The Battle for Our Souls
The conflict between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of light is obvious during these last 3½ years of the Great Tribulation. We see this clearly between the two witnesses of God and the "Beast" (the anti-Christ). We see it between the woman and child (Israel and Christ) and the great dragon (Satan) (12:1-17, 19:20-20:3). When Jesus appeared to Paul at his conversion, He made direct reference to this battle that rages over our souls between the kingdoms of Satan and Christ. Three days after Saul's conversion, Christ gave him his call to preach the gospel with the end result being that He would "open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to the power of God" (Acts 26:18). This tension between the two kingdoms for supremacy over our souls provides the basis by which the true heart condition of all humanity is revealed. God uses this tension in our lives just as He did in the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God allowed Satan to tempt each one of us in this conflict for our souls. As God calls us into the kingdom of Christ, Satan unleashes all his wrath and deceptions to turn us away. If in the face of all Satan does to deter us, we overcome with obedient faith, we have made a decision that settles forever who will and who will not be faithful to God for all eternity. Conversely, for those who choose to stay aligned with the kingdom of darkness, it will be proof for all eternity why such people are kept in hell. This is the proof that no matter what God did to reveal Himself and His gospel they rejected Him. Clearly in this last half of the tribulation these two witnesses and their revealed power from God is proof that they are witnesses for God. Clearly the way God protected the 144,000 and the "woman" will be proof that they and their Messiah are of God. Our response to the clear call and evidence of God's Kingdom versus Satan's will leave none of us with any excuse when we stand before God to be judged (11:17-18). What will happen in the tribulation to seal the eternal destiny of mankind happens in each generation of humanity prior to the tribulation. Therefore, watch and pray, for our souls dwell in the valley of decision. With which kingdom will our faith and allegiance lie? | |||
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Revelation 11:1-12:17 1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. The Witnesses Killed 7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. The Witnesses Resurrected 11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, 19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 12 The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon 1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Satan Thrown Out of Heaven 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." The Woman Persecuted 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. | |||
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Revelation 11:1-12:17 v. 1 measuring rod – This term literally means "reed." In ancient times, surveyors would use reeds (a species of cane) that grew in the swamp lands of the Mediterranean as measuring rulers. These reeds were straight like a staff, and they could grow to lengths of 15 to 20 feet long. We are not sure the size of this rod, but in Ezekiel 40:5, his measuring rod was 6 cubits (about 9 feet long). measuring – This could refer to God knowing and claiming His possessions; the Temple, the altar, and those worshiping Him during this time of the tribulation. The temple of God – Around 70 AD, the Roman Empire came in to Jerusalem and destroyed it along with the Temple of God. The Temple consisted of two places: the holy place and the Holy of Holies, which was considered the dwelling place of God. The Temple referred to in this passage is the Temple which will be rebuilt during the tribulation period. During these end times, Jewish worship will be reinstated until it is corrupted by the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:4). The Altar – The Temple had two altars: the "brazen altar" which was outside in the courtyard, and the "altar of incense" which was inside the Temple in the holy place. In this passage, it would be best understood that this altar referred indeed to "the altar of incense," because it was part of the Temple which John was asked to measure, while the other was outside that area. Those who worship there – This refers to Jewish believers that will worship God during the first part of the tribulation time. v. 2 The holy city – Jerusalem v. 3 Two witnesses – These two witnesses will prophesy for three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. These witnesses will be prophesying against the unrepentant world and the injustice and defilement of the anti-Christ. Prophesy – to speak forth by divine inspiration or influence Sackcloth – a rough garment made with goat and camel hair. It was the common cloth of the poor, and it was symbolically associated with mourning. Though God had given power to his two witnesses, they wore sackcloth to symbolize mourning in these times of tribulation and troubles. v. 4 These are the two olive trees – This mystery was first introduced in Zechariah 4:8-14: "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth." They have been set apart to be witnesses and communicate God's message to the people of the world. and the two lampstands – These two witnesses will shine forth the light of God's truth. v. 7 The Beast – This is the first reference to the beast out of 36 total in the book of Revelation. The beast is a reference to the "anti-Christ." v. 8 the great city – Jerusalem Sodom – Was located at the southern part of the Dead Sea. During Abraham's day it was a city known for its vile corruption and wickedness (Gen. 18:20). The city was so evil God chose to destroy it and its inhabitants. Jerusalem is compared to this city, because though it was to be a holy city, it became corrupt and wicked. Egypt – As Sodom represents corruption and wickedness, Egypt represents slavery and bondage as the Hebrews were once enslaved there. Egypt also worshiped many false gods. Thus, Egypt represents both physical and spiritual bondage. v. 11 breath of life – To give life. In Genesis 2:7, God breathed life into Adam. In the same way God will give life to the bodies of these dead prophets. v. 13 a tenth of the city fell – This refers to a tenth of the city of Jerusalem being destroyed by the great earthquake that follows the disappearance of the two witnesses into the sky. v. 15 the kingdom of this world – This is the kingdom of the anti-Christ. The prophet Daniel mentions this kingdom in Daniel 7:14. This kingdom is unlike any kingdom we have experienced. It is distinct from all others kingdoms, because it will dominate the globe. The kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ – The final glorious Messianic kingdom spoken of in Daniel 7:11-14. After the beast is defeated this kingdom will replace the kingdom of the anti-Christ and have no end. From this point on there will be no more corrupt governments of men. Christ Himself will rule over the earth forever. v. 18 the time of the dead, that they should be judged – This is a reference to "the Great White Throne Judgment" (20:11-15). At that time everyone great and small will be judged for the works in their lives whether good or bad. v. 19 The temple of God – This is not talking about the Temple of the tribulation time. It is a heavenly temple. In the book of Hebrews, the author makes it clear that the institutions on Earth that pertain to God are mirrors or shadows of what is in Heaven. So, just as there is a Temple of God on earth, there is a heavenly Temple. Revelation 12 v. 1 sign – semeion (Gk.) an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally; miracle, token, wonder a woman – represents the nation of Israel (Gen. 37:9-10) sun…moon…twelve stars – Here is one of the evidences of this woman being the nation of Israel. Compare this woman's clothing and appearance to Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9. Joseph's father Jacob was the father of the 12 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. Jacob's name was later changed to "Israel." (Gen 32:28) In Joseph's dream he saw his father and mother as the sun and the moon. He saw his 11 brothers as 11 stars. Joseph and his 11 brothers would add up to 12 stars. v. 2 with child…in pain to give birth – A second piece of evidence pointing to this woman's identity being Israel. The description of this child in verse 5 makes clear the child is Jesus Christ. This woman's labor and pain may very well represent the many afflictions endured by Israel throughout history before the birth of Christ. v. 3 great, fiery red dragon – drakon (Gk.) simply means great serpent. And he is identified in 12:9 as the Devil and Satan. Satan made his first appearance as a great serpent in the Garden of Eden when he enticed Eve to sin (Gen. 3:1-6). seven heads and ten horns – It is helpful to contemplate this vision in the light of Daniel's prophecy when he was given a vision of the end times (Daniel 7:7-8, 24). Daniel's vision reveals the 10 horns to be 10 kings. seven diadems on his heads – The number seven in scripture often represents perfection or completeness. Diadems (crowns) represent authority. Therefore this dragon is depicted as having complete military and political power on the earth. v. 4 third of the stars…to the earth – A depiction of Satan bringing a third of the angels of heaven down with him when he rebelled against God and was as a result cast out of heaven (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). to devour her Child – Descriptive of Satan's attempt to destroy the Messiah born of Israel. Satan did everything in his power to kill the Christ child from the time of His birth as he worked through King Herod to slaughter the innocent children of Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16-18). v. 5 male Child…rule all nations…rod of iron – This is an obvious picture of the Messiah promised in the Old Testament scriptures (Ps. 2:8-9). Child was caught up – This snapshot leaves out much detail concerning Jesus Christ as we are taken from Christ's birth to His ascension in an instant. This is because the vision is not meant to be a detailed description of history but a rather a representation of the struggle in the spiritual world that lies behind history. v. 6 wilderness – eremos (Gk.) lonesome; desert, desolate, solitary place one thousand two hundred and sixty days – This period represents the second half of the Great Tribulation, the three and a half years or the second half of the "prophetic week" (7 years) mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27 when he prophesied concerning the end times. v. 7 war broke out in heaven – The idea of war in heaven is not a new one. Michael is the victorious warrior angel of God known for his ability to make war and win. In Daniel 10, an angel comes to answer Daniel's prayer (Dan 10:10-14). But he was detained for 21 days by an evil angel, "The Prince of Persia." Then Michael the Archangel came and subdued this evil angel. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon – The conflict of this war is between Michael and his angels versus the devil and his angels. Apparently the devil possesses and commands angels under his power. Likewise, Michael, the Archangel also has angels under his command. Michael – Michael (Gk.) meaning who is like God. Michael is an archangel which means he is a lead or chief angel. He is the only angel that is referred to as an archangel in scripture (Jude 9), and in Daniel 12:1 we see he has a specific purpose. It appears that Michael's purpose is to watch over the nation of Israel (Dan. 12:1, Jude 1:9). v. 9 he was cast to the earth – Though the Devil and his angels are cast out of heaven they are not utterly destroyed. They are merely restricted to the sphere of the earth. And there the deception of Satan is still at work today. v. 10 salvation – soteria (Gk.) rescue or safety (physically or morally) deliver, health, save, saving strength – dunamis (Gk.) force (literally or figuratively) miraculous power: ability, abundance. This is the Greek word we get "dynamite" from. accuser – kategoreo (Gk.) means to be a plaintiff, or to charge with some offence. Satan (the accuser of the brethren) has always made accusations against God's saints. He accused Job (Job 1:11, 2:5), and he also accused Joshua the High priest (Zech. 3:1). We can also see, he once tried to gain permission to find accusations against the Apostle Peter, but Jesus intervened and protected Peter (Luke 22:31, 32). has been cast down – Satan's ultimate defeat comes four in stages. Here (Rev. 12:8-9) he will be cast down to the earth in the middle of the Tribulation, restricting his boundaries. Later he will be bound for the duration of the millennial kingdom (20:1-3). After that he will be once more loosed for a time and finally be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (20:10) where the world ruler (anti-Christ) and the false prophet will have been cast a 1,000 years earlier. v. 11 overcame him by the blood of the Lamb – In the Jewish sacrificial system, the blood of a sacrificial lamb was a temporary atonement or covering for sins (Ex. 29:39, Lev. 4:35, Num. 6:14). The lamb's blood represented the death and punishment of the individual's sin. This was a shadow of the ultimate redemption found only in Christ. When Jesus' blood was shed it allowed those who trust in his substitutionary death to be forgiven. Satan can no longer accuse those who are in Christ (Rom 3:24; 8:1, 2, 39). It's by this principle that the tribulation believers will overcome. and by the word of their testimony – their verbal witness or proclamation of their faith (Rom. 10:9-13) did not love their lives to the death – They were willing to die for their faith in Christ. v. 12 a short time – This refers to the last three and a half years of the tribulation period where Satan will only have a few years left to attack these believers before he is conquered by Christ. Thus, Satan's wrath increases as he is aware that his time of judgment and reckoning approaches. v. 13 the woman – the nation Israel from whom the Christ had come forth v. 14 wings of a great eagle – This is very familiar Old Testament language describing how God takes care of Israel (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). a time and times and half a time – The three and a half years of the Great Tribulation A time equals a year. During this last half of the tribulation and the worse part of God's judgment upon Satan and the sinful inhabitance of the earth, God will protect Israel from all wraths. v. 15 water out of his mouth like a flood – This refers to some type of retaliation against the woman. It is clear that the serpent (Satan) is trying to destroy the woman (Israel). Even though the woman has been protected by God and taken to a place of safety, relentlessly Satan still tries to harm her. This depiction may possibly be a literal flash flood in the wilderness caused by Satan to wipe out Israel in hiding. Some see this flood as symbolic of invading armies. v. 16 the earth helped the woman – This is reminiscent of Numbers 16:30-33 when God caused the earth to open up to purge Israel from rebellion and to judge the offenders. v. 17 the rest of her offspring – From the context, this is referring to all obedient believers of Christ living at that time. | |||
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"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" –Revelation 11:15 While the scenes described in Revelation seem distant to us today, God, they are part of Bible prophecy and are absolutely in our future. Keep us from considering this part of Your Word as something that will happen far in the future. Help us to remember that we do not know the time period of these events and that time for us to spread the gospel is short indeed. | |||
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11:15 
The Two Witnesses
