Rev. #34~11:1-7 The Two Witnesses –pt. 1 Series

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.