Let’s begin with a word of prayer and then we’ll get into our study.
Our gracious Father in heaven, we bow before your throne, grateful for the day that you’ve
blessed us with, grateful for all that you do for us each and every day.
We’re mindful of your grace, your mercy, your loving kindness.
We appreciate all that you have given to us in the form of this world and the creation and
the nature that is around us that declares your glory.
but most especially for your son who came and died on the cross for our sins that we might
have the hope of eternal life.
And Lord, we are grateful for truth and mercy and grace that came through him to us.
Lord, we pray that we might strive diligently to walk in the light as you were in the
light, but also that we might be an example to the world around us, that we might teach
the truth to stand firm.
for the truth and to declare your word to every nation under heaven.
Lord, we pray that as we do that, we will always remember that the world is not our
friend, that the world is the enemy of your son and therefore our enemy as well.
But at the same time, those who are willing to hear the truth and willing to be converted
are those who can receive eternal life through the blood of your son.
We pray that we might be diligent in this labor and in this work both here locally and
throughout the world.
All this we pray and ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
So back in chapter eight, the trumpets began to sound.
And as the trumpets were sounding, you would see partial judgment coming forth from God.
Now remember, there was a cry for judgment to begin or for justice to commence from the
Christians who were under the altar there as that fifth seal was opened in chapter six.
And God told them, you rest for a little while.
You be patient.
Essentially, I’ve got it under control.
Then chapter, or the sixth seal is opened and God essentially shows them, I’m going to
deal with these people.
I am going to bring justice based upon what you have cried out to me.
And then chapter seven, there’s a pause.
Wait a minute.
We’ve got to make sure all of God’s people are marked so that they’re not going to be
judged.
Instead, they’re gonna have God’s name written on their forehead, and we know from chapter
three that that’s just a picture of their Christians, they’re the church, because the
church in chapter three is told you’re gonna have the name of God on your forehead.
Okay, so chapter eight opens up and this judgment commences with partial judgment.
Everything that’s judged is only a partial judgment.
a third of this, a fourth of this, all these things that are shown in chapter 8 as the
trumpets are sounding are partial judgment.
But then the warning comes, there’s two more judgments, two more trumpets to sound.
They start sounding in chapter 9.
You have uh the first woe, you have the second woe.
Each of these again are just partial judgments representing God giving those who are on
the earth, those who dwell on the earth as the
the book of Revelation describes them, that is those who are unrepentant, those who are
not Christians, those whose home is an earthly home in contrast to Christians whose home
is a heavenly home.
He says those who dwell on the earth, here’s your partial judgment, here’s your warning.
And yet at the end of chapter nine, beginning of chapter 10, we find out they don’t
repent.
Then there’s an interlude.
There’s a pause.
because in the midst of this, God is going to tell the churches, just because I’m judging
them doesn’t mean you’re not gonna go through hard times.
And so there’s going to be a pause before this full judgment, partial judgment came, full
judgments coming, but wait a minute, need to remind the Christians that they’re not the
target of the judgment and ultimately they’re victorious.
So chapter 10 opens and John sees,
this mighty angel and he’s got one foot on the land and one foot on the sea.
Later on, just a couple of chapters, you’re going to see a great beast rise up out of the
land and it’s going to look like he’s going to destroy the Christians.
And you’re going to see a great beast rise up out of the sea and it’s going to look like
he’s going to destroy the Christians.
And guess what?
Both of them fail.
Want to know why?
Because God’s in charge, not the beast.
Okay, so before the third woe commences, which is the same as the seventh trumpet, you’re
going to have an interlude where God tells his people, I’m going to deliver you.
Now, as John begins to see this mighty angel, he hears the sound of seven thunders and he
starts to write it down and God says, nope, don’t write it.
Seal that up.
That’s not for them to know.
Now, what is it that he didn’t write?
That’s a trick question.
We don’t know because he didn’t write it.
We can have all sorts of suggestions as to what it is.
My suspicion is the same as Brother Jim McGuigan’s and that is that God says, here’s
exactly how I’m gonna do everything.
And he lays it all out and John hears it, John understands it, John’s about to write it
down and God says, nope, nope, you’re not gonna write it down.
You’re just gonna write the vision.
You’re gonna write the visionary elements, the signs, you’re not gonna write down
how it’s going to come about.
Mystery is finished, the thing has been revealed, this is how it’s going to be done, and
this harkens back to Daniel chapter 12 and the passage there that we dealt with last week.
In chapter 10 verses 8 through 11, the mighty angel has in his hand a book.
And John’s told to go get the book.
and he’s given the book and we have here a picture from Ezekiel because Ezekiel’s given a
book and Ezekiel’s told to consume the book, to eat the book.
What is Ezekiel by way of occupation in regards to God?
He’s a prophet.
He is a spokesperson for God.
So when the last time was that we saw in the book of Revelation someone holding a book,
what was inside the book?
A revelation from God.
Guess what’s inside this book?
A revelation from God.
What was inside Ezekiel’s book?
A revelation from God.
Now this book, much like Ezekiel’s, is going to be one that when you consume it, it’s
sweet as honey.
All right, well, that’s a picture from the Psalmist writer, Psalm 19, of the word of God.
The psalmist writer in Psalm 19 says that the Word of God is sweeter than honey in a
honeycomb.
But the thing about the Word of God is when you consume the Word of God, when you put it
into your heart and your mind, it’s great, except the message about what it means for you
is not always pleasant.
So Ezekiel’s going to consume the Word of God and it’s going to be sweet as honey, except
when he goes to speak it, the message is going to be bitter.
And that’s the same thing in John’s day.
John’s going to begin to speak the message.
but the message is going to be one that tells the Christians, you’re about to go through
some real hard times.
You’re about to go through some persecution.
The times that you’re headed into are going to be unpleasant and yet, the message is
always, I’m in charge and I’ll see you through it.
So the seven trumpets are sounding.
The seventh trumpet is about to sound, but another picture, another interlude, another
pause before they sound, chapter 11.
By the way, as we close out chapter 10, verse 11 says, and he said to me, the um angel
said to John, you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.
What was the book?
It was a prophecy.
It was a prophecy that was going to go out to the entire world.
There’s news from the Lord and it’s not going to be pleasant.
Chapter 11, then I was given a reed like a measuring rod and an angel stood saying, rise
and measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there.
Now, this is another Ezekiel picture because Ezekiel is given a measuring rod and he is
told in Ezekiel chapter 40 through 47,
He is told to go measure Jerusalem and go measure the temple and go measure all of these
things.
Now in Ezekiel’s day the measurement is to demonstrate that judgment is coming, they don’t
measure up.
Zechariah is told to measure things.
Zechariah is in a time where the temple is being rebuilt.
God is again reestablishing his temple.
But this measurement of this temple, we need to be careful with because we need to
understand what temple is in view.
If John’s writing this in 68 AD,
and it’s about Jerusalem and the fall of Jerusalem, what temple would logically be in
view?
Temple in Jerusalem.
Except we’re going to find out that picture doesn’t work here.
First, it doesn’t work because there’s no indication John wrote this in 68 AD.
And because the book isn’t about Jerusalem.
And the identification of who’s persecuting the Christians is in Jerusalem.
We’ll get into that.
John’s writing this after the temple in Jerusalem’s already been destroyed.
The city of Jerusalem has already been walked under and annihilated by the Romans.
The temple that’s being measured here is the one that the New Testament talks about.
over in 1 Corinthians chapter three, over in 1 Corinthians chapter six, over in 2 Peter
chapter two, you have a plethora of passages in the New Testament where the Church of God
is described as the temple of God, and where Christians are described as the priests of
the Most High God.
The temple in view in this passage is the church.
And you’re gonna notice this.
God’s going to tell John, you go measure the church.
You go see how it’s constructed.
You go see how it’s built.
You go see that it’s exactly what I intended for it to be.
And then that’s going to be evidence that what God establishes, no one else can tear down.
Okay?
So watch this.
I was given a read, 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 42 months.” As
you think back, you go, wait a minute, this sounds like the destruction of Jerusalem.
except did the Romans tread down the city for 42 months?
Did the Romans put the city under occupation and the temple under occupation for 42
months?
No, they flattened it.
Jesus would make an incredibly poignant statement in Matthew chapter 24 at the beginning
of that chapter where he pointed to the temple and said to his disciples, not one stone
will be left.
upon another.
That’s not trotting it under, that’s completely destroying it.
No, the idea of tread here is that they’re going to come, they’re going to occupy it,
they’re going to do damage to something, but it’s not going to be entirely destroyed.
That’s why this picture doesn’t fit Jerusalem.
This picture doesn’t fit the temple of the Jews.
It doesn’t fit the physical city because Jesus has already said, ah no, it’s not going to
be trodden under.
It’s not going to be temporarily occupied.
as in soldiers walking around in places where they don’t belong, trotting it under.
No, no, it’s going to be decimated.
Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 24, the temple is going to be no more.
This talks about a temple that’s going to be temporarily occupied.
So notice John is told, you go measure the temple.
You go measure the people who worship there.
Don’t measure outside the temple.
Go measure the temple.
By the way, the word temple here, there’s two words in the Greek for temple.
One is the entire
temple and the other is the inner sanctuary.
This word is the inner sanctuary.
Okay.
So John’s told you go measure the most holy place.
You go measure the heart of the temple.
And while you’re going to see the persecutors trod down the temple and Jerusalem figure of
the church.
He says, you’re not gonna see the heart of it disappear.
You’re not going to see it destroyed.
You’re going to see it measures up.
You’re going to see it’s going to be protected by God.
All right, so let’s go through the remainder of the verses here.
He says, and I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days
clothed in sackcloth.
Wait a minute, how long?
Did he just say the Holy City would be trodden under?
42 months.
Now, the typical calendar in ancient days was not 365 days with one leap year, or leap
year with 366 days.
The typical ancient calendar was 360 days.
So 360 days per year, how long is 1,260 days?
Three and a half years.
How long is 42 months?
Three and a half years.
Let’s go back for just a moment to the book of Daniel.
because in chapter 10, John already introduced Daniel chapter 12’s vision and aspects of
it.
Chapter 12 verse one, at that time, Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands
watch over the sons of your people.
And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to
that time.
And at that time, your people shall be delivered, every one who is found, now watch this
phrase, written in the book.
What New Testament,
book do we have where we constantly have the Christians described as those who are written
in the Lamb’s book?
Revelation.
They’re described as those who are written in the Book of Life.
They’re described as those who are written in the Book of the Lamb.
They’re described as those whose names are written in heaven.
And Daniel’s receiving a prophecy about God and His mighty angel that stands to help the
Christians whose names are written in the book.
But notice, he says, they’re going to go through hard times.
They’re going to go through difficulties, but I’m going to help them.
many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken, some to everlasting life
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who those
who turn many to righteousness like the stars of heaven or start the stars forever and
ever.
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.
Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.
Then I, Daniel, looked and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on
that riverbank.
And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river?
How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?
Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river when he held
up his right hand and his left hand to heaven and he swore by him who lives forever.
that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time.
And when the power of the Holy people has been completely shattered, all these things
shall be finished.
Although I heard, I did not understand.
Then I said, My Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of
the end.
Many shall be purified and made white and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and
none of the wicked shall understand.
but the wise shall understand.
And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation
is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.
Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1,335 days, but you go your way till the end, for
you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” All right, so
Daniel’s told,
Here’s a picture.
God’s people are going to be persecuted.
But don’t worry, I’ve sent my angel and he’s going to protect them.
They’re not going to be destroyed.
And he says, show me what this means.
And Daniel’s told, no, shut up the book, the time’s not yet.
So Daniel’s told, no, no, seal it up.
It’s not for your time, Daniel.
You don’t need to worry about it.
And so more pictures you’re seeing.
And he talks to the man who’s standing above the river.
And he says, what does this mean?
And he says, there’s going to be a time, times, and half a time.
There’s going to be a period of, uh temporary period of time where this is going to
endure.
But guess what?
The ones who lived through it.
The ones who overcome it, they’re gonna come out and they’re going to look as if they’d
never been touched by it.
All right, so the picture of Daniel is there’s a temporary persecution, there’s a
temporary time of difficulty, but the people of God get through it.
The picture in Revelation chapter 11 is this is temporary.
This is 42 months.
This is 1,260 days.
This is three and a half years.
By the way, what’s a perfect amount of time?
What’s a complete amount of time?
What number would we represent that by in the book of Revelation?
Seven.
What is three and a half?
It’s half a seven.
It’s a broken seven.
It’s not a complete time.
It’s temporary.
Just like a third of something is, it’s partial.
So God says,
to John, you go measure the city, you go measure the holy place, you go measure it and you
see who built it.
because as you inspect the Holy Place, you’re inspecting the heart of God’s people.
And so he goes and he inspects the heart of God’s people, he measures them, and he says,
is gonna be a time of persecution, but it’s temporary.
It’s three and a half years.
Now where does three and a half years come from in the Old Testament?
What time period in the Old Testament, not in prophecy,
in history did three and a half years transpire where God’s people went through hardship,
but they were provided for.
That is correct.
In the days of Elijah, when God said to the northern kingdom of Israel, there’s not going
to be any rain, and Elijah is going to say, there’s not going be any rain until I say so.
And then Elijah goes out in the wilderness and leaves.
Now, where does Elijah go first?
passages in 1 Kings chapter 17 and 18, I Elijah first goes out in the wilderness and goes
into a cave.
And he’s fed by the ravens and a stream of water is provided for him and he’s provided
for.
But then he goes where else?
What?
That’s correct.
He goes to the house of the widow and he says to her, make me cake.
And she informs him that they’re almost out of food.
They’re going to make their last food and then they’re going to die.
And he says, make me cake.
And she goes in and she uses what little they have left and makes him a cake.
And then she goes back and there’s more.
And every single day, the picture in the text is every single day she empties all that she
has and comes back and there’s more.
And she empties all that she has and she comes back and there’s more.
And James will tell us.
that the drought was for three and a half years.
and that God’s people, including this woman, were provided for during this time.
You see, Jesus will point out were there not any widows in all Israel.
Jesus will make the point to the Jews, to the people of Nazareth, to His home city.
Do you not realize that God didn’t send Elijah to the home of an Israelite widow?
He sent him to a foreigner.
And he provided for a foreigner because she provided for him.
God is going to tell Israel through Jesus.
God is going to tell the church through James.
God provides for His people.
That doesn’t mean there’s no hardship.
God provides for His people.
That doesn’t mean difficult times don’t come.
The picture of 42 months, time, times and half a time, three and a half years, 1,260 days
is this.
It’s the days of Elijah, where God has His people just like the rest of the nation go
through a difficult time, but God provides for His people and they get through it.
So, then we’re going to see in the latter part of chapter 11 these two witnesses.
And you’re going to go, oh, wait a minute, I think I see Elijah again.
Because the pictures are coming from the Old Testament.
so Revelation chapter 11, verse 3, and I will give power to my two witnesses and they will
prophesy 1,260 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 up 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.
Now, two witnesses show up.
These witnesses are from Zechariah chapter four.
All of these pictures are Old Testament pictures.
We’ve said it a hundred times, we’ll say it another hundred before we’re done.
Turn to Zechariah chapter four.
In Zechariah’s day, as we already mentioned just briefly a moment ago, Zechariah is
prophesying during the time where the temple is being rebuilt in Jerusalem.
And God is going to send back a group from Babylonian captivity under Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel is going to be a descendant of the house of David, but he is not going to be
king.
He is going to be one who is a governor.
He is going to be a political leader of the people, but he is not going to be king.
There won’t be a king all the way forward to the days of Jesus.
But he is also going to send, God is also going to send, Jeshua.
Jeshua is going to restore the high priesthood in Israel.
So you have a leader of the nation.
and you have a religious leader, a high priest.
Now notice what we find in Zechariah chapter 4.
the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me as a man who was wakened out of his
sleep and he said to me, what do you see?
So I said, I am looking and there’s a lamp stand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it
and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
All right?
So there’s a bowl and these pipes and they go to the lamp stands.
What do the pipes carry?
the oil for the lamps.
Watch this.
He says, two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its
left.
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, what are these, my lord?
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said, do you not know what these are?
And he said, no, my lord.
So he answered and said to me, this is the word of the Lord to Zeruppable, not by might
nor by power, but
by my spirit, says the Lord.
Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain, and he shall bring forth the capstone with
shouts of grace, grace to it.” God’s message to Zerubbabel is, you’re going to be a
witness that I’m delivering you not by might, not by power, I’m going to restore Jerusalem
by my…
word by my authority, not yours, by my power, not yours, by my might, not yours, you’re
going to be a witness that I’m doing this, not physical power, not physical might, not
political power, but God’s word.
Okay, now notice verse eight.
Moreover, the word came to me saying,
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple.
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you, for who has despised the day
of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.
Then I answered and said to him, What are the two olive trees?
Zechariah has been asked,
What are they?
He’s like, I don’t know.
Now he’s turning the question back.
But what are the two olive trees, he says.
He says, what are the two olive trees at the right of the lamb stand, and at its left?
And I further answered and said, what are these two olive branches that drip into the
receptacles of the two gold pipes uh from which the gold oil, sorry, the golden oil
drains?
Then he answered me and said, do you not know what these are?
And I said, no, my Lord.
He says, these are the two anointed ones who stand before the Lord and the whole earth.
Now, if you go back in your Old Testament history, there are two positions in Israel’s
history that receive an anointing.
What two positions are they?
King and priest.
So these two witnesses represent royal priesthood.
They represent the leadership of God’s people.
So you’re going to see the two witnesses in Zechariah, they represent royal priesthood.
The royalty and the priesthood.
And they bear witness
as they stand before the people on behalf of God.
All right, go back to Revelation chapter 11.
John’s going to see two olive trees and notice what he sees, two lampstands.
I wonder where the picture came from?
Zechariah’s vision.
And what was it in Zechariah’s vision?
Royal priesthood.
Now before we go any further,
What does Peter say the church is in 2 Peter chapter 2?
a royal priesthood.
John will say that we are the priests of God in the book of Revelation.
John will say that we will reign with Christ.
What is that?
A royal priesthood.
The picture is of the church, but it’s pictured in Zechariah’s language and in the
language of prophets.
the pairs of God’s messengers that go out.
Where do we first run into a pair of God’s messengers in the Old Testament?
Genesis 18.
Who were they sent to?
No, the two go forward from Abraham.
Who are they sent to?
Sodom.
And the message to Sodom is what?
ah Actually, by the time they get to Sodom, the message is, you’re going to be destroyed.
What was the message to Lot and his family?
Get out.
Judgment’s God’s going to judge the wicked.
God’s going to extract His people.
Okay?
Two messengers, two witnesses.
It’s confirmed a message from God.
Where’s the next time we see two messengers?
in Exodus, Moses and Aaron.
Moses and Aaron go into Egypt and they tell Pharaoh, you let my people go or God’s going
to judge you.
And Pharaoh says, who is Jehovah that I should hear him?
And God’s going to give him a correspondence course to instruct him who he is.
and then God’s going to extract His people and judge the nation.
Two more messengers, Elijah and Elisha.
Elijah and Elisha are going to be a pair of prophets who are sent to the northern kingdom
of Israel in the days of Ahab and Jezebel and then further into the days after them and
God is going to say to the northern kingdom of Israel, you will repent or I will judge
you.
I’m going to take care of my people.
I’m going to deliver my people out from among you.
God’s messengers keep coming in pairs when Jesus sent out His disciples.
How did He send them out?
two at a time, and with what instructions did he send them?
Go to the city, take no provisions, take no extras, take no armaments.
You go into the city and if you find a faithful house that will receive you and take you
in, just like in the days of Elijah, just like in the days of Elisha, faithful houses that
took them in and provided for them, Jesus says, you find a faithful house, you stay there,
they’ll provide everything you need, you preach the message of God.
But what if there was no faithful house in the city?
What were they to do?
Walk out to the edge of the city, shake the dust off their feet and pronounce a curse
against the city.
God’s judgment, God’s wrath would come on that city.
Two messengers, two messengers, two messengers, two messengers.
And they had the authority to proclaim the word of God, and they also had the authority to
pronounce judgment against those who would not repent.
Okay, you see the picture?
Now, he says, I will give power to my two witnesses.
and they will prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth.
Why do you wear sackcloth?
because your morning message is not good.
The witnesses are going to go out, they’re going to tell you, you’ve got to repent.
but they won’t do it.
What was the message at the end of chapter 9?
God tells the people, the earth, you’ve got to repent, but they wouldn’t do it.
So notice what happens.
He says they’ll prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, the two lambstands standing before the God of the earth.
And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their
enemies.
Wait a minute, what picture is that?
What Old Testament event did fire proceed forth not from the mouth of the prophet but from
the word of the prophet?
on Mount Carmel.
when they had the contest.
And here’s God’s prophet.
You see, you also have, in the days of Moses, an occasion where fire comes from heaven and
destroys false prophets.
This is a picture of prophets.
The prophets go out and they prophesy.
And if the people won’t hear them or the people try to harm them, God deals with them.
All right?
Notice again.
He devours their enemies.
If anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
These have power to shut up heaven.
There’s Elijah.
So that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy.
And they have power over the waters to turn them to blood.
There’s Moses and Aaron.
And to strike the earth with all plagues.
There’s Moses and Aaron.
As often as they desire.
Does that mean that the prophets just went around with a whim?
They just got to do whatever they wanted to, said whatever they wanted to say, and they
just got to persecute people all over the place?
No.
When they spoke, who did they speak on behalf of?
The Lord.
And yet Elijah would say, it’s not going to rain until I say so.
Okay?
They had the authority from God.
Their message originated from God.
Now, how many witnesses did you need in order to, according to the law, put someone to
death?
Two.
So you have two witnesses, they go out and declare the word of God.
If people strive instead to kill the witnesses instead of hearing the word of God, the
testimony of two witnesses is sufficient to put them to death.
The picture is, here’s God’s people, they’re going to proclaim the message of God
faithfully.
They’re going to do exactly what God tells them to do, they’re gonna speak exactly what
God tells them to speak.
And what is the world going to do?
Well, you’re going to see verses seven through 10 next week, the world’s going to kill
them for it.
The world’s going to reject the message.
And having killed them, they’re going to throw a party and rejoice that God’s messengers
are dead.
John’s telling the church, you just keep preaching.
You keep telling them the truth.
We’ve seen it all before.
will protect His prophets.
God will protect His priests.
God will protect His kings.
God will protect His people.
You just keep preaching the truth.
Okay, we’ll pick up here in verse seven next week.
