Jan 14, 2001

The 2 Witnesses & the Seventh Trumpet

Rev 11, Zechariah

If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn to Revelation chapter 11. I mentioned last week that some chapters in Revelation were not part of the time line, instead, they were God's way of giving us details so that we could better understand what's happening. The last third of chapter 11 is part of the time line, but the first two thirds is not. The first 14 verses of this chapter look just at Jerusalem, the temple, and two men who witness for God in the streets of the city.

Why does God want us to know this detail? If the church is gone, raptured before this happens, why does God want us to know it? Because it teaches us something about our own Christian walk and testimony, it's an object lesson for us, and God wants us to understand it and take it to heart.

Rev 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.
Rev 11:2 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."

There are several places in the Bible that God causes Jerusalem to be measured; Zechariah, Ezekiel, and here. When we measure something, we want to use something light and sort of stiff, something that will stay straight, so we use a tape measure. Back then, they used a reed, and cut it to ten feet, eight inches long, or six long cubits. Something that is true all over the world, whenever property changes hands, it always gets surveyed, right? That's what's happening here. God is having John survey and measure both the temple and the worshipers, because God is getting ready to reclaim His property, what belongs to Him.

Notice that He does not have John measure the court outside the temple, it remains under gentile control. I thought it was interesting that just this last week, Clinton came up with a peace proposal that called for Israel to divide Jerusalem with the Philistinians, and give them sovereignty over the temple mount. It was not well received. I find it very remarkable that someone who professes to be a Christian would suggest that Jehovah's property be given to the worshipers of the moon god. Some people think that Jehovah and Allah are equivalent, only the names are changed? Not even close. Ever notice how Arab nations frequently have a crescent moon on their flags? Ever wonder why? Anyway, back to chapter 11.

There are several details here that let us get an idea of what is happening. First, there is a temple built. We know that during the tribulation, the antichrist will go into the temple and proclaim himself as god, so at some point during the tribulation, either a temple has to be built, or the tabernacle of Moses has to be found, restored, and set up on the temple mount. Since the court outside the temple remains in gentile hands, obviously not all the temple mount is Holy to God. Perhaps the Dome of the Rock is still there. Since this temple shares the temple mount with some sort of gentile control for forty two months, perhaps the antichrist has come up with a way to satisfy both the Jews and the Muslims.

Verse 3: "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."
It is interesting, that just as Elijah appeared on the scene with no prior introduction, these two witnesses also appear with no introduction either. We are not told who they are, where they come from, or how they get there.

Verse 4: "These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."
What on earth does this mean? This sounds like something very obscure and mysterious. Fortunately, what God doesn't tell you in one part of His Bible, He usually explains in another part. The next to the last book in the Old Testament is a book that is filled with prophecies about Jesus Christ, His first coming, and His second coming, and it explains what this means. Keep your place in Revelation, and turn to Zechariah chapter two, and verse 1.
"I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Zec 2:2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof."
Hmmm, sound familiar? Just as God measures Jerusalem and finds it coming up short in Revelation, prior to Christ's second coming, He did the same thing before Christ's first coming. Follow with me and see if there is anything else in Zechariah that explains things. Turn to chapter 4, verse 1.
"And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
Zec 4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:" He is looking at a lamp stand, a menorah.
Verse 3: "And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?" Skip to verse 13.
Zec 4:13 "And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth."

For the sake of time, I skipped chapter 3, and most of 4, but it revealed that these two olive branches and lampstands represent Joshua, the High Priest, and Zerubbabel, the King. They represent God's witness before the world. During the time of the Old Testament, Israel was God's witness before the world, although many times they failed.

Back in Revelation 5:10, we read how the elders praise Jesus Christ because He has made His church to be kings and priests, witnesses just like in Zechariah. For the last 1,960 some odd years, the church has been God's witness before the world, although many times the church has failed also. But the principle remains the same in both cases.

During the tribulation, the church is removed to heaven, but God still has a witness for Himself in the world. These two men in Jerusalem are now especially identified as God's special witnesses for Himself.
In Zechariah, the witnesses are symbolized or identified with olive trees, which speaks to us of olive oil, and we know that oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Both of them are as candle sticks, giving off light, which speaks to us of their witness for God, the same as the two witnesses in Revelation 11, verse 4. Do you see how God uses the exact same symbolism in both books? That's how God uses Zechariah to explain Revelation, and vice versa. Now tuck your bulletin into Zechariah to save your place, and go back to Revelation 11, verse 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.
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."
The Bible does not tell us who these two witnesses are, but we do have some hints. Who was the Old Testament prophet that called fire down from heaven to consume his enemies? Elijah, Right? (Second Kings, chapter one.) Elijah also shut up heaven so that there was no rain, didn't he?

How about the other witness? What Old Testament prophet had the power to turn the waters into blood, and smite the earth with plagues? Moses, right? Also; remember when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram called Moses' ministry into question? God caused the earth to open up and swallow up all the rebels alive, and also fire came down from heaven and destroyed all those among the rebels that offered incense.

Who were the two Old Testament prophets that appeared to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration? Moses and Elijah. This is all very good circumstantial evidence that it is Moses and Elijah, and maybe so, but also, maybe not. Hebrews 9:27 tells us: "It is appointed unto men once to die." Elijah was taken to heaven without dying and so was Enoch, but that doesn't prove anything, the whole raptured church will also go to heaven without dying. Moses has already died once, shall he die again? Hmmm, problem.

Perhaps just as John the Baptist was a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah, and Jesus identified him that way, these two witnesses will be prophets in the spirit and power of Moses and Elijah, we just really don't know for certain, so we won't make any firm decisions on this one. We do know that for three and a half years they are clothed in sack cloth, the traditional clothing of a prophet of doom, they speak the truth of God to the whole world, and they have the ability to supernaturally get men's attention , just as Moses and Elijah did in the Old Testament. They are full of the Holy Spirit, they have a combination of all the greatest powers of the Old Testament prophets, and none of their enemies can hurt them.

Verse 7: "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit (Satan) shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
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."
When these two witnesses have finished their testimony for God, He allows them to be killed by Satan. This is a good lesson for us. These two men apparently did nothing wrong, God had no complaints with their behavior, and as long as God had a job for them to do, they were indestructible. Their deaths were not the result of sins they had committed. The wages of sin is death, but we also live in a sinful world. Sometimes death and trouble happens to us or to others just because we live on the earth, not because of personal sin. Don't always assume cause and effect. The world is like a minefield, sometimes the innocent get hurt.

In this verse, we also learn where it was that these two men prophesied; Jerusalem. It is interesting that Jerusalem is equated with Sodom and Egypt. What does Egypt symbolize in the Bible? Worldliness. How about Sodom? Sinfulness. Do you suppose that during this time, Jerusalem will be a place of major immorality and materialism? Sounds like it to me.

Verse 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.
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."
It is an indication of the moral and ethical climate of that period that their bodies are allowed to lay in the street for three and a half days while people come and gaze upon the two men that they hated so much.

I have mentioned it before, we see here again the phrase; "they that dwell upon the earth". This is used a number of times in Revelation, and refers to those that have physical life only, they have no spiritual life, and God knows that they have no intention of ever repenting or changing. Notice that it seems to be a time of incredible spiritual blindness. It is as if these people are convinced that since they have killed the two prophets, their problems will be over. They are totally blind to seeing that God is behind everything that the prophets were doing.

There is an important truth here that this illustrates: people that are spiritually blind do stupid things. This is not complicated, but it is always true. It even applies to Christians. If we turn away from God, turn a blind eye to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will do really stupid things. Count on it. Also, people that are blind to God, people that have no use for God, will hate people that witness for God, and for His righteousness. Unsaved people today are annoyed by anyone that witnesses for God's righteousness, imagine how much angrier they will be during the tribulation.

If these two witnesses have their ministry during the second half of the tribulation, then their death signals that there are only a few more days until all the rest of the events in the tribulation are fulfilled.
Verse 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.
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."
Remember in the book of Daniel, King Belshazzar and all his nobles and concubines were having this big party, and suddenly a hand appears and writes on the wall? The party was over. Guess what? It happens again. The whole world is having this party, thinking that they have gotten rid of these pesky prophets of Jehovah, these geeks in sackcloth have been laying in their blood, attracting flies for days, and all of a sudden they get up. Oooh, that's not good. Then this voice from heaven says: "Come up here" and these two men ascend to heaven in a cloud. Oooh. Bummer. It is tempting to try and guess what kind of lame excuse the world will come up with to try and explain it away. Space aliens? Area 51? Mass hallucination? Anything but the possibility that just maybe God is doing what He said He would do, and the time clock is about to run out, right?

At this point the chronology of Revelation has kicked back in and we are seeing things happening again in real time.
Verse 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.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."

When the seventh angel sounds, it initiates the final process of God taking control of the earth away from man, and away from Satan, and restoring Jesus Christ to His rightful place. At the time when the seventh angel sounds, that is when the seven bowls of judgement are poured out, but that apparently covers just a few days, and we don't pick up on that part of the narrative until we get to chapter 16. Chapters 12 through 14 teach us a lot of details about what is happening, but they are not part of the timeline of chronological events.

Verse 16: "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, (or thrones) fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

When we get to chapter 20, we find that God will judge the unsaved dead at the end of the 1,000 year millennium, so it appears that this is a judgement for rewards of those believers that have died during the tribulation. Then there is the death of those that hate God and are destroying His planet earth during the tribulation. They are judged by destruction and death, which are poured out during the seven bowl judgements yet to come.

Verse 19: "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."
In the Old Testament, everything pointed to Christ, or was symbolic of Christ. All the things of the Tabernacle, the things of the Temple, the Holy Place, the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy seat, the Atoning Blood presented before the Mercy Seat by the High Priest, all these things pointed to Christ. It is not surprising that as we get to the place where the Kingdom of God is actually coming to dwell among men, He reveals His true temple, that the tabernacle and O.T. temple symbolized. I wonder if those Israelites that will come out of the tribulation believing in Jesus as their Messiah will actually see this temple in heaven? Don't know.

This is a good time to go back to Zechariah, and see some more details of what happens to Israel during the last days. Turn to Zechariah 8:20:
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
Zec 8:21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
Zec 8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
Zec 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." Has that ever happened in all history? No, no way, so it is yet future.

In chapter 10 verse 9, God speaks of how He dispersed His elect from Israel all over the world since the time of Christ, and how in the last days, He will call them back to the land of Israel.
Zec 10:9 "And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them." This is happening today, even as we speak. Verse 12:
"And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD." This is not happening, it is still future, they do not yet know their Messiah. We see in our day that many Israelites have been regathered to the land of Israel, but the pouring out of the Holy Spirit has not happened yet, they are still in unbelief. So this part of the prophecy is only partly fulfilled. Last days, partly fulfilled, partly not.

Chapter 12 and verse 2: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." This has not happened yet, it is obviously a tribulation passage. Go to verse 9:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." Now we are in the time right around the battle of Armageddon, and look what happens to Israel at this time:
Verse 10: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." This is the time when the Holy Spirit is poured out on Israel, and they recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah. It will be the most tremendous mass conversion and salvation experience that the world has ever known.

Turn to chapter 13, verse 1: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Earlier, we sang the song; "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood, loose all their guilty stains." When we sing that song, there are very few Jews that agree and appreciate what we say. In that day, there will be a lot more.

But not all, there will still be many Jews that rebel, and refuse God; verse 8: "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."
Only one third of those Israelites that return to the land will believe God and trust Jesus Christ as Savior. The rest will reject Him, and be killed. Even for those that do believe, it will not be a cake walk, chapter 14, verse 1:
"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
Jerusalem is overrun, it seems that a final defeat of Israel is at hand. It would appear that all is lost, and the nation will be destroyed. Not quite.

Verse 3: "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Skip to verse 12.
"And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." Sounds like Steven Speilburg must have read this part when he did some of the special effects for "Raiders of the Lost Ark," doesn't it?
This is probably about the same time as the battle of Armageddon, while some of the Lord's enemies are destroyed at Armageddon, the rest are probably being destroyed at Jerusalem.

What does all this mean to us? How should we apply these last days events to our own lives? I get two main things out of all this. One: God honors and keeps His Word, down to the last detail, no exceptions. And two: He wants witnesses for Jesus Christ. And He will have them.

I had lunch this past Thursday with Joe Bell, pastor of the Messianic Jewish congregation here in Bristol, we had a really good time. He is a man that really loves the Lord Jesus. If you are ever out and about and see him, you'll recognize him, because he wears the Jewish yarmulka cap on his head, and he also has the prayer tassels hanging off his belt at four places. I asked him why he did that, and he told me that when other Jews see him, it draws them to come and talk to him, because that is such a rare thing to see in this part of the country. He does it because it gives him an opportunity to witness to them about Yeshua, the Messiah.

He admitted that it is uncomfortable and awkward to be different from every other Christian, and if he had things his way, he would rather not. I don't blame him. Nobody likes to feel like they are an oddball, or peculiar. Nobody likes to be a minority, and I suppose that when you are a Jew for Jesus in East Tennessee, or Southwest Virginia, you are a minority of the minorities. But he knows that God wants him as a witness for Jesus Christ to those Jews that don't know Jesus as Messiah, Savior and Lord, and he is willing to pay the price. What are we willing to do for Jesus, to make Him known to those that don't know Him?

Is there something that we need to do or quit doing? Is there a particular cross that Jesus has asked you to pick up and carry, but you find it too inconvenient? Are you willing to follow Jesus, but you don't want to carry along anything heavier than a picnic basket? Are you willing to follow Jesus, as long as He stops every night at the Quality Inn?

Five places in the Bible, God refers to His own people as a peculiar people, separate from any and every other people on the earth, but are you willing to look and behave any differently from your peer group?
Do you need to look like they look, talk like they talk, go where they go? Do what they do? God will have His witnesses, and if you know Him as Savior and Lord, He wants you to be one of them. Are you scared to step out and be different from the rest of the world?

For years the Army has had a slogan, "Be all that you can be." How many of you here today can say that you have been all the witness for Jesus that you could have been, raise your hands? So then, if I say "How many of you think you could have done better?" everyone would raise their hands?

Some of you even have trouble standing up and witnessing for Jesus right here in the congregation. If you can't witness for Him here, how will you stand up for Him on your job, or among your unsaved friends?
Psalms 22:22 says: "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."
Psalms 35:18 says: "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."
And Psalms 149:1 tells us: "Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints." That's here.

Practice makes perfect. If you are not good at witnessing for Jesus, right in here is a good place to start. Then take it to the streets, and tell a friend about Jesus, and what He's done for you.
God has always had witnesses, and He always will. If you are willing, He will use you for one. Or you can stand on the sidelines, and let somebody else give God glory, and let somebody else get the reward. The choice is yours. Be a witness for God this week. Ask Him to show you how, and then do it.