Ch 1                                   Rapture                               Return of

         7 Churches  Ch 2-3          4:1                               Christ ch 19                      New Heaven

                                                             Trib ch 6-19                     Millenium ch 20     & New Earth

                                          Vision of                                          Reign of Christ

                                         Throne ch 4-5                                    1000 years              ch 21-22 

 

                                                                             Revelation Chapter 11                                       Lesson 30

                                                        The Temple; The Two Witnesses;  And the Trumpet!           

 

* Can we identify these Two Witnesses?  Is it necessary to do so?

 

  Coming of Elijah;  Real or Just in the Spirit or Power of Elijah

1. The prophecy: Mal 4:5-6  (key here; "great and terrible day of the Lord" sets the time; vs:6 says its related to repentance re. Messiah)

 

- Jews in their observance of the Passover meal even today, leave an empty chair at a place setting at the table for the coming Elijah.

 

2. Does John the Baptist fulfill this prophecy? 

- Mt 17:11-12 [men....de...]  Jesus makes it clear that John could have been the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi if the offer of the kingdom and its king had been accepted as offered even though he was clearly not Elijah. 

 

 

- point is that if Israel had accepted the offer of the kingdom then John's ministry as the forerunner would have been the fulfillment of the Mal prophecy.

 

- John denies he is Elijah;  Jn 1:21

- How is it then that he is said by Jesus to be Elijah?  Lk 1:17

 

3. Parallels between the ministry of John the Baptist and the 2 witnesses.

- Both are sent to Israel in a time of apostasy; to call them to repentance;  Mt 3:2;  Mal 4:6

 

- Basically have the same message! 

 

- Both represent and were involved in the spiritual and civil [national] call to recovery.

 

4.  Must conclude that at least one of these witnesses must either be Elijah or one coming in the spirit and power of Elijah.

 

 

5.  What about the other one?  Who is he?

- 2 people are primarily named as possibilities;  Moses and Enoch who was translated, Gen 5:24;  Heb 11:5. 

- He was an antediluvian prophet; pre-flood; not likely to return to minister to Israel.

 

 

- 3 Common Reasons given for the choice of Moses.

#1 Because of the dispute over the body of Moses between Michael and Satan, Jude 9, his reason being to prevent God using Moses against his "man" in the Tribulation.

#2 Because of the ministry Moses had in Egypt of turning water into blood; the association with plagues.

#3 Because Moses appeared with Elijah on the Mount of  Transfiguration.  Mt 17:3

 

 

> Conclusion: as to who the 2 witnesses are: 2 Men, great believers, of the Tribulation that God chooses to use for this special ministry.

 

 

 

- The Who is not as important as the what is going on; and man's reaction to their ministry.

 

> 11:7 - 10 Termination of their ministry

- "And when they have finished their testimony..."

 

- The have been invincible for 3 1/2 years;  nothing or no one was able to touch them;

 

* "When they have finished their testimony"  this statement illustrates a great promise; The obedient believer living in the will of God is immortal until he has finished the work God has given him to do.

 

 

* The means of termination of their ministry   [11:7b]

 

By this time the GWD has assumed the top leadership role of the federation of nations making up the western power block [RRE].

 

But he covets the Temple as a place to establish his idolatrous worship; His objective to be worshiped as god!  Dan 11:36-37; Rev 13:5-6.

 

 

* What about this beast?  Who or what is it?

The definite article, the, implies that he is a recognized figure:  this says it is a specific beast that we should already know about.

 

- What's the problem here?  The beast of Dan 7 is focusing on the political power represented by the federation of nations represented by the 10 horns.

 

 

  > Some Considerations.

1.  Satan was given the key/access to the abyss; he is called in 9:11 the angel/messenger of the abyss.

 

2.  Scripture says that men are brought out of the grave by the voice of the Son of God.   John 5:25-29

 

3.  This man will have to be an Unbeliever  and the wicked are not resurrected until the time of the GWTJ.  Rev 20:11-15

 

4.  All the references to this individual present him as a man, not a supernatural being, it seems impossible to me that he is a resurrected individual.

 

 

> 11:8-9  Treatment of their bodies!

- leave their bodies in the street on public display for 3 1/2 days.

 

- "mystically"   pneumatikw/j (adv.) spiritually; 

 

- Use of Sodom indicates the extent of the immorality that results from the apostasy of the day. Jer 23:14

- Egypt indicates the great darkness that results in a land when God is rejected and idolatry is chosen. Ezk 23.

 

Vs:9 says that the whole world will be able to view the scene of their dead bodies lying in the street.

 

- What is the message that garnered this kind of response?   Truth; the Gospel of the Kingdom.