When Prophets Are Persecuted Revelation 11 Let me start by asking you a question: Are you being persecuted for Jesus? If not, why not? The problem with Christians today is that nobody wants to kill them anymore! Well, some are being killed and persecuted around the world. But do you know why some are persecuted and some aren’t persecuted? The Bible says, “Yea, and all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” If you’re not living godly in Christ Jesus, you won’t suffer any persecution. Take a look at Revelation 11:1-2. “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” The place is the holy city…..Jerusalem. The time….the Great Tribulation. Jerusalem is a city of destiny and the Jews are a people of destiny. Some of the prophecies about Jerusalem and the Jews are being fulfilled before our very eyes. For example, God said that He would re-gather the people of Israel and bring them back to their land. Ezekiel 36:24 says, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” That verse settles the question about who owns the land of Israel. We’ve seen that prophecy fulfilled in our lifetime. There is another prophecy that we are waiting to be fulfilled, and that is that the temple will be rebuilt. John was told to measure the temple. You can’t measure something that’s not there! If you go to Jerusalem today, you won’t find a temple. All you will find is the temple mount…..the most contested piece of property in the world. On that temple mount today is a Muslim mosque…..the Mosque of Omar. It’s also known as the Dome of the Rock; but there’s no temple there. Why? Jesus said in Mathew 24 concerning the temple that was there, “…not one stone will be left standing on another.” In 70 A.D. a Roman general named Titus laid siege against Jerusalem. The Romans didn’t destroy temples; they preserved temples. And Titus had given word that Herod’s temple….the temple that was in Jerusalem at that time….was also to be preserved. But somehow it caught on fire. Parts of the temple were overlaid with gold. When the temple caught fire, the gold began to melt and to run down into the crevasses. So they took great pry bars and pried those stones apart so that not one stone was left standing upon another. There’s no temple there today, but the Scriptures tell us that the temple will be rebuilt. The plans for the new temple have already been drawn up. At the Yeshiva…a rabbinical school…they are training up priests, who are the descendants of Levi, to offer sacrifices in the new temple. They are weaving clothing at the Temple Institute for the priests to wear. The artisans are crafting vessels of silver and gold which will be used to carry out the temple worship. They are making musical instruments according to the descriptions in the Bible. They are getting ready to rebuild the temple. They even tried at one time to lay the foundation stone for the new temple and it caused all kinds of havoc. But at the right time, the temple will be rebuilt. When the temple is rebuilt, it will be the precursor to the antichrist and his power. Jesus told us that the antichrist would enter that temple and make abomination there. Look at Matthew 24:15-16. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains…” Now look at verse 21. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Jesus says, “When you see the abomination of desolation that Daniel talked about, get out of town!” The Apostle Paul spoke of this also. Look at II Thessalonians 2:1-4. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the second coming), and by our gathering together unto him (the rapture), that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us (a false letter had gone out telling the people that they were already in the tribulation), as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (apostasy), and that man of sin be revealed (the antichrist), the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” That’s the abomination of desolation that Daniel was talking about. A world leader will waltz into that temple and say, “You’ve been looking for God? Here I am.” This is the man of sin declaring himself to be God. This will take place in the exact middle of the seven year tribulation. That’s why you will find the phrase “forty two months” in our Scripture today. Sometimes it’s referred to as 1260 days, or time and times and half a time. All of these refer to 3 ½ years. There are two prophets…two witnesses…that are going to rise up during this time to prophesy and to teach. God always has His prophets. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” God doesn’t move without letting His prophets know what’s about to happen. God sent Enoch and Noah before the Flood. God sent Elijah and Jeremiah before the exile, etc. God has His prophets today. Of course, there are charlatans just like there always has been. But God has His prophets and you have been warned. And in this time, God raises up two prophets. We’re going to look at five factors concerning these two prophets. We’re going to learn what happens when prophets are persecuted. To set the stage, the temple has been rebuilt and the antichrist is about to entrench himself there. But factor number one about these prophets is that they are spiritually prepared. Look at Revelation 11:3-4. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” These two men are described as olive trees and candlesticks. It probably would be better to think of these candlesticks as lamp stands. Why? Because candlesticks burn wicks and lamp stands burn oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. How are we to let our light shine? We are to be like olive trees and the oil of God’s Spirit is to be in us. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world.” Have you ever sung that little song: Give me oil for my lamp, keep me burning, keep me burning? That’s what this is talking about. We are witnesses for the Lord. These witnesses were spiritually prepared. By the way, if you’re going to let your light shine, burn the oil, not the wick. If you burn the wick, you’re going to burn out. You’ll just give a bunch of smoke and not much light. Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” That’s the lesson of the olive trees and the lamp stands. It is foolish to try to do God’s work without God’s power. This verse also tells us that they were clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth is the drab garment a person would wear when in mourning and sorrow. These men are going to preach judgment! I believe in Hell. If we had more Hell in our pulpits, we’d have less Hell in our communities! But if you are going to preach judgment, you don’t do it with a smile or with vindictiveness; you do it with sackcloth and with sorrow in your heart. Our hearts should be broken over the multitudes that are marching into Hell. Not only are these prophets spiritually prepared, they are sovereignly protected. Look at verses 5-6. “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in his manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” They have power over death, drought and disease. When Jesus sent His disciples out, He said, “I give you power over all the power of the enemy.” You don’t have to be afraid of the devil; the devil ought to be afraid of you! Who are these two witnesses? Well, notice the kind of power that they have. They have power of plagues and power over drought. They remind us of Elijah and Moses. When we think of Elijah, we think of a prophet. When we think of Moses, we think of the law. What is the purpose of the law and the prophets? The first 5 books of the Bible are the law. Then there are the major and minor prophets of the Bible. These two witnesses represent the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets witness to Jesus Christ. In Luke 24:27 it says of Jesus, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Never make the mistake of thinking that the Old Testament is about Judaism and the New Testament is about Jesus. All of the Bible is about Jesus! There were two false witnesses that testified against Jesus when He was crucified. But these two witnesses come representing the law and the prophets who testify for the Lord Jesus. But the principle I want you to learn is this: the man or woman of God who is in the will of God and speaking the Word of God is immortal until their work is finished. God’s work, done in God’s way, will never want for provision or protection. These two witnesses were sovereignly protected. Thirdly, they are satanically persecuted. Look at verses 7. “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” This is the same beast that is sitting in the temple showing himself to be God. Like many criminals, he has many aliases. He’s called the beast, he’s called the man of sin, he’s called the son of perdition, he’s called the wicked one, he’s called the little horn, etc. Here he is the beast who ascended out of the bottomless pit. He will overcome and kill these two witnesses. Verse 8 says, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” Sodom had its vice and Egypt had its vanity. But now Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, has become the hellish city. Verse 9 says, “And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.” The fury of Hell is going to burst upon these two witnesses. They must not have been reading all the books about user-friendly evangelism or seeker-sensitive material! All Hell breaks loose on these two witnesses because there are people who can’t stand the Word of God. When you preach the Word of God, you won’t win any popularity contests. The Bible says, “Beware when all men speak well of you.” As the days get darker, the persecution will get more and more intense. Hatred against the godly will intensify. This fury will come against these two witnesses from antichrist himself. Now, I said earlier that God’s witnesses are immortal until they finish their work. The Apostle Paul, the greatest missionary who ever lived, went through every horrible circumstance imaginable and survived. But, finally, they cut off his head. But that didn’t happen until he said, “I’ve finished my course.” They nailed Jesus to a cross where He died in agony and blood. But He bowed His head and said what? “It is finished.” Don’t get the idea that the devil has won when these two witnesses are put to death. No, the devil has made a strategic blunder. When a martyr dies, that doesn’t mean the devil has won; it means the devil has lost! In chapter 12:11 it says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” By dying, they overcame the devil. The killing of these two witnesses will catapult the beast into great popularity. He will be seen as the mighty one because he has gotten rid of these two tormentors. They will leave the bodies of these two witnesses in the streets of Jerusalem. There will be no burial. They will stand around and gloat over them. Some of you will remember the Iranian crisis where Americans were killed and they gloated over their bodies. Some of you will remember the Wall Street reporter who was beheaded on video as they gloated over his dead body. The bodies of these two witnesses will be left in the streets of Jerusalem and our verses say that the whole world will see it. When this was written it seemed impossible that this could ever happen. But today we can just imagine the cameras of CNN being right there. Via satellite, the whole world can see it as it happens. I’m not going to be here when all this happens, but this world can expect increasing persecution. If you live for Jesus, not everyone is going to love you. But here is the next principle: they are supernaturally preserved. Look at verses 11-12. “And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” You say, “That sounds supernatural.” Yep. People have been spitting on and kicking these bloated bodies in the street, but all of a sudden, the glow of health begins to return. Fingers and toes start to twitch, and limbs begin to straighten out. They stand up in front of these people as they hear a voice from Heaven say, “Children, come on home!” They rise up, just like we’re going to rise in the rapture. What a day that will be! The lesson is that we are preserved until we finish our task. Jesus said in Luke 21:12-13, “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.” One of the greatest platforms you’ll ever have is when you’re persecuted. Jesus goes on to say in verse 14-15, “Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” If they said, “Deny Christ or we’ll kill you.” You’d say, “Go ahead. I’m going straight to Heaven.” But what if they said, “Deny Christ or we’ll dismember your wife right in front of you?” What if they said, “Deny Christ or we’ll dismember your grandchildren?” What would you do? You might say, “Pastor, don’t ask that question. I don’t know what I’d do.” Okay, I won’t ask it. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about what you’re going to say when these things happen.” Verses 14-16 says, “Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.” There’s no fine print here! He says in verse 17, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish.” You say, “Wait a minute, Jesus. You just told me I was going to be put in prison and killed, but then you say that not a hair on my head will perish? Yes. He said in another place, “Fear not them that kill the body but aren’t able to kill the soul, rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” There is a getting’ up morning! Until you’re no longer afraid to die, you’re not ready to live. There is nothing the devil can ultimately do to you! They are supernaturally preserved. These two men rise up. Here’s the last principle: they have successfully prophesied. They didn’t fail; they succeeded. Revelation 11:13 says, “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” The people who don’t die in the earthquake give glory to God in Heaven! Verse 14 says, “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” When it says that these people are glorifying God, that doesn’t mean that they’re saved: it just means that they have to admit that this is a God thing. Pharaoh had to do that. Saul had to do that. The demons in Hell will one day glorify God, but they won’t be saved. The point is that these two witnesses have witnessed and God has gotten the glory. The Gospel is a sword unto life and unto death. You are responsible for what you hear and you are responsible for what you would have heard had you paid attention! But God says, “My word will not return unto me void.” The only thing a witness has to determine is: Have I been faithful to the Word? The rest of it is none of your business! The rest of it is God’s business. You can be in churches to hold revival meetings and nothing happens. You can pray, and fast, and search your own heart, and preach your heart out, but nothing happens. That’s when you need to remember Ezekiel 2:7, “And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.” People aren’t rejecting you; they’re rejecting God! Ezekiel 2:5 says, “And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.” You see, whether they hear or whether they don’t, that’s not my responsibility. Our responsibility is to declare the Word of God to this generation. Whether they hear or not is God’s business. Persecution is going to come. Is that bad? No, that’s good. Persecution is a great platform for testimony. The Bible says, “And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” We’ll see later in this chapter where it says, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” We are on the winning side! The question is this: When all this is going on, where will you be? What is your relationship to God? Do you have the assurance that your sin is under the blood of Christ?
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 11:50:28 +0000
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