t you Accept His Lordship….His Kingdom.
He will write His laws on your heart of flesh…He will enter you…So His Kingdom is in you….He will begin to reign even now…and when the 7th angel sounds his trumpet and there are loud voices in heaven which say….
Revelation 11: 15-19 (p866-867)
You have nothing to fear…the nations were angry but judgment time has arrived and your servants will be rewarded. Those who have revered God’s name…and judgment will destroy the earth and those who have destroyed God’s name.
[It’s time we take Mark 8:38 to heart Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation, the son will be ashamed of them when He comes in His father’s glory with His holy angels.”
It took great courage to not kiss Caesar’s ring and proclaim “Caesar Is Lord”. In your heart you must have already “Set Christ apart as Lord and you must be ready to give a reasonable answer for why you believe that…with gentleness and respect.” (1 Pet 3:15)
Either we are prophetic or we are ashamedly pathetic.
I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of that. Our world does not like to be reminded of that. Our world does not like to be reminded of God’s truth and can get pretty hostile…One witness for Christ said, “If you are the light of the world, you’re going to attract a few bugs”.
Or as Wayne Smith said, “If your carry the ball for Christ, you’re going to get tackled.”
Revelation 11:7 says, “Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them and over power and kill them.”
