Mark of the Beast 1 – Rev 13:14-18

And it deceives those dwelling on the earth because of the signs that were given to it to perform before the beast, telling those dwelling on the earth to make an image to the beast, that has the wound of the sword and has lived. And it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should also speak, and should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast would be killed. And it causes all the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the servants, that it should give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one should be able to buy or to sell if not having the mark – the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here the wisdom is. The one having understanding let him count the number of the beast. It is indeed man’s number. And the number of it is 666.

We spoke briefly previously about this image. The signs are warned of in Matthew 24:24 and parallels. Paul tells us to watch out for false signs in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Something beyond dubious signs should be expected. It isn’t enough to consider that this man will come out claiming Satan to be god, and here is the proof! We can’t simply expect a Muslim Antichrist, and therefore these things will be done in the name of Allah. These signs are warned against. It would imply, therefore, that there is a seduction that can take place in beholding these signs. They aren’t fake. This man truly calls down fire from heaven.

The people who flock to televangelists and other phenomena, whether true or not true, are in danger at this point. What is it within the human mind that miracles and signs are the signet ring of heaven? There is something here that needs to be burrowed out. We identify heaven by the character, and not by the miraculous. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will give every sign of being authentically in God the Father, yet are not. They somehow are able to deceive, thus we have warnings of their coming, but at the same time blaspheme the very name of God and they who dwell in heaven. What is it that is so drastically neutered in our thinking to be so placated?

One thing is certain: they who are cheap in their walk with Christ are in far more danger than the devout. To read the Bible, whether New Testament or Old Testament, and to still be searching for what it says ‘to me’ is a grave disgrace. Herein lie the glory of eternity, and we would rather see ourselves. There is something calibrated within our souls. We hope to find a mirror instead of a pool. A mirror will reflect back to us what we are, and we’re happy with that. A pool reflects us, but also reveals what is beyond the surface. It is much better to find self in the Scriptures than to find God, for in finding God we are confronted with something much more grand than ‘me’.

The deception comes when we are not lovers of truth, as Paul would tell us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10. To love the truth is more than desiring truth. We can desire truth and hate it. We can seek truth and not love it. We can be content to ‘know’ truth, and yet not live by that truth. We might even delight in the knowledge, but as soon as requirement hits to live by that truth we show the reality of our condition. In the olden days, back when you used gold and silver for currency, one of the ways you knew whether it was true silver was by throwing the coin to the ground. It would hit the floor and make a *ping* that resonates for time after the incident. If the coin be fake, it would hit the ground with a *thud* and the ring would instantly stop.

Either we are true through and through, or the truth is not in us. Truth is something that we live, and not simply something we ‘agree’ with. Doctrine is a strange thing. It goes beyond what we believe. It reverberates into the very soul itself. It finds lodging in the deepest cracks, and from there it shows forth its reality. Whether we are truly believers will come through in all instances in life. For example, when you are in the midst of joy, that joy will overflow into praise unto God. When you are in the midst of trial, no matter how adverse the trial, that will drive you into the loving arms of God the Father. If you be true, you find in all things, in all moments, Christ is there. If you only have the outward appearance of silver, but lack the actual thing, you will find that no matter what circumstances life brings to you, you will continue to emanate your ‘self’, and not a new creation either.

I have often found it bizarre that in the midst of the Charismatic miracles and healings there is always a personality. In the midst of the prophetic, there is rarely a word. It is almost always characterized by ‘getting the Bible out of the way’. You give the quickie sermonette so that people will hear what the Bible says, but the real action is within the healings. The real action is within the prophetic word. Why do we so quickly pass by the Scriptures in order to come to something ‘more glorious’? Could there truly be anything more glorious? This isn’t a critique against prophecy or miracles, but against our mindsets.

This sort of quick grab-bag mentality stinks. It comes up into the nostrils of God and reveals our inner hearts. We don’t truly want Christ. We want manifestations. We want prophecy. We want excitement. We want something bigger, louder, more ‘hit you in the chest’. Our desire is tangibility, but the reality is not found there. How is it that the two witnesses perform signs explained in Revelation 11, and yet just across town people are lining up to get marked? Does this not blow the whistle on the whole thing? The true is abandoned because it is true. The false is embraced because it is easier.

Don’t think that by ‘easier’ it means without hard preaching. They who speak harshly against cults and leaders can be quite easy. Condemn the outward sin, but let’s not talk about the inward problems. Talk about death and death and death, but let’s neglect resurrection. Crucify the leaders who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, but let’s not mention that we too have our struggles. The preacher who stands on a platform lies to you. Any elevation is a lie. They are ‘over’ you only in their imaginations. The elevated platform perpetuates the lie, but Jesus has said that we’re all one. If that is true, that we are all one, then the person behind the pulpit is no greater than you are. To perpetuate that lie is to give yourself over to deception. It is the love of truth that will raise the banner. I cannot give myself to that performance. It is blaspheme to continue in the system called ‘church’ when we know good and well that it is only a building and a service. Calling it church doesn’t make it church. Gathering together doesn’t mean Jesus is in the midst. The whole thing is based off of pretense and error, and to continue in that is dangerous.

The False Prophet makes a monument unto the beast. This is much like when Absolom made a monument unto himself in 2 Samuel 18:18. The Davidic kingdom was orchestrated by God. It was given from heaven, and blessed by God. Yet, this man in his arrogance attempts to steal the kingdom with force. So it is today that they who would call themselves the ‘head’ of any congregation is perpetuating a lie. It is an Absolom anointing, which ultimately is an anointing of Satan. It is antichrist at the heart. We have kicked out the people of God in order to continue in our games and events and programs. We have neglected the Jewish people, some even calling them cursed, and in that have rejected David as king. We have run out the prophets and apostles from our midst, because they won’t allow the pretense. They who are Davidic, whether Jew or Christian, are shunned – even from the Messianic congregations.

The Davidic character is one of tears. It is one of authenticity. It desires truth in the inward parts and will not allow the lie to be perpetuated. David is humble. He is gentle. Yet, when you oppose the Lord his God, you will find that he can also be a man of war. For this reason they are considered rude and bringers of division. They goat kick and wolf back, but to the sheep they are lovers beyond what can be worded. They protect the flock and destroy any who devour. For this reason they are opposed most strictly by the leadership within the walls. They are an affront to anyone who would claim leadership as a job instead of a function in the Body. To receive income for your ‘calling’ is an abomination.

We see in Daniel 3 the story of Nebuchadnezzar building a statue. Why is it that only these three men were caught opposing it? The same question can be asked of chapter 1. Why is it in Daniel 1 that these four men are the only ones unwilling to eat the defiled meat? Did no one else know the Law? Or, more correctly, could no one else discern the abomination? Here it is that the other Israelites considered themselves as blessed and being taken care of. Daniel and his three friends could see that this meat is anathema. What was it that Daniel and his three companions had that the rest of the nobility lacked? What wisdom did they draw from?

I speak quite harshly in this post concerning the religious system that we’ve made. The reason for this is to shock you into reality. By what wisdom do you know whether what you are doing is right or wrong? How is it that you know that wherever your attending is not an Absolom? How do you know that the meat is not defiled? Is it because you pray? So did the rest of the nobles. Is it that you read the Bible? So did Absolom. What makes you so different? This is the heart. This is the nub of the argument. How can we discern whether the miracles are true or false? How can we know and recognize this deception? It is by knowing intimately the culture and character of heaven, because we’ve spent time with God in heaven.

Heaven is the place of intimacy with Christ. It is where you and I are one. From that place, where Christ revealed Himself to you, you are united unto Him and all the holy brethren. If you are unable to love the brothers and sisters of Christ, then you do not love Him. You cannot love Him and then despise His brethren. They who claim they love Jesus and then hate their brother shows themselves to be a liar, and the truth is not in them. This is your antidote. This is the litmus test. The man or woman who would willingly cast out or oppress someone else because they don’t get along together is antichrist. It is true that some people are difficult to get along with. Are they your brother? Are they your sister? Are they truly of Christ? If yes, then you have no excuse. If no, then you cast out the unbeliever from your midst. This is what is important, and not whether you all play nicely.

What will distinguish the Antichrist and False Prophet will be their words. With their lips they’ll claim one thing, but with their actions show fruit of something else. Anyone who opposes them will be vehemently opposed. How is this possible if the love of God is within them? Did not Jesus show us that God’s character is one of servanthood and gentleness? Does not David show us that he was unwilling to harm the Lord’s anointed? This is the character of God. He is willing to endure suffering on behalf of the other person so that they might receive greater glory. If that character is lacking, then there is a problem.

I’ll pick up next time examining the mark of the beast more specifically. Until then, grace and peace in Christ.

The Great City – Rev 11:7-14

And when they shall have completed their testimony, the beast coming out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and will kill them. And the their bodies will be upon the street of the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also the their Lord was crucified. And the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze upon their bodies for three and a half days, and their bodies they will not allow to be put into a tomb. And those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and make merry, will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets have tormented those dwelling upon the earth.

Who is this beast that kills the two prophets? The answer to that should be rather obvious, but just in case it is not, we can compare Rev 9:11, 13:1-2, 17:3, 8, and 13:7. This is the Antichrist, and a favorite way of expressing this man by our author. These clauses in verse 7 are an independent translation of Daniel 7:1-2, 21, and 25.

As for the identity of the great city, we merely need to ask where the Lord was crucified. While it is true that Nineveh is called the Great City in Jonah 1:2, the context of our particular passage is quite impossible to avoid. Though this city is being called Sodom and Egypt, it is indeed Jerusalem. We shall see with a little more depth, and hopefully clarity, when we reach chapter 17 that this “great city” and “great prostitute” is both Jerusalem and Babylon at the same time. There is a duality to this, and that shouldn’t be neglected. However, for they who desire to claim Rome to be Babylon, they miss entirely the poetry and force of what John is expressing.

We find that in almost every situation within the book of Revelations the wording “the great city” is in reference to Babylon: 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 18, 19, and 21. It comes from Genesis 10:12. We read in Genesis 10 of “the table of nations”. The man Nimrod was mighty against the Lord. The word ‘before’ in the old English context would actually mean against, and the Hebrew agrees with this translation. Nimrod was not a mighty warrior on behalf of the Lord, but against the Lord. He was the man who founded Nineveh, and even built up the area of Shinar – which is where the tower of Babel was erected and was later called Babylon.

While the obvious translation of this “great city” according to all other usages within Revelations would point to Babylon, which many would then submit is to be translated as Rome, our immediate context would suggest otherwise. The temple was in Jerusalem, and not in Rome. The Lord was crucified outside of Jerusalem, and not in Rome. To help us, or depending on the bias to cause us difficulty, we find 1 Peter 5:13 expressing that Jerusalem was called Babylon. Peter might have traveled outside of Jerusalem, this is true, but the evidence seems to be overwhelming from the book of Acts and that Paul calls him the “apostle to the Jews” that Peter was located within Jerusalem. This is why he is writing to those who have been scattered throughout the world – the Diaspora.

We see in Isaiah 1:9-10, 3:9, Ezekiel 16:46, 48, 49, 1 Kings 9:15, and 10:14 that Israel is likened unto Sodom and Egypt in the prophets. In regards to 1 Kings, we see that Israel has become the “new Egypt” by enslaving the nations. Jeremiah 23:14 also speaks of the sins of the prophets of Jerusalem being like Sodom and Gomorrah.

In verse 9, either these are some from every nation that are present in Jerusalem, or they are figurative representative as in the 10 kings somehow representing the whole world. The context is still within Jerusalem, however there is possibility that this event will be celebrated throughout the world. As for the refusal of burial, we can compare Psalm 79:3, and 1 Kings 13:22.

With verse 10 we can compare Esther 9:19, 22, and Nehemiah 8:10, 12. The giving of gifts in these compared verses are of the righteous who have been delivered and vindicated. However, the same ideology – and indeed the same wording – is used here. Notice that the word claims these men to be “tormentors”. Could anything be further from the truth? These two men are the very representatives of heaven. What they say is the word from heaven, and the way they act is in keeping with that of heavenly protocol. They are meek. They cry. They hurt when they inflict hurt. They seek reconciliation and repentance. They are human. In all ways, they are by no means tormentors without conscience. In fact, the very reason that God would choose these two men is because of their unwillingness to compromise. They don’t relent because they seek for heaven to be manifest upon the earth – not because they delight in dissention and rebuke.

And after the three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them. They heard a great voice out of heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand names of men were killed, and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Verse 11 is reminiscent of Ezekiel 37:10. The τας refers back to 11:9. This breath of life seems to be the ruach chaim, however, it has much more significance (Genesis 6:17 has the term). Nephesh also seems to fall short, because we aren’t simply talking about life, but resurrection. Much more likely is Ezekiel 37:5, 10. Also see 2 Kings 13:21.

‘Fear fell upon’ is a Lucan phrase. See Luke 1:12, Acts 19:17. Also, Exodus 15:16, Psalm 55:5.

We see verse 12 has a ring of 2 Kings 2:11 to it: “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind.” The obvious differences would be that these two witnesses are taken up in a cloud, like Jesus in Acts 1:9, and they are resurrected, and not taken into heaven without death. Another possibility is the literal sight of 1 Thessalonians 4:16 in the case of these two witnesses – that the dead shall rise first.

In regard to this earthquake, we can see in Ezekiel 38:19-20 that there shall be an earthquake to precede the coming of Jesus. Yet, the puzzle is why people are glorifying God… If this is before the coming of Jesus, then why are the very people who rejoiced at the death of these two witnesses now glorifying God? Wouldn’t they be cursing Him for allowing these “tormentors” to live again? In Ezekiel 38, the earthquake does not have this effect. Yet, it is an earthquake before the return of Christ in Ezekiel 39.

It is possible that those who give glory to God are Jews that served the Antichrist, now turning from their sin to embrace righteousness. It could also be that somehow these are Jews and/or Christians who are able to somehow be preserved in Jerusalem for this 3 ½ year period of time. Some have scoffed at the idea that this could possibly be the conversion of Jewish people unto the “God of heaven”, however Ezra 5:12 speaks of provoking the God of heaven. This would imply the need for repentance and conversion to the God of heaven.

In all, the details within this segment are quite extraordinary and difficult to nail down. Yet, they are also quite self-explanatory once the allusions and quotes are understood and searched out. Like all these passages in Revelations, we must go back to the original text that is being referenced and seek to understand the original context. If that doesn’t help us, then we seek to understand the immediate context around. Overall the chapter isn’t too difficult to comprehend, but the details are giving nuances that are quite compelling and staggering.

The Two Witnesses – Rev 11:3-6

And I will grant 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 Lord of the earth. And if anyone should desire to harm them, fire goes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone should desire to harm them, thus it is necessary for him to be killed. These have the power to shut the sky, that no rain shall fall in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they might desire.

These two witnesses are based off of two Scriptures: Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:16. Why are there two? It is incredibly obvious once you realize that in the Law you could not put anyone to death without the testimony of two witnesses. Then, Jesus told His disciples that when two or more are gathered in His name that He is in their midst; whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Here we see these two witnesses as witnesses against the Antichrist and all that follow him, and we find them being that duo to bind and loose as the Lord has decreed. This, of course, does nothing to eliminate these Scriptures of their original context, but only to display the context of Revelation 11.

The presence of the article (“THE two witnesses”) tells us that these two figures were well known. When John speaks of these two men, he is not speaking of some mystery men that will show up on stage, and you or I or someone we know might be “called” to perform this task. Everyone knew who “the two witnesses” are. Tertullian (2^nd century) claimed them to be Enoch and Elijah. Verses 5-6 seem to indicate Moses and Elijah (see Matthew 17:3, signifying the Law and the Prophets). What is typically neglected in the debate is Deuteronomy 19:15.

What can be known is that these two men are specific to the time of trampling, and they are not present here any time before it. Some take these to be the Body of Christ as a whole. This cannot be for a couple reasons. First, the Body of Christ is present before the appearing of these two witnesses, and the Body is to be prophetic in nature both past, present, and future. Second, these two men are specific to Jerusalem, as we saw in our last post. This would require that the Body of Christ is specific to Jerusalem, which simply has never, is not, and will never be true. Third, these two men are caught up to heaven before the rapture of the church with the coming of Jesus. They are two literal men, with a literal purpose that only they can fulfill.

This puzzle of who they are is expanded in verse 4. We have an allusion – almost a quotation – from Zechariah 4:2, 3, and 14. In Zechariah, we have the candlestick with seven branches (Zech 4:2, 10). We can also compare this to Revelation 1:20, 4:5, and 5:6. These are the eyes of the Lord that roam throughout the earth (Zech 4:10). In Zech 4:3, 12, and 14, these two olive trees are Joshua and Zerubbabel. Here in Revelation 11:4, the one candlestick is two, and is treated as synonymous with the olive trees. Most likely the “candlestick” is not what John is thinking, but rather the two golden pipes from which the oil flows.

Now, in comparing these two to Joshua and Zerubbabel, what is John attempting to tell us? Joshua was crowned as both priest and king in Zechariah 6:11-13. Zerubbabel was of the lineage of Jehoiachin. In Jeremiah 22:28, this man is decreed as a broken pot, and in verse 30 it is declared that “none of his offspring… will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” Then, in the very next chapter, God begins to express how He will send “the branch” – directly what Joshua is called in Zechariah 6:12 – who is to be the messianic shepherd of His people. Now, it is important to note that Joshua is called one symbolic of men to come, and the branch is distinguished from him in Zechariah 3:8-10.

In Zechariah 4:7 the “destroying mountain” (see Jeremiah 51:25) is said to be destroyed at the hand of Zerubbabel. Here is a key to understanding this enigma. Joshua and Zerubbabel are both somehow messianic patterns. In Haggai 2:23, the Lord declares that the messiah shall come from Zerubbabel, even though Jeremiah had declared none of the offspring of Jehoichin would rule in Judah. Here we see the mercy of God, but we also see a pattern. Joshua was the high priest and wore a crown like the king, and was even called the branch. Zerubbabel was of a cursed lineage, and yet was decreed as the signet ring of God.

Both of these men are in some way types of Christ. However, here in Revelation 11:4, they aren’t being used in this manner. The reason that John is expressing these two olive trees goes back to their immediate functions in their day and age. They were the ones who called for reform. They were the ones who should deliver the people of God from their bondage and iniquity – calling them back unto righteousness. They were the ones leading the charge of building the temple. While all of these are messianic expectancies, neither Joshua nor Zerubbabel were the messiah. And here is our pattern. Moses declared that we should search for a prophet like himself (Deut 18:15). At the end of Deuteronomy (34:10), it is said that there had been no prophet like Moses to rise up. In John 1:21 the Pharisees ask if John the Baptist is “the prophet”.

Malachi had prophesied that before the Day of the Lord God would send Elijah. Here we see these two witnesses being likened to Moses and Elijah in verse 6. What we see in Moses and Elijah is that both of them are a type of Christ, but are not Christ. They are not antichrist, obviously, but merely are not the fulfillment of the messianic expectancy. Thus, we expect that these two men are somehow types and foreshadowing of Christ, and most assuredly they are making way for His appearing, but they are not Jesus.

Revelation 11:5 does cause some difficulty. In 2 Samuel 22:19, fire comes from the Lord’s mouth. Interestingly, these two witnesses have a similar trait to the horses mentioned in 9:17. We can compare 2 Kings 1:10, 12, where Elijah calls down fire upon the fifty men, and Jeremiah 5:14 where God’s word is like a fire and the people like wood who are consumed by that word.

With our final verse, we compare 1 Kings 17:1, Luke 4:25, James 5:17, Exodus 7:17, and 1 Samuel 4:8. The commanding of elements and nature is not something given to everyone. We do not have this ability granted to us for our own whims. God exclusively gave this to Moses and Elijah in their days as witness against the false gods being worshiped. For this we see Exodus 12:12, and in comparison to Elijah we see that Baal was the god over the storms and rain. For Elijah to stop up the heavens would be a direct challenge to the deity of Baal.

Behind these false gods – which are nothing but wood or metal – is a demonic power. Paul would call them the “principalities”. These are the forces that demand worship, and not the carved image itself. During the rule of the Antichrist, it is necessary to note that he establishes a false god at the temple. That false god, as we see in Revelation 13:14-15, is in the image of the beast. Which beast exactly is being spoken of, the wording would tell us that this is a monument unto himself – much like Absolom build an image to himself. The worship, however, we see in 13:4 is ultimately unto the dragon (Satan) and not the beast.

Thus, in these two men having the power over the elements of nature, we are seeing that they are battling against the spiritual forces of darkness. While the whole world is going off to worship this beast, the entirety of that system and homage is being brought into question through the exercising of these miracles. These two men are not merely plaguing the earth. They are plaguing the kingdom of darkness at its heart – the spiritual reality that hides itself in the darkness. These two men blow the whistle upon the false worship and the false signs and wonders by bringing forth the word of God and commanding the very elements that the beast and dragon claim to have power over.

So, when we are dealing with these two witnesses, we are dealing with more than just two men who speak some sort of message in Jerusalem. We’re dealing with the very issue of the Gospel itself. This is the very declaration of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the manifesting of the wisdom of God unto the principalities and powers, so that no man, woman, or child who is in Jerusalem is without excuse. God is utterly just when He brings destruction, devastation, and death unto they who follow the beast.

The Temple – Rev 11:1-2

And to me was given a measuring rod like a staff, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those worshiping in it. And leave out the court that is within the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample upon the holy city for forty two months.”

We have come unto Revelation 11, and the previous post explored the overall theme of the chapter. It has been established that this timeline given of 42 months and 1,260 days would put us somewhere around the abomination of desolation – halfway through the week (Dan 9:27). The first verse is somewhat reminiscent of Ezekiel 40:3-42:20 and Zechariah 2:1-2. Why exactly the temple is being measured is unclear. In both Ezekiel and Zechariah, the measuring has to do with the restoring of the temple, and not the mere preservation. However, Zechariah 2 does have the context of the cry later expressed in Revelation 18:4, “Come out from her!”. We can compare Zechariah 2:7, “Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!” This does keep our contrast being made in the rest of Revelation 11. (It would make sense that John is not thinking of Zechariah 2 alone, but Zechariah 1-5 all being expressed throughout the book of Revelations.)

The temple of God is the literal temple. This is the only mention of the literal temple in Revelations. Exegetically, I can see no reason to suppose it is the ‘spiritual temple’ (3:12) or the ‘heavenly temple’ (7:15, 11:19, 14:15, 17, 15:5, 6, 8, 16:1, 17). There is a contrast being made in this chapter between this temple that is “trampled by the Gentiles” and the heavenly temple that shall open at the coming of Christ in verse 19. The chapter begins with the earthly temple, and ends with the heavenly temple. The reason for this is that at the seventh trumpet, the heavenly temple is the earthly temple, and the earthly temple is the heavenly temple. The two have become one, and no longer is the earthly being patterned after the heavenly reality.

If we believe this temple to somehow be the ‘spiritual temple’, and all we see here is the trampling of the Christians, this not only destroys the contrast being made, but also leads us to ask some quite perplexing questions. For example, why would John need to measure the Body of Christ? And what exactly does that even mean? How could he measure the Body of Christ? What specifically does God mean when He says to measure the temple, the altar, and to count the worshipers, if the worshipers are the temple and the altar? What does it mean that only the outer court is given to the Gentiles? Are there a specific people who are the “outer court” in the Body of Christ?

That this is a literal temple cannot be denied, but it does also cause us some complication. For they who claim a future fulfillment of this prophecy (as I do, and as I believe that John did), this brings about a tremendous premonition. Here we have a direct prophecy of a third temple in Jerusalem that will be trampled down for a third time by the Gentiles. Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Herod’s temple was destroyed by Titus. Now this temple will also be destroyed by some Antichrist ruler. It might very well be that at the end of Isaiah, the prophet wrote concerning this very moment, “For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary” (Isa 63:18).

This would align with what we see in Daniel, though. There will be 2,300 evening and mornings between the time that the sacrifices begin and the sanctuary is restored (Dan 8:13-14). The context is explicit in Daniel. The prophet is not talking about the time that the desolation occurs until the restoration, but from the moment of the sacrificing to the restoration. This would imply that Israel will possess the temple for only long enough to build the altar and begin sacrificing for about 3 years before it will be trampled upon and they will be scattered again through the nations. That fits perfectly with the futurist view that the last seven years will consist of Israel rebuilding the temple, and then halfway through this time that temple is desolated.

With this explained, we see what I’ve said from all along: the focus is upon Jerusalem. This second verse would actually give us credence to believing that Luke 21:24 is speaking of a future time, and not merely 70 A.D. Once again, it is incredibly simple to see the connections, and I don’t balk at the preterist for seeing those connections. My contention is in their assumption that the connections mean a historical interpretation. Because Jesus was ‘obviously’ talking about 70 A.D. the author of Revelations must also be writing about 70 A.D. The problem is that it isn’t obvious, and from what I can tell through the general scope of Scripture we are looking for a future fulfillment.

The holy city is thus Jerusalem, even though that wording is ‘only’ used for the New Jerusalem (21:2, 10). This term is not used to call Jerusalem holy, for at this time we will find in Revelation 17 that she is being called a prostitute, but to once again remind the reader of the parallel between heaven and earth. At Sinai there was smoke and fire, and in the Tabernacle we find the altar of incense and menorah. At Sinai there was an altar; outside of the Tabernacle there was the altar. In the wilderness the Israelites were fed by manna; in the Tabernacle they had showbread. The Tabernacle was a traveling Sinai. Later these things were adopted to Jerusalem, where the earthly city was considered to be the city of God. Many times in the Psalms and prophets we’re not sure if they are singing of the earthly city or the heavenly reality called “Zion”, or if they are somehow the same.

The trampling comes from Luke 21:24, which comes from Daniel 8:9-13. We can also see Isaiah 63:18, where we asserted that the short three years is that “little time” that they possess the sanctuary, and Psalm 79:1, which most likely speaks of the Babylonian siege. The 42 months appears both here and in 13:5. When speaking about the wicked, we read of the 42 months, but the righteous are spoken of with specificity: 1,260 days. However, 12:14 is a literal translation of Daniel 7:25, 12:7. Here the author wants to make no mistake about what he is saying. These are all the same measurement of time, but he wants you to know the context comes directly from Daniel, and not from Jesus alone.

This is crucial, because many have translated Daniel as being Antiochus Epiphanes. This is impossible considering that Jesus claimed this to be a future event, and now John is also claiming the same. It also causes us to reconsider the whole of Daniel in light of what John is saying. If John fully expected the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies to be future to him, then it doesn’t matter if he is writing before or after 70 A.D. It is still future. Titus never came to an end supernaturally, as Daniel explicitly predicts. Neither did Vespasian, nor Domitian, nor Nero come to a supernatural death “without human hands”. If we take seriously the details, none of it adds up.

This puts us at both excitement and awkwardness. It is exciting because we can thus conclude certain events will take place in the future, and as such, we take hope that Jesus shall return unto us. Yet, it places upon us an onus far too large to possibly lift. How can we predict the future without the Spirit of God revealing it unto us? Though the details are given quite explicitly, there are still some very rough patches that need to be worked through. Not only that, but we find many who desire to take these things and use them to promote propaganda and heresy. Yes, the blood moon is mentioned in Revelation 6, but that doesn’t necessitate that we should be searching for blood moons. If we’re looking for blood moons, our head is in the sand and we don’t even know it.

To get back to the 42 months, I wanted to end with a peculiar similarity. In Luke 4:25 and James 5:17, we read that Elijah caused drought to last for 3 ½ years. This is rather startling considering that when we pick up in the two witnesses we will find one of them to “be Elijah”. This man’s life is somehow a pattern for the end times, more than we can even currently know. This is what Malachi prophesies as well. Before the coming of the Lord – specifically, the Day of the Lord – Elijah must come (Mal 4:5). Jesus’ first appearing doesn’t fully express the Day of the Lord as sought by the prophets. Thus, we expect another “Elijah” to come – just like John the Baptist came in those shoes.

Revelation 11 Overview

With our general overview, we desire to answer only a few questions. First, where in our timeline are we? Second, what does some of the symbolism mean? Third, what is the general concept behind the chapter?

To the first question we have an answer given quite explicitly. We see in verse 2 that the outer court is handed over to the Gentiles for 42 months, and then in the following verses of the two witnesses we see that they prophesy for 1,260 days. When we come to the end of the chapter we find an earthquake and people worshiping God – the exact effects of the seventh trumpet listed in verses 15-19. Whether the last section of the sixth woe (verses 12-14) is the return of Christ or not will be debated at a future post. However, the most likely interpretation would be that this is indeed chronology leading up to the seventh trumpet and not a part of the seventh trumpet.

So, what we see is that just prior to the return of Jesus with the seventh trumpet (maybe a few days at most) is the finality of this scene regarding the two witnesses and the beast who slays them. Thus, it is most trustworthy to interpret that chapter 11 takes us from somewhere around the halfway mark unto the very end. This is after the abomination of desolation, because the outer court is already in the hands of the Gentiles, and thus after the exact midpoint of the last seven years.

For the symbolism, we really only need to define two symbols: the two witnesses and the beast who slays them. The two witnesses absolutely must be two people. They cannot be symbolic of the Church and/or Israel. The reason for this is simple: they get caught up before the rapture of the church. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, the rapture takes place at the last trump, and their death and resurrection occur just prior to that final trump. They are specific to Jerusalem, and not worldwide, based on simple context. Most likely the title comes from Deuteronomy 19:15, that these are the two witnesses that shall testify against the beast and his followers so that in all things God is just for His judgment.

The identity of these two individuals is highly speculative. Some have interjected Moses and Elijah, others Enoch and Elijah. The reason behind these interjections are simple. Enoch and Elijah never died, and it is appointed once for man to die. However, I would point out that we need to read the context of Hebrews 9:27, because the context is about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and not about whether you absolutely must die. The context is clearly not saying that all of humanity is forced to undergo physical death, but is in relation to the Day of Atonement, and how God is judging the nation of Israel on that day. That is the day that either all of the sin of Israel is forgiven or God will condemn the whole nation.

So, we conclude that this idea of Enoch and Elijah is not satisfactory. We then turn to the other notion: Elijah and Moses. This comes from the types of plagues that these men perform. They have the authority to shut off the heavens, like Elijah. They also have the authority to turn the rivers and waters to blood, like Moses. Thus, we assume them to be Elijah and Moses, however the question is raised: “Are they Elijah and Moses or are they two men in the power and likeness of Elijah and Moses?” This question comes from John the Baptist being likened to Elijah by Jesus (Mat 17:12-13). With this it is fairly easy to assume that we are looking at two like Elijah and Moses, and not Elijah and Moses returned.

Finally, what is the general concept behind the chapter? The chapter as a whole is looking at Jerusalem during the time of the Antichrist, and most likely the seven bowls of wrath in chapter 16 is the overlay of what we see here. We see the powers of darkness facing off against the powers of light. We see the ministers of God opposing the ministers of Satan. We see both literal description of what shall happen as well as pattern. While it appears that the darkness is winning, both in that they have laid claim to Jerusalem and that the beast will eventually kill the two witnesses, the victory is not so lengthily celebrated. Ultimately, love wins. So it is with all the saints.

Satan Destroys Nations

A man from Uganda had given a message that changed my life in regard to the way I perceive spiritual warfare. It has to do with fighting for our nation. Right off the bat, I almost feel the need to stress that this is not about patriotism, but about entering into the ultimate intention of God for our nation. We’ve prayed for revival for so long, and we’ve been pouring out our tears, and we’ve been hearing for so long that persecution is coming to America. So many seem to speak messages of revival, restoration, enduring hardships and suffering, and the coming persecution upon Christians.

Ignore all of it. They know almost nothing of God’s purposes.

What people are sensing is from the enemy, and not from God. They are hearing the taunts of Satan, and are then crying because of his jeers. Let me explain this as clearly and concisely as I possibly can.

There are two ways that the enemy destroys nations. The first is only temporary to lead into the second. The principalities and powers will lull to sleep the strong, so that the net comes around them, and when they finally wake up, they have no strength, no authority, no voice, and no hope. Though they know their strength and have desire to fight (and will fight), they simply have handed over all strength to the enemy – like Samson gave his strength over to Delilah.

The second way that Satan destroys nations is to use violence and terror. He will come in like a flood to oppress anyone who stands in his way. Women are oppressed. Men live in fear. Children are taken from their homes and forced to serve in the military. Anyone who opposes the powers that be is annihilated. Absolute oppression is poured out upon all – even they who are being used as puppets at the top. For an example of this, look in the Middle East. See the work of ISIS for what it really is: the tactic of the enemy to destroy entire nations. (Another example in modern times would be Nazi Germany.)

Here is the problem: When we pray about issues regarding the Middle East, or regarding homosexual activism, or regarding abortion, or regarding the political agendas and the government that rules over us, we often are praying in regard to the issues that we see. There are deeper issues than that.

When we examine America’s history, what is one of the issues that comes up over and over again? Racism. I saw somewhere that 150,000 people were killed in the trail of tears – the utter destruction of the Native Americans. Slavery has been something that has left a tarnish upon this nation, not just from 1700’s, but even from the Civil War through the Civil Right’s movement of the 1960’s. When we see the racism issue being displayed every day on the media, it is not because we still struggle with racism. Whether that is true or not is a non-issue.

There is a principality over our nation that is driving the racism thing. It is an Assyrian spirit, one that would claim itself to be the “master race” (it was the Assyrians who coined this term), and their leaders were called “Khatti-sars”. From this we have words like Caesar, Tzar, Czar, Kaiser, etc. The Assyrians used symbols like the double-headed eagle, the iron cross, and the swastika as their representations. Yes, the eagle on the dollar bill comes from the Assyrian symbol. They are recorded by Philo and Josephus as being people with blonde hair and blue eyes, and white skin. The Indians (country) called them “white demons”. This is what has infiltrated Germany, thus the rise of Nazism, and what has come across the sea into America, thus the racism and elitism.

The roots need to be noted and understood. We are fighting principalities and powers, not racism and abortion. The problem stems unto a spirit that presides over our nation, that until it be cast down by the Church that has come out from all influence of the principalities and powers, we will continue to find these problems. They won’t stop here. The goal is to oppress the people of God, to numb them and to deceive them, until  eventually they have no power at all. To use their wisdom at all is to surrender your authority to them (see here for more information on their wisdom). To harness patriotism, which I do love what American is supposed to stand for (freedom), is to play directly into their power.

God has called us out of father, kindred, and nation – just as He called Abraham out – so that we might come into a different Kingdom entirely. It is from that heavenly kingdom, with the authority invested in us through freedom from demonic influence and manipulation, and freedom from sin, that we are able to war against those powers over our nation.

Ultimately, the casting down of principalities from a national level requires the command over even the elements of nature (see my blog here on the two witnesses). In our prayers for our nations, instead of seeking revival to come (for this has become the pattern here in America), we need to seek the Lord to understand His purposes for our nations. It takes prophetic discernment, and nothing less, to see the roots of the spiritual climate of our nations. It takes prophetic discernment, and nothing less, to hear from heaven to know what it means to be Zion instead of America, or Canada, or Uganda, or Japan.

The Church of the nations cannot be everything that it has been called to be while the principalities and powers have their rule in the heavenly places. They affect our ability to discern, hear, and even pray. Nothing short of the glory of God is necessary to cast them down. What that entails is this: Living in unity with one another. When you are one with each other, as Jesus is one with the Father, you have overcome into a realm of eternal significance. It takes God’s wisdom of sacrificial love in order to break the bonds of denominationalism and ethnic prowess. It is that wisdom that defeats the powers.

A Word on the Two Witnesses

In Revelation 11, we find these “two witnesses” that have both puzzled and fascinated many scholars and Bible students through the centuries. Some want to know who they are, and others want to symbolize them away. What is most fascinating about them is that they “have the power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.”

Before we get to this, lets do a small amount of background. We read in Revelation 11:4 that these “two witnesses” are the “two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth”. Now, this is important for two reasons. First, it is important to know that the lampstands in the book of Revelation are symbolic of the churches (Rev 1:20). Second it is a direct link to call us back to Zechariah 4. In Zechariah 4, we find these “two olive trees” next to a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. No doubt the book of Revelation is looking back to this in Revelation 1:20 with the lamps and the “stars”.

Who are these two olive trees? The context of the vision here begins in Zechariah 2, however, we find that the answer is given when combining chapters 3 and 4 of Zechariah. One of the olive trees is Joshua the High Priest. The other is Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel. These two men are key in the restoration of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem when Israel came back after the exile. Yet, they are also symbolic of something beyond them. Zerubbabel is the descendant of Jehoiachin – the same king of Israel that Jeremiah claimed was cursed and wouldn’t ever have someone to sit upon his throne (Jer 22:24-30). Now, this Zerubbabel is symbolic of the Messiah, because according to the word of Haggai, he is the one who is the signet ring of God, the chosen one (Hag 2:23). Christ Jesus comes from the lineage of Zerubbabel (Mat 1:12). Joshuah is the High Priest, and is symbolic “symbolic of men to come” (Zech 3:8). It is Joshua who is called “the branch”, which is once again a messianic title in the prophetic Scriptures. Thus, we have both Joshua and Zerubbabel as symbols of the Messiah – one as High Priest, and the other as King of Israel.

Now, for John to be referencing these two men, the “olive trees”, and for him to put them in the future as two literal men that are to be coming into Jerusalem to prophesy for 1,260 days is significant. What exactly is John getting at that these two messianic figures are supposed to be two literal people that are not the Messiah? The answer is found in Zechariah 4, where we see that though Joshua and Zerubbabel are considered messianic figures, the two olive trees are specifically considered “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth” (Zech 4:14). Though they are symbolically messianic, they are still two real people.

Now, when we see in Revelation 11 that these two men have the power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want, we instantly should think of Moses. Likewise, when we read that they have the power to shut off the heavens so that it doesn’t rain during the time of their prophesying, we should think of Elijah. John is being purposeful here, because these men are symbolic as much as they are literal people. There is something about Moses and Elijah that we find in no one else through all of Scripture: they were given authority over even the elements of nature. But the question isn’t what, the question is why?

Every plague that Moses sent upon Egypt was against a god of Egypt. Khnum was the god of the Nile River, the guardian if you will, and thus the first plague was to turn the Nile to blood. Osiris was the god of the underworld, and the Nile was the “bloodstream” to the underworld. The Egyptians would have wondered where the goddess Tauret was, the goddess of the river, or where Nu, the god of life in the Nile, was trapped to allow such a thing to occur. The frogs were considered the theophany of the goddess Heqt, the wife of the creator of the world. Heqt was depicted as with the head and body of a frog. The “lice”, or “fleas” that came from the dust of the earth would have been an insult against the god “Geb”, the great god of the earth. The “swarms of flies” is actually missing the word “of flies” in the Hebrew, and thus we see the plague of “swarms”. It is most likely that it was swarms of scarab beetles, the god Amon-Ra being depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.

All of the plagues were directed against the gods of Egypt. But still, the question can be asked, “Why?” The gods are representatives of the principalities and powers. The principalities are demonic forces that influence government, society, culture, and every kind of system – whether educational, religious, governmental or otherwise. They rule and influence through the worship of these “powers” that they manipulate and claim to represent. The powers are these forces of nature that are beyond the control of humanity, but the principalities are somehow manipulating humanity into worshiping them as if they have the absolute control and authority over the rain, harvest, sun, and other aspects of worship through the millennia.

So what about Elijah? Elijah claimed there would not be rain nor dew except by his word. Elijah was speaking this to the king, but speaking past the king into the heavenly realms. The god Baal was the god of prosperity, but he was considered the god over the rain and harvest. So for Elijah to stop up the heavens, he is challenging the authority of Baal, and also showing that it is not by worshiping Baal that we will receive prosperity. Through the drought, Elijah would have bankrupted the whole country, not only of money, but also of faith in a false Baal system.

These plagues, though being manifest upon the earth in physical form, are actually somehow going past the physical and plaguing the kingdom of darkness. So, when we get to Revelation 11, we find that these two witnesses are men that somehow are able to see past the physical and into the spiritual. They see the worship of these false gods – even if we claim that we aren’t worshiping any gods. To follow the Antichrist is to worship him as god. We might call science our god (or emphatically say that it isn’t, yet still give it our every waking moment and devotion). We might claim sports as our god. We might claim education as god. Or maybe our society would worship sex and fertility. Yet, even though our society would say that these aren’t gods, we are serving the same old false gods of the Old Testament. In that, we find that the principalities and powers are still very much in control.

Elijah and Moses are referenced in Revelation 11:6 because these two prophets alone have stories of plaguing the earth, and yet somehow they weren’t merely “plaguing the earth”. The point being made with the two witnesses is that these men will have the authority to challenge the whole Antichrist system to its core – which is to say, to blow the whistle on the lie and unmask the principalities and powers. These men are still a curiosity to me, but I find that in this understanding, a lot more makes sense as to what is happening around this passage. The whole point of the two witnesses, their primary purposes and call in God, is to be a Moses and Elijah in their generation to unveiling the kingdom of darkness, and to make full exposure of their bankruptcy.

The reason this applies to all of us today is that we are supposed to be a prophetic people of that caliber. As the Body of Christ, we are to have the discernment and authority to plague the kingdom of darkness, and therefore expose the lie that many – even Christians – continue to live in support of day after day. The answer to many of the cultural agendas that are anti-religion and anti-god is not some sort of political movement, but instead to recognize the principalities that are at play behind those agendas, and to then uproot them through the use of the authority of God given to the saints. This is not a delegation to “call down fire”, but rather to take up the task of seeing the heavenly realities over our localities and nations, and to therefore war against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.