Revelation: We Proclaim The Gospel Until We Die And Then We Rise | Revelation 11

I want to welcome you to the First Baptist Church of El Doredo Sermon Podcast.

My name is Taylor Guerin, the senior pastor here.

All throughout this fall, we're in a series through the Book of Revelation.

Certainly a book that can feel intimidating, certainly a book that at times can be misunderstood.

What we believe is that it is a book that is meant to be read by Christians and meant to provide great encouragement, both for the future but also for today.

I hope you are encouraged by the series this fall.

If there's anything we can do for you, specifically any way we can pray for you, don't hesitate to reach out.

Go to our website and click the Connect with Us page.

We'd love to hear from you.

Thank you so much for listening.

We'll see you soon.

Amen.

Have a seat.

And as you're having a seat, open with me to Revelation chapter 11, where this morning we will be in verse 1 through 14.

Revelation 11 · chapter mention

We've been walking through and will be all fall a series through Revelation.

We began by seeing the Lord on the throne before we looked at letters to the seven churches.

We then went from there back to the throne room as John continually does throughout Revelation.

So back to the throne room.

And then we saw judgment, and rightfully so, because the Lord takes sin seriously.

We saw a period of judgment as these seven seals were opened.

Last week we saw the strange but comforting story of John as he is called to take the scroll and eat it, that it includes both the sweet word of the gospel, the bitter word of judgment.

Now we turn the page to Revelation 11 and we see the story of these two witnesses.

Pray with me as we begin.

Lord Jesus, by your spirit, would you move?

We trust you to give us the word we need this morning.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

In the mid-1800s, from the 1830s, really through 1869, very specific date, because that's the date the Transcontinental Railroad was completed.

But uh from around the 30s to the late 60s in the 1800s, at least 400,000 men, women, and children left from Independence, Missouri and headed west.

They headed west towards Oregon, towards California, on what is called the Oregon Trail.

If you're my age, maybe plus or minus 10 years, when you think of the Oregon Trail, you think of a very old uh video game you'd play on the computer, where one out of every 100 times you'd arrive in Oregon or California, usually you'd end up with a fever in Nebraska.

But you'd play this game, but really based on the actual Oregon Trail, as many families braved conditions that you and I could not imagine.

The cold, the hunger, uh some didn't make it, some there were uh there were many dangers all around, and yet many did arrive in Oregon, in California to create a new life.

And even in the midst of these harsh conditions, what you had was families following the wagon tracks of those who had gone before because conditions were difficult, circumstances were not easy, but they had a trajectory.

They had a map of sorts, they had uh the trails of those who came before them.

Really, in the Christian life, we will face hardship, we will face trial, but here's the good news: there is a trajectory of the Christian life.

There is a road.

And here's what I want to do this morning.

I want to give you from Revelation chapter 11 the trajectory of the Christian life, the trajectory of your life if you are in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 11 · chapter mention

And let me tell you what it is.

It's three things, the trajectory of the Christian life.

We will prophesy, we'll explain what that means.

We will prophesy, number two, until we die, until we die.

How's that for encouraging this morning?

We will prophesy until we die, and number three is this, and then we will rise.

And then we rise.

We will prophesy until we die, and then we rise.

That's the trajectory of the Christian life.

That's really the trajectory that we see in Revelation chapter 11 this morning.

Revelation 11 · chapter mention

So as we continue in Revelation, look with me at 11.1.

Then I, John, then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.

Arise, measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.

As you think of this measuring that John is going to carry out, don't think in terms of a tape measure and getting the actual dimensions of the temple.

Think of measuring as in taking inventory.

Rise and take inventory of those who we saw a couple chapters before are sealed, have the seal on their foreheads, those who know Jesus Christ, what we know, those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1, 13 and 14.

Measure those, view those, take inventory of those who are in Christ Jesus within the temple of God.

Verse 2, but do not measure the court outside the temple.

Leave that out, for it is given over to the nations.

They will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

Not forty-two months, hang on to that number for a second.

We'll talk about all these numbers in a minute.

But you have this idea of don't measure the outer temple.

There's a couple things that can refer to, but I believe let's probably for this morning think in terms of those who are sealed, are the inventory has been taken of those inside the holy temple, and those who are outside Christ are on the outside of this temple.

And then as we continue, again, hold on to forty-two months, verse three, and I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

So what we've got to do this morning is ask first this question.

As we look at Revelation chapter 11, as we take an inventory of those who are sealed, those who are followers of Christ, preserved and protected by God Himself.

Revelation 11 · chapter mention

Well, now who are these two witnesses?

Who are these two witnesses that rise up and begin to prophesy?

Now, all this morning, when we talk about that word prophesy, we talk about it for the two witnesses, we talk about it for all believers, for you and I.

What do we mean when we think of the word prophesy?

I've said this before.

Often we hear that word and think of something maybe a little goofy.

You may have ideas of someone telling the future, some ideas of crystal balls and things like that.

No, no, that's not what we're talking about.

To prophesy, as we see in Scripture, think of really what the prophets are doing.

They are proclaiming.

When you think of that word prophesy, think to proclaim forth the truth.

And so these two witnesses are tasked with proclaiming forth the truth.

So the question again is: who are these two witnesses?

Well, I would argue this: that these two witnesses are symbolic witnesses that represent who?

That represent the church of Jesus Christ, that represent all believers of all times who, from the moment Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, until the day he returns, are tasked with prophesying, with proclaiming the truth.

Well, what truth?

The truth we saw last week, the truth that is a sweet truth, and also can be a bitter truth, a sweet truth, the truth of the gospel.

That Christ has died, that Christ has risen, that Christ will come again, that all sinners can come to Christ Jesus.

He has died for them, he has buried their sins in the grave, and he can give new life through the Holy Spirit.

That's a sweet word, but a bitter word as well.

The word that tells a lost world that in fact you cannot be the Lord of your own life.

You cannot sit on the throne of your own life, that there is judgment for sin.

But again, even for the wicked one, come unto Christ.

It's a good word.

And so these two witnesses, which I will argue, are representing the entirety of Christians, the church in this time period we live between the ascension of Christ and the return of Christ, they are prophesying, they are going out, proclaiming this truth.

They are clothed in sackcloth.

Again, a reminder that this is a word, it can be a bitter word of mourning.

This is a hard word to proclaim to a broken world.

And what we see in this moment that these two prophets go forth again to proclaim.

Now, is that the only way these two witnesses have been interpreted through the centuries?

Absolutely not.

I think that there's many ways, uh, some fantastic, some pretty silly, that these witnesses have been discussed.

I think if I were to give a second place this morning, many have argued that these two witnesses are two literal witnesses who will come in the future that are a literal Moses and Elijah.

And I think that's fair, and I think that's there's fair evidence for it.

We'll see in a moment what these prophets are going to do resembles greatly the ministry of Elijah in his day and Moses in his day.

We see at the Transfiguration when we get this glimpse of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, who comes down with them?

Moses and Elijah.

I think that's a fair interpretation, but I'm just going to argue this morning that these two witnesses represent all believers, the church in general, as they proclaim through the centuries the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sam Storms, a pastor now in Oklahoma City, tells the story of when he was a pastor in Kansas City.

He says that one day they arrived at service that morning, and there were two ladies that had driven in, traveled to Kansas City all the way from Canada.

They had come to Canada and they wanted to meet with Pastor Sam Storms and a group of leaders within the church.

And they met together briefly, and these ladies let Pastor Storms know, said, I've got big news today.

The lady said, We are the two witnesses from Revelation.

That was their report to the pastor.

Now Sam Storms says that the other leaders in the group were kind of trying to stifle a smile, some amusement.

And Sam Storms did something that I thought was genius.

He looked at these two ladies who proclaimed we are the two witnesses, and he said this, us two.

We are as well.

You're in great company.

Because we all have the privilege of proclaiming forth the good news of Jesus Christ.

I think that's a great answer.

These two ladies didn't like that answer.

They left and went right back up to Canada.

But really, I believe that we all have the privilege, the authority by the Spirit, we're granted the authority to proclaim forth the good news of Jesus Christ.

Now, what in the world do we do with these numbers?

That's what we see in verse 2, that we see this judgment is coming on for 42 months.

We see the witnesses prophesying for 1,260 days.

Later on, we'll even see language of time, times, and half a time.

What do we do with these numbers?

There's numbers all over Revelation.

I believe what we see with the numbers in this section and a few chapters following is really this a different way of describing the exact same time period.

Number one, in verse 2, you see that this judgment happens, or really this trampling of the Holy City happens over 42 months.

Then you see the witnesses for 1,260 days.

Well, what you look at is this 1,260 days, what is that?

That is 4230-day months.

That is just 42 months explained as days.

Well, how long is 42 months?

It's three and a half years.

What is time a year, times two years, half a time, three and a half years?

So all this language is really proclaiming the same period of time.

It could be 42 months, 1,260 days, time times, half a times.

Is anyone confused yet?

A lot of numbers.

But let's make it simple.

All proclaiming the same period of time.

Where there is this trampling, there is this prophesying.

But it's interesting, different numbers describe negative items and positive items.

Forty-two months.

That's a trampling over the temple.

That's a negative item.

We'll see in 13, verse 5, when the beast is given authority, it is phrased that he is given this authority for 42 months.

The negative.

We see a positive.

Verse 3 here.

The two witnesses prophesy, 1,260 days.

We see in the next chapter, this woman flees and is nourished by God 1,260 days.

These positive items.

But again, let's make it simple, all proclaiming the same amount of time.

The same length of this, uh, these symbolic witnesses that proclaim forth the good news of Jesus Christ to what we will see, a world that doesn't really enjoy that news.

Verse 4.

There are two olive trees, the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Think of this as these ones who proclaim, they are these lampstands, their word shines forth, and think of these olive trees, just continual flow of this oil to keep the lampstands burning.

Verse 5, and if anyone would harm them, how about this?

Fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes.

If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.

Now, we stop right there and we say, Well, Taylor, if you just told me this represents all who proclaim Christ, that means this is one who represents me, that you are a part of that.

Does that mean that you will breathe forth fire and consume your enemies?

In the literal sense, likely not.

Maybe that won't be in your future.

But what is being described here is the power of the proclamation of the word of God.

We really see a callback to much of the work of the prophets of old, 2 Kings chapter 1.

2 Kings 1 · chapter mention

A king of God's people does a really ungodly thing, and what happens?

Elijah calls forth fire and it consumes these evil ones.

1 Kings chapter 18, Elijah, what does he do on Mount Carmel?

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

He, by his word, really through the power of God, calls down fire.

We see Jeremiah chapter 5, verse 14.

Jeremiah 5:14

What does God say of Jeremiah's words?

Your word is fire, and this rebellious people, they are wood, and they will be consumed.

This is showing the power of the word of God.

And when you proclaim, and I'm not just talking about when some preacher proclaims, when you proclaim the word of God, when you uh share this word, when you proclaim the gospel, the good news of Christ Jesus, I just want you to know there is power in that.

The Holy Spirit moves in that.

And you say, I don't know if I'm worthy to proclaim a word with that kind of power.

Well, you're in great company, none of us are.

And yet, as we proclaim this word by the power of the Spirit, this is the power that's at play.

It continues.

Verse 6: they have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying.

Is this not exactly what Elijah did in uh 1 Kings when he asked the Lord that no rain would fall?

For three and a half years no rain fell.

And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they desire.

Does this not look like the ministry of Moses?

There's power in the proclamation of the word of God when the people of God prophesy.

Again, just proclaim the word of God.

And again, you may say to me, Pastor, I know the Word of God.

I'm happy to proclaim it.

I'm happy to tell someone about Jesus, but do I really have this kind of power?

A fire-breathing, rain-stopping type of power in my prayers as I pray to you, the type of power in my proclamation.

I'm just not sure those kinds of things still happen today, and I'm certainly not sure those kinds of things happen when I proclaim or when I pray.

And to that I would just ask you the question Well, have you prayed for big things from God?

Have you prayed big prayers?

Have you proclaimed the word of God and prayed that God would move in the proclamation of the word of God?

Because I can tell you this.

Here's how I think about it.

Here's the equation here that if we don't pray big prayers for God to move, God can do what he wants, then, but I just imagine that God may not move in the big ways you thought.

Here's the other side of it that if you do pray big prayers for God to move in big ways in your life and the life of those around you, he might not do it as you prayed.

He might not do it just in the way you thought, but he might.

But here's what I know if I pray big prayers and ask God for big things to move mightily, because there's that co-worker at work that doesn't know him, or there's that that family member that's walking through a difficult time, or there's that prodigal son or daughter that we've been praying to come home, or whatever it may be in your life.

I just want to invite you to pray big, bold prayers to God because God loves to hear from you.

As we talked about last Wednesday night, pray the word of God back to God, go to his word and pray his word to him.

A father delights to hear from his children, he delights to hear from you, and God still is in the business of moving across the words of his witnesses by the power of his spirit.

That prayer that you think is too bold to pray, pray it.

That co-worker that you think would never want anything to do with Jesus.

Share the word.

Proclaim the word to him, to her.

We will prophesy.

That's the trajectory of the Christian life.

That is your job as a believer, it's my job as a believer.

But point two is this we will prophesy until we die.

Now, I know this isn't breaking news for you, but you and I, we all have an expiration date.

Unless Christ returns sooner, and praise God, may it be this morning, unless Christ returns sooner, we all have a day we will die.

I hope for every one of us it is years and years away, but we all have an expiration date.

We will prophesy in the here and now and live for the glory of God as best we can, empowered by the Spirit, but there is a day we will die.

And the same is true of these two witnesses.

Verse 7 and when they finish their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.

I know we've been walking through Revelation, and there's just some characters in Revelation you just have in mind as you think about the book, and one of them is the beast.

Well, for the first time, we now see the beast.

He has made a brief appearance before a few chapters from now, he will make a uh more terrifying appearance.

But the beast comes as the witnesses finish the testimony.

He rises from the pit, he makes war, he conquers.

Concers, and he kills.

Again, in Revelation 13, we'll see the beast.

Similar to the beast we saw in Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

There were four beasts, yet the fourth of them was more destructive and more sinister than all the rest.

This beast does the work of the evil one.

And again, what does he do?

He makes war, he conquers, and he kills.

And just so you know, this is what the evil one loves to do.

And why does he love to do it?

Because of this.

Because he knows his time is limited.

He knows there is a day, and Revelation tells us clearly that he will be utterly destroyed.

He's already been defeated when Christ Jesus rose from the grave.

He defeated sin, death, hell, and the devil.

The evil one knows he's been defeated.

He knows his time is limited.

And one day, and we will see in December as we read this book, that he will be ultimately destroyed.

And in the meantime, he wants to wreak havoc.

And so what does he do?

He makes war against the two witnesses, and he kills them.

Verse 8 And their dead bodies, the bodies of these two witnesses, they will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

So the two servants are now dead, lying in the city.

And you know, there's just some names that as we hear them, geographical places that as we hear the name, we hear those words, our minds are transported right there to a specific event at a specific time.

If I said ground zero in New York City, you're going right where you were on that day in 2001, but but you visualize that.

The Murrow Federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

You just instantly know what that is and what thoughts that brings to your mind.

Columbine High School, disastrous.

And but you can go right there to the news stories and the sickening events, and there's just certain names or cities or events that just instantly we realize the devastation that occurred in that place at a specific time.

That's exactly what the Lord is doing here.

What is the wicked place where these two witnesses have been killed?

First of all, symbolically he calls it Sodom, a place of wicked sin, where we read back in Genesis, tons of wicked sin was occurring, not least of which was a sexual perversion.

You see Egypt, the place of bondage, the place where the people of God were made into slaves, and hard-hearted Pharaoh wanted to put an end to the growth of the people of God.

And then you see the last place, this place where the Lord was crucified, Jerusalem itself, the most devastating day in history, the greatest day of wickedness when wicked man put the Lord of glory on the cross.

This is a devastating place that is being described.

Verse 9.

For three and a half days, some of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies, refuse to let them be placed in the tomb.

Verse 10 now, all uh uh those who dwell on the earth, they will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents.

But because these two prophets, uh because these two prophets have been in torment to those who dwell on the earth.

So what is happening?

The two witnesses have been killed, they have just been laid in the street, and all those who delight in the death of these two witnesses, who delight in the conquering of those who would proclaim the goodness of Jesus Christ, they come to laugh, ridicule, and mock.

This isn't what we do with important people where we come to see, like when an elected official, a former president, lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, and many visitors come to respectfully pay their respects.

This is not that.

This is their dead bodies laying in the street and the world coming by to make fun of the fact that these people thought that Christ could actually get the victory.

That's what the wicked world is doing, and by the way, that's what a wicked, sinful world wants of the message of Jesus Christ.

They want it to be conquered and defeated.

Here is the trajectory of the Christian life.

We will prophesy until we die, and here's the best news, and then we rise.

And then we rise.

Look with me now, verse 11.

But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

It is a picture of Ezekiel chapter 37, the valley of dry bones, when the Spirit of God breathes life into these bones, and they start to come to life.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

Uh it is a picture of Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

I mentioned the beast in Daniel.

The beast is allowed to have power for a season.

But I love this beginning in verse 25.

The beast shall speak words against the most high, he shall wear out the saints of the most high, and shall think to change the times and the law.

They shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time.

So the beast will have this power, and then Daniel moves immediately, verse 26 of chapter 7.

But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

So here's the picture of the beast in Daniel.

He will be given power for a time, times and half a times, but then, very next verse, but then court will be in session.

And the great judge will come sit down on the throne and let the beast know his expiration date has been moved up to this very moment.

That you have been and will be defeated, that any power he has has been allowed just for a season.

Time, times and half a time, but your time is complete.

That this is the news of the judge who sits on the throne, that we will prophesy and then we will die.

The witnesses certainly have died, but then they will rise.

You may remember.

The name Madame Mao.

Emperor Mao's wife, the great uh really revolution in China during the middle half of the last century, the communist revolution that just caused devastation in China.

And Madame Mao rose and proclaimed loudly and boldly her good news of the day that Christianity is dead.

In fact, she said this Christianity now lives in the museum.

It is a relic, it is a thing of the past, it has nothing to do with the present or future of China.

She wanted the church shut down, she wanted Christians persecuted and eradicated and cast out of the country, that Christianity is dead and it is now a relic that belongs to the museum.

Here's what's interesting: Madame Mao died in 1991 alone in a prison hospital, and yet it is said today that by 2030 China will have the largest population of Christians of any country in the world.

Because we prophesy, and then we die, and just when the evil one thinks he's won.

Do you know that's the whole story of this book?

It's just moment after moment of the evil one thinking he has finally got the victory.

It is Coyote again and again going after Roadrunners, saying, This time I've got him.

And you've seen it enough, that I've seen it enough, that it never happens.

And over and over again, the evil one says, This is the time I will finally defeat not just the Lord of glory, but I can finally defeat his people.

And time and time again, it is proved again and again that you just can't stop the church.

Not because you and I are so impressive, but we've already been given the victory.

Christ said these words that the church will stand, the gates of hell cannot overcome it.

Here's why I love being a pastor so much: job security.

I'll always have a job.

The gates of hell cannot overcome the church because we prophesy and we die and then we rise.

It's the story of the Christian church through all generations.

It's the story of you and I in this life.

That you and I will live for the glory of God, proclaiming the glory of God.

You and I do have an expiration date unless the Lord returns sooner.

And here's the good news of the gospel Christ died and rose again, and you and I can have life in him, and we will rise with him.

This is the story of our future.

Verse 12.

These two witnesses have risen.

I love the fact that great fear has fallen on all those who saw them.

The very ones who were ridiculing and mocking and laughing now realize I've made a mistake.

Verse 12.

They heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here.

And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

The enemies watched as these two witnesses are brought up to the throne of Christ Jesus, protected, preserved, provided for for all eternity.

And then look what happens.

Verse 13.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell.

There is judgment.

But also this 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified, rightfully so, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

And so even in this day, as I read that, I see even in this moment a revival of sorts.

That these two witnesses have proclaimed the word, they have died, they have risen, and there were people, even among the crowds, that maybe 20 minutes ago were mocking, are now saying, I think these people were right.

And even in this moment, start to give glory to God.

This is the trajectory of the Christian life.

That you and I have a job to do.

You have a job to do today and tomorrow and every day of your life if you're in Christ Jesus, and that is this to prophesy, to proclaim the good news of Christ.

Also, we know the world does not like our message.

As you prophesy and proclaim, you will face ridicule, you will face persecution, there are people that will say that your message is silly, there are people that you will say your message is just so elementary.

There are people that will say you're wasting your time.

We will prophesy until we die and then we rise.

The story of Revelation, and really the story of Scripture, is this that our future is secure.

That in Christ Jesus we have a future.

A future that does not end in a grave, but ends in the new heaven and new earth.

And I really shouldn't have said ends in the new heaven and new earth.

Maybe I'll say begins in the new heavens and new earth.

This is your future.

We will prophesy, we will die, and then we rise.

Maybe this morning, for the first time, you want to know more about this Jesus.

You've seen the testimony through baptism of the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.

You've heard the word priest, and you say, I want to know this Jesus.

I'd love nothing more than to introduce you to him.

Maybe you want to join this church family.

Maybe you want to talk about baptism or talk about ways we can be praying over you and have a pastor pray with you even now.

You may want to respond this morning, and however you want to respond, I'm going to be right down front as we worship in just a moment.

You're welcome to come.

Let me pray for us.

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the word of truth, for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for the word that death is not the end.

But in Christ we have life and we have it abundantly, not just now, but for all eternity.

Thank you for that truth.

Lord, if there is any that needs to respond in salvation this morning, Lord, Holy Spirit, would you just stir in their hearts?

Give them a boldness to make a decision to follow you.

Lord, maybe someone just needs to take time and pray.

And just say, Lord Jesus, I want to be one who faithfully proclaims your truth.

Lord, let them do that this morning.

Lord, however we need to respond, let us do it now as we worship together.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

Would you stand?

We're going to worship and again.

I'll be down front if you'd like to respond.