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Revelation 10-11 God's Patience Exhausted
So far we have watched with John as God has removed His protection from the earth, reversed the good gifts of His creation of the earth, and released His enemies upon the earth. The last trumpet will bring out the dragon, Satan, himself. But before this trumpet is sounded God sends a messenger.
"I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his felt foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them." The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:1-7)
The messenger is absolutely awe inspiring, beautiful with the rainbow of God’s mercy on his head and yet terrifying with feet that are pillars of fire and a voice of thunders. However we don’t know what these thunders said, even though John understood it clearly and was about to write it down. For those words were sealed up, hidden, a mystery. But the main message of this angel is that when the last trumpet is sounded, when the time has finally come, there will be nothing left that is hidden about God. We will see Him as He is. There are people who want to explain everything about God. They make a systematic theology and put God into categories and theories. They have an answer for every question and everything fits. But the God that I have experienced often breaks out of categories and I am rarely satisfied by the answers that I get to my deepest questions. Paul said that now we see as through a glass darkly. Like the frosted windows that are used in the bathrooms in Japanese houses. You can tell that someone is in there, you can see a dark shape. You hear the splashing of the water but you can’t tell who it is. But one day we shall see Him face to face and every question that we ever have had will be answered. The angel swears by God, Himself that it will be so.
Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth." So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth." Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." (Revelation 10:8-11)
Just like Ezekiel, John is given the word of God to eat and it tastes sweet but is bitter in the stomach. We have talked before how God’s word is our food. Just like God fed His people Israel in the wilderness with manna for forty years, He feeds us with His word and we are nourished by it. But we also learned that His word can be a sharp two-edged sword. We learn from it what is righteous and true and can use it against the enemy, but we find that it can cut both ways as the word convicts us of sin in our own lives. The word of God is living and powerful. It is not just a book that you learn, or understand, or study. Rather it is a book that you live, that transforms who you are and gives you a spiritual bath. You never really become a master of the word, instead more the more correct thing to say is that it masters you. I love the word, my job is to study it and teach it, and yet there are times when it jumps up and bites me. Just when I start to get comfortable with it, something in it will grab hold of me and refuse to let go until I give up. John experiences this as the sweetness of knowledge is accompanied by the bitterness of the responsibility that comes with that knowledge. The word always compels us to action. In John’s case he had to speak out bad news about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.
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. 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. (Revelation 11:1-2)
John's first task of prophecy is to rise and measure the
temple. Again just like Ezekiel took up a reed like a measuring rod.
However, there is one problem. Right now in Jerusalem there is no temple.
There has not been a temple in Jerusalem since AD 70 when it was destroyed
by the Romans as Jesus predicted it would be 40 years earlier. So far
there has not been one thing that we have read about in this book of
Revelation that could not happen at any time. The only thing holding
it back is the mercy of God, giving mankind time to repent and believe
in Him. We saw that Jesus would not open the seals until He has redeemed
His chosen out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Rev
4:9) But now we find out that before the seventh trumpet is blown, when
all God’s mysteries are finally revealed, there will be a temple
in Jerusalem. How will it get there? The religious Jews in Israel are
very serious about building it! The Old Testament law that they follow
demands that unless there is a sacrifice of blood there is no remission
of sins. But they are prevented by the presence of the Dome of the Rock
Mosque which occupies the Temple mount. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem
is actually controlled by Jordan, and is the third most holy spot in
Islam. So at present the religious Jews are doing everything they can
to prepare for the day when they can reclaim the Temple mount and build
their temple. In fact just last October one group brought a 4.5 ton
marble cornerstone untouched by any metal instrument to Jerusalem to
be laid on the Temple Mount. Their plan was blocked by security forces
but it shows that how serious they are.
The next thing we find out is that this temple will be surrounded by
Gentiles who will tread Jerusalem underfoot for forty-two months or
three and one half years. So what John sees is very different from what
is there today. The three and one half years is our clue to understanding
this part of Revelation. In the Old Testament book of Daniel, the Great
tribulation is described as being a 7 year period in which a great prince
will make a treaty with Israel. "But in the middle of the week
he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." (Daniel 9:27)
It seems to mean that this prince will make a treaty with Israel that
will first restore to them their temple in which they can perform sacrifices
and offerings. This will take some doing however as the Muslims have
their mosques on the site. Some Bible teachers have pointed to recent
scholarly research that suggest that the true location of the temple
is to north of the Dome of the Rock. Another scholar has good evidence
that it is to the south of the Dome of the Rock. Either way if the temple
is smaller than the previous two, like it would seem from John’s
truncated measurement, then it would be possible for the temple to be
built without tearing down the Dome of the Rock. However, this doesn’t
take into consideration that the Muslims would never go for it. Any
attempt at even archaeological research at the Temple Mount is consistently
blocked by the Arabs. So like the recent "land for peace"
deals with the Palestinians, the final treaty will be all of Jerusalem
for the right to build their temple. The religious Jews would be willing
to sacrifice everything for the chance to build the temple. And the
Muslims would probably think that the Jews are suckers to go for it.
But this deal will only last for three and one half years, because as
Daniel told us in the middle of the seven years the prince will bring
an end to all of it and set himself up to be worshipped as God. For
the next three and one half years there will be two witnesses who will
be God’s prophets on earth during the reign of the prince who
we will learn more about next week.
And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 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. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls 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. When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:3-7)
These witnesses are not identified, we don’t know exactly who they are, but they are certainly on a level with the most powerful of God’s Old Testament prophets. The word tells us that when these prophet’s are killed the whole world will rejoice.
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. Then those from the people, 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. 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. (Revelation 11:8-12)
The world will be in such fear of these two witnesses that when they are finally killed they won’t even be allowed a burial. There will be no one left who would want to give them a burial. They are the very last of God’s servants on the earth. It would have seemed impossible just a decade ago that all the earth could witness the resurrection of these two prophets. How could everyone watch something happening in Jerusalem if they were living on the other side of the world? But we now have satellite television and watch events happen live a world away and think nothing of it. All of the televisions of the world will be showing nothing but these two dead bodies and the people will be having parties and giving each other gifts. The devil will actually believe that he has succeeded in destroying the last servants of God on earth. The devil will delude the world into thinking that if they can just kill these two that God will leave them alone and the world will be his. Imagine their shock when they see those two bodies rise up alive after three and a half days! Imagine their greater shock when they hear that voice come out of the sky saying "Come up here" and watching as the cameras follow them as they simply rise up into the air and disappear in the clouds. But then imagine the even greater shock as they hear the final trumpet blast.
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. Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth." Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:13-19)
At the last trumpet there will be no more delay. All the mysteries of God will be revealed and Satan will be finished. I love how God deals with Satan. Those last two witnesses are a perfect example. Just when Satan thinks that he has won, just when he has got the servants of God beaten down and destroyed without a hope. God does the impossible and the raises them back to life. How could Satan possibly win? Destruction cannot prevail over creation. Death cannot prevail over life. Darkness cannot prevail over light. Because no matter how much Satan destroys God can simply create again, breath life again, shine forth His light again. Christian, no matter how downtrodden you are, how hopeless your situation is, our God is able to do the impossible and breath new life.
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