Witness and the Kingdom

[Read Revelation 10-11]

Twenty years ago, I was sitting under the stars with one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. I was away on a wilderness leadership retreat. I had spent the week walking through the woods with this guy. It was incredible. It seemed like he knew everything about every plant in the woods. He was constantly pointing out the way you could use different plants for different remedies. He was constantly showing me how the various plants interacted with one another and relied upon one another in each ecosystem. Yet, that night as we sat under the stars looking through a telescope, he told me the only way he would be granted his PhD and receive tenure, would be for him to hide the fact that he believed in a six day creation. Once he received his PhD and tenure, then he could speak out more about scientific evidences for a six day creation. If he did it before then, he would be fired, sidelined, and silenced. That was twenty years ago. 

It’s getting even worse today. I don’t say these things to spread fear and I don’t say these things to start a gripe fest—complaining about how bad the world is. I’m saying it because it’s true and we shouldn’t ignore the truth. Those holding Christian beliefs are increasingly being ostracized and some are even losing their jobs. Right now, people are worried they will lose their job because they hold to an orthodox view of human sexuality. Some are losing their jobs already. I don’t expect it to get better anytime soon. Since the beginning, God’s people have always come into conflict with the world. 

Look at the picture we’re given in Revelation 11. There’s talk about two witnesses. For now, don’t worry about who or what they are, just know that they are witnesses/prophets—people pointing other people to Jesus Christ and speaking God’s Word. Look what happens: “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 11:7–10, ESV). The beast makes war on them. As their dead bodies lay in the street, people rejoice at their death. They refuse them a proper burial. They throw a party and EXCHANGE PRESENTS with one another because the two witnesses/prophets are dead. Notice how much they despised the prophets—how much they hated them. 

This story of the witnesses/prophets is set up by John eating a scroll. There’s an angel holding another scroll. It’s a small scroll—which lets us know that it’s less significant than the big scroll. However, it’s still a scroll and scrolls contain God’s Word of judgement and salvation. And interestingly, the angel tells John to eat the scroll. He says, “And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.” (Revelation 10:8–10, ESV). John eats the scroll. We use this same language today. When someone has a book they really enjoy, they sometimes say they are DEVOURING the book. They are EATING IT UP. Yet, it means more. To eat the book is a symbol of ingesting, digesting, and becoming part of who you are. If you eat a book, the contents of that book have become part of who you are—part of your very being.

Interestingly, when John eats the book, it’s bitter AND sweet. It’s bitter because it contains judgements and it's sweet because it contains salvation. It’s both. It’s a bittersweet message. For some, the message from God’s Word is good news of salvation, sweet as honey. For others, the message of God’s Word is judgement and death—bitter. 

Then John is told to do something with the scroll he just ate. He’s told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Revelation 10:11, ESV). Now that John has eaten the book—he’s eaten God’s Words of judgement and salvation—digested it and made it his own, he is told to preach that word to the world. He’s supposed to preach this bittersweet message to people, nations, and kings. Interestingly, as Don would probably notice, he’s told to preach it to many languages as well.

Here’s why this is important. This story of John eating the bittersweet scroll and being told to preach that bittersweet message to the world precedes the story of the two witnesses. It’s setting up the story of the two witnesses—those who will be preaching a bittersweet message to the world. 

So, who are the two witnesses? I’ll admit that there’s a lot of disagreement on these two witnesses, but let me tell you what I see in this passage. On the one hand, it says of these two witnesses/prophets: “They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may 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 kind of plague, as often as they desire.” (Revelation 11:6, ESV). This should immediately remind us of a couple prophets from the Old Testament. Elijah was a prophet who prayed that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t rain—he shut the sky. Moses had power over the waters to turn them to blood and unleash plagues. Also, Elijah is known for his showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where he prayed and fire came from heaven and consumed his sacrifice—which sounds a lot like the fire pouring from the mouth of these witnesses/prophets. 

However, this passage says something else about these two witnesses. It says, “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” (Revelation 11:4, ESV). This should automatically set off “bells” in our minds. When we hear the term “lampstand,” we should immediately be sent back to chapters 1-3, where the churches were described as lampstands that stand before the Lord. And, to add another layer to this, I found myself asking the question, “Why two witnesses/prophets? That’s not really a biblical number.” However, as a read commentaries this week, I was reminded that Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. AND, more importantly, Do you remember how many of the seven churches were doing well, weren’t rebuked by Jesus? TWO. 

So, once again, I think these two witnesses are providing us an image of the church in the world. This is an image of the church sent out into a hostile world with the bittersweet message of the gospel. We are now considered prophets in the world—just like Elijah and Moses. We’ve been given God’s Word to preach to the world around us. We’ve been told to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey King Jesus.

And, one image that should stand out is the fire pouring from the mouths of these witnesses/prophets. This is the power of preaching God’s Word. God tells the prophet Jeremiah, “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.” (Jeremiah 5:14, ESV). The message of the gospel is fire coming from our mouths. For some this fire consumes. For others this fire refines. Either way, this message is powerful in the midst of a hostile world. 

Now, don’t forget what we talked about last week. Remember what Paul teaches us in Ephesians about spiritual warfare. What are our only two weapons? The Word of God and Prayer. Last week, Revelation reminded us of the power of Prayer in this spiritual battle. This week, Revelation reminds us of the power of God’s Word in this spiritual battle—in the midst of the hostile world. We need BOTH. These two weapons should never be disconnected from one another. As God’s witnesses/prophets in this hostile world—in this spiritual battle—we’ve been given the powerful weapons of prayer and God’s Word. As we speak the bittersweet message of the gospel, and pray for God to bring his kingdom into this hostile world, we are pushing back the Kingdom of Satan. We are fighting the good fight. 

In this battle, we also need to be reminded of the power image at the beginning of chapter 10 where we read: “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.” (Revelation 10:1–3, ESV). This is a picture of Jesus Christ. Many of the same images that described Jesus throughout Revelation are used of this “mighty angel.” Notice where Jesus stands. He is standing on the sea and the earth. That is showing that Jesus has all authority over heaven and earth, over the sea and everything in them. So, later, when the beast rises from the sea, we must not forget that Jesus is standing on that same sea—he has authority over the sea. 

In laying out this imagery, make sure you notice that Revelation 10 is an image of the Great Commission. Jesus tells his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV). We see the image of Jesus with all authority in heaven and on earth. We see him giving His Word to John the disciple. We see that disciple eating and digesting the Word of God. Then we hear Jesus tell him to go to all the nations with the bittersweet message of the gospel. Then, we see the imagery of the church bringing that message into the hostile world, devouring people with the fire of the gospel, speaking and acting like prophets in the world. 

Yet, it doesn’t look like it’s going very well, does it? I mean the church is preaching the fire-breathing gospel, speaking and acting like prophets of God, yet it looks as if they are defeated. The beast takes them out. People celebrate at their “defeat.” This has been the case throughout history with God’s people. There have been times when it looked like the church was dead, defeated, never to return. When Elijah was a prophet, he legitimately thought he was the only one left on the entire planet who was still faithful to God. It seemed like the church had been defeated. 

Yet, God has different plans. We read, “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at 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.” (Revelation 11:11–13, ESV). Just when the world thought they had defeated the church, God brought them back to life. Yes, there will be points in history when it seems like the church is dead—and the world will be rejoicing—but thank God that he RAISES THE DEAD.

Not only does God raise the church from the dead, but he also brings about final victory. When the seventh trumpet blows we read, “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”” (Revelation 11:15, ESV). This is the cry of victory. The kingdom of this world—the kingdom overrun by Satan—has not become the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ and they will reign forever and ever. 

This is a powerful reminder for us in our current time and situation. Is the world increasingly becoming hostile to Christianity? Yes. Is the church shrinking and struggling and seemingly dying? Yes. But Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth and our God raises the dead. We’re not called to give up, complain, whine, moan, or groan about how bad things are in the world. We’re called to FIGHT. We’re called to enter into battle with the powerful weapons God has given us—the Word of God and Prayer. We’re called to keep preaching the bittersweet message of the Gospel to the world. And guess what? Even though the world is hostile and the church is shrinking, God is still going to win. He’s going to raise the church from the dead and he will bring about victory. He will proclaim that the kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of God. 

We also shouldn’t be surprised by any of this. This is the first Sunday in Lent—a season where we remember Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. What do we see when we look at Jesus’ life? How did the world treat him? They hated him! What was his message? His message was bitter to some and sweet to others. And the world attacked him, and mocked him, and beat him, and pierced him, and crucified him. Then, they rejoiced over his death. It seemed as though He had been defeated—that he failed his mission. But after three days, everything changed, and everyone saw that God brought about victory THROUGH Jesus’s suffering. And because of Jesus’ victory, we can boldly and confidently enter the world with the gospel—praying and preaching the Word of God—trusting that no matter how difficult the situation is—no matter how hostile the world and how weak the church—God will ultimately bring about victory. His kingdom WILL come and His will WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven. And He WILL reign forever and ever.