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.” 4 These are the two olive
trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 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. 6 These 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. 8 And 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.
9 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. 10 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.
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. 12 And 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. 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.
Rev.
11:14 The second woe is past; behold, the
third woe is coming quickly.
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| Prayer and Bible Expo |
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
Ø The 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)
Ø
the
two olive trees
Ø
the 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. 2 He
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; 3 also
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:
Ø
Moses
and Elijah (respectively representing the
Law and the Prophets).
Ø
Elijah
and Elisha (both translated rather than killed).
Ø
Two
unknown persons who will be revealed during the Tribulation.
Ø
Not
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).
Ø Jer. 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)
Ø
They
have power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of
their prophesying.
Ø
They
have power over the waters to turn them into blood.
Ø
They
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
Ø
ἄβυσσος (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;
of Ἀβαδδών (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
Ø
Where
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 ½ days, 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)
Ø
Rev. 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.
