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Eternity Awaits Our Witness (Rev 11:1-9)

2010.08.08Rev. Eddie Byun

Our witness to the gospel carries great power, will bring persecution, and ends in victory, because all of eternity awaits our faithful testimony to Jesus Christ.

The church is God's temple, and God's people are sealed and protected by Him (1-2)

John is told to measure the temple, but the physical temple had already been destroyed in 70 AD, so the temple must be symbolic. In the old covenant the temple represented God's presence among His people, but in the new covenant God dwells in His people. Paul says the church collectively and each believer individually is God's temple, where the Holy Spirit lives (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). Measuring means God's ownership and protection, and the church is His own. Yet the holy city will be trampled for 42 months, a symbolic period of limited suffering, so His presence does not mean we will escape opposition.

Two witnesses are the church, anointed with the Holy Spirit's power (3-4)

The two witnesses are best understood as the end-time church, not as particular individuals. Lampstands refer to the church in Revelation 1:20, and two witnesses are needed to make a testimony legally valid. The olive trees symbolize the anointing of the Spirit, as in Zechariah 4, where God says it is not by might or power but by His Spirit. Acts 1:8 and Acts 2 show that the Spirit is poured out and that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Our witness must therefore be carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in the power of the flesh.

Our witness is powerful, and that power is the power of the gospel (5-6)

Fire from the witnesses' mouths refers to the fire of judgment in the gospel message, as in Jeremiah 5:14, and not to a power to destroy enemies. Elijah and Moses represent the Law and the Prophets, who testify that Jesus is the Messiah, and they appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration. Romans 1:16 says the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Jesus promised that believers would do His works and greater works (John 14:12), and Mark 16 says signs will accompany those who believe. The speaker observes that the church in the West often lacks this power, and asks whether it is because we do not care.

Persecution comes when the witness is finished, but death is not the end (7-10)

When the church has finished its witness, the beast will make war on the believers and kill them, and the world will rejoice at their death because the gospel is offensive. The gospel says all have sinned and deserve death, and Jesus took the punishment for our sins. The period of persecution is three and a half days, far shorter than the time of mission. Believers will be resurrected and raptured to meet the Lord, and even death does not defeat them. Victory belongs to the church, and unbelievers face judgment.

The final victory of the kingdom makes our witness worth it (11-18)

The two witnesses are raised and taken up to heaven, which points to the resurrection and rapture of all who are in Christ. The seventh trumpet announces that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever. The elders worship God, and the time for judging the dead and rewarding His servants has come. Frank Jenner's story shows how one faithful witness reached more than 146,000 people, and that eternity awaits our witness. God's kingdom and final reward are certain, so we need not fear.

Apply to Life

  • 우리는 성령의 능력을 의지하여 복음을 증언합시다.
  • 우리는 복음을 전하는 일에 무관심하지 않고 잃어버린 이들을 향해 나아갑시다.
  • 우리는 증언으로 인해 받는 핍박을 두려워하지 않고 믿음을 굳게 지킵시다.
  • 우리는 우리의 증언이 영원을 여는 통로임을 기억하며 날마다 복음을 선포합시다.
  • 우리는 친구와 동료들이 우리가 그리스도께 돌아가는 모습을 보고 감사할 수 있도록 삶으로 증거합시다.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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