• 1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshippers there.
• 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
• 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
• 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
• 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 These men have 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.
• 7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
• 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
• 9 For three and a half days men 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 earth.
• 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.
• 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
• 13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
• 14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

There are many verses in the Bible which tell us that Christians are to be witnesses to the world about Jesus Christ and the Gospel. For example:

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Obviously the instructions given to the 12 Apostles are also instructions to all of the followers of Jesus. The Apostles reached Jerusalem, and Judaea and Samaria: but it is up to you and me to witness to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Which brings us to Revelation chapter 11, which is about two special witnesses of God. For 2000 years no one has been able to prove the identity of these two witnesses. Some say they are:

• Elijah and Moses
• Elijah and Enoch
• Joshua and Zerubbabel
• Protetantism and Catholicism
• Luther and Calvin
• Two unidentified apostles alive in 70 AD
• Israel and the Church
• Jewish believers and Gentile believers
• Evangelical Christians and Jewish Zionists
• The Old Testament and the New Testament
• Two brand new prophets yet to appear...

I believe that it is impossible for us to know the precise identity of these two witnesses. But I also believe we can learn a lot from this passage about witnessing in general, and that's what I would like to speak about this morning. I have seven points today:

I. The time has come to see if we measure up as witnesses (Rev. 11:1-2).

• 1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshippers there.
• 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Judgment must begin at the House of God. "If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (I Peter 4:16-17)

In our time of manufacturing we are familiar with the term "quality control." We measure our products. We weigh our products. We test our products under stress. If they don't measure up, we throw them away. If God measured you and me today, as witnesses for Christ, would we pass or fail?

II. Power in witnessing comes from the Holy Spirit (Rev. 11:3-4).

• 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
• 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Who is the one giving power to the two witnesses? Did they choose themselves, or did Christ choose them? Are they powerful because they are handsome, or glib, or talented? They are clothed in sackcloth, indicating humble and repentant hearts. They are surrendered to serving Christ whatever the cost or discomfort. Olive trees were the source of oil for light, and lampstands burned olive oil for light; and oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to witness for Christ.

Nu 11:25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied.

1Sa 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.

Matt. 10:19-20 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Ac 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

As we pray for our missionaries, let us pray that God would fill them with His Holy Spirit. As WE try to be witnesses for Christ at home, at school, in the work place, let us pray for the power of the Holy Spirit.

III. Success in witnessing comes through preaching the Word of God (Rev. 11:5).

• 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.

Obviously this is not meant to be taken literally. Remember, this is the Book of Revelation. Remember that almost all we read here is symbolic. It all means something. When we read of the sword coming from Jesus' mouth we know that it means the Word of God from the mouth of Jesus. When we read of fire coming from the mouths of the preachers, we know that it refers to the preaching of the Word of God. I am reminded of the school song of Faith Theological Seminary (my old school for three years).

From ivied walls above the town the prophets' school is looking down,
And listening to the human din from marts and streets and homes of men:
As Jesus viewed with yearning deep, Jerusalem from Olive's steep,
O, crucified and risen Lord, Give tongues of fire to preach thy Word.

O Son of man, O Son of God! Whose love bought all men by His blood,
Give us thy mind, thy soul's desire, Thy heart of love, thy tongue of fire
That we thy gospel may proclaim to every man in thy great name!
O, crucified and risen Lord, Give tongues of fire to preach thy Word.

The Word and the Spirit cannot be separated. You cannot have one without the other, for the Word of God IS the sword of the Spirit of God. Witnessing without the Word of God is not what God means witnessing to be.

IV. People and nations which resist the Gospel witness will suffer for it in this life, as well as the next (Rev. 11:6).

• 6 These men have 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.

Look around the world and makes some judgments about human progress. Before the coming of the Gospel to the world, life was "poor, nasty, brutish, and short." People lived to be about 40 on the average. People rarely bathed. People were cold and hungry. There were no anti-biotics. If you broke a bone you were likely to die. More people died in child birth and infancy than lived. After the coming of the Gospel, civilization began to build up. And now as you look around the world you will see that generally speaking the nations who accepted the Gospel prospered, and the nations that have rejected the Gospel, or are still unevangelized, have a long way to go to catch up.

To reject the Word of God is to invited disaster into your life. Galatians 6:7 reminds us: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." And "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

V. Satan cannot stop the spread of the Gospel witness to the entire earth (Rev. 11:7a).

• 7a Now when they have finished their testimony...

They can't be stopped until they are done. The Bible tells us that the Gospel MUST reach the entire earth. For example the parable of the leaven and the loaf:

Mt 13:33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Re 5:9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Not even ONE of Christ's sheep will be lost (Matt. 18:12-14).

• 12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
• 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
• 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Joh 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

God is patient and persevering. He will not allow the preaching of the Gospel to stop until every single sheep has been brought into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan may fight against the Church and the Gospel all he likes, but He cannot thwart the Gospel. "I WILL build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."

VI. We should expect spiritual warfare and deadly opposition as we witness for Christ (Rev. 11:7-10).

• 7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
• 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
• 9 For three and a half days men 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 earth.

Most of the Apostles were martyrs. Tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome, and that Peter was crucified upside down. Nero and other Roman emperors had many Christians killed in the amphiteaters for the entertainment of the Roman citizens. Down through the centuries many faithful witnesses were killed in many ways. Even today there are missionaries around the world being imprisoned and sometimes killed for their witnessing.

We should not expect the world to love us, because our message is a message of hope and life, yes, but also a message of condemnation. "Men love darkness because their deeds are evil." Recall the preaching of Stephen in the Book of Acts (Acts 6:51--7:3):

• 51 ¶ "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
• 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
• 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
• 54 ¶ When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
• 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
• 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
• 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,
• 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
• 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
• 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
• 1 ¶ And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
• 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
• 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

VII. Even out of times of great apostasy thousands of people will come to Christ through our witness (Rev. 11:11-13).

• 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.
• 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
• 13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Some people come to Christ because they are laboring under sin and guilt, and seeking a Savior, and rest. Some people come to Christ because they are amazed at the glory of God. But some people come to Christ because they have been struck by the terror of dying and the wrath of God. The important thing: people are coming to Christ.

Conclusion: Summary -- God has given us the task of witnessing. This chapter, very difficult to interpret, nevertheless reminds us of much that we need to know about witnessing for Christ.

• I. The time has come to see if we measure up as witnesses (Rev. 11:1-2).
• II. Power in witnessing comes from the Holy Spirit (Rev. 11:3-4).
• III. Success in witnessing comes through preaching the Word of God (Rev. 11:5).
• IV. People and nations which resist the Gospel witness will suffer for it in this life, as well as the next (Rev. 11:6).
• V. Satan cannot stop the spread of the Gospel witness to the entire earth (Rev. 11:7a).
• VI. We should expect spiritual warfare and deadly opposition as we witness for Christ (Rev. 11:7-10).
• VII. Even out of times of great apostasy thousands of people will come to Christ through our witness (Rev. 11:11-13).