Revelation – Jesus IS Coming Back
“It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” That was a favorite phrase of my mom and dad. The “let’s try this” turns sour when mom or dad enters the area and tells you how wrong and hurtful that will be to do it. Doing wrong brings out the mischievousness in all of us. It seems like fun and such a great idea at the time. But this “fun” is only short-lived. When it is blatant sin against God and hurts others, someone has to step in.
God’s vision to John reveals the hearts of future people. The church is measured and found it does not measure up in Truth telling. At this point, Truth has been changed to accept all sin on earth. God sends Two Witnesses who come to tell the Truth…like Jesus did centuries before. They, too are ridiculed, mocked, humiliated, tortured but not hurt for a period of time, (1260 days to be exact). These Two Witnesses (prophets) “pricked the conscience of all the people on earth, made it impossible for them to enjoy their sins.”
When their time was up for telling the Truth, they battled Satan himself and died in the same city where Jesus was crucified. BUT, after 3 and half days, The Voice of heaven orders these two to “Come up here!” A massive earthquake brought down man-made structures revealing the power and majesty of God. Fear drove people to give honor to Him.
Revelation 11, The Message
The Two Witnesses
1-2 I was given a stick for a measuring rod and told, “Get up and measure God’s Temple and Altar and everyone worshiping in it. Exclude the outside court; don’t measure it. It’s been handed over to non-Jewish outsiders. They’ll desecrate the Holy City for forty-two months.
3-6 “Meanwhile, I’ll provide my two Witnesses. Dressed in sackcloth, they’ll prophesy for 1,260 days. These are the two Olive Trees, the two Lampstands, standing at attention before God on earth. If anyone tries to hurt them, a blast of fire from their mouths will incinerate them—burn them to a crisp just like that. They’ll have power to seal the sky so that it doesn’t rain for the time of their prophesying, power to turn rivers and springs to blood, power to hit earth with any and every disaster as often as they want.7-10 “When they’ve completed their witness, the Beast from the Abyss will emerge and fight them, conquer and kill them, leaving their corpses exposed on the street of the Great City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, the same City where their Master was crucified. For three and a half days they’ll be there—exposed, prevented from getting a decent burial, stared at by the curious from all over the world. Those people will cheer at the spectacle, shouting ‘Good riddance!’ and calling for a celebration, for these two prophets pricked the conscience of all the people on earth, made it impossible for them to enjoy their sins.
11 “Then, after three and a half days, the Living Spirit of God will enter them—they’re on their feet!—and all those gloating spectators will be scared to death.”
12-13 I heard a strong voice out of Heaven calling, “Come up here!” and up they went to Heaven, wrapped in a cloud, their enemies watching it all. At that moment there was a gigantic earthquake—a tenth of the city fell to ruin, seven thousand perished in the earthquake, the rest frightened to the core of their being, frightened into giving honor to the God-of-Heaven.
14 The second doom is past, the third doom coming right on its heels.
The Last Trumpet Sounds
15-18 The seventh Angel trumpeted. A crescendo of voices in Heaven sang out,
The kingdom of the world is now
the Kingdom of our God and his Messiah!
He will rule forever and ever!
The Twenty-four Elders seated before God on their thrones fell to their knees, worshiped, and sang,
We thank you, O God, Sovereign-Strong,
Who Is and Who Was.
You took your great power
and took over—reigned!
The angry nations now
get a taste of your anger.
The time has come to judge the dead,
to reward your servants, all prophets and saints,
Reward small and great who fear your Name,
and destroy the destroyers of earth.
19 The doors of God’s Temple in Heaven flew open, and the Ark of his Covenant was clearly seen surrounded by flashes of lightning, loud shouts, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a fierce hailstorm.
The 24 Elders in heaven fell to their knees in worship to God with songs of praise. The power of God is revealed. Truth is revealed once more by His glory.Do we enjoy our sin? Or do we enjoy Truth? What does our joy (what we enjoy most) reveal about our lives?
Dear Heavenly Father,
There is more to come! Jesus IS coming back. God, you know the time and events that will reveal Your power and glory. You have given us only a glimpse of things to come when You come back to claim your own. Thank you for rescuing us NOW, redeeming us NOW because of our belief in the Truth of your salvation. Continue to transform us to know Truth, tell Truth and live Truth. You are Truth. You will not change. Thank you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
