The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
Luke 4:20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
14Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
Is. 53:1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Is. 53:4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
Is. 53:7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
Is. 53:10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
1Pet. 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Acts 8:32Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
“HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER;
AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT,
SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
33“IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY;
WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION?
FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.”
34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
Rev. 5:6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
Rev. 5:12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
Rev. 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Rom. 4:25He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
Heb. 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
Is. 49:1Listen to Me, O islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The LORD called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He named Me.
2He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a select arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,
In Whom I will show My glory.”
4But I said, “I have toiled in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD,
And My reward with My God.”
Is. 49:5And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
And My God is My strength),
6He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
1Pet. 2:6For this is contained in Scripture:
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
7This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
8and,
“A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
Rev. 1:16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
Rev. 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
Rev. 2:16 ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
Is. 11:1Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Matt. 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Matt. 3:16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
Luke 4:1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness
John 1:32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.
Isa 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Luke 1:31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Isa 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Matt 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Rev.
11:3 “And I will grant authority
to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth.”4These are the two olive
trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.5And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows
out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them,
he must be killed in this way.6These have the power to
shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their
prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and
to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
Rev.
11:7 When they have finished their
testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them,
and overcome them and kill them.8And their dead bodies
will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom
and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.9Those
from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their
dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to
be laid in a tomb.10And those who dwell on
the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts
to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the
earth.
Rev.
11:11 But after the three and a half
days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet;
and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.12And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying
to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their
enemies watched them.13And in that hour there
was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people
were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to
the God of heaven.
Rev.
11:14 The second woe is past; behold, the
third woe is coming quickly.
To whom will authority be given to
prophesy for 1,260 days? (11:3)
“my two
witnesses”
Convert 1,260 days, the span of time that
the two witnesses prophesy, to years.
1,260 days = 42
months = 3 ½ years
ØThe Tribulation
Period outlined in Revelation is Daniel’s 70th period (Dan
9:24-27), the final seven-year period of the eschatological calendar pertaining
to the nation of Israel. The second half of the seven-year Tribulation
Period, or Great Tribulation, is the time period that the two
witnesses will prophesy.
How are they clothed? (11:3)
clothed in
sackcloth
How are they described? (11:4)
Øthe
two olive trees
Øthe two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth
§Zech. 4:1 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and
roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep.2He
said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all
of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven
spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;3also
two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its
left side.”
(Opinion) Who do you think the two
witnesses might be?
Various views
include:
ØMoses
and Elijah (respectively representing the
Law and the Prophets).
ØElijah
and Elisha (both translated rather than killed).
ØTwo
unknown persons who will be revealed during the Tribulation.
ØNot
literal individuals.
What happens to anyone who wants to harm
the two witnesses? (11:5)
“And if anyone
wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so
if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way” (11:5).
ØJer. 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 fire
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
Over what do they have power? (11:6)
ØThey
have power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of
their prophesying.
ØThey
have power over the waters to turn them into blood.
ØThey
have power to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
How often can they do this? (11:6)
as often as
they desire
What happens when they have finished
their testimony? (11:7)
The beast that
comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill
them.
From where does the beast come?
out of the abyss
Øἄβυσσος (abussos)
“abyss” – “a transcendent place associated with the dead and hostile powers, netherworld, abyss, especially the abode
of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil
is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8;
ofἈβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the
underworld (9:11)” (BDAG, 2).
Where will their dead bodies lie? (11:8)
in the street of
the great city which mystically is called Sodom
and Egypt, where also the Lord was crucified
ØWhere
was Jesus crucified?
§Jesus
was crucified outside of the gate of Jerusalem in a well-known place called Golgotha,
which means the skull (Matt 27:33, 39;
Mark 15:22, 29, 40; John 19:17, 20; Heb 13:12). The exact place is disputed.
§The
name Sodom is a reference to the
wicked city where Lot and his family dwelled before it was destroyed in
judgment (Gen 19).
§The
name Egypt denotes the foreign nation
which oppressed the people of Israel for 400 years while holding them in
captivity. God brought ten successive plagues against Egypt, similar to the
plagues described in Revelation, because Pharaoh refused to let God’s people
go. After the final plague, Moses led Israel out of bondage during the Exile
(1446 BC). After forty years in the wilderness, God brought the nation of
Israel into the land of Canaan (1406 BC), which was the covenanted land of
Israel (Gen 12:1-3; Gen 15:13-18).
§The
mystical reference to Sodom and Egypt in
Rev 11:8 describes the place where the bodies of the two witnesses lie die dead
for 3 ½days, denoting a place outside
the proper city of Jerusalem where wicked men oppress God’s bondservants in the
place Jesus was crucified. Impending judgment of Sodom and Egypt is implied.
Who was also crucified there? (11:7-8)
the Lord
Describe
the various responses to the dead bodies of the two witnesses. (11:9-10)
Ø“Those
from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will
not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb” (11:9).
Ø“And
those who dwell on the earth will
rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another,
because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth” (11:10).
What happens to the dead bodies of the
two witnesses after 3 ½ days?
the breath of
life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet
What is the response to those who were
watching them? (11:11)
great fear fell
upon those who were watching them
What does the loud voice from heaven say
to them? (11:12)
“Come up here”
(11:12).
What happens? (11:12)
They went up
into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
What happens in that hour when the
witnesses go up into heaven? (11:13)
“And in that hour there was a great
earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in
the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of
heaven” (11:13).
What is past?
the second woe
(same as sixth trumpet)
ØRev. 8:13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in
midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the
earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who
are about to sound!”
What is coming quickly? (11:14)
the third woe
(seventh trumpet, which releases the final seven bowl judgments)
What impresses you about Rev 11:1-14?
The two
witnesses are given great power and authority. Fire flows from their mouths to
devour their enemies. Anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this way.
And they also have the power to withhold rain during the days of their
prophesying and to turn the waters into blood. As often as they desire, they
can strike the earth with plagues. Their brief death brings temporary reprieve,
setting the stage for final judgment.
What do you learn about God from Rev
11:1-14?
God executes
judgment through his bondservants the prophets.
How could this truth transform your life?
Glorify God by
faithfully testifying in truth and power concerning Who He is and What He has
accomplished through the Person and work of Jesus, His Son, the Savior of the
world, the King Who is coming quickly to execute God’s judgment on the
world.
Father,
You are the Sovereign Potentate Who
exercises authority over all that Your hands have made. You scoff at the wicked
who take counsel together against You and against Your Messiah. Jesus is Your
King, Your Messiah, Your Son. Your servants testify to Your glory and
demonstrate Your power to execute all that You have determined to accomplish
Your Word and to establish the kingdom of Jesus, the root and descendant of
David, the bright morning star. Jesus is coming quickly, King of kings and Lord
of lords. May You be glorified in our midst, raising up faithful stewards of
Your vineyard, which You have planted to bear fruit in Christ to the praise of
Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
