Revelation
The Lamb of God: On His Throne And Among His People
Bitter and Sweet, Persecution and Protection
Revelation 11:1-14

• Read or quote the verse of the month together:

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

• Read Revelation 11 and spend time talking about whether you think it should be interpreted literally (where it can be, of course) or symbolically. Do not spend too much time here, though – spend time in the application points

1. It is a blessing beyond comparison to belong to Jesus
   • How often do you thank the Lord for saving you?
   • Why are you not more intentional about this?
   • How does gratitude to God affect you and how does it affect others?

2. It is our responsibility to preach the gospel, no matter the cost
   • Is sharing Christ easy for you? What is meant by, “we receive the gospel in bits and pieces, and it is okay to share the gospel in bits and pieces,”?
   • What should you do when someone opposes your message?

3. It is our privilege to suffer for Jesus, even unto death
   • How is Scripture and this life both bitter and sweet?
   • Do you think it is possible that you could die for sharing the gospel?
   • Why do you think that suffering is a part of God’s design for his children?

4. It is our sure hope that we will be raised with Christ on the day he returns
   • Pray for members of our body who are suffering and are aware of their mortality at a higher level than most of us at present.
   • Read or quote verses about Jesus’ Second Coming and/or pray that we will be ready to stand before him, face to face.

•  Pray for your missionary!

Extra Notes

Quotes and Thoughts

Questions from the text to be addressed in the sermon:

1. The temple – is this a new temple that will be built in the beginning of the tribulation, or does it represent the church as the temple of the Holy Spirit?
2. Three and a half years – is this the second half of the seven-year tribulation, or is it symbolic of the entire church age?
3. The two witnesses – are these two prophets who will prophesy during the tribulation (such as Moses and Elijah) or is this the witness of the church through the ages?
4. The first mention of the beast – is this the Antichrist, or is this governmental opposition to the church?

Homer Kent: All schools of interpretation for eschatology have problems, but I would rather have our problems than their problems.

Aragorn, about Merry in the Houses of Healing (LOTR): His grief he will not forget, but it will not darken his heart; it will teach him wisdom.

Herman Bavinck about Romans 4:25 (Jesus’ resurrection) is the “Amen” of the Father upon the “Finished of the Son.”

Scripture from the Sermon (not shared in the two positions below)

Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold

    wondrous things out of your law.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Acts 5:40 And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Romans 4:23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

1 Corinthians 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

ARGUMENTS AND SCRIPTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A

LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF REVELATION 11

THE TEMPLE will be rebuilt (assumed in this theological position) in the first half of the Tribulation and the sacrificial systems will be restored. Halfway through the Tribulation (3 ½ years in), the Antichrist will defile the temple and require that all humanity worship him. This is derived by piecing Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:1-28, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and Revelation 11-18 together (among others).

“Temple” is translated from the Greek word naon, which does not refer to the entire temple complex, but the inner temple, consisting of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

Ezekiel, chapters 40-48 – the dimensions of the temple described in Ezekiel 40-48 do not fit Solomon’s temple, nor the temple built under the leadership of Zerubbabel in the 6^th century B.C., nor of “Herod’s” temple (an expansion of the Zerubbabel’s temple) that existed in Jesus’ time. Therefore, Ezekiel’s temple could be the temple of Revelation 11, or it could be a temple that exists in the Millennium – or it could be symbolic (see in “Symbolic Interpretation of Revelation 11 below).

Ezekiel 40:3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. Connect with Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,

In the OT, measuring was used both for protection (Zechariah 13:7-9; Isaiah 28:16-17; Jeremiah 31:38-40) and judgment (2 Samuel 8:1-2). Here, the measuring is for protection of the witnesses, although persecution comes. Because the outer court (the court of the Gentiles) is not measured, this view assumes these are Gentiles who reject Jesus, and thus they are not protected.

Matthew 24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

1260 DAYS – 3 ½ YEARS.

Daniel 9:27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, (or seven years – see below in discussion about the beast in Daniel 9:24-27) and for half of the week (three and a half years, or 1260 days) he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.

THE TWO WITNESSES are two men who will preach in the second half of the Tribulation. Moses and Elijah? Moses and Elijah met with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8) and the two witnesses perform miracles that Moses and Elijah performed (Revelation 11:5-7 along with the OT texts below), while others think that these two are Elijah and Enoch, because neither died, but were taken to heaven (Genesis 5:21-24; 2 Kings 2:1-12).

Since there are two witnesses, these must be real people who preach, not a symbolic representation of the church.

Many who hold this position believe that the rapture will take place before the seven-year Tribulation. The witnesses are preaching primarily to Jews, who begin to turn to Christ during this time (Romans 11). Even though the witnesses are protected for 3 ½ years, there is terrible persecution (from the Antichrist) of those who believe. These two witnesses, along with the 144,000 who have already been sealed for protection, have an effective ministry of evangelism to the Jews.

Zechariah 4:1-14 – It is undeniable that Revelation 11:3-4 is referencing Zechariah 4:1-14 in which two olive trees symbolize Zerubbabel (the governor of the people of God – a direct descendent of David and in the line of Christ) and Joshua (the high priest). All God’s people are represented by these two “olive trees.” Even so, with a literal interpretation of Revelation, the two witnesses are two prophets who evangelize Jews (God’s people) during the Tribulation.

Miracles performed by Moses and Elijah that are also performed by the two witnesses:

Exodus 7-9 (The plagues in Egypt)

1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Luke 4:25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,

2 Kings 1:9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” 10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

THE BEAST (THE ANTICHRIST)

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one (Jesus) shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come (the Antichrist) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week (seven years), and for  (second half of the Tribulation) he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

In Daniel 9, one week = 7 years. The seven-year Tribulation takes place during the 70^th week of Daniel’s prophecy. Most of the judgments and chaos of Revelation point to the second half of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation is divided into 2 “3 ½ year” periods). The second half of the Tribulation is when the Antichrist wreaks havoc on Jews and believers and the 2 witnesses preach outside the temple.

Matthew 24:15 (written above)

2 Thessalonians 2:4 (written above)

More about the Antichrist in subsequent chapters of Revelation.

ARGUMENTS AND SCRIPTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A

SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION OF REVELATION 11

THE TEMPLE (THE PEOPLE OF GOD – THE CHURCH)

Jesus said that his body was the temple: John 2:18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus pronounced judgment on the temple in Jerusalem (because of the leaders) in Matthew 23:37-39 just as God had pronounced judgment on the first temple through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:1-20).

Hebrews 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

The book of Hebrews is clear that Jesus put an end to the sacrificial system. How, then, can an earthly temple ever be used for sacrifices, even as a memorial? Since there will be no more sacrifices, Ezekiel 40-48 must be reinterpreted considering Hebrews 10. This is not an isolated hermeneutic principle. We reinterpret many OT passages because of NT truth (1 Corinthians 10:4; Isaiah 53; Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:23)

In the NT, the people of God are known as his temple:

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

    a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you (plural) are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple (the church), God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

All the subsequent mentions of the temple after Revelation 11:1-2 (11:19;  14:15, 17;  15:5, 6, 8 (sanctuary);  16:1, 17;  21:22) are referencing the temple in heaven where God dwells with his people. In Revelation 21:22, we are told that there will be no further need for a temple, for the temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.

The inner court relates to the holy city (spiritual Israel in Romans 4:1-12; Galatians 3:26-29; 4:21-31; 6:14-16) and the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:9-27, which indicates that the temple represents God’s people in the church age.

Jerusalem, while called the holy city in 11:2, will later be called Sodom and Egypt in 11:8, so which is it? The inner sanctum of the temple represents the place where Jesus offered his blood in the heavenly temple (Hebrews 9:12-28 – worth the read), and the religious/political side of Jerusalem opposes the gospel, as we have already seen in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9-12.

1260 DAYS – 3 ½ YEARS

G.K. Beale: The reason for the exact number “forty two” here and in 13:5 is likely to recall the same time of Elijah’s ministry of judgment (Luke 4:25; James 5:17) and Israel’s entire time of wilderness wandering after the Exodus, which encompassed a total of forty-two encampments (Numbers 33:5-49 – note, I did not count them). In 12:6, the messianic community (= the woman) is protected from the dragon’s onslaught during the three and a half years by taking refuge in “the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God.” The picture of 12:14 is virtually identical. This “place” in which Christians are kept safe from the devil is likely none other than the invisible sanctuary of God (see 12:6, 14), since that is to be the object of attack during the three and a half years in Daniel, and since that is the idea in Revelation 11:1-2 and 12:5-6.

Remember from James Hamilton: The glory of God in salvation through judgment.

The witnesses in Revelation 11 are protected while on mission, but once their mission is complete, they are persecuted and shamed and then raised to heaven. The church follows the same pattern and the same path that Jesus walked (3 ½ years?): ministry, suffering, resurrection. The same protection is provided in Revelation 12:6, 14; and 13:5

In Revelation 13:5-10 – the same 42-month period, the beast makes war on all believers, persecuting and killing them. What is the call to believers? Endure and remain strong in faith!

THE TWO WITNESSES

Zechariah 4:1-14 –It is undeniable that Revelation 11:3-4 is referencing Zechariah 4:1-14 in which two olive trees symbolize Zerubbabel (the governor of the people of God – a direct descendent of David and in the line of Christ) and Joshua (the high priest). All of God’s people are represented by these two “olive trees.” In Zechariah 4, the lampstand with seven golden lamps on it reminds us of Revelation 1:12-16, which represents the seven churches of Asia (letters to them in Revelation 2-3) with Jesus standing in their midst. Revelation was written to these seven churches, and they represent all the churches in the church age – thus, the two witnesses represent all God’s people, or the church.

Zechariah 4:14 shows Zerubbabel and Joshua (the king and the high priest) standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth as the Spirit of God is poured out on the earth (Zechariah 4:6-7). Think of Pentecost in Acts 2

Two witnesses were required to establish testimony of an offense against the law (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). Only two of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 were entirely faithful.

Since the Greek word naon is the source for our English translation of temple, it seems odd that two followers of Christ (the two witnesses) would be granted access to the inner sanctum of the temple, even if they are Jewish. Of course, a literal interpretation proponent might say, “They are outside of the temple.” If so, they run the risk of incurring the ire of the Jews as well as the Antichrist. Jews’ hearts are turning toward Christ during this time, though, so we are yet again dependent on the foundation of our system of choice.

The two witnesses were dressed in sackcloth representing the church’s mourning over sin (the idea of the second beatitude in Matthew 5:4), knowing of the coming judgment.

The judgments by the two witnesses are symbolic, just like the sword that comes out of Jesus’ mouth (Revelation 1:16; 19:15). The fire that comes out of their mouths is like the words out of Jeremiah’s mouth:

Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:

“Because you have spoken this word,

behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire,

    and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.

“When they have finished their testimony,” as stated in Revelation 11:7, indicates that when the work of the church is finished, Jesus will return. In Revelation 6:9, 11, we are told that God has a designated number of believers who will be martyred and then Jesus will return to gather his people and judge his enemies. This is consistent with the two witnesses being a representation of the church until its mission is complete.

THE BEAST

Revelation 11:7 reads like the four beasts of Daniel 7 that rose up out of the sea. The beasts in Daniel represented four earthly governments, with the fourth beast representing the Roman Empire, the governmental power during the time Revelation was written. The beast of Revelation represents earthly governments that persecute believers. Babylon, we will learn in Revelation 14 and beyond, represents earthly kingdoms, but Babylon’s opposition to God goes back to Genesis 11. It is likely that Babylon was a code word for the Roman Empire in Revelation – remember, Apocalyptic literature was full of symbolism.

In the same way that the holy city related to God’s people (the temple), the beast is related to Sodom and Egypt (governmental systems that oppose God’s people) and thus oppose God. Which is it for Jerusalem? The holy city or wicked Sodom and Egypt? Both! The NT identifies the church as the Israel of God (see Galatians 6:14-16 below, although several others could have been supplied). To see how the wicked world system that is opposed to God and his people is intended in Revelation instead of one Antichrist, wait for chapters 14-18 in Revelation where we will see the world system referred to as Babylon, whose name has a long history in the Bible associated with the opponents of God and his people.

Galatians 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Finally, 1 John 2:18 indicates that the spirit of antichrist is the opposition to believers during these last days (which began after Jesus’ resurrection), not an individual who will rule the entire world.

1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. (This was written roughly around the same time as Revelation was written – same author, the Apostle John).