Continuation of the Two Witnesses and the 7th Trumpet (Day 21)

Revelation 11:5-7 ⁽⁵⁾If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁽⁶⁾They have power to shut up the heavens 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. ⁽⁷⁾Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.

 

          The two witnesses, even though they represent things in the spiritual realm could also in the natural be Elijah and Moses. Why is this? In the previous text, the two witnesses were able to kill their enemies with fire from their mouths. The Prophet Elijah cried out to God during a time when Baal worship was prevalent across the land. He wanted the people to see the mighty hand of God move so that they would know that no one was greater than God. 1 Kings 18:37-38 ⁽³⁷⁾Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” ⁽³⁸⁾Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. (NIV) At Elijah’s request, God rained down fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice that Elijah had made after the attempt by the prophets of Baal were unsuccessful.

 

 

          John goes on to say that they (the witnesses) had the power to stop it from raining, while they prophesied during those years. The Prophet Elijah, through the hand of God, had the rain to cease as well due to the idolatry taking place while Ahab was king. James 5:17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (NIV) What is interesting about this 3 ½ year time frame during Elijah’s day is that once again, there will be a 3 ½ year time in which the witnesses will prophecy and be able to withhold rain the same way. This is why one of the witnesses could possibly be Elijah.

 

           The witnesses will be able to turn the water into blood and pronounce plagues on the land. During the days of Moses, he went before Pharaoh, as instructed by God, in order to deliver God’s message to him. Moses told Pharaoh to let God’s people go. However, Pharaoh refused, so God sent plagues upon the land of Egypt. One of those plagues involved Moses turning the river into blood. Exodus 7:20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. (NIV) This was the first of ten plagues. Nine other plagues followed until the Children of Israel were finally released. The heart of mankind is hardened against God. He does not want to follow the commands of God and just as with Pharaoh, the last days will prove to be a repeat of that same demonic spirit that is already running loose in the world.

 

           When they have completed their mission, the devil will be allowed to attack and kill them. The enemy is loose on the earth to destroy the body of Christ. He is against anyone who stands up for Jesus and proclaim the good news of the Gospel. The witnesses will prophesy for 3 ½ years. What could they prophesy about for that length of time? It seems that they will be telling about the judgment that will come to all who have not accepted Christ in their hearts. Because prophecy means to tell the future, we know what the future of the wicked will be if they do not change. Psalm 37:38 But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. (NIV) Therefore, the wicked will not embrace the rebuke that will come from the witnesses. They will want to shut up the words coming from their mouths and the devil will make sure it happens. As we learned in the previous lesson, he was the fallen star who was given the key to the Abyss to run loose on the earth. Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. (NIV) Therefore, the beast that John described in this text is the devil who will kill the witnesses. However, his victory will be very short lived. The devil often uses man to do his evil deeds so nothing short of demon possessed men will carry out the devil’s mission.

 Revelation 11:8-11 ⁽⁸⁾Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. ⁽⁹⁾For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ⁽¹⁰⁾The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. ⁽¹¹⁾But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. (NIV) 

          After God brought the witnesses back to life, He called them back up to Heaven as their enemies looked on. The witnesses had done their commission and now it was time for them to return back to Heaven. The psalmist, David wrote of having his enemies as his footstool, so God will do the same for the witnesses. Acts 2:35 did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand ⁽³⁵⁾until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’ (NIV) Therefore, as the witnesses are lifted up to Heaven, their enemies will be under their feet as they are taken away in a cloud. One day all of God’s children will leave this world and go to meet the Lord. During that hour, there was an earthquake and 1/10 of the city collapsed and seven thousand were killed in the earthquake. Those who survived were fearful from what they saw and worshiped God. Sometimes it takes tragedy to bring people to their knees. God will send warning after warning, but then the judgment will come and those who are not ready will be lost.
Job 36:17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. (NIV)

 

 

The Seventh Trumpet

 

Revelation 11:15-19 ⁽¹⁵⁾The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” ⁽¹⁶⁾And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ⁽¹⁷⁾saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. ⁽¹⁸⁾The nations were angry, and your wrath had come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” ⁽¹⁹⁾Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

 

 

       We now come to the seventh and final trumpet that was blown. This final trumpet is blown upon the return of Jesus when He comes to take His children home to be with Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ⁽¹⁶⁾For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ⁽¹⁷⁾After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (NIV) The twenty-four elders, representing the saints of God, who were seated on their thrones worshipped God because of who He is. Jesus had finally come back to reign and had given the wicked the reward that they deserved. All both great and small received what was due them.

 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (NIV) There will be no escape for God will give the reward according to what each man has done rather it be good or bad. We will be able to come into God’s Temple once we leave this earth. It is the very presence of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:20 The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. (NIV) The ark of His covenant will then be seen, which represents the covenant God made with man that if we obey Him, his face we will see. 

Jeremiah 31:31-34 ⁽³¹)“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ⁽³²⁾It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. ⁽³³⁾“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ⁽³⁴⁾No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (NIV) What a glorious day it will be when we see Jesus. We will never have to pass through this sinful life again, but will reside with the Lord forever and ever. There was lightening, thunder, earthquake and hail, but these things were for the ones who made it to Heaven. This is the destruction those who were lost for continuing in their sins. We need not be worried of the wrath of God if we are saved. God’s love is forever constant and will never change.

Join us for tomorrow's blog where we will continue our study with the book of Revelation. Lessons are available on Amazon.com. Revelation: Removing the Prophetic Veil Bible Lessons 1-11.