A Second Interlude: Part 2

All right, I guess we'll call that good. If you guys want to go ahead and stand with us, we'll pray and we'll get started. Father, I thank you for the day. God, I just thank you for who you are, for how much you love us, God. God, we just want to take some time out, Lord, and just lift praise to you, God. You are worthy of all of our praise. Lord, you are so good.

You're so awesome. You're so kind to us. So, Lord, we just want to take this time and just return praise to you. Father, we ask that you bless this evening. Bless the word as it goes out. And we ask these things in your precious and holy name. Amen.

And you guys can go ahead and have a CD if you like.

Oh, goodness is running after. It's running.

Goodness is running after. It's running after me.

Been faithful. Yes, Lord.

Been so, so.

Of the goodness of God.

So, God. You are so good to us, Lord. And, God, we just want to take this time and just return praise to you, God. Been so faithful. So kind, Lord. Just want to lift praise to you, God. And, Lord, tonight, God, let's pray. As Pastor Ryan comes, you just speak mightily through him, Lord. Speak to our hearts.

We love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name.

Good evening. If you would, open up in your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 11.

Revelation, chapter 11.

Last week, we started looking at a second interlude that takes place. The six trumpets. The first of six of seven trumpets had sounded. And, really, had just... Just pronounced incredible judgment upon the world. And then we're given this little interlude. And the first thing that we saw in the interlude was we saw this strong angel. And he had a little book in his hand.

And John was told to take the little book and to eat it. And that's what John did. It was sweet in his mouth. And it was bitter in his stomach. But he said, you must go and prophesy these things. Well, after the eating of this little book, there's another couple of guys that are going to appear. As a matter of fact, there's going to be two things that we're going to look at.

In chapter 11, we're going to look at the two witnesses. And then we're going to look at the seventh trumpet. And so we pick up in chapter 11, verse 1. It says this. Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff. And someone said, get up. Measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. Leave out the court, which is outside the temple, and do not measure it.

For it has been given to the nations. And they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months. Now, before we start talking about these two witnesses, there's an interesting scene that's painted for us. Remember, in chapter 10, we saw that John had returned to earth at this point in time. He'd been in heaven for the past few chapters, but now he's on earth.

And really, we're given an even more distinct location of where he is because he's now in Jerusalem at the temple. And so he's given this rod. And as he's given this rod, that's much. Like a staff, like a shepherd's staff. He's told to do something with it. He's told to go and to measure the temple of God and all those who worship in it. Of course, a couple of things were supposed to be left out.

The outer courts were to be left out and all the surrounding areas. It was only the temple and the worshipers. It's interesting. This isn't the first time someone had been told to measure the temple. As a matter of fact, if you were to go back to the book of Ezekiel, you would see that Ezekiel was told to do the same. The difference between Ezekiel and John here in the book of Revelation is with Ezekiel, he then gave the measurements.

And with John here, there's no measurements actually given. There's just a command with no measurements. And so we should start asking ourselves questions like, what temple is this? Why is he measuring it? What's the purpose of these things? Well, I don't believe that this is the temple that's spoken of in the millennium. I think that this is a specific temple that is only presented to.

In the book of Revelation, the temple that they now have the plans for in Israel, the temple that they are preparing themselves for the temple that will be constructed by the Antichrist, or at least initiated by the Antichrist and put into place by this Antichrist, somebody that comes and makes a peace treaty with the nation of Israel for those seven years. I believe that that's the temple that was spoken of measurement often speaks of either ownership or authority. It's as if God's saying, hey, measure this thing. Because it's mine.

It belongs to me. Now, there's something interesting to think about when it comes to this, because if this is the temple that's being built by the Antichrist, well, one would ask themselves, so does it actually belong to God? Well, we remember that no matter what, God still has the authority, right? The authority to judge in all of these matters. And that's why he tells them to go and get this rod and begin to measure.

Now, I personally think that the reason why he's told to do this speaks. More to the fact that there is a temple than what specific things we need to know about the temple. Because remember, John's writing this around 80, 90 to 95, somewhere in that general region. And the temple's now been destroyed for at least 20 years because it was destroyed in 80, 70 by the Romans.

Remember, destroyed so much so that not one stone was left upon another. It was completely obliterated. And so for John to hear him say, go and measure the temple. This would have really stuck out to him. This would have been an awe-inspiring moment for him. Because as far as he knew for the last 20 years of his life, there had been no temple. It was completely gone.

And quite frankly, up to this point in time, it's still gone. That's why I think that this is that temple that's spoken of that we know that the Antichrist will place himself at. The place from which an altar will be built. A place from which the Antichrist will put an end to the regular sacrifices. And will lift himself up and exalt himself as God. As is spoken about in the book of Daniel.

As is spoken about in the book of Matthew. And as is spoken about in the book of Thessalonians. And so that's what will take place there. But he's told to go and he's told to measure the temple of God. One more thing that I would like to point out to you. There's a couple of different words in Greek for temple. One speaks of the temple in general. The entire temple structure including the outer courts.

And then there's another word that's used for temple in the Greek language. That only speaks of the inner sanctuary. It would probably not surprise you to know that this word that is used here. Is the one that's for the inner sanctuary. If you will it's the holy place. And the holy of holies. As a sidebar something interesting to take note of. That's that Paul in the book of 1st Corinthians.

Tells us that we as believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Can you guess which of the words he used to refer to us as the temple of the Holy Spirit? If you go to the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you guessed the holy of holies word. You're right. And I'm going to give you a bonus star later. Because you were right on the money with that. We too are that same temple of the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I've got a special one for you anyway. But that's what he's told to measures this inner temple. And he's told to measure all of those that worship. But there's something he's told not to measure. He's told to leave out the court which is outside the temple. Don't measure that. And he tells us specifically. Why he's not supposed. To measure it. For it has been given to the nations.

And they will tread under foot the holy city for 42 months. Interestingly enough. That's exactly what not only has been taking place in Jerusalem. But it will continue to take place to an even greater degree. During that tribulational period. Where the nations the Gentiles led specifically by an Antichrist. Will tread under foot the city of Jerusalem. A.T. Robertson in his word studies translates it like this.

They will trample with contempt. The city of Jerusalem. In other words. There will be great violence. There will be great contempt for the temple at this point in time by these people. And of course we're given a specific time period. 42 months. Which is three and a half years. And so I believe it's the last three and a half years. There's some debate on whether what's spoken of here is the first three and a half years of the tribulation.

Or the last three and a half years. I lean towards the last three and a half years. I'm willing to have my mind. Changed on that. But that's where I'm leaning right now. All that to say. There's a temple. He's told to measure it. But there's something specific about this temple. It will be the outer courts will be trampled underfoot. By the nations for 42 months.

And now we come to a couple of interesting guys. Says in verse three. And I will grant authority. To my two witnesses. And they will prophesy. For twelve hundred and sixty days. Clothed. In sackcloth. These are the two olive trees. And the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them. Fire flows out of their mouth.

And devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them. He must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky. So that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. And they have power over the waters. To turn them into blood. And to strike the earth with every plague. As often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony.

The beast that comes up out of the abyss. Will make war with them. And overcome them. And kill them. And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city. Which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt. Where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and the tribes. And the tongues and the nations. Will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days.

And will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate. And they will send gifts to one another. Because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days. The breath of life from God came into them. And they stood on their feet. And great fear fell upon those who were watching them.

And they heard a voice. They heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them. Come up here. Then they went up into heaven in the cloud. And their enemies watched them. And in that hour there was a great earthquake. And a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. And the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe is past. Behold the third woe. Is coming quickly. Oh man. What an exciting little section about who these two guys are. Right? Let's spend a little bit of time talking about this. Because I think it's kind of interesting. Okay. So the first thing I take note of is this. He said I will grant authority. Verse three. To my two witnesses. They will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days.

And they are clothed in sackcloth. So let's look at a few of these statements here really quickly. So first of all there's two witnesses. Now there's a lot of debate and conjecture about who these two guys are. We're going to talk about that in just a minute. But I do believe that they are individuals. Some say that maybe it's the nation of Israel and the church.

I lean towards it being two individuals. Simply because of some of the other things that are stated about these two witnesses. So two men are given authority by God to do something. They're given authority by God to be witnesses. Interesting word is it not? Because when Jesus ascended into heaven and he was speaking with his disciples. What did he tell them they were to go forth and be?

Witnesses. To me. Right? And so we're going to talk about their work as witnesses in just a minute. Their work as witnesses was to take one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Sidebar. That's forty two months. That's three and a half years. Again I believe that this is the last three and a half years of the tribulation. That these witnesses are going to do this work.

But I want you to take note of the clothing that these witnesses are wearing. These witnesses are clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth. Sackcloth always speaks as an outward demonstration of mourning and distress. As these two witnesses do their work which we'll talk about here in just a minute. I want you to pay attention to something about them. Because as these two witnesses do their work.

They're not coming with a whole lot of big smiles on their faces. They're coming with the knowledge that judgment is well on its way. And has already begun. And they're heartbroken over it. They're heartbroken over the sin that they see in the world. And they're heartbroken. Over the judgment that has come upon the world. And they're heartbroken over the lack of repentance for the people.

And they show their broken heartedness by wearing sackcloth. I find it interesting that that's what these two witnesses are wearing. Because I know that it represents what's really going on on the inside of them. Now this for me has prompted a question for myself. And I want to ask you the same question that I was thinking about earlier. How do you handle the things that we see taking place in the world today?

Is your heart broken over the sin that we see in the world today? Or are you just angry that people are giving in to the sin that we see today? I was reminded as I was teaching my kids this morning. As I was teaching my students at our city Christian Academy this morning. That being a servant of God means that I have to love everyone. Whether they're lovable or not.

That I have to continue to love everyone whether I agree with them or not. Whether they choose the same morality that I choose or not. It is still my job to love them and be a servant to them. And allow my heart to be broken over the sin that I see in their life. You see I think that these two witnesses as much as they very much came. With all of the power to do the things that they needed to do.

They came in that way of mourning. They came in that way of distress over the sin that they saw around them. I wonder did you shed any tears over the situation in Nashville? Now listen. As a pastor. When I saw the fact that the senior pastor's daughter was killed. It hurt me. Because I can't imagine what he's having to go through. To minister to his body. While he himself is absolutely destroyed.

And wrecked over the death of his own daughter. Knowing that he has the burden of the body of Christ upon him. Because he does. You may say well he should just take time off. Listen you don't take time off from being a pastor. Because whether or not you're on vacation. Your heart still hurts for the people that have things going on in your congregation. My heart hurts for him.

But do you know who my heart hurts for as much as anyone? It's this person that did not understand their identity. And perhaps that was why they decided to pick up a gun. And shoot up a school full of kids. We don't know very much about the motives just yet. But we do know that this individual. I'm just going to be real honest. I'm confused if it was a man that identified as a woman.

Or the other way around. I don't mean to be confused. I've heard so many reports of things right now. But they were transgender. I wonder if you cried over that. Did your heart break? Did your heart break? That there was somebody who was so screwed up because of sin. That they not only couldn't identify what their true gender was. And they were living a false reality.

But they were so filled with anger and rage. That they felt like the only thing that they could do was grab a gun. And express that anger and rage. In a classroom full of children. You see it's easy. To be heartbroken over people that we agree with. It's a whole other situation for us to be heartbroken over the people that we don't agree with. When we see how sin has affected their lives.

And so these two witnesses that come to do this work. Do so for 1,260 days. And they do so clothed in sackcloth and ashes. We're given a little bit of identification of them in verse 4. As we're told that these two are. These are the two olive trees. And the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. In the margin of your Bible you might write Zechariah chapter 4.

Because that's where the Lord of the earth stands. That's where it speaks about the two olive trees. And the lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord. Of course olive trees make us think about olive oil. And the oil should always make us think about the Holy Spirit. So we think about the fact that these two men were filled with the Holy Spirit. But we're also reminded that Jesus is the light of the world.

And they were lampstands. Meaning that they were not only full of the Holy Spirit. But they had the light of Jesus Christ in their lives. And that's exactly what they were to the world around them. To the world that they came into. Now these two. These two men are going to come into Jerusalem. And they're going to do a work. And the work that they're going to do in Jerusalem is to be witnesses.

And so I started thinking about what is it that these two men were to do as witnesses? What does it mean to be a witness? And I thought about what that also meant in our lives. And so I identified three things that they were to bear witness of. Number one. They were to bear witness of the righteousness of God. They were to let everybody know about the righteousness of God.

You see one of the things that we're failing to understand in society today. Is that we're failing to understand the righteousness of God. To an even greater degree during the tribulational period. Is we fail to understand the righteousness of God. You see whether we intend to or not. We put the cultural understanding of righteousness upon God's righteous standard.

Therefore sometimes the righteousness of God is somewhat veiled under the cloak of the culture. And it's our job as believers in Jesus Christ. To pull back the veil. And reveal to the world what the righteousness of God really looks like. Sometimes we can do it through our lifestyles. But the best thing that we can do is reveal it through God's word. And say but this is what God says righteousness is.

This is what God says the genders are revealed as. This is what God says it means to be truly pure. This is what God says that it means to be truly right in his eyes. This is the righteousness of God. And they bore witness to that. You know how I know that they bore witness to that? Because they were incredibly unpopular. Because enemies came against them. And brothers and sisters we need to know something.

In a pre-tribulational world. The righteousness of God is not very popular. But that can't be our standard for whether or not we tell the truth. The second thing I think that they bore witness of. Is they bore witness of the sinfulness of man. They called out sin as they saw it. And they did so boldly. They said these are the things that are going on in the world.

Right now that are sin. These are the things that are going on in people's lives. Right now that are sin. These are the things that are happening in the culture. Right now that are sin. And it offends God. And the wrath of God is coming. Because of the sinfulness of man. You know how I know they did that? Because they were really really unpopular. Right? They got cancelled.

As a matter of fact they're going to get ultimately cancelled. In just a little bit. Listen I bet you people. People tried to shut them up constantly. You know how I know they tried to shut them up constantly? Because these two dudes could breathe fire out their mouth. We'll talk about that in just a minute. But they preached about the sinfulness of man. And listen.

If it's true during the time of the tribulation. Is it not true now? We should preach on the righteousness of God. And the sinfulness of man. But there's a third thing that I think that they preached about. I think that they preached about the salvation. That comes through the blood of the lamb. I can't imagine that they didn't preach about that. Because after all.

God. It would violate his character. For him to tell us where we're wrong. Without also telling us how to be right. Because that's the very nature of God. Restoration. Mercy. Forgiveness. Is the very nature of God. And so I think that they preached about the salvation. That comes through the blood of the lamb. And brothers and sisters. As we talk about the righteousness of God.

And as we talk about the sinfulness of man. Those things must always be coupled with the understanding. That there is salvation that comes through the blood of the lamb. Both in our lives. And the people that we minister to. That are around us every day. The people who our hearts break over. Every day. Is if we're going to be witnesses. Like these guys. If we're to have an understanding of who these true witnesses are.

We must first of all be broken over sin. And we must second of all be willing to give out the truth. Because that's what these guys do. And they do it for 1,260 days. Now. As I mentioned. They were not popular. Because notice what it says. It says. And if anyone wants to harm them. Or maybe it should say. And when someone wants to harm them. Fire flows out of their mouth.

And devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them. He must be killed in this way. Listen. I can't imagine having the power to breathe fire out of my mouth. Now. I know what it's like to get up in the morning. And have your kid come. And lay on top of you in your bed. And go. Good morning daddy. At that point in time. It's much like fire breathing out of their mouth.

Right? My wife always called it dragon breath. Like dude. You've got dragon breath. You've got to go brush your teeth. But these dudes could legit breathe fire out of their mouth. Now I've tried to determine. Is this symbolic language? Or is this real language? But he goes on to say. They must be killed in this way. There's no reason for us to believe that this is not real language.

And if it's symbolic. I want to know what it's symbolic of. Right? Like. What comes flowing out of your mouth. That's like fire. And kills people. But that's what these guys are able to do. You know why? Because no one can harm them for that 1,260 days. Because they had a job to do. And it would be preserved. Until that job was done. They had this ability to defend themselves.

Against the attacks of the people around them. Because after all. If you were willing to listen. They were willing to share. But if you weren't willing to listen. And you tried to shut them up. They would not let it happen. Can I just say. That's another really good statement for us to make about ourselves today. I don't think you should breathe fire on anybody.

I'm just throwing that out there right now. Okay? So if you go. And you blow fire on somebody. I did not tell you to do that. I'm not going to be held responsible. For anybody that kills someone else. With fire breathing out of their mouth. Because Pastor Ryan said to do it. But when the world tries to shut us up. Shouldn't we just not let them? Shouldn't we just keep doing what we do?

Shouldn't we just keep doing what we do? So that's what these guys did. They kept preaching for this time. It says. And when they had finished. Their testimony. The beast that comes up out of the abyss. Will make war with them. And overcome them. And kill them. Verse 7. It's kind of an interesting verse. Is it not? Verse 7 is. It's kind of. You know what? I skipped verse 6.

And I hate myself for that. We got to go back to verse 6. Because verse 6 is really important. Because that was where I was going to talk about. Who I think these two guys are. We got to go back. Okay. So. Here we go. Back to verse 6. These have the power to shut up the sky. So that rain will not fall. During the days of their prophesying. And they have power over the waters.

To turn them into blood. And to strike the earth with every plague. As often as they desire. Now. These guys have the power to do some fascinating things. They have power over nature. Not only do they have this power to breathe forth fire. But they have power over nature. To show the mighty power of God. To show that no matter how much we think. We're in control of the earth.

No matter how much we think. We can control these things. We can't. Because God's the one who's actually in control. Now. As we see these things. Hopefully these sound familiar to you. Because first of all. We remember a story from the Old Testament. Where the sky was shut. And no rain came forth. That was Elijah. Right? Right? We're told. It's fascinating.

Because we're told in scripture. That Elijah was a man of like passion. As we are. In other words. Dude was just like us. And yet he prayed that it wouldn't rain. And it didn't rain. And then he prayed that it would rain. And it did rain. He's the one that closed up the sky. And so we've seen God do this before. Hopefully this sounds familiar to you. And then he goes on to say this.

And they have the power over the waters. To turn them into blood. Well of course that makes me think of Moses. And to strike the earth. Plague as often as they desire. It certainly makes you think of Moses. Right? It takes us back to our study in the book of Exodus. When Moses turned the water into blood. And plagues were coming. Like they were going out of style.

Right? He's just plaguing them next thing. One right after the other. So who are these guys? Well they're not named. So we don't know for sure. And typically that's where I say. So maybe we just leave it silent. I can't this time. Okay? It's just too exciting. Because we're given an amazing description. Of these guys. Now listen. Almost universally. Everybody agrees Elijah is one of them.

Everybody feels like Elijah is one of them. The other guy. There's a lot of different debates on. Some think it could be Elijah and Enoch. Because these were the two guys. That never died. Right? Like Enoch was the guy that lived right before the flood. And was a righteous preacher. Right before the flood came. As a matter of fact. His name means when he is gone.

It will come. And so he gets taken up. By God. He walked with God. And was not. For God took him. And then there was Elijah. Who was taken up in a chariot of fire. Which by the way. What an amazing way to go. Right? Like. Out the back. I mean who knows. Maybe. Maybe that's part of it. I still lean toward it being Elijah and Moses. I lean towards it being Elijah and Moses.

For a couple of reasons. Maybe three. Number one. Because Elijah and Moses. Are always representative. Of all of the law. And the prophets. And all of the law. And the prophets. Are a witness. To Jesus Christ. That's my first reason. Why I believe it's Elijah and Moses. Second reason. Why I believe that it's Elijah and Moses. Is because at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Who are the two guys that showed up with Jesus? Elijah. The prophets. And Moses. The law. Jesus. Who they witnessed to right there in the middle. The third reason. Why I believe that it's Elijah and Moses. Is because it says. That the things. That they are able to do. Are the very things. That Elijah and Moses did. While they were on earth. That in 495. Will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

So I don't know. It might not be those guys. That's who I lean towards it being. What I do know is this. These are two men. Who are not named. Who are amazing witnesses. For God. And they can do incredibly powerful things. Because listen. God is righteous even in his judgment. And God is merciful even in his judgment. And he gives every opportunity to repent.

Now we come to verse seven. When they finish their testimony. The beast comes up out of the abyss. And makes war with them. And will overcome them. And kill them. I have mixed emotions about this verse. Right? A handful of things I'd like to point out to you. First of all. The beast that comes up out of the abyss. Speaks to us about the one that we have already seen once.

In the book of Revelation. That came up and was given. The key that he opened up. And all these creatures come out. That are like locusts. All these super creepy locusts. With like crowns and all that kind of stuff. Not crayons. But crowns on their head. And they marched like an army. And made war. And did all that kind of thing. So we've already seen this.

And who I believe is either Satan. Or some sort of high ranking demonic being. But after these guys had finished their witness. This creature that comes out of the abyss. Makes war against them. But then he overcomes them. And he kills them. Now I don't know about you. But I'm kind of going. What the heck? Why do these guys have to get killed? Why do these guys have to have their lives taken?

They're doing God's work. They can breathe the fire. They can do the things. They can call down the plagues. Why do they have to be killed? We're going to see God's amazing power through it in a minute. But again. This speaks to another one of those moments. I don't know. Maybe for God just to reveal his power. Just like sometimes I can't tell you why things happen with you.

Maybe it's just so God can reveal his power. But they're killed. But I want you to take note of what takes place before they're killed. Look again at the first line in verse 7. When they have finished their testimony. There's an amazing truth about us as believers in Jesus Christ. Okay. Now, I'm just going to say it like it is. We are immortal until God calls us home.

We are immortal until we have finished our witness on this earth. I don't think we should test that by going and standing in front of trucks and things like that. That's a bad idea. There's entire church movements where they take snakes and let them bite them. Nothing's going to happen to me. I'm a prophet. We don't want to be those guys. But it comes right down to it.

We can live in boldness. We can live in boldness. Because when we're in the will of God. We're the safest we could ever possibly be. Because nothing will happen to me. Unless it has first been filtered through the hands of a loving God. And second, nothing will happen to me before the time. Until then. MC Hammer put it best when he said, you can't touch this.

Right? It's all that there is to it. Because these guys would not be harmed for 1,260 days when they're breathing fire on people. Calling down plagues on people. And killing people that are trying to attack them. Until that one faithful moment. The last person that needed to hear the witness. Heard the witness. And that creature that came out of the abyss. Made war against them.

And killed them. I want you to notice what happens after they die. It says in their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city. Which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt. Where also their Lord was crucified. Let's talk about where they're going to be. And then we'll talk about. About them just laying there. So the place where their dead bodies will lie.

It says is mystically called Sodom. And Egypt. And where their Lord was crucified. This city is defined in three different ways. First of all, the one that's mystically called Sodom. Now, generally across the board. Every Bible teacher had the exact same thing to say. About the fact that the city is mystically called Sodom. They all said it speaks of immorality.

But without too much hubris coming from me. May I say. I want to add one thing to that. Because I don't fully agree with them. Because there's one other thing. There's actually one greater sin in Sodom and Gomorrah. Than immorality. And it was a sin of pride. We're actually told that in the book of Ezekiel. That pride was at the heart of the sin. Of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The immorality was a symptom of their pride. I just think it's something we have to pay attention to. And then the second thing that it's mystically referred to as Egypt. And it's the second thing that it's mystically referred to as Egypt. And of course there's several different reasons. Why commentators say that it's mystically called Egypt. Some say it's because of the bondage.

That Egypt always speaks of. Egypt always speaks of the world. And Egypt always speaks of slavery. And excuse me. Idolatry. Slavery to idolatry. I think all three of those things are true. And then of course we're given that final definition. Of what city this is. It's the one where your Lord was crucified. So we know it's Jerusalem. And unfortunately Jerusalem is known for its immorality.

And its pride. And its bondage to the things of the world. A place that was supposed to be a shining light on a hill. It was unfortunately known for a whole lot of other things. So in this city of Jerusalem. I want you to take note of what happens. It says their dead bodies will lie in the street. They'll just lie there in the street. Now I don't know how this creature from the abyss will kill these guys.

We're not told how he will kill them. They'll just be dead. And they'll be dead lying in the street. Now I don't know about you. But I would find it somewhat shocking. If I was walking down the street. And there was somebody dead in the middle of it. I would go. Oh no. There's a dead body. And I would figure out something to do about that. I would call the proper people to deal with it.

And you would think. Once you saw a dead body in the middle of the street. You'd call the proper people. And they would do what? They would come and they would take that body. Listen I deal with this stuff a lot. I know exactly what happens when someone dies. I know. I know all of the steps that you take afterwards. That's not one of them. Leaving it lying in the middle of the street is not one of them.

As a matter of fact what we're going to find out in just a second. Is the bodies are going to lay there for three and one half days. Dude you know what's going on by three and a half days. Nothing good. It is not awesome. And that's how long these guys lie there. And if that's not bad enough. Notice verse nine. Those peoples. Or those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations.

Will look at their dead bodies. For three and a half days. And will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth. Will rejoice over them. Will celebrate. They will send gifts to one another. Because these two prophets tormented those. Who dwell on the earth. You see these two prophets were so. Abhorrent to the people of the earth.

Because they spoke of. The righteousness of God. The sin of man. And the salvation. That only comes through Jesus. They were so abhorrent. That they just allowed their dead bodies to lie in the street. For three days. Didn't allow them to be entombed. Not only that. Amir Sirfati put it best in his book I thought. He said not only that. But they established the dead witnesses day.

And they started sending each other happy dead witnesses day cards. What a horrific thought. But again. If the influence of the Holy Spirit is removed. Through the church. And now the greatest influence upon people is the Antichrist. Empowered by Satan. Then what else would you imagine taking place on earth? Like we see how bad things are now. Right? Imagine when the witness of the church is gone.

The debauchery of humanity at that point in time. And they'll just allow him to lay there. They'll be sending each other cards. And giving each other gifts. Now. It appears from this that everybody on earth. Is going to know that this is going to happen. Because it says. Those peoples from. Or those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations. Will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days.

I remember when I was a kid hearing about this and going. I wonder how that could happen. Like in real time. I was just watch these bodies there. I don't know why I thought about that kind of stuff as a kid. I just did. And I remember the first time I got to watch the news on my phone. Right? And I watched things happen live on my phone. Well it's not hard.

Now at all for us to imagine. All of the world. Being able to look at those dead bodies for three days. You can imagine the coverage. Right? There's Anderson Cooper. You know it's a sand in guy. Sorry. There's Anderson Cooper. Right? Who's. Who's just looking there and he's going. It is the greatest day ever. Ladies and gentlemen. I'm joining you live from Jerusalem.

The greatest thing in the world has happened. The two most abhorrent individuals. Who seem to kill everybody that comes at them. Have finally died. Live coverage will continue. We'll be back in a minute. And the life. They're still dead folks. Two days in. This is day two of the dead witness statement. And they're still laying there dead. What a horrific thing.

But the whole thing will be covered for the three and a half days. Because that's what it says. They'll be able to look on those. Because they're dead. Oh. Oh. But I love verse 11. Verse 11. It says. But after the three and a half days. The breath of life from God came into them. And they stood on their feet. In great fear. Fell upon all those who are watching.

And I'll deal with that in a minute. They heard a loud voice from heaven. Saying to them. Come up here. And then they went up. Into heaven in the cloud. And their enemies watched them. But after three and a half days. Anderson Cooper here. Three and a half days into the dead witness situation. And. Wait. What did I just see? Hey. Pan in closer. I promise this is not fake news.

I just saw movement. The witnesses are starting. Can you imagine the entire world just sitting there going. Son of a gun. They're standing up. They're dusting themselves off. Because notice what it says. After three and a half days. The breath of life from God came into them. I wonder if they smelled good after that. Question that I had today. The breath of life came in.

And they stand on their feet. What an amazing moment. It's somewhat reminiscent. Isn't it? Of exactly what we're about to celebrate. In about a week and a half. And that's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Except Jesus was raised on the third day. These guys went three and a half days. Right? A little different than Jesus. But very reminiscent of Jesus. And you can just imagine.

These guys stand up. And the world is just going nuts. Right? Picture that Joe Rogan meme. Of him going. Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? And I freaked out about the fact that these two guys just stood up. And as they stood up. A voice from heaven cries out. And what does the voice of heaven cry out? Come up here. And they start to go into heaven.

And everybody just watches. Okay. This is my own movie scene. Okay. Right? Follow me on this. Okay. So. These two guys. The breath of life comes into them. And they stand up. And they begin to walk. Only brothers and sisters. It's a movie. It's a slow walk. Right? They are slow walking through the streets of Jerusalem. Actually. I'm picturing a little bit more of Super Bon Bon playing.

Step aside and let the man go through. Let the man go through. Move aside and let the man go through. Let the man go through. And as they're slow walking through the streets of Jerusalem. All of a sudden the voice. Come up here. It's got to be a deep voice like that. Otherwise it's just not right. And as they're still slow walking through the streets of Jerusalem.

They start slow walking even higher. And pretty soon. They're slow walking. All the way up into heaven. And the whole time in the background. You hear. Move aside and let the man go through. Let the man go through. That's how I hope it plays out. It won't. That's not exactly how it's going to be. But it would be epic. Wouldn't it? That's how I picture that whole scene going.

And as they're watching them go up into the sky. I want you to notice what happens. It's pretty amazing. It says they went up into the cloud. And their enemies watched them. They were just in awe. Because there's nothing. Nothing anyone can say. About what just took place. Other than. And then I want you to notice what happens next. And in that hour. There was a great earthquake.

In a tenth of the city. Of course we've already identified the city. It's Jerusalem. A tenth of the city fell. 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. And the rest were terrified. But notice what they do. And they gave glory. To the God of heaven. Fascinating moment. Massive earthquake. A tenth of the city destroyed. And I kind of wonder when it says. A tenth of the city fell.

Exactly what that means. Does it mean. Well anyway. A tenth of the city is destroyed. 7,000 people killed. And all the rest are just terrified. And for one brief moment. All of the earth. Undoubtedly watching all of this on their phones. Unless you were living in Jerusalem. Or somewhere there close by. And you felt the whole thing. For one brief moment. All of them said.

That had to be God. That had to have been that God. That they were talking about. Of course they're going to go back to their lives. But for one brief moment. They gave glory to God. And then it's interjected. The second woe has passed. One more still coming. How can earth take anymore? Well the last thing that we'll look at tonight. In verses 15 through 20.

That's a really big fly. Part of the trumpet. Is the seventh trumpet blowing. It says. Then the seventh angel sounded. And there were loud voices in heaven saying. The kingdom of the world. Has become the kingdom of our Lord. And his Christ. He will reign forever and ever. And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones. Before God fell on their faces. And worship God saying.

We give you thanks oh Lord. The almighty who are. And who were. Because you have taken your great power. And have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged. And your wrath came. And the time came for the dead to be judged. And time to reward your bond servants. The prophets and the saints. And those who fear your name. The small and the great. And to destroy those who destroy the earth.

And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened. And the ark of his covenant. Appeared in his temple. And there were flashes of lightning. And sounds and peals of thunder. And earthquake. And a great hailstorm. So now we come to this seventh trumpet. This seventh angel that sounds its trumpet. And as the seventh angel sounds its trumpet. There were lots of voices in heaven.

And they cried out. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our God. Now this is a fascinating thing to me. Because we're not quite. Well we're about half way through the book of Revelation. Just a little half way through the book of Revelation. So you go. There's still more judgment to come. How can the kingdom of the world. Now be the kingdom of our God.

If there's still more judgment to come. We still have seven bowls of judgment. Right? We still have more of this stuff to come. Well I think that this seventh trumpet that sounded. It's kind of like the loosening of the sixth seal. It reveals more of what's to come. And really there's going to be a little bit more of a parenthetical statement. Because chapters 12 through 15.

We won't quite get into what takes place. With the coming of the kingdom. That will pick up again in chapter 16. But it's the announcing of the victory that's to come. And can we just. Can we just bask for just a moment in the fact that. The victory is going to come. That the kingdom will be God's someday. That there is coming that time. When the kingdom of the world.

Becomes the kingdom of our Lord's. And of course the 24 elders do what the 24 elders always do. And they worship God. They worship him saying. We give thanks to you. Who are and who were. Because you've taken your great power. And have begun to reign. Isn't that the cry of all of us as believers in Jesus Christ. That we cannot wait for. Paul put it this way in the book of Romans.

All of creation groans. But once Jesus comes back. There will be no more groaning. There will only be praising. Because he will have established his kingdom. And of course we. They say the nations were enraged. Your wrath came. The time came for the dead to be judged. You have done everything that you're going to do. You've dealt with. The enemies of the earth.

And then that wonderful moment takes place. Where it says. In the temple of God. Which is in heaven was opened. And the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. And there were flashes of lightning. And sounds of great thunder. They could see in heaven. And they could see that the temple was there. And the ark. Of the covenant was there. And everything is.

As it was supposed to be. After all the earthly temple. The ark that was on the earth. The temple that John measured. Those are only a shadow. Of the things to come. The reality is in Christ. And so we see the seventh angel. Sound his trumpet. And that seventh angel will open up to us. A whole new series of events. That we will pick up on in chapter 16. But next time.

When we look at the book. Of revelation. We're going to see a few more players introduced. In all of these end times events. Now I want to give you a couple of reminders. Before we wrap up here this evening. I will be gone this weekend. I'm going with all of those crazy teenagers. To young Christians weekend. So pray for me that that goes well. My dad will be given the message.

On Sunday morning. And then next Wednesday. Please join us. And I would love for this whole sanctuary. To be full of all of our people. Just worshiping God together. As we just take time. Because I just think man. We really need some time right now. Some time to just sit and praise the Lord. After all what is the biggest theme. We have seen take place in the book of revelation.

As things have been unveiled. Every time something new is unveiled. What do those 24 elders do? They worship the Lord. That must mean. That we're going to spend a lot of time. Worshiping the Lord in heaven. So we should take some time to cut loose. And really worship him down here. Amen. So those are the things. That are coming up. Make sure that you join us for him.

Father we come to you now. And we thank you for this time in your word. I thank you that you give us things. That cause us to ask questions. And to seek you deeper. And Lord. May we be those witnesses for you. Father would you break our hearts over sin. Not only the sin in our lives. The sin in the lives of the people that we love. But Lord even the sin in the lives of the people.

That we disagree with the most. Lord may our hearts hurt. Knowing that there are people. That need to know you so desperately. Father give us the strength. And the grace that we need. And the hope to understand that you are coming. That there is coming a day. When you will reign forever. And ever. Father we praise you for who you are. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed.