The Temple and the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:1–14) | Coronation (Part 21)

Transcript

JRNT 520
THE TEMPLE AND THE TWO WITNESSES
REVELATION 11:1-14
3/22/2026
JESSE RANDOLPH

Tonight we are continuing on in our study of the book of Revelation and we’re turning our attention to Revelation 11. Go ahead and turn with me to Revelation 11. We’ll be covering verses 1 through 14 tonight and Lord willing, we’ll be finishing up chapter 11 next Sunday night. And here in Revelation 11 we find ourselves still situated in the midst of this interlude, this break in the action between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, during this fearsome and destructive time known as the Tribulation.

Now up to this point in our study of this future period of Tribulation which starts back in Revelation 6, we’ve seen, through the apostle John’s eyes and from his hand as he writes this down, the breaking of these seven seals which correspond to these different waves of judgment which are coming upon the earth. We’ve seen or read about the sounding of six trumpets and the corresponding waves of judgment which come along with each. And now where we are as we read along in this vision the Lord Jesus gave to John, in what we know now as the book of Revelation, is this interlude again, this break in the action between the sixth and the seventh trumpet judgments.

Last Sunday night as we worked our way through Revelation 10, we went over John’s encounter with this strong angel who was holding this little scroll. And you’ll recall at the end of that scene this angel gives John this command to eat that little scroll, a scroll which we saw contained the contents of the remainder of the events to come as recorded in the Book of Revelation. John complied and he ate the scroll. Revelation 10:10 tells us that the scroll was sweet to his taste, like honey in his mouth, but it was bitter in his stomach. Meaning, that the prophetic words contained in that scroll, that little scroll that he popped into his mouth, had certain sweet and assuring truths like those we see at the end of Revelation.

Revelation 22:3-5 says, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever.”

So John, as he ate that little scroll he was taking in, he was ingesting comforting truths like those. But also as he took in that little scroll, he was ingesting certain bitter realities, as it revealed certain aspects of judgment and carnage and destruction which will continue to befall the earth during the Tribulation, before Christ returns to set up His Kingdom on earth.

So Chapter 10, our focus last week, was our introduction to this interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. And these first 14 verses of chapter 11 are our focus for tonight, our continuation of that same interlude. The seventh trumpet is not going to blow until verse 15 of chapter 11 which Lord willing, we’ll get to next Sunday night.

So with that, Revelation 11:1-14. It reads like this. “Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, ‘Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. And leave out the court which is outside the sanctuary and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months. And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the authority to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; they also have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish. And when they have finished their witness, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And 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. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 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. 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. 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. The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”

Quite a few Bible scholars have said that this passage, this section of Revelation is one of the most difficult to interpret in the entire book. And after studying it this past week I can see why they’d say that. As with everything we study in the book of Revelation though, much of this confusion I believe can be cleared up with a simple, baseline commitment to a literal approach to reading and interpreting Scripture. When language in Revelation makes us uncomfortable or if it causes us as I was reading that to scratch our heads, if it puzzles us, if it confuses us. Are we going to rush to allegorize the text or rush to spiritualize the text or rush to find the church in the text or conceptions of Christianity in the text, since after all we’re Christians and it must be about us, right? Or instead, are we willing to take God at His Word, His sure Word, His sufficient Word, His clear Word, even if we can’t find immediately relatability to the text in our context today. Even if we can’t immediately locate the application to our charmed and comfortable and persecution-free lives today.

A literal approach to Revelation is going to, I believe, smooth out many of the kinks that we might otherwise experience as we read and engage with this text. When we see what’s being reported here as involving real people, and real places, and real events, and real figures, not mere symbols of larger spiritual realities. We’re going to avoid several interpretative landmines. So with that we can dig in. Verse 1. John says, “Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, ‘Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.’”

Now, if you are reading from the NASB you see the word temple there. I read it as sanctuary. You read it as temple. I think sanctuary is indeed a better translation here and I’ll explain why in a minute. But before we get there, let’s do a little bit of background study on what John is reporting here about this Tribulation era temple. This is an important aspect of understanding what’s going on here in our text.

Now much like the interlude that we studied back in Revelation 7. That interlude you might recall was between the opening of this sixth and seventh seals. This interlude in Revelation 11 between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets, is highly Jewish in tone and highly Jewish in flavor. There are these pockets of time within the Tribulation where God as He’s bringing His judgment on the entire earth, He does turn His attention and His focus to Israel, His original chosen people, His original covenant people, the original nation he set his love upon. He is still being patient toward them even at this point in the Tribulation. He loves them. He’s giving them time to repent. And the text we’ll be in tonight is one of those highly Jewish scenes and it begins with this description of this temple or sanctuary.

Now a little bit of background. According to Daniel chapter 9, specifically in verse 27, there is going to be one who is called a prince, that would be the Antichrist, who is going to make a pact at the beginning of the Tribulation period, with many of the Jews who are living during that time. Daniel 9:27 tells us that he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week. But then, in the middle of this Tribulation period, 3.5 years into it, right around the time of the Tribulation that we are studying right now in our study of the book of Revelation, this prince, the Antichrist, is going to break that covenant. Because the next part of Daniel 9:27 says that in the middle of that week he will make sacrifice and grain offering cease.

Not only that, we know that the Antichrist during this time period is going to desecrate the Temple by demanding worship of himself in it. And these events are again, these mid Tribulation events are sinking up with where we are right now in our study Revelation. But they’re also recorded in other places in the New Testament. Like Matthew 24:15,16. Jesus says, “When you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.”

Now this abomination of desolation is when the man of sin, the Antichrist, sets himself up in that temple to be worshipped. This same scene plays out in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4, which says “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it has not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, exhibiting himself as being God.”

So now bringing it back now to our study of Revelation 11. During this time in the Tribulation, there is going to be a temple. Now, that’s not one of those details that we just let blow by. There is going to be a rebuilt temple, in Jerusalem, during the Tribulation. Israel first worshiped we know in the tabernacle. And then later in the days of Solomon a temple was erected where they worshipped. Then there was the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 B.C. and that temple was destroyed. But then the temple was rebuilt. The temple that was built by Herod, the temple that existed during the days of Jesus, only to be destroyed during the days of the Roman invasion in 70 A.D. some 25 years before John wrote the book of Revelation. And since 70 A.D. Israel has been without a temple.

Well, what our text is telling us here is that at some point in the future, after the church has been raptured out of the world, Israel is going to be able to build a new temple in Jerusalem, the Tribulation Temple. And it will be here that sacrifices will be being offered to God. We also know there’s going to be a Millennial Temple that’s listed in Ezekiel 40-48. In the New Heavens and New Earth, there will be no temple. That’s what we’re told in Revelation 21:22. But here in our text, John is describing what is known as the Tribulation Temple. A temple which will have been rebuilt during the early part of the Tribulation by certain Jews living during that time, as an effort to restore certain old Mosaic rituals.

And John here in verse 1, he’s being asked to do something very specific with this temple, and specifically to the inner sanctuary within the temple, right around this timeframe of this midpoint of the Tribulation. Again, look at verse 1. “Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, ‘Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.’”

So first, John is directed here to get some measurements. He’s given, it says, a measuring rod, a kalamos, a long hollow cane, and it could have been as long as 12 feet. And John is instructed here to take that rod and measure the sanctuary of God. Now that word “sanctuary” is the Greek word “naos,” and it refers not to the entire temple complex, but instead very specifically to the inner part of the temple. It comprised of the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, and then even here it mentions the altar meaning the altar of incense, which would have been located in those very consecrated spaces. So John was to measure not the temple as a whole but only that very dedicated consecrated space which was devoted to the most pure form of Jewish worship.

And note that in measuring this inner sanctuary, God wasn’t having John do this because He needed to be reminded of the physical dimensions of the sanctuary. The physical dimensions of the sanctuary aren’t even the key data point that John is going after here and having John measure the sanctuary. If it was the key data point, you’d think we’d have those measurements listed here in the book of Revelation.

Rather, the measuring that was to take place here was God’s sign of divine approval over the area that John was to measure. Meaning this is God’s approval of that inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies and the altar within it. And note that John is even told, end of verse 1, to measure those who worship in it. Meaning, the faithful believing Jews during this part of the Tribulation. And through both of these instances of measuring, both the sanctuary and those who worship in it, what God is really doing here is He’s evaluating His property. He’s evaluating His people. He’s taking note of any faithful worship that is happening through the Jewish people at this time during the period of the Tribulation.

And John’s description of these events here in verse 1, what they’re doing is signaling to us that God will again start dealing with Israel at a certain point, this point, in the Tribulation. Israel has been under this pact with the Antichrist that goes back to the very beginning of the Tribulation period. They’ve rebuilt their temple but now the antichrist has broken that pact as He sets up his image in the temple to be worshipped and as he’s demanding worship.

And God is about to put all of that to an end. He is about to take up His residence again directly with His people, dealing with His people in a more direct way. And it all starts with John getting out his measuring rod to take his measuring of the sanctuary and also of those who worship in it.

Now another indication here that God is starting to direct His special attention to Israel at this point, is what he tells John to leave out of the measuring process. As a sign really of divine disapproval. Look at verse 2. He says, “And leave out the court which is outside the sanctuary and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city under foot for forty-two months.”

So the court outside the sanctuary of the Tribulation temple at this point in the Tribulation will be given over to the Gentiles. By saying that John is not to measure this part of this temple complex, God is signaling that that part of the temple complex is excluded from God’s favor. It’s been abandoned to the unbeliever. God is not dealing with the Gentiles during this period and the only way He is dealing with the Gentiles is in judgment. And so, He’s turning His attention back to Israel, while the times of the Gentiles, as they are called in Luke 21:24, are running out.

In fact, Jesus describes this phase of the Tribulation in Luke 21:20-24. He says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the countryside must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.” And then verse 24. “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Well, back here in Revelation 11:2, note that as God turns His attention back to Israel, as the time of the Gentiles runs out, the Gentiles were told here in verse 2, they are trampling the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Forty-two months is exactly three-and-a-half years. Meaning that we’re embarking upon this second half of the Tribulation as the seventh judgment trumpet prepares to sound.

And it’s in this context as the second half of the Tribulation, that second 3.5-year period, the period that’s known as the Great Tribulation begins to unroll or unravel that God stations outside His temple in Jerusalem these two witnesses described in verses 3-6. (Revelation 11:3-6) It says “And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the authority to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; they also have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish.”

I remember being asked by a few of you here, I think during my first year on the job, who I think the 2 witnesses are. It was like the classic Indian Hills question. Who are the 2 witnesses, who are the Nephilim. Those were like the questions I would get at potlucks after service. I remember punting on the question politely and saying something like well you’ll just have to wait until I preach Revelation. And here we are, no more excuses, no more punting.

Who are these two witnesses? Well, let’s do some preliminaries. Are they two literal individuals? Or should we spiritualize them? Should we spiritualize these two individuals who are listed here as representing some deeper spiritual reality? Could these witnesses, for instance, be a sign of the church? Well, you know what I’m going to say to that. We aren’t going to spiritualize these two individuals. These witnesses aren’t symbols of the church. If they were symbols of the church, how could you explain that these witnesses die and then rise? Where do you find the church in that? If they are symbols of the church, how could we explain that these witnesses end up having their bodies laid out in the streets of Jerusalem for 3.5 days? Where do you find the church there?

As I mentioned earlier we tie ourselves into all sorts of knots when we start hyper-spiritualizing and allegorizing the plain text of Revelation. In context, understanding these as two individuals, these witnesses as individuals, individual people makes the most sense.

Not only does it make the most sense, it aligns with the Old Testament passage which undergirds this text. If you can just jump down to verse 4 for a moment it says, “These (meaning the two witnesses), are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”

Now that language is very clearly harkening back to Zechariah chapter 4. Turn back with me to Zechariah chapter 4. There’s a lot of familiar language here that’s going to hopefully shed some light on what’s going on with these two witnesses. Zechariah 4:1-10. “Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is roused from his sleep. And 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. Also (verse 3) two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.’” Verse 4. “Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’” Meaning, what are these olive trees?

Verse 5-10. “So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, ‘This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” Also the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of Yahweh which roam to and fro throughout the earth.’”

Now, note here that Zechariah having heard all that, doesn’t get it. He still feels like his question in verse 4 about who these two olive trees are isn’t answered. So verse 11, “Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?’ And I answered the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’ So he spoke to me, saying, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of all the earth.’”

Now, those two anointed ones in the context of Zechariah were Zerubbabel, the civil leader in Israel at the time, and Joshua, the religious leader in Israel at the time. And the point, for our purposes here from Zechariah, is that these two olive trees were individuals. They weren’t representative ideas or concepts or principles. They weren’t a picture of the church. No. They were individuals, two individuals, two men.

So now, taking that idea over back over to Revelation 11, wouldn’t it make sense that these two witnesses who in verse 4 are referred to as these two olive trees and the two lampstands who stand before the Lord of the earth, would also not be these two abstract concepts or two metaphorical principles, but instead like in Zachariah, would be two people, two individuals.

Well, it not only makes logical sense tying it back to Zachariah, it grammatically makes sense that these that these two individuals in Revelation 11 are, these two witnesses are individuals. See whenever the word witness is found in Revelation, it always refers to a person. Not a precept, not a concept, but a literal person.

In Revelation 1:5, in Revelation 3:14, the word witness refers to Jesus. Revelation 2:13, the word witness refers to Antipas. In Revelation 17:6, the word “witness” refers to martyrs. And then here in Revelation 11:3 it refers to these two witnesses. So these two witnesses are two literal individuals who will prophesy and preach a message of repentance during the Tribulation. So, we have a literal temple in verses 1-2, being measured by John with a literal measuring rod. Here in verses 3-6, we have these two witnesses, these two literal individuals.

That now brings us to the next question and one that people really want the answer to, who are they? Who are the two witnesses? Now note that they’re not named and some prefer to keep it that way. Many interpreters say that these are two unknown Jewish witnesses. Others believe that these two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah. And that view developed in the early church in recognition of the fact that both of those men Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven without seeing death. And so when these two witnesses ultimately die here in Revelation 11:7, Enoch and Elijah fit really well with that concept in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed for me to die once. Since those two men never died, their death would be a one-time event and they would only die once if they are the two witnesses of Revelation 11. That’s how the logic goes.

Others believe that the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. And that’s where I would land. That these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Ultimately, I cannot be and won’t be dogmatic about it since these witnesses are in fact not named. But that is still the view I hold, and I land there based on a few different strands of biblical evidence.

One of those strands is that the miraculous signs of these two witnesses perform in Revelation 11, they match pretty closely with the type of miracles that Moses and Elijah each did in their respective day.

Look at Revelation 11:5. “And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way.” That sounds a lot like Elijah. We know that Elijah called fire down from heaven. That’s recorded in 2 Kings 1:10.

These two witnesses also have the ability it says in verse 6 to prevent rain from falling. These have the authority to shut up the skies, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. That also sounds a lot like Elijah. He was the one who shut off rain from heaven in 1 Kings 17:1. Also, James 5:17 says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.”

Not only that, these two witnesses have the power to strike the earth with plagues and to turn water into blood. Look at the second part of verse 6. “They also have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish.” Who does that sound like? To me that sounds like Moses. We know that Moses was used by God to bring about a number of different plagues against Egypt and Pharoah. That included in Exodus 7:14-18, his turning water into blood.

And then there’s this in Malachi 4:5. And I alluded to this briefly in the morning’s sermon today. Elijah’s return is predicted as before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And in a similar vein in Deuteronomy 18:18 predicts that another prophet like Moses would come again.

Then there’s this. The Mount of Transfiguration on the heels of speaking of His coming kingdom. Who was it who appeared along with Christ to His disciples? Matthew 17:3 says Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with them.

Now, people will disagree with what I’ve just said, and they will raise certain objections. They will point out that Elijah can’t be one of these witnesses since John the Baptist fulfilled the Malachi prophecy as we looked at this morning from Luke 7. But that actually has nothing to do with whether Elijah can be one of these two witnesses during the Tribulation. John the Baptist and Elijah clearly weren’t the same person. John the Baptist denied that he was Elijah in John 1:21. Luke 1:17 specifies that John came in the spirit of Elijah. That would mean he is not Elijah, but he came with a ministry like Elijah’s. In other words, John’s fulfillment of the prophecy about Elijah does not rule out Elijah being one of the two witnesses.

Well, there’s also objections raised to the idea of Moses being one of these two witnesses. And those who raise that objection will point out that Moses already died. He died once. It’s mentioned in Deuteronomy 34, the final chapter of the Torah. And then they’ll say, how does the possibility of Moses dying yet again square up with Hebrews 9:27 which says it is appointed for man to die once? If Moses were, in fact, one of the two witnesses, wouldn’t he dying two times in Deuteronomy 34 and then here in Revelation 11:7, and therefore wouldn’t that violate Hebrews 9:27? The response I would give is that there are already exceptions recorded in Scripture to the Hebrews 9:27 principle. The people that Jesus resurrected from the grave died twice. The son of the widow at Nain that we looked at two weeks ago. He would have died again. Jairus’ daughter would have died again after being raised. Lazarus would have died again. I’ll leave that there.

Alright, we’ve been circling around the truth that these two witnesses are in fact individuals. I’ve articulated but hopefully not dogmatically that I believe them to be Moses and Elijah. Now, we’re going to backtrack up to verse 3 as we figure out what it is these witnesses will do. Look what it says, verse 3, “And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” Now I believe the One who gives these witnesses their authority, the One who says here, “I will give authority to my two witnesses” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who in Matthew 28:18 says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” He’s the One, I believe, who has been speaking from verse 1 where it’s even He who gives John these instructions about measuring the sanctuary.

So these two witnesses are given divine authority. Not only that, they’re given divine protection. You see it here, they’re to prophecy, they’re able to prophecy for 1,260 days. 42 months, 3 ½ years. For 42 months, for 3 ½ years, despite preaching a message of repentance and judgment that is to come, they’re divinely shielded from harm. And they’re divinely enabled to bring down plagues and judgments upon the enemies of God.
They minister during the second half of the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation and they do so it says while wearing sackcloth. They will prophecy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. And that reference to sackcloth undoubtedly means that these two witnesses are preaching a message of repentance.

In the Old Testament sackcloth was representative of impending judgment, impending doom. Isaiah 22:12 says “Therefore in that day Lord Yahweh of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, to shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.” Jeremiah 4:8 says, “For this, I gird myself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the burning anger of Yahweh has not turned back from us.”
The citizens of Nineveh in Jonah 3 they wore sackcloth when they repented. Why? Well Jonah 3:9 tells us. “Who knows, God may turn and relent and turn away from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

These two witnesses will be wearing sackcloth to warn against the judgment that is coming for those who refuse to repent. Here’s how one commentator (McConkey) has summarized the ministry of these two witnesses during this time. He says, “they will warn the people who crowd the temple of the Man of Sin whom they come to worship. They will admonish them of the shortness of his time of triumph; of the coming of Jesus to destroy him; of the perils which the tribulation will bring; of the need of counting not their lives dear unto themselves when the test of life and death shall come; of their need to fear not him who can kill the body only but to fear Him who can cast both body and soul into hell; of the splendor and nearness of the King and His kingdom after they have suffered awhile; of the sureness that if they suffer with Him they shall reign with Him; and of the eternal peace, righteousness and glory that shall be theirs who endure unto the end, even though it may mean martyrdom in the great hour of trial through which they are passing. Mighty indeed will be their testimony from the Book.” So that’s a bit on the identity of these two witnesses and the ministry of these 2 witnesses.

Now, as we turn to verse 7, we see that despite giving this 3.5 years of God-given protection and despite 3.5 years of preaching a message of repentance, these witnesses ultimately meet their demise. (Revelation 11:7) “And when they have finished their witness, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them.” Now this next scene begins with this ministry of these two witnesses coming to an end, only it says after they have finished their witness. Until then, up to that point for those 3.5 years, they are invincible. They are untouchable. It’s only after those 3.5 years are over, only after they’ve preached that message of repentance for the appointed 3.5 year period. Only when that period comes to an end that God allows them to be killed.

And their death will be brought about by a specific way and by means of a specific creature. Verse 7 says it’s “the beast that comes up out of the abyss who will make war with them and overcome them and kill them.” Now, the beast is mentioned 36 times in the book of Revelation. And this is the first reference. And note that as John introduces this figure, the beast, he doesn’t offer any preliminaries or further definitions or defining traits. He simply identifies this creature as the beast as though it’s to be expected that we’re already familiar with who this is.

We’re going to flesh out further the identity of this beast as we work our way deeper into Revelation, where we see him mentioned another 35 times. But for now, note that our first introduction to the beast is in connection with his antagonism toward these two witnesses. And who is this beast? This would be the Antichrist, the one who John warned was coming in 1 John 2:18. The one who we’ve already seen from 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is called the man of lawlessness. The one who elevates himself in the Tribulation temple in order to receive worship.

This beast we’re told here in verse 7 comes up from out of the abyss, out of this realm of the demons, the demonic realm, the same pit from which the demonic locusts of Revelation chapter 9 came from. And this beast it says will make war with them, with the two witnesses. And end of verse 7, he will kill them. And again, that’s not some sort of metaphor. To say he will kill them means exactly what it says. It means what it sounds like. That this demonically empowered beast, the Antichrist, will fight these two witnesses, he will eventually overcome these 2 witnesses and he’ll kill them.

And then note what’s going to happen. Verse 8, “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” So wicked will these days be at this point of the Tribulation that the lifeless corpses of these two witnesses are going to be displayed publicly in the streets. Even under the Law of Moses, lawbreakers, criminals, even the worst of criminals, those who were given the death penalty, they were deserving of a proper burial.

Deuteronomy 21:22 says, “If a man has committed a sin, the judgment of which is death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (because cursed of God is he who is hanged).” So contrary to the Law of Moses these two Jewish witnesses are denied a proper Jewish burial, not even a burial which would befit the worst type of criminal during this time. It’s this tremendously disgraceful scene. It really highlights the hardened spiritual condition of the people who are living during these times. Another commentator (Seiss) puts it this way about verse 8. “The exposure of their dead bodies tells of a most extraordinary malignity and spite. It shows at once a devilishness of intensity in the people and resentment so monstrous and unrelenting that it could not be placated by their death but continued to reek and vent itself upon their lifeless remains after they were dead.” Pure evil.

Still in verse 8, note this description that’s given of the place where the bodies of these two witnesses will be exposed. “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” Now we know that the bodies of the two witnesses won’t be placed in the actual city of Sodom, and the bodies of the two witnesses won’t be placed in the actual land of Egypt. Because very clearly here it says that their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which note spiritually that’s the inspired language here, spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.

Sodom of course was known for its wickedness. It’s sexual immorality, Genesis 19. While Egypt was known for its oppression of God’s people. Well apparently both sets of vices will be going on in this great city during this period of the Tribulation. Meaning there will be both sexual perversion and that form of wickedness and there will also be the persecution of God’s people.

And what is this great city that’s being referred to here? Well, the clue is given at the end of verse 8. This great city is the location of where also their Lord was crucified. Meaning, this great city is Jerusalem. That’s what’s being referred to here is this is all happening in Jerusalem.

And that’s directly in keeping with what I mentioned at the outset, that this section of Revelation has this very distinctly Jewish flavor. There’s a very Jewish tinge to this phase of the Tribulation. There’s been this literal Jewish temple that we’ve looked at with literal Jewish worshipers. A literal altar inside that literal Jewish temple. And we’ve seen these two Jewish witnesses whose ministry harkens back to the prophecy of the Jewish prophet Zechariah, and then we have here these two Jewish prophets, these witnesses. And it’s all taking place in Jerusalem.

Now turning to verse 9, as we read on we learn of this progressively downward decline among those living during the Tribulation. Verse 9 says “And 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.” What this is saying is that the decaying corpses of these two witnesses are going to be put on public display for all to see. So not only will these bodies not be buried but they will intentionally be made a spectacle. They will be displayed publicly for the whole watching world to see.

It’s been really fascinating to read some of the different commentaries and you can see when certain commentaries were written based on how they handle this passage. The really old commentaries really struggle with how would you visually display bodies that are laying in Jerusalem to the entire world. And then you get to like the commentaries from the 50s and 60s and 70s and they refer to the talking box, the television, and how possibly there could be a scene where dead bodies laying in Jerusalem could be tuned into. You could watch from other parts of the world.

And then you get into commentaries from let’s say 25-30 years ago and suddenly it’s the internet or it’s the iPhone or the smart phone which will allow folks not in Jerusalem to pipe in and see these dead bodies of these 2 witnesses from other parts of the world. 70 or 80 years ago maybe people didn’t have as clear of grasp of how this would work to be in Argentina or Ireland or Timbuktu and tune in and see these dead witnesses. But in our times we can see exactly how this would happen.

But the point is really about this decline in wickedness during the Tribulation. This decline in wickedness is only getting steeper and it’s getting sharper. As these two witnesses are not only killed, but they’re disrespectfully left on display for 3.5 days, as the wicked in the world are gleefully gloating over these bodies lying in the streets of Jerusalem.

Well, just when we think it couldn’t get any worse and that humanity couldn’t be any more depraved, we come upon verse 10. “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” Now those who dwell on the earth, that last phrase, is a common expression in the book of Revelation for the unbeliever. That’s how we see that phraseology used throughout Revelation. And It’s no different here in verse 10. This is referring to unbelievers during the Tribulation.

And look at what these unbelievers, those who dwell on the earth, are doing. These 2 witnesses are dead, they’re lying in the streets in Jerusalem, and those who dwell on the earth are rejoicing. And not only that, it says they’re rejoicing over them. Meaning, over the dead and decaying bodies of the two witnesses. They are dancing in the streets over the fact that these 2 witnesses are dead in Jerusalem. It’s pure evil. It’s pure wickedness.

And speaking of which, reading on in verse 10, these malevolent merry makers, they celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. I’m not the one who coined the phrase so I can’t take credit for it. But we celebrate Christmas in honor of Christ. This is the Anti-Christmas fueled by Antichrist.

Instead of exchanging gifts with one another as we do every December to commemorate and celebrate the birth of Christ and the glories of the incarnation. At this point in the Tribulation, the Antichrist is gaining in influence and he’s gaining in power. And these wicked revelers are celebrating really what’s properly called an Anti-Christmas. As they rejoice over the death of these two witnesses, these two righteous individuals who had been sent by the Lord to testify to the sins of the world, and to call the people in that wicked generation to repent.

So now with these witnesses dead, the wicked human race that remains, they become rallied and galvanized and they throw this giant celebration. They’re sending gifts to one another. They’re sending gifts to one another to celebrate their hatred for God and His glory. They are sending gifts to one another to celebrate their hatred of Christ and His salvation. There’s their sending gifts to each other to celebrate the death of these two witnesses who were continually pricking their consciences.

No more hiding in the caves of the earth to avoid the wrath of the Lamb. No more eagles flying across the sky saying the next woe is coming. No more torment from demonic locusts. No more torment from horse-demons. No more obnoxious preaching from two witnesses. For these deceitful wicked revelers whose hearts are desperately sick, for them all of that has now been done away with. They’re home free, they’re celebrating. They think they’re home free.

Look at verses 11 and 12. “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 came upon those who were watching them. 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.” So there is partying and there’s celebration, there’s rejoicing, there’s gift-giving, Anti-Christmas. December to remember is all on display.

But then suddenly these two men, after these three and half days of being dead, they start showing signs of life. Verse 11, “The breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet.” Breath of life is a nice Old Testament call-back. It brings us back to Genesis 2:7 where “Yahweh God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”

But can you imagine what this scene must be like? Just picture the living room scene on Anti-Christmas. Right? One moment you’re joyfully exchanging gifts. The witnesses are dead. We win. And then before you know it, before dad even has a chance to start obsessively taking all the wrapping paper and shoving it into a Hefty bag. Before he even has a chance to do that, someone points to the TV or to the iPad or to their phone and says hang on, wait a minute. Because this image of these dead witnesses is in the street this whole time. Did you see that? Was that a blink? Is he breathing? Wait a minute, is that one moving? Is he getting up now? How can this be? I thought they were dead!

And what the text tells us next is that what will really come upon these revelers at Anti-Christmas, is not merely worring about whether the store is going to allow them to return their gifts. Instead, what’s going to fall over them is fear. End of verse 11. “Great fear fell upon those who were watching them.” And naturally so. Watching these two witnesses come back to life and then realizing, as they do come back to life that you were on the wrong side all along, and that you are opposed to Whomever it was who brought these two witnesses back to life. That’s naturally going to strike fear into your heart.

Well next verse 12, is this, “And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’” It’s the voice of God. And this whole scene has traits that are very similar to Acts 1 where Jesus’ disciples watch Him go up into heaven into a cloud. It says in Acts 1:9, “And these two witnesses now living are similarly taken up.” End of verse 12, “Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.” Their enemies are those who had been celebrating just moments before their dead bodies. Their enemies are those who had been exchanging gifts in honor of their demise. And now they’re watching helplessly in great fear as these two witnesses are taken up in a cloud. They know this isn’t good, the enemies. They know this is not going to bode well for them.

And they’re right. Verse 13, “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.” So, as the two witnesses go up judgment comes down on the earth in the form now of an earthquake. And the results are lethal with 7,000 people dying. There’s already been massive carnage and death by this point in the Tribulation, but the bodies continue to pile up.

And for those who survive, they’re scared. Verse 13 says, “And the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” For that group, those who didn’t die in the earthquake. Those who were spared, they were overcome with terror. And then it says that led to them giving glory to the God of heaven. And we might read that and become excited like praise the Lord, it’s Ninevah-like repentance happening during the Tribulation. But that’s now what’s going on here. This is lip service being paid by those who are spared death during this earthquake. Inwardly we know their hearts haven’t changed because in Revelation 16:11 it’s this same group who goes on to blaspheme God.

So whatever repentance they experienced it was very short-lived. This statement then, that the survivors of this earthquake gave glory to the God of heaven, it’s not describing genuine worship. Instead, it’s describing a grudging admission of God’s power.

And then last for tonight are these words in verse 14. “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” With that, this latest interlude is over. As God’s judgment program in the Tribulation is about to re-launch. Seven seals have been broken, and six trumpets have been blown with a seventh now to come. Two woes have passed with a third now to come. And we’re going to get into that third woe and that seventh trumpet, Lord willing, next Sunday night. Let’s pray.