Revelation 11:1-19

(Revelation 11:1-19)

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.  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. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.  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. 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. 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. 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.  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.  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. 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.  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. 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.  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 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.  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,  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.  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.  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.

 

Chapter 11 is divided into three parts. It is a vision of measuring the temple and foundation (verses 1-2), the activities of two witnesses (verses 3-14), and the seventh trumpet judgment (verses 15-19).

John receives from an angel a measurer like a staff. And he hears a voice saying, "Survey the temple and foundation of God, and count those who worship in the temple." The word to survey the temple and the foundation is based on Ezekiel 40-48 in the Old Testament. Through the act of measuring the temple, God is saying that the temple being measured belongs to God and that God protects it.

The temple here means the church and the saints (Ephesians 2:21-22). God measures the churches and believers who were in terrible heresies and temptations on the inside, and persecutions on the outside. In other words, God knows and protects their situation. By the way, he said to measure the temple and the altar, and not to measure the outer courtyard of the temple.

『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.” The outer courtyard of the temple is also, in a large sense, part of the temple. By the way, this temple courtyard is that God allows the Gentiles to be trampled, which means that the church and the saints, while under God's protection, will at the same time go through the process of suffering in the world. God grants suffering to the church and to the believers. However, this period of suffering is set at forty-two months. In other words, there is an end. Forty-two months here means ``And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 』

『A time, times, and an half, that is, 3 years and a half = forty two months = 1,260 days,』 are all the same period, and these are symbols representing the period of the end of the book of Revelation. It is said that between the first and second coming of Jesus is the end of the Bible. The book of Revelation describes the period as [a time, times, and an half, forty two months, 1,260 days]. The church will suffer forty-two months, that is, at the end of time. But at the same time, they are under the protection and care of God, so that the saints can stand firm in the midst of suffering.

Chapters 10 to 11:14 serve as commas or interludes. In other words, it is the part between the sixth trumpet in Chapter 9 and the seventh trumpet in 11:15. If we look at verses 20 and 21, which is the last part of chapter 9, the Bible says that even in the sixth trumpet judgment plague, the rest of the people do not die and do not repent. Seeing those who do not repent even after seeing a terrifying judgment, discovering the reality of man with a fallen nature. Despite God's continuing opportunity to repent, they are rebellious humans who reject and oppose God and avoid and excuse their sins.

But if you look at 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. 』. Here, saying that the remnant was afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven means that the rebellious remnant repented. God is more patient and waiting for rebellious people, delaying and prolonging judgment, revealing the love of God. And, the repentant works of those who have been rebelled by the fruit of God's love will take place. The apostle John, through chapters 10 to 11:14, shows God's love for repenting and waiting for rebellious humans to return.

God uses the two witnesses in 11:3 to give these rebellious people another chance of salvation through repentance. 『And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 』. Often heretics claim that the two witnesses are their heads. However, the two witnesses mean the church. The number of two is the minimum number for the testimony to be effective. The two witnesses said that they were wearing sackcloth and prophesying, but the sackcloth means repentance. Therefore, the mission of the church, that is, Christians, is to receive the word of God, which leads the world to repentance, to preach and testify to it.

Both witnesses received the power to prophesy from God, and for 1,260 days, they prophesied in mourning. 1,260 days is forty-two months in terms of months. In other words, it means the period of the end (between the first and second coming of Jesus). During this time, the two witnesses prophesy in mourning. The meaning of wearing mourning here means that the prophecy they receive from God is the word that calls for repentance. The Old Testament prophets conveyed the same message of their clothes and actions as well as their message.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. .』The two candlesticks are, in Revelation 1, the seven candlesticks are seven churches. Therefore, the two witnesses refer to the church. The number two and two in the Bible are the number of witnesses. When Jesus preached his disciples, he sent them in pairs. Even in Old Testament times, at least two witnesses were required to be effective. Likewise, when referring to the church as two witnesses and two candlesticks, it means what the role and mission of the church is living in the end times. The church of God is the church that witnesses and witnesses.

The two olive trees are set against Zechariah 4 in the Old Testament. The prophet Zechariah, along with the prophet Haggai, was a prophet who worked at the time of the rebuilding of the temple. In a vision, he saw two olive trees (olive trees) by the lampstand (Zec 4:3). These two olive trees represent Zerubbabel, the political leader in charge of the rebuilding of the temple, and Joshua the high priest. of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.』(Zec 4:6). Gave

Based on these words of Zechariah, the two witnesses John saw were the saints of God, such as Zerubbabel and Joshua, who were responsible for rebuilding the temple by the power of the Holy Spirit. The two witnesses are the saints of God, and they will complete the construction of the temple of God by the power of the Holy Spirit in 1,260 days. In other words, we will complete the ministry of prophecy of the gospel of God.

『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. 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. 』. When we look at the actions of the two witnesses in this verse, the Old Testament Elijah and Moses come to mind. Elijah and Moses did the work of prophecy through the power of God's word in the world against God. Today's modern society also rejects God under the influence of pluralism and materialism, along with secularism that does not recognize the existence of God. In this world, the church plays the role of proclaiming the word of God, convicting of sin, and leading to repentance.

By the way, 『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. 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 the two witnesses finished their testimony, they were persecuted and suffered from the world by proclaiming the word of God toward the world against God, just as they were killed by the beast from the abyss. But this is how the church follows the path that Christ took.

Both Witnesses were killed, but that did not end: "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. .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. 』. Just as God raises the two dead Witnesses to life and makes the enemies watch as they go up to heaven, God reveals to the world the existence of God by making the world's churches suffer and persecute but eventually triumph.

And just as those who have not died due to an earthquake are afraid and give glory to the God of heaven, the work of repentance of those who opposed God takes place. Until the day of the Second Coming of the Lord, the church on this earth preaches the Word, but is rejected and rejected by the world. The Christians who make up the church live according to the Word, but they suffer from poverty and suffering. However, today's Scriptures testify that God, who raises the two witnesses, puts us Christians in the place of victory in the end times.

『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. 』. It is a great hope for God's people that the kingdom of the world in the end times will become the kingdom of God and Christ. 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. 』.