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Sermon for Midweek of Easter 6
Revelation 11:1-14
We have before us the second part of the interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets. In the first part of the interlude we saw that mighty angel standing with one foot on the land and one foot on the sea, holding the little book in his hand. That’s God’s assurance that, in spite of the persecutions and false doctrines that will fill the world, He still reigns over the future and will see to it that His Word is proclaimed in the world.
This second part of the interlude is related. It describes the state of the Church on earth under God’s protection. At the end of the last chapter, John was told by the mighty angel, You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. As we see tonight, part of John’s prophetic ministry—and the ministry of all who come after him—is to “measure the temple of God.”
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” This is very much like what the prophet Ezekiel saw in the last nine chapters of his book, a man measuring a city and its temple. That city, with all its dimensions being measured, represented a sacred space, the New Testament Church and God’s perfect plan for it, including His plan to preserve and protect it. That’s what John is seeing here, too, God’s plan to protect and preserve His true Church, His elect, even in the midst of the raging of the Antichrist and the false teachers and all the chaos and corruption going on in the world. The true Church will not fail. The true Church will not crumble. But by the Word of God, the true measuring rod against which all things are measured, by the Word of God that the faithful ministers continue to preach, the elect will be preserved.
But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. The Gentiles—the uncircumcised—were not allowed inside the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem. In John’s figurative vision of the New Testament Church, the Gentiles represent the false church that dwells side by side with the true Church. They represent the hypocrites, the false believers and false teachers who are in the Church, but not of the Church. It’s like Jesus’ parable of the kingdom of heaven being like a dragnet that’s filled with both good fish and bad fish, or like the field where both wheat and weeds are allowed to grow up together, not to be separated until the harvest at the end of the age.
The “Gentiles,” that is, the false members of the outward Christian Church, will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Forty-two months is the same as three and a half years, the same as the one thousand two hundred and sixty days in the next verse and in other parts of Revelation, and apparently also the same as a time (that’s one year), times (that’s two years), and half a time (half a year) that we see in other places. It seems clear that this number is symbolic of the entire New Testament period, from Christ’s ascension until Judgment Day, or at least close to Judgment Day. And that fits. There have been unbelievers within the visible, outward Christian Church since the beginning, living (and even worshiping) right alongside true believers. They call themselves Christians, but they aren’t penitent. They aren’t believing. And they don’t intend to order their lives according to God’s commandments.
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” Now, just as we’re not interpreting the 42 months or the 1,260 days literally, we’re also not interpreting the two witnesses literally, as two specific men. Instead, since they preach for the entire time of the New Testament, we see them as representing the tiny number of faithful preachers of the Gospel at any time over the past 2,000 years. Two witnesses isn’t many, but it’s enough.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. That imagery is drawn from Zechariah chapter 4, after the Jews had returned from captivity in Babylon. At that time, there were literally two men, Zerubbabel the anointed king of the Jews, and Joshua, the anointed high priest, through whom God would see to it that the holy city was rebuilt. They were pictured for Zechariah as two olive trees who supplied the oil for the lampstand that was Israel. Here the faithful preachers sent by Christ are pictured as two olive trees and two lampstands, supplying the oil of God’s Word, and with it, His Holy Spirit, the ones giving light to this dark world.
And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. Fire from the mouth is clearly a symbol of the Word of God. As God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The faithful preachers sent by Christ aren’t violent toward those who oppose them. But the word they preach reveals the perversion of sinners. It shows people that their deeds are acceptable before God, and that hurts people and makes them angry, wanting to harm the one who speaks out against them.
These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. That imagery points the reader back to the prophet Elijah, who prayed that no rain would fall on Israel for three and a half years, and also to Moses, at whose word Egypt was struck with plagues. Figuratively, it seems to indicate that the faithful preachers of the Gospel will preach God’s judgment on the world, and God will see to it that judgment takes place even during this life against the wicked who oppose the witness of His Church.
When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, 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 our Lord was crucified. When they finish their testimony. That won’t happen until close to the end, when the Gospel has been preached in all the world. God knows exactly how far the preaching of His Word will reach, which people are the last ones who need to hear it. But there will come an end to preaching, either an absolute end, so that there are no faithful preachers left, or (and I think this is more likely) a general end, so that there are practically none left—which is basically the situation in the world right now, isn’t it? When that happens, the beast from the bottomless pit will overcome the faithful preachers, if not by physical death, then by silencing them. That beast is either the devil or his servant, the Antichrist, but the beast will come after the faithful preachers through his servants on earth, through the wicked, and especially through the wicked who have infiltrated the outward Christian Church. Already the vast majority of Christian churches ridicule the faithful preachers who proclaim the entirety of God’s Word, who preach against sex outside of marriage and homosexuality, who preach against women serving as pastors of churches, who insist on doctrinal integrity and pure teaching.
Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. It really isn’t hard to envision the world rejoicing over the silencing of those who preach God’s Word rightly, is it? Whenever a famous conservative speaker is silenced or shamed, there is maniacal laughter and rejoicing in the world. How much more when the Biblical preachers are silenced, who tormented the wicked with their constant exposing of sin and pointing to Christ! This may well be the world we’re living in right now, when the Christian message has been all but silenced in the world, when society openly mocks and criticizes the Christianity of the past and celebrates its apparent demise.
Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. Somehow, God will vindicate His preachers and the witness of His Church. The world will see that God did not actually abandon His people, even though it appeared that they were defeated.
In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. When the Church’s preaching is finished, when the world has spent a brief time rejoicing at the true Church’s apparent demise, when God has vindicated the message of His people in the world, then things will start to fall apart for the apostate church here on this earth, even as the third woe—the eternal condemnation of the wicked in hell—is about to take place.
So what we have in this chapter is a vivid depiction of the opposition believers will face both from the world and from the outward Christian Church which has rejected the Word of God—things that we’re seeing play out before our eyes. At the same time, we see that it’s all under God’s control, and that He still accomplishes His good purposes through the Church’s witness. We’re closer and closer to the end, very possibly already in that short “three and a half day” period at the end of the “three and a half year” period of the New Testament era. But the Lord has measured the true Church and won’t let it be destroyed. So hang on a little longer. Christ is coming soon! Amen.
