Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Rev 11:1 and following. Indeed, Jerusalem appears in the foreground; it is now the center, though the beast may wreak havoc there. “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, dressed in bags.” Their task is accomplished in a relatively short period of time, their testimony is given only for three and a half years. “These are the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the earth.” There are two witnesses, not because in reality they should be historically limited to being only two individuals, but to indicate the smallest testimony that was sufficient according to the law.
So here we have symbols that have their own meaning; and thus the number “two“, taken symbolically, usually designates a complete and sufficient testimony. The apostle said, “Through the mouth of two or three witnesses, every matter shall be established,” and according to Jewish law nothing could be decided on the authority of a single witness; at least two were needed for the evidence and judgment to be valid. The Lord shows us that in these days He will bring forth a complete testimony. How many people will it consist of, that is another question, on which one can no longer reason except on the number represented by the twenty-four glorified elders. In any case, those who are aroused for this testimony must prophesy only for a limited time.
For in the course of his service here on earth, he encountered the most extreme opposition. Likewise, too, against these witnesses, long before their end, there was every possible will to destroy them; but, as the Lord said of Himself, their hour had not yet come, so that somehow no one could do anything to them, the Lord protecting them until their mission was fulfilled. But there is this difference between the Lord and these witnesses that for him it was in the character of grace which filled him and which essentially belongs to him, that he was kept against the rage of his enemies until his hour had come; they, on the contrary, are aroused when retribution is exercised on earth, in the same way as we see it in the Old Testament. The Spirit will lead them in this way, and this should not be surprising, because in fact God is returning here to what He promised then, but which He had never accomplished before. He will accomplish it now. He does not propose only to collect a people for heavenly glory; he will rule the Jews and gentiles on earth in their respective positions: Israel being the closest to him. He wants to have an earthly people, as well as a family above. When the heavenly saints have been transmuted, then He will begin what He has in mind with regard to the earthly saints.
“The temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple.” In the first place, a door had been opened in heaven, and the seer had been transported there to give us a general view, according to God’s thought, of what was going to happen on earth. With this overview over, we are introduced into a more circumscribed sphere of facts: God resumes his relationship with His ancient people of Israel, although it is not yet the day of blessing for the Jews. Heaven has not opened, as will soon happen, to let Jesus appear, followed by the resurrected saints, and coming to execute judgment on the beast, the false prophet and their adherents. Here we have a transitory state of affairs: When God deigns to remember the ark of His covenant and gives us to see it, it is because He is about to affirm His faithfulness to His people, and to accomplish all that He once promised and assured their fathers.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The two witnesses:
- Spiritual temples
1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that is in you, that you have received from God, and that you do not belong to yourselves? 2 Cor 6:16 What is the relationship between the temple of God and the idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell and walk among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Eph 2:20-22 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole edifice, well coordinated, rises to be a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also built up to be a dwelling place of God in spirit. 1 Pet 2:5 and yourselves, like living stones, build yourselves up to form a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual victims, pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
- Mourning, bag, kind of coarse cloth worn to express sorrow
Gen 37:34 And he tore his clothes, put a bag on his kidneys, and bore for a long time the mourning of his son. Dn 9:3 I turned my face to the Lord God, to resort to prayer and supplication, fasting and taking the sack and ashes. Jon 3:8 Let men and beasts be covered in sacks, cry out to God with force, and all return from their evil way and acts of violence of which their hands are guilty! Mt 11:21 Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the miracles that were done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented a long time ago, taking the sack and the ashes. Rev 11:3 I will give my two witnesses the power to prophesy, clothed in sacks, for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
- Rejoicing
Pr 14:13 In the midst of laughter the heart can be afflicted, and joy can end in distress. Ec 2:10 All that my eyes had desired, I did not deprive them of; I did not deny my heart any joy; for my heart took pleasure in all my work, and it is the part that has returned to me. Ec 7.6 For like the sound of thorns under the boiler, so is the laughter of fools. This is again a vanity. John 4:9 Feel your misery; be in mourning and tears; may your laughter turn into mourning, and your joy into sadness.
- Rewards of the faithful
-To the soul-winners Dn 12:3 Those who have been intelligent will shine like the splendor of heaven, and those who have taught righteousness, to the multitude will shine like the stars, forever and in perpetuity.
-To the humble servants Mt 10:42 And whoever gives only a glass of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you in truth, he will not lose his reward.
-To the faithful stewards Mt 25:23 His master said to him: It is good, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful in little, I will entrust you much; enter into the joy of your master.
-To the benevolent Lk 6:35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend without hopeing for anything. And your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is good for the ungrateful and for the wicked.
-To the good men of every nation Rom 2:10 Glory, honor and peace for whoever does good, for the Jew first, then for the Greek!
-To the good men of every social class Eph 6:8 knowing that everyone, either slave or free, will receive from the Lord according to what he has done well.
From all of the above, we note that the ark of his covenant is the infallible sign that he will certainly carry out everything to which he has committed himself. “And there were lightning and voices and thunders,” as we saw in chapter 4, and then not only “an earthquake,” as in chapter 8, but also “a big hail,” a stronger expression of God’s displeasure, and which clearly shows that judgments will melt from heaven to earth with greater rigor. Indeed, both witnesses show the sufficient and complete testimony given by the pile residue during the final distress. They present themselves with the characters of Elijah and Moses, both of whom in the dark times of Israel’s history also assumed a testimony according to God. At the prayer of the first, heaven remained closed for three and a half years (Jas 5:14-18; 2 Kings 1:9-12). The second was given the power to change the waters into blood (life to death: Ex 7:17-21) and to strike the earth with all kinds of plagues. These faithful will be put to death in Jerusalem by the “Roman Beast” in Rev 13:1-18, consoled by the thought that in this very place, before them, “their Lord was crucified” (Luke 13:31-35). And their martyrdom will be followed by a brilliant and public resurrection to the dismay of their persecutors. Finally the final misfortune sounds. With him two things came: the Lord’s reign and also His wrath (Ps 110:5-7). In Rev 6:12-17, the frightened men believed that the wrath of the Lamb had arrived. But it was held back until Christ took over the government of the world. Then the sky bursts into songs of triumph; the saints prostrate themselves and worship: He who was crucified now reigns in the ages of ages (Luke 1:26-33). Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the woman and the dragon. »
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty.