Revelation 11:7-14 – 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 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. 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.
“Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.” The “beast” is the Antichrist. He is now in power and wants nothing to oppose him. These two witnesses have been exposing Him as the evil charlatan that he is. However his passion and pride is for Satan to be thought of as almighty and worshipped as a god. In fact, he would like people to think of Satan as above the only real God. And the Antichrist also wants their worship (Revelation 13:4). This agent of Satan is seeking to fulfill the desires of Satan who was thrown out of Heaven when his pride fueled his rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:12-17). However, neither the Beast, nor even his idol Satan, cannot defeat even one saint of God, unless God allows it (1 John 4:4) and then only because the Lord has a greater purpose. God has throughout history shown the infinite inferiority of the devil as the devil, in his rage and hate, strikes out at man, and even struck at Jesus, only to have his evil actions only work for the purposes of God (Genesis 50:20). The devil was behind the death of Jesus and thought himself in control and thought he had scored his ultimate victory. Yet God allowed this to provide the high victory of Christ that was done for our benefit, for our salvation. So the devil does his evil while thinking that he is accomplishing his evil desires but in actuality, God being omniscient, sometimes allows the devil to act out his evil plan, but God turns it around to use it to bring about God’s infinite good (Romans 8:28).
The beast finally kills his hated enemies, the two witnesses. Warren Wiersbe revealed a powerful truth in his statement “God’s obedient servants are immortal until their work is done.” We see that truth fulfilled as the Beast has been trying to kill these two who speak the truth and who expose the evil that he is, but he could not. He could not until the work of the two witnesses was done. As always, it is God who is absolute and complete control.
“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.” These two witnesses had continuously testified of God’s truth and the lie that the devil, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are. They had exposed them. The devil and the enemy tried everything to kill them. Nothing worked, till the appointed time. Now the Antichrist would claim victory for devil and for himself. He will proclaim that the death of the two witnesses shows the inferiority of God to themselves. His hatred and evil is on full display as they leave the bodies on the street to rot in full view of the world. The two dead bodies, the Antichrist will claim, are evidence that there is no God but Satan and the Antichrist, the son of Satan. He will point at the dead bodies and mock God as He claims victory.
Proof that the antichrist is worshipped by the “inhabitants of the earth”(the unredeemed) is seen by their hatred of the two witnesses who preached God’s word. Now that the two witnesses are dead the cowardly crawled out of the corners they were hiding in and rejoiced in what they believed was victory of the man they worshipped, the Antichrist. In fact, they make the death of the two witnesses a world holiday and exchange presents. They are overjoyed that the two witnesses who tormented them with the Truth are dead. Now they can live their lives as they want to and be one with the Antichrist and his government.
“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.” About the time their drunken and drug infested parties are starting to wind down, after three and a half days of the dead bodies of the two witnesses laying on the street, God brings them back to life. God’s breath of life that brought Adam and Eve to life (Genesis 2:7) brings the two witnesses back to life. Pictures of their dead bodies will have been viewed around the world via television, computers other electronic devices. As quickly and readily as they saw the witnesses die and lay on the ground, their resurrection from the dead will also travel the world faster than lightning strikes. Horror and dread fills the devil, the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all the inhabitants of the earth. Fear fills their hearts as they now dread and wonder “Oh no! What will happen now?” Praise God, the two prophets live again, stand on their feet and the world is in fear as they see that God is still in control, and not the devil and his Beast.
“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.” Then the witnesses will hear what the previously raptured church will have heard “Come up here.” Oh praise God for the joy that will run through the two witnesses! Praise God for His faithfulness and that He, and only He, is the Almighty and there are none like Him (Isaiah 45:5)! Praise God!
The two witnesses are called home. Then, as Jesus rose to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9), so will they. Family let us always rejoice that God is good all the time and that He loves us. Praise God!
Certainly the world was rejoicing that God took the two witnesses from them. However God confirmed the testimony and identity of the two witnesses as another judgement fell on the inhabitants of the earth. The city that left their bodies to rot on the street experiences a severe earthquake and seven thousand people die. The survivors were terrified and amazingly the citizens of the city give Glory to God. Though we must remember that many times in the past Israel has become reprobate, repented and worshipped God, only to slip back into sin. And lest we raise our noses, we all do the same. Pray for the lost, for such were we.
“The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.” Family, what has happened to this point has been terrifying to the inhabitants of the earth. More than half of the population has been killed, they all have been tortured, the earth itself has been ravaged, but what is to come will be worse. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth.
God is still in control. We know that He always is. Family, we all go through what feels like times too harsh for us to endure. But we must keep our eyes on Him who assures that one day, we shall forever, be with Him. Jesus has prepared a place for us to be eternally with God, eternally with Him (John 14:1-3). One day the trumpet will sound (1 Corinthians 15:52) and we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). 1 Thessalonians 4:18 “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Let us do that. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord. He is in full control as the scriptures we looked into today reveal. God is in control. Our ultimate destiny is sure and safe in Jesus. We may endure pain for a season, but joy and peace await us in Heaven. Praise God! “…Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). As we see with the two witnesses, so is the faithfulness of God to us. No matter what comes, He will never leave or abandon us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Let us comfort ourselves and each other with that knowledge. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.