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| Photo of Jon Tracy, by Jim Tracy |
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, "Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein."
After the Cross, the “Temple” and the “Holy city” are the Church, our hearts. (1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”) John is to measure the true Church.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Those who choose not to worship God are immeasurable.
Nero’s persecution of the Christians lasted 42 months: November AD64 to his death on June 9, AD68. He tread “The Holy City,”- the True Church- underfoot.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
The witnesses prophesied for 3 ½ years, or 42 months. The Christian Church grew by leaps and bounds during this time of persecution.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
The “two olive trees” refers to Zechariah 4:11, where God called the leadership of Judah “olive trees” and told them they would triumph. These two trees fed oil into a candelabra that represented the Word and Glory of God. In chapter one of Revelation, the candlesticks are the churches of Asia.
(John did not say the two witnesses "looked like candles and olive trees." He said they WERE the candles and olive trees. Remember, he is in prison on Patmos as he writes this. He must be careful to write in such a way that he doesn’t get himself or his readers killed by Nero’s soldiers yet in a way that his readers will understand him. His audience would have all been familiar with Zechariah’s prophecy and known exactly what John was talking about, but this reference would have been nonsense to his guards. Quoting the Old Testament was John’s Secret Code, if you will.)
Two was the smallest, legal number of witnesses in the Mosaic Law needed to get a criminal conviction. (Deuteronomy 19:15)
So, the “two witnesses” are the leadership of the New Church and the Church itself, a small but sufficient number, who preached to the Jewish nation with mourning (because they simply wouldn’t listen), during the last 30 or so years of the nation Israel’s existence.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
There will always be those who want to persecute the Church.
The words from the witnesses’ mouth will be words of fire. (Jeremiah 5:14, "Because ye speak this word, Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire and this people wood, and it shall devour them.") They devoured the Jew’s authority and power just like fire devours wood. All hope for salvation through any “Door” but Jesus was killed by the preachers in Jerusalem.
(Hebrews 12:25 “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, "Yet once more," signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire.)
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
In Mark 16:15-18 Jesus gives His followers power (authority) to do miracles.
The Christian witnesses had the power to shut off all blessings to the Jews and to turn any blessings they already had to curses.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
When the time to witness to the Jews was over, Nero began his persecution of the Christian Church. He killed many in horrific manners. For example, he would have Christians tied to stakes and have them set on fire to light his garden at night. He simply was not a nice man, one of the cruelest in all of history. Even Hitler can’t hold a candle to this nutcase.
God, in His mercy, actually gave the Jewish people a little more time than prophesied. They had three and a half years of exclusive preaching after the Cross (about AD30- AD33 or 34), but then there was another 30 years (until after Nero’s persecution- AD68) when both Jews and gentiles were saved, building the Church good and strong, before the Jewish nation was destroyed. These few decades were a transition time, though salvation was available to everyone no matter their nationality, and they all had to come to God through the Cross. The Mosaic Law was no longer an option for salvation.
Tacitus (c. AD55 -117, a secular historian) tells us, “…The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again,…” The Jews, with the approval and help of the Romans, appeared to have wiped out Christianity, but It came back!
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
“Sodom,” (the city of great immorality) “Egypt,” (the country of idolatry) and “The Great City” are Jerusalem, the place where Christ was crucified. It says so right here.
There was no greater disrespect a Jew could give someone than to not bury them, but leave them out to rot.
It was in Jerusalem that the worst of the persecution from the Jews occurred. The Christians were treated with extreme contempt.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
No one would take pity on the Christians and no one would show them any respect. Everyone assumed the Religion was destroyed.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
People are glad when Christians are removed from the scene because we make them feel guilty.
11 And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
The Church, though appearing defeated for a short time (just long enough for their enemies to be sure they were really defeated), began to grow by leaps and bounds.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, “Come up hither.” And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Jesus told all Christians to leave Jerusalem when they saw certain signs. (Matthew 24:17 ) That is exactly what happened. All Christians fled not just Jerusalem, but nearly all of Judah, gathering in Pella. This city must have become quite a nice place to live with most of their population being Christian. The Romans never did conquer this city. It was a Haven for the Christians.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
As soon as the Christians were out of the city, disaster struck it. There was a tremendous storm accompanied by earthquakes, as the Idumeans entered the city. These and other warring factions murdered the inhabitants. (Josephus Book IV, Chapter IV, Section 5) Josephus records there being 8500 killed just the night of the earthquake.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
The first woe was the Roman army marching through and pillaging the land. The second was the persecution, famine and disease.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.”
Christ’s Kingdom began at Calvary and all kingdoms are subject to Him. He is truly the King of all kings.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God,
Both the Jewish and Christian churches.
17 Saying, “We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 “And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
It is time for God to bring judgment on all those who crucified Him, and persecuted His Church.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
We are the temple of God. He does not inhabit physical buildings anymore, just His people.
His testament is written on our hearts and should be seen there. John is told that there is fixing to be great, wondrous and terrifying things happen in the Church.