Revelation 11

Revelation 11:1-14

Chapter 25 Christ’s two witnesses ‘And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth’ Revelation 11:1-14 Throughout the book of Revelation, we are repeatedly assured of three facts: (1) Our Redeemer is in total control of the universe. (2.) The church and kingdom of God is safe. And (3) the people of God will be triumphant in the end. There is a reason for these often repeated assurances. It often appears that we are losing ground, and that our defeat is inevitable. Revelation 11:1-14 assures the believer of the safety and ultimate triumph of Christ’s church, though at times it appears that her defeat is certain. In these verses, we are told what will happen during those days just before Christ’s second coming. The measuring of the temple (Revelation 11:1-2) Of course, this is a symbolical picture. To seek, as many do, a literal interpretation of the things written in this chapter, is to miss its message altogether. John was commanded to measure the temple of God (Revelation 11:1). Specifically, he was commanded to measure the sanctuary, containing the holy place and the holy of holies, ’the altar, and them that worship therein.’ This temple represents the church and people of God, all those in whom Christ dwells by his Spirit. All true believers, worshipping God in spirit and truth are measured, protected, and sealed. The Lord did not command John to measure the size of the temple, as though he needed information, but simply to measure, or mark out for protection, the people of God.

That is what this measuring means. Though God will inflict his judgments of wrath upon the wicked, persecuting world, his church is safe. Though God’s saints suffer with the world, they shall not perish with the world. God’s elect are protected against eternal doom. How do we know that this is the meaning of John’s vision? First, the temple of God in the Old Testament was a type of the church, which is frequently called the temple of God in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16-17; Ephesians 3:21). Second, the temple of God is here defined as the holy place and holy of holies, the inner sanctuary, where only the priests of God were allowed - ’the altar, and them that worship therein.’ We who believe are God’s ‘royal priesthood,’ worshippers in the holy place, offering up sacrifices of prayer and praise to him through Christ Jesus (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9). Third, the measuring of the temple in Ezekiel’s vision was for the same purpose as in this vision - The protection of God’s sanctuary, to separate the precious from the vile (Ezekiel 40:3-5; Ezekiel 22:25-26). The outer court of the temple was not to be measured (Revelation 11:2). God’s special care and protection does not extend to those who are believers in name only. This ‘court which is without the temple’ represents all false religion and all false professors of religion. This outer court is to be trampled under the feet of the heathen precisely because God is determined to destroy all false religion. The world invades the false church and possesses it. Worldly religionists welcome the ideas and principles of the world.

They feel perfectly at home in the world. They are of the world; and the world loves its own. Even in the New Testament era, the true people of God were plagued with men and women in their midst who were governed and motivated by the principles and religion of the world. This condition of worldliness in the church will continue throughout the gospel age, represented by the time of 42 months. The Lord’s two witnesses and their testimony (Revelation 11:3-6) Many conjectures have been made as to who these two witnesses are. But the context appears to indicate that these witnesses are another representation of the church of God. Throughout the gospel age, the church has been represented in the world by her two witnesses - pastors (elders) and evangelists (missionaries). The church functions as an organization through its pastors and missionaries, those who preach the gospel. These witnesses carry out their work for 1260 days. That is another symbolic figure. It represents a definite, long period of time, but an unknown (to men) period of time. This 1260 days, like the 42 months of Rev 11:2, represents the whole gospel age, from Christ’s ascension to his second coming. Notice the characteristics of these two witnesses, as they are represented in John’s vision. First, those men who preach the gospel are, under God, the means by which his grace is bestowed upon his elect (Revelation 11:4). Like olive trees, they bring forth the oil of grace, the blessings of the Spirit, and the light of the gospel (Romans 10:13-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Second, God’s servants are under his special care and protection (Revelation 11:5). It is written, ‘Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm’ (1 Chronicles 16:22). That which is done to Christ’s church and his witnesses is done to him (Matthew 10:40; Acts 9:4).

And, just as Jeremiah’s enemies were condemned by his word, those who oppose God’s kingdom today shall be condemned by the gospel we preach (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). Third, those who preach the gospel, as spokesman for Christ and his church, have power with God and power over men (Revelation 11:6; I Kg. Revelation 17:1; Exodus 7:20). This power is not absolute; but it is real (Luke 10:3-12). Not only does God judge men according to the prayers of his afflicted people (Revelation 8:3-5), but he also judges them according to the gospel we preach (Matthew 16:19; John 20:21-23; Romans 2:16). Fourth, they shall finish their testimony (Revelation 11:7).

God’s church and his servants will fulfill their mission in this world. The gospel shall be preached throughout the world. All the elect, having been redeemed by Christ, shall be brought to Christ. But this present gospel age shall come to an end. God’s church and his witnesses will finish their testimony (Matthew 24:14). The death of Christ’s two witnesses and the joy of the world because of their death (Revelation 11:7-10) The beast, the antichrist and his religion, the outer court religionists, will arise with hellish, worldwide power, and kill the two witnesses. That does not mean that all God’s saints and all true preachers will be killed, though many may be tortured and put to death by men who think they are doing God’s service (John 16:2). There will be true believers and true witnesses upon the earth when Christ comes again (Luke 18:8). The gates of hell shall not prevail against Christ’s church (Matthew 16:18). It must be remembered that the picture before us is symbolical, not literal. It simply means that there is a time coming when the true church of God and true gospel preachers will appear to be almost totally eradicated from the earth.

Religion will thrive. But the church of God will appear to be a dead corpse in the earth, altogether without life and power (Amos 8:11-12). That is precisely what will happen just before our Lord’s glorious second advent. The voice of God’s church will be smothered by the religion of antichrist. It will lie like a dead corpse on Main Street in the world. Sodom and Egypt, which crucified Christ, will again join forces to silence his church. For 3 1/2 days, a brief but definite period of time, the church in this world will appear to be dead. It will cease to have power and influence.

The faithful will be so few that they cause no disturbance in the world. This will be a time of terrible trial and religious deception (Matthew 24:22-25; Revelation 20:7-9). This time of heresy and religious deception must come. God has ordained it (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 Corinthians 11:19). And in this reprobate age, God’s elect are safe and have great reason for thanksgiving and praise (2 Thessalonians 2:13-16). While the corpses of God’s two witnesses lie in the street, the world will throw a party (Revelation 11:9-10).

But their joy is premature. God is not finished yet. The end has not yet come. Christ has not yet turned the last page of the little book in his hand. Something else must take place… The revival and final triumph of Christ’s two witnesses (Revelation 11:11-14) There is a day coming when the church of God will be revived, when the servants of God will be heard, when the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ will again be declared with heavenly power. The dog of Rome and the peddlers of freewill will not party forever! God will send the Spirit of life into his church again (Revelation 11:11). Just before Christ’s second coming, right in the midst of wholesale apostasy, God will raise up his witnesses again! The church of God will again be triumphant (Revelation 11:11-12). When God’s church is revived again, as in the days of the Reformation and the Great Awakening, the religious world and the political world will be frozen with fear.

Then the end will come. A voice will be heard, as the voice of the archangel, saying, ‘Come up hither!’ As the saints of God, both the living and the dead ascend in a cloud of glory to meet the Lord in the air, ’their enemies behold them!’ There is no secret, mysterious rapture here. This is talking about the glorious resurrection of the sons of God (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In that same hour, God’s judgment will begin to fall upon the earth (Revelation 11:13). It appears that immediately preceding Christ’s appearing in judgment, there will be a great earthquake, perhaps a great series of earthquakes. Multitudes will be slain.

Those who remain will be terror struck. Though they will not repent, they will give ‘glory to the God of heaven.’ Now the stage is set. This is the beginning of the end. ‘The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly’ (Revelation 11:14). Are you ready?

Revelation 11:14-19

Chapter 26 Christ’s second coming: The glory and the woe that follows ‘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’ Revelation 11:14-19 It is impossible for us to know whether we are living in the times described as the first woe, where false religion engulfs the world (Revelation 9:1-12), or in those times described as the second woe, when the worship of God appears to disappear from the earth (Revelation 9:13-21; Revelation 11:7-10). It is impossible for us to know, because God does not intend for us to know (Acts 1:7). He simply warns us of what we must expect in this world, so that we will not be surprised when it happens. Believers experience enough of heresy, apostasy, violence, and war in every age to keep them living upon the tiptoe of faith, looking for Christ’s glorious second advent, which John describes in the last part of Revelation 11 (Revelation 11:14-19) as the third woe. For the ungodly and unbelieving, Christ’s second coming and the judgment that follows it will be a time of great woe. But for Christ and his people, it will be a time of great glory. In these verses, John shows us the significance of the day of judgment as it relates to the triune God, the Lord Jesus Christ, believers, and unbelievers. There is a day of judgment coming in which God will judge all men by Christ Jesus (Acts 17:31) Everyone will be judged according to exact righteousness and justice. The standard of judgment will be God’s holy law, his entire revealed will. We will be judged out of the books of God, in which all our earthly thoughts, words, and deeds are recorded (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Revelation 20:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46). In that great and terrible day of the Lord, every man shall receive exactly what is due to him. None will be punished who do not deserve to be punished. And none will be received into heaven’s bliss and glory who do not deserve it.

All who are found guilty of any sin, of any infraction of God’s holy law, shall be forever cast into hell. Those who are perfectly holy shall enter into heaven (Psalms 24:3-4; Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:11). The only hope any sinner has of eternal salvation and acceptance with the holy Lord God is that he might be saved through the merits of our almighty, all-sufficient substitute. And the only Substitute there is for guilty sinners is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God! Christ, by his own precious blood, has washed away the sins of his people. They are no longer recorded in the book of God’s law and justice against them (Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22). In that great day when God opens the books, he will find no sins recorded against those for whom Christ died (Jeremiah 50:20). Their sins were imputed to Christ. He was punished in their stead. By his blood, he fully satisfied the penalty required by God’s law for their sins. Christ paid their debt to God’s law. Now they have no debt to pay. Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ is ‘THE LORD OUR ’ (Jeremiah 23:6). His righteous obedience to God is imputed to all who trust him. In the sight of God’s law, according to God’s own record books, every believer is perfectly righteous. The day of judgment will be a day of great glory, joy, and praise for God’s elect (Revelation 11:15-17) If we are in Christ, united to him by faith, washed in his blood and robed in his righteousness, the day of judgment will not be for us a dreaded day of doom, or even of sorrow, but a day of victory, triumph, and glory. We are to look upon the day of judgment with sobriety, but not with fear. I cannot find a single believer in the Word of God who looked upon that great, final day with dread or fear, not even one! In the Bible, God’s saints are described as a people who looked upon the glorious day of the Lord with hope, expectation, and desire (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:7). They did so because they trusted the merits of Christ and the promises of God. Today, multitudes who profess to trust Christ, live in fear and dread of that day.

Why? There can only be one reason: They expect God to deal with them in that day, not according to the merits of Christ, but according to their own merits. The vision John here gives of that great day portrays all the elect, angels and men, gathered around the throne of God. No tears of sorrow are found in their eyes. No punishment is inflicted upon them. No reward is withheld from them. No heads are hanging in shame. No reminder is made of their sins, because Christ put away their sins forever when he died! There is nothing in the picture here given but joy, glory, and exultation among the elect at the bar of God. Nothing but bliss and glory awaits God’s saints on the other side of the grave. John describes three things in particular for which elect angels and men give praise to God.

1. They give praise to God and Christ because it is his right to sovereignly rule over all things, both by creation and by redemption This world belongs to Christ, because he is God who created it (John 1:1-3; Matthew 20:15), and because as the God-man Mediator he purchased it (Isaiah 53:10-12; Hebrews 10:10-14). Jesus Christ is the absolute monarch of the universe (John 17:2). He always does his will in all things.
2. They praise the triune God for the evident display of Christ’s sovereign power and dominion in that day When the day of the Lord is fully come, the royal sovereignty of King Jesus will be universally evident. In that day, Christ will assert his royal rights, exert his royal power, and visibly take possession of his universe. Then all opposition to him will be completely abolished. All creation shall see and acknowledge that God has put all things under his feet (Isaiah 45:22-25; Philippians 2:9-11).
3. This elect multitude rejoices, gives thanks, and praises Christ for the fact that his glorious reign shall never end ‘He shall reign for ever and ever!’ The rule of Christ shall not continue for a thousand years and then cease, as many suppose. He shall reign for ever! His dominion is an everlasting dominion. When the end comes, Christ the Mediator shall deliver up his kingdom to God the Father. He will present his church before the throne of the triune God in all its glorious perfection and completion. But he shall never relinquish his dominion as our Mediatorial King. In that glorious day, our King shall fully receive the reward of his labor as our Mediator (Psalms 2:7-11; Daniel 7:13-14; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Ephesians 5:25-27; Jude 1:24-25). ‘None shall ever wrest the sceptre out of his hand’ (Matthew Henry).’He must reign!’ The day of judgment will be a day of just vengeance upon God’s enemies (Revelation 11:18) Let every rebel be warned! Let every unbeliever tremble! Let every persecutor and abuser of God’s elect shake with fear! God will avenge his own elect. Christ will punish his enemies with everlasting destruction. But even the manifest wrath of the Almighty will not change the hearts of sinners. Even in that day, we read that ‘the nations were angry’ with God! Only grace brings repentance (Romans 2:4). Those who live as rebels and die as rebels shall be rebels forever. And every rebel will get exactly what he deserves from God. The eternal misery of the damned will be a matter of strict justice. And the glorious, eternal reward of the righteous will also be a matter of strict justice (Psalms 11:5-7). The day of judgment will be the beginning of perfect, everlasting communion between God and his people (Revelation 11:19) John sees the sanctuary of God in heaven standing wide open. Even the holy of holies is open and perfectly accessible. Nothing is veiled. Nothing is hidden. The ark of the covenant, so long concealed from men, is now in open view. What does this mean? That ark, with its mercy-seat, was the symbol of God’s presence and glory in the Old Testament. The fact that it is now open declares that God will forever dwell with his people in intimate, glorious, uninterrupted fellowship (Exodus 25:22). Through the sin-atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in his glorious Person, we shall forever be accepted of God. This opening of the temple of God and the appearance of the ark of the covenant means that the covenant of grace, with all its promises and blessings are ours forever in Christ. But for the wicked and unbelieving, it means wrath, banishment, and death. It pours out upon the lost nothing but wrath, flashes of lightening, peals of thunder, quaking, and destructive hail to beat them down into hell forever! Let all who are wise heed the words of God’s prophet - ‘prepare to meet thy God!’