Teachinghearts	The Two Witnesses (Revelation 11) "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 15: Time: 60 minutes Print: 12 pages

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Revelation 11 Ezekiel 40-48

Revelation is written in the order of the feasts. These are the significant actions of God in our salvation. This section of Revelation introduces God as the Judge on the day of atonement. The symbols used involve the legal evidence that God has been gathering over the last 6000 years.

Background
In our last lesson we learned that God would unseal the prophecies of Daniel and launch a Remnant who would spread the gospel throughout the world at the time when He began the judgment. In this lesson we see the basis of the case for the Judgment and Satan's attempt to stop this knowledge from entering the earth. This chapter is divided into several sections.

• The Legal Case. God judges for His church and gathers evidence against the wicked.
• The Beast from the Abyss. The church is attacked by a force that originates in hell.
• The Gospel Sent. The judgment begins and results in the sending of the last message of warning and invitation to the world.

The Symbols
After the judgment begins in Revelation 10, God submits His legal case in Revelation 11. This chapter is written in the terms of a legal document because God is revealing his legal case for the judgment.

• Judgment of the Righteous. The righteous are being measured.
• Two Witnesses. God has two witnesses against the wicked.
• Crime (Witness Intimidation). The rejection of the testimony from God and the murder of the witnesses.
• Covenant Agreement. God behaves according to the legal agreement in the covenant curses. He sends plague, famine and drought.
• Final Warning. God sends prophets to the world after the judgment has begun.

The Legal Case Against the Wicked
One aspect of Jewish law was the requirement that there would be two witnesses in a trial. Here we see that God is combining the legal and the religious worlds. On the great global day of atonement, God is calling on His two witnesses to testify. He has satisfied the legal requirements.

The Autumn Feasts
Since this prophecy centers on the judgment, let us review the feasts that symbolize this time. A more detailed study is in this lesson. All the autumn feasts occurred in the month of Tishri.

Day 1	1844	Day 10	Day 11-14	Second Coming	Feast of Tabernacles (Day 15-21)		Hell Fire	Day 22
Feast of Trumpets		Yom Kippur	Preparation		Day 15-20	Hosana Raba (Day 21)		Shemini Atzeret
Persecution		Judgment	Gospel		Millennium	Wicked Judged		New Earth

• Feast of Trumpets (Day 1). Judgment is rendered. This is the official call to judgment. The day all living things are judged. It begins a period of ten days when people should prepare to have their sins removed.
• Yom Kippur (Day 10). Judgment is sealed. This is the last day in which the righteous are judged and their sins are finally removed. It is the day that the sanctuary was cleansed. It is the last opportunity to be sealed and make sure that your name is still written in the Book. At the end of this process, God removes the names of the wicked from the Book of Life.
• Feast of Tabernacles (Day 15). The righteous celebrate by living with God.
• Hosana Raba (Day 21). Judgment is delivered. Jewish tradition says that the world is judged on this day.
• Shemini Atzeret (Day 22). The reading of the Torah and a new cycle begins.

Notice that Jewish tradition says that the righteous and the wicked are judged at separate times. The wicked are judged after the righteous go to live with God.

In considering the judgment it is important to consider the distinction between the individual people and the authorities or principalities and powers. The principalities and powers were judged at the cross and the earthly powers through whom they transferred authority were also judged. This is why Christ received His throne at the judgment. But the judgment of individuals began with the righteous dead in 1844. It will proceed to the righteous living during a period called the sealing. The wicked people are judged at a later time.
With this sequence of events, let us look at the prophecy.

The Day of Atonement: Measurement and Judgment
The Judgment of the Righteous
There was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the Holy City for forty two months." (Revelation 11: 1-2)

The word "measure" or the concept of measurement or weighing means to judge against a standard.
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you give, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7: 1-2)

Here we see a judgment of those in the temple. However, those in the outer court are not judged. The temple on earth was only a copy of the temple in heaven. In this true temple, Christ serves as our High Priest who represents us.

West	North			East
	Most Holy Place	Holy Place	The Outer Court
	Heaven	Church	Earth
	The Righteous		The Wicked
	South

• Outer Court. This is the earth. The place where the sacrifice was killed. It represents all the people, especially the wicked.
• Holy Place. This represents the righteous, who by faith are waiting to enter the Most Holy Place. In this room, or this period of time they have access to heaven through prayer.
• Most Holy Place. This represents Heaven. It was the room behind the veil which only the High Priest could enter once each year on Yom Kippur. It is the righteous place in which no wicked can enter.

At the time of the judgment, three righteous things are considered.

• The Temple. This is the system that God has in place to teach the world about Himself. God Himself has been judged. Paul acknowledges this when he sees a future time when God is vindicated.
  ... Rather let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "That You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are judged". (Romans 3: 4)
• The Altar. This is the sacrifice of Christ. It is also the response of the righteous recorded in their prayers.
• The Worshippers. These are the righteous who declare faith in God and His Plan of Salvation.

The Judgment of the Wicked
The outer court where the wicked are located is not measured. The wicked are not judged at this time. They will be judged at the Third Coming.

Parallels		Leviticus 16 (Yom Kippur)		Revelation 11		Ezekiel 40-48
1	Sanctuary	16	The Sanctuary is cleansed	1	The Temple is measured	40	Temple measured
2	Altar	18, 33	The Altar was cleansed	1	The Altar is measured	41	Altar is measured
3	People	7, 33	The People were cleansed	1	The Worshipers are measured	44	Priests
4	Israel Judged	16, 21, 23	The judgment occurs on behalf of the assembly of Israel	1,2	The measuring only involves God's people	43	Temple shows them their iniquities

The Two Witnesses During the 1260 Years
"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. (Revelation 11: 3-5)

On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. (Deuteronomy 17: 6)
The testimony of one witness was not sufficient. God provided for two, He followed His own rules!

Other Trumpets			Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe)			Seventh Trumpet (Third Woe)
538	1260 Years of Testimony			1798	Witnesses Resurrected	1844	Judgment		Second Coming
	2 Witnesses	Beast from the Abyss	Witnesses Killed				Righteous	Wicked
	Persecution		3½ Years French Revolution		Daniel Unsealed		Sealing	Wrath

We now learn that two things happened over a period of 1260 years that are a part of the testimony of God. The wicked are disobedient murderers, and they have been told about the righteous requirements of God by the two witnesses.

• Clothed in Sackcloth. The witnesses testified while they were mourning. They mourned for two reasons. First, they must work under persecution. Second, they recognize that the curse is in effect.
• The Wicked. They get to trample on the Holy City for forty two months. They are allowed to persecute. According to this prophecy, the wicked are not judged at the same time. In fact they are given time to act more wickedly. It is as if God is still collecting evidence against them. It is also a time in which they can repent and choose to join the people of God because Yom Kippur in not over.
• The Righteous. During hardship and mourning, they continue to prophecy and warn the world. They have certain authority and power. The two lamp stands or olive trees represent God's word, the Old and New Testaments and the power of the Holy Spirit.
  I see a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts ... also two olive trees by it. One on the right side of the bowl and the other on the left side.
  This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit", says the Lord of Hosts". (Zechariah 4: 1-6)
  
  What are these olive trees which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves? ... These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4: 11-14. )
  
  Zechariah gives this picture of the olive trees by the lamp as a picture of the Most Holy Place. There were two cherubs standing on either side of God. We see that this picture is equivalent to the word of God sent to the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • Olive Trees. They have the Holy Spirit. Oil represented the Spirit and trees represent the righteous people.
    But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. (Psalm 52: 8)
  • Lampstands. They spread the light of God to the world. Light represents the word of God.
    Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. (Psalm 119: 105)
  • Power over The Curses. They have the ability to unleash the curses. Because of their treatment, God can legally send the curses on the wicked for their disobedience. Fire, blood, drought and plagues. The plagues killed one third of Europe. And the people were constantly at war. What this prophecy teaches is that the problems of the Middle Ages came to the people as a result of sin and the application of the curse.
  • Drought. The power over rain reminds us of Elijah's prayer that caused a drought for 42 months in Israel. During that time he was pursued by Jezebel. Since the Bible was banned, there was literally a famine for the word of God.
    But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. (Luke 4: 25)
  • Fire. The power over fire also reminds us of the battle between Elijah and the priests of Baal.

Identifying the Two Witnesses
There are many theories about the identity of the two witnesses.

• Humans. Some people are looking for two superior human beings. This is not valid. It is too narrow.
• Scriptures. The most popular interpretation is the old and the new testament. But this answer is incomplete.
• Law and the Prophets. This is a better answer since this is the legacy that God has left with humans to learn His will. This comes to us primarily in the form of the law which are a direct link to the covenant and the prophets who point us back to the terms of the covenant.
  
  The Covenant (The Law). This is God's written testimony or witness in the old and new testaments. The purpose of the law is to teach the will of God and to remind us of the covenant promise. It is the fundamental legal document that is the basis of the judgment and the basis of judging the prophets.
  To the law and to the testimony, If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no light. (Isaiah 8: 20)
  
  The Prophets. The prophets give the testimony about God. They are His oral witnesses. The purpose of the prophet is to bring us back from the edge of apostasy to the law and the covenant. The prophet does not simply predict the future to show off the knowledge of God. They predict the future based on our response to the covenant. The prophet reminds us that we have an obligation to obey the covenant or we will be subject to the wrath of God. Eventually, their testimony becomes a part of the written testimony. Moses had his testimony become law.
  
  Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The ultimate two witnesses are Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. These two act to fulfill the covenant. Jesus Christ established the covenant. The Holy Spirit is sent to teach us the covenant and to fulfill its promise that God would write the law in our hearts. They are the witnesses for God. Their testimony is the basis for the judgment. Christ will testify about the great salvation that God has offered freely as a gift. The Holy Spirit will testify about how we rejected His appeals to us to accept this gift from God.
  You search the scriptures for you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about Me. (John 5: 39)

Authority of the Two Witnesses
Sending the Curses. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not 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 plague, as often as they desire. (Revelation 11: 6)
These witnesses have great power and authority derived from the law. The are the powers used by Moses and Elijah.

• The Authority of the Covenant. The authority of the witnesses leads us back to the covenant. They testify about the covenant and use its legal power to punish those who reject their testimony. We see this in the evidence from Revelation 11. When the covenant is opened, the witnesses can send the curses that are allowed in the covenant. They can send fire, drought, blood and plague. This legal authority comes from the covenant.
• A Warning Message. While two humans will not appear physically, the message of two prophets will become important at the end of time. This message leads the world back to the covenant and out of the strongholds of sin.
  • Moses (The Word of God). Moses led the first exodus out of Egypt. He was the one who received the laws of God. The message of Moses prepares them for the last exodus. It tells them to leave Babylon before it falls. He had the power to turn water to blood and make plagues fall as often as he wanted so that the people could leave Egypt.
  • Elijah (The Voice of God). The Elijah message brings them back to God. He was the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Isaiah 40: 3). He had the power to shut up the sky to stop the rain for three and a half years. He had the power to make fire come from heaven to make the fathers turn back to their children.

The Authority of the Two Witnesses
1	Jesus Christ	Inspiration	Law (Covenant)	Authority	Scriptures	Lamps	Word of God	Moses
2	Holy Spirit		Prophets (Testimony)		Church	Olive Trees	Voice of God	Elijah

So, the testimony of the church from the scriptures are the two witnesses. But they receive their authority from the law and the prophets who are inspired by God. The covenant gives them the authority to send curses. These witnesses taught the will of God for 1260 years under severe persecution. They prophesied in a state of mourning, death and sorrow.
So we have three sets of witnesses who get their authority from the previous. First is Christ and the Holy Spirit. The second is the law and the prophets. Finally, in our age the witness has been given to the church and the scriptures. The church is the modern prophet of God to the world, and the scriptures are really the same laws and covenants and testimony that have been passed to us. One does not contradict the other.

The Great Commission. This authority has been given to the church in the Great Commission.
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 14)

The Crime of the Beast from the Abyss
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 11: 7-10)
In response to the testimony of the martyrs and the efforts of the Reformation, Satan tries to stamp out all Christianity. The church rejected the idea of "Sola Scriptura", or "The Bible and the Bible only." Satan responded with a system that was antagonistic towards all Christians. But their continued disobedience to God and reliance on the state could not save them.

The French Revolution
From history, we know that the only kingdom that matches all the following characteristics is the atheistic secular state that arose in the French Revolution around the year 1798 and the Great City is Paris.

1. A Beast is Symbolic of a Kingdom (Daniel 7: 23). So the Bible warns of a kingdom that would arise near the end of the 1260 years around the year 1798. And this kingdom would attack the two witness of the Old and New Testaments.
2. This kingdom is called Sodom and Egypt.
3. The attack against God's Word would start in a Great City. (Revelation 11: 8)
4. The Bible would suffer an attack for 3½ symbolic days or 3½ literal years. (Revelation 11: 9)
5. Celebrations would occur in the streets of the great city around the year 1798.

Sodom and Egypt
... great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt ... (Revelation 11: 8)
This describes a great City, around 1798, that is both morally and spiritually bankrupt.
France spiritually took the characteristics of Sodom and Egypt, but did France physically become Sodom and Egypt?

The King of the South A parallel prophecy in Daniel 11: 40-45 documents this conflict between France and Egypt. France became the King of the South in that symbolic reference. Egypt is south of Israel, giving it that title. The one who controls Egypt assumes this title. So in two prophecies France both became Egypt and the King of the South when Napoleon conquered and removed the ruling class in 1798.

Egypt
Egypt represents slavery, disobedience, godlessness and atheism.
But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5: 2)
Atheism. During this period the French tried to outlaw Christianity, burn Bibles, stop worship and they began a new religion based on the worship of the "Goddess of Reason". The same year that the pope was captured, Napoleon had the inexplicable urge to conquer Egypt. In one day, on July 21, 1798 they defeated the ruling class of the Mamelukes in the Battle of the Pyramids and ruled Egypt.
Slavery. France was involved in the slave trade like many colonial European nations. France actually abolished some slavery in 1794, but Napoleon reinstituted it in 1802.

Sodom
Sodom represents immorality.
Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." (Genesis 19: 4, 5)
During this period, French culture was on the decline. Homosexuality became a common practice among the nobility. It had become so common place that when the French invaded Egypt, they raped the Mameluke men after their ship full of prostitutes was captured by the British. The infamous Marquis de Sade lived during this time and he wrote the horrible book "120 Days of Sodom". In this book he describes every inconceivable sexual evil unknown to man. His exploits were so depraved that the practice of sadism was named after him.

Lord was Crucified
Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. But He would be crucified again in Paris. One slogan during the Revolution was "Kill the Wretch". This referred to Christ. The people did all that they could to ridicule Christ and to disgrace the objects of the church.

Three and a Half Days
The Revolution lasted for over ten years, but for about 3½ of those years, Catholicism and Christianity were outlawed.

The Resurrection of the Witnesses
But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. And in 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)
At the end of the 3½ symbolic days or literal years the Bible would be restored. The knowledge of the sanctuary and the covenant would be restored. A prophet or a prophetic movement would be called to point the world back to the covenant and its message. Love God. Receive the blessings of God and avoid the curses.
The French Revolution resulted in the fall of the Catholic Church from her government control. It began the anticipated spread of secularism and atheism. But it also caused Protestantism to flourish. All of these events occurred during the period known as "the time of the end". In that time, God promised to give wisdom and understanding about the Book of Daniel.
One of these movements was the Millerite movement. Through this movement, people began to study their Bibles and to look for the Second Coming of God instead of a millennium of peace ushered in by the sudden growth of new technology in that period.

1260 years			Papacy falls	Resurrection of the two witnesses	1844 Judgment
Dark Ages	French Revolution (3 ½ years)
Witnesses prophesy	Beast from the Abyss	Two witnesses killed	Earthquake		Measurement

Resurrection of the Word (Verses 10-12). At the end of the 3½ days (years), the Word would be restored. And we would see the "Word" being drawn to Heaven, "and their enemies saw them". So men’s attention would be drawn toward Heaven and toward God by the Word. Their resurrection in this year is so that they can testify as witnesses in the judgment which is to begin in 1844. The events of the Millerite movement fulfill the actions of the remnant who gave glory to God.

The Book of Daniel is Unsealed. Satan wanted people everywhere to ignore the book of Daniel so they would be deceived. So, at the same time the book of Daniel was unsealed around 1798, the Bible predicted the rise of atheistic secularism and its attack on God's word.
The Remnant who understand the Book of Daniel appear after 1798.

The Earthquake (Verse 13). The great Lisbon earthquake of the sixth seal occurred in 1755. But this prophecy mentions an earthquake that occurs after the persecution of religion in the French Revolution. The Lisbon earthquake was a sign or signal of the great political changes that God would soon make within the next 100 years. The papacy would fall, France falls, the judgment would begin and Christ would take possession of the kingdom.

Judgment	Satan	Trumpets	Papacy	France	Righteous	Second Coming
City Falls	Jerusalem (70)	Persecutors	Rome (1798)	Paris	Earth	Babylon the Great falls
Curse	Crucifixion	Fifth Seal	Lisbon	6th Trumpet	Blessing	7th Trumpet	7th Plague
Date	31 A.D.	Martyrs	(1755)	1798-1815	1844	Both earthquakes are the same

Each earthquake is accompanied by the fall of a major city within that generation. Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., forty years after the crucifixion. The papacy fell in 1798, 43 years after the Lisbon earthquake. The real earthquake was a sign to the generation of the coming political change in their life time. Therefore the prophecy of the earthquake is best fulfilled when the political change also occurs.

There are several references to earthquake in prophecy and they are all associated with an action by God to take back what is His possession. They occur when God finishes an action and a great change occurs. It is usually a judgment. It represents a religious and political upheaval, not necessarily a geological upheaval. Let us look at all the earthquake prophecies and what they indicated.

Earthquake Prophecies
Text	Event	Event	Reason
Revelation 8: 5	Seven Trumpets	Prayers are answered	Political
Revelation 11: 13	Sixth Trumpet	French Revolution	Political
Revelation 11: 19	Seventh Trumpet	God judges the world	Both
Revelation 16: 18	Seventh Plague	The Second Coming	Both
Matthew 27: 51	Death of Christ	Christ suffers the wrath of God	Both
Matthew 28: 2	Resurrection	Christ conquers death	Political
Revelation 6: 12	Sixth seal	Signs of the end	Curse
Matthew 24: 7 Mark 13: 8 Luke 21: 11	Earthquake in many places	Signs of the end	Curse

• Curse. An earthquake that comes because of a curse is a real event. We find that the prophecies of Jesus and the seven seals are repetitions of the same events. When we studied the seven seals, we saw that they are all the curses being fulfilled.
• Collapse of an Evil Government. This occurs when God takes over and a change of government occurs. This happened in 1844 when Christ received the kingdom in a formal ceremony. Prior to this, Rome and France fell.
• Both. This is a major judgment. When both events occur it is because it is the final curse and God is taking political control at the same time that the curses are being delivered. This occurred at the crucifixion. Christ was cursed but He won back the title to the earth from Satan. Satan was judged and thrown out of heaven.
  This also occurs at the Second Coming. The wicked suffer the curses and God takes physical possession of the saints. The earthquake of the seventh plague and the seventh trumpet is a real earthquake that occurs during the Second Coming.

In this prophecy, both the papacy and the French revolutionary governments are judged. After 1260 years the papacy falls. After 1260 days the reign of terror ends and Napoleon will eventually lose.

One Tenth of the City. France was one of the ten horns of the beast. It fell. The little horn (papacy) was an additional horn that came up among the ten horns. It also fell. So there was a collapse of the religious system and the political system that brought it to power in 538. All this was followed by the judgment. These three major political events are the political earthquakes that followed the Lisbon earthquake.

7000 Killed. Some translate this as the end of the French nobility. I have no more information.

The Remnant Feared God and Gave Glory. This corresponds to the beginning of the first angel's message. Verses 13 to 19 cover the period in which the three angels' messages are sent.
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14: 6-7)
We see the Gospel Message being preached globally to every nation by people who "Fear God" (the Remnant people). By a people who recognize that the "hour" or time "of judgment is come" and who recognize the Creator God "who made heaven, and earth."

And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12: 17)
What is Satan's response? He was angry with the "woman" (the true Church), and went to make war with the remnant.

The Seventh Trumpet
A Kingdom Restored. 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.
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are, and was, and are to come; because you have taken to yourself your great power, and have reigned.
A Kingdom Lost. And the nations were angry, and your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should give reward to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
Temple Opened. 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. (Revelation 11: 15-19)
This is the same judgment scene in Daniel 7 and the time when the temple will be cleansed in Daniel 8: 14 at the end of the 2300 day prophecy. So the days of the seventh trumpet began around this time.

The Mystery of God is Finished.
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10: 7)
What occurs at this time? The mystery of God should be finished. So, as a result of the preaching of the "Little Book", the gospel will be finished. We have come full circle to the opening of the little book and the calling of the Remnant in Revelation 10. The "mystery of God" or the gospel is finished during this period as a result of the opening of the book of Daniel. In this book we can demonstrate clearly that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

A Kingdom Restored (Verses 15-17). Daniel 7: 9-14 describes this same time when Christ was rewarded with the kingdom as a result of a judgment just before the Second Coming.
And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away. And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7: 14)

A Kingdom Lost (Verse 18). The wicked lose the earth.

• The Nations Were Angry. Since 1844 we have had two world wars, several attempts at genocide and the torture and killing of millions. Their anger will end in a great persecution.
• Your Wrath Came. The wrath of God is the seven last plagues which will occur during this trumpet.
• Time for the Dead to be Judged. The judgment of the righteous began in this period. Here we have an enlargement, we learn that the judgment will first begin with the righteous dead. At some point it will pass to the righteous living.
• Reward. The righteous are rewarded with eternal life at the Second Coming.
  Look, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according to what he has done. (Revelation 22: 12)
  • Prophets. The words of the prophets are vindicated at last. The book of Daniel is unsealed. Daniel now becomes important in the last days as God promised. The prophecies about Babylon in the old testament are now clear. New prophets are called.
  • Saints. The entire church of righteous people from all times.
  • The Righteous Living. He rewards those who love God. They listen to the three angels.
• Those Who Destroy the Earth. The only work that God gave Adam and his children was to take care of the earth. We have failed. The earth, the environment and the people are destroyed by government, churches and business policies. Revelation 17 and 18 lists those who are punished because of the wrath of God.
  • Global Warming. In a January 2005 speech, Senator James Inhofe called the idea of global warming "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." So with the help of the energy industry, we have continued to ignore the threat of pollutants on the environment. The warming trend has caused sea temperatures to rise and started a trend of disastrous storms. Using this logic, the United States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 2001. This is the attempt of the world to slow down the effects of global warming on the climate by reducing greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol went into effect on February 16, 2005.
  • Air Pollution. Smog covered cities, a rise in respiratory diseases all point to the effects of dirty air.
  • Water Pollution. Our water is polluted by chemicals, garbage and nuclear waste as a direct result of businesses dumping their trash in the ground and the sea.
  • Endangered Plant Species. Genetic engineering of crops and the systematic removal of natural seeds for these genetic monsters is installing a system that is guaranteed to enrich the agriculture businesses and has a potential to cause a catastrophic famine in the future.
  • Endangered Species. Many animals are becoming extinct because of hunting and the loss of their habitats.
  • Animal Farms. Modern farming techniques cause fish, birds and animals to be kept in inhumane, unhealthy conditions for the purpose of increasing profits. Animals go insane under conditions in which they are fed chemicals to grow faster and fatter. They are crowded together, living in feces and among dead carcasses.
  • Lack of Knowledge (Spiritual Destruction). My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4: 6)
    Churches no longer teach the word of God. Many people are finding comfort in religions that tell them what they want to hear. However, this does not excuse them in the judgment. They are responsible for choosing to believe a lie and ignoring their responsibility to seek out knowledge of God.

The Open Temple (Verse 19). This describes the Second Coming. It brings a great hail and an earthquake that splits the earth in two. At the end of the judgment we see the Ark of the covenant which contains the ten commandments.

Resurrection of the two witnesses	1844	Righteous Dead Judgment (Sealing) Righteous Living			Papacy falls again		Second Coming (Reward)
		First Angel	Second Angel	Third Angel
Millerite Movement		Fear God, Give Glory	Babylon is fallen	The Mark of the Beast	Plagues	Earthquake		Hail
Daniel Unsealed		Mystery of God (Gospel)			Wrath of God

Prophesy Again
And they said to me, "you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings". (Revelation 10: 11)
This verse precedes this chapter and is most likely connected to it. We have been proposing that the command refers to the fact that the events of the first fall of the papacy at the French Revolution will be repeated at the second fall.

Other Trumpets			Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe)				Seventh Trumpet (Third Woe)
1260 Days				Sodom Egypt	Witnesses Resurrected		Wicked Judged	Second Coming
Rain	2 Witnesses	Beast from the Abyss	Witnesses Killed				Seven Last Plagues
	Moses, Elijah		War: Mark of the Beast		Proof of God		Wrath of God

• Power and Authority to Two Witnesses (Verse 3). This is the message of the three angels which began in 1844 and culminates in the latter rain. It is the same message of Moses and Elijah. It warns the people to go on an exodus back to God and leave Babylon before it falls.
• War of the Beast from the Abyss (Verse 7). After the success of the latter rain, the forces of Satan will attack the church in "the mark of the beast" persecution. Satan himself will appear in person to encourage the murders.

  The Return of Babylon • The Great Tree. • Rules a Short Time. • The Dragon. • The Healing. • The Lead Cover Removed. • Ancient and Modern Babylon. • The Antichrist Revealed. • The Return of the Little Horn. • The Tabernacle in Palestine. • Sodom and Egypt in Jerusalem.

• Jerusalem, Sodom and Egypt (Verse 8). In the final fulfillment, this refers to the attempt to set up a temple of idolatry in Jerusalem (where Jesus was crucified). This temple of idolatry makes the city earn the title Sodom and Egypt. As "freedom" comes to areas in the region we find that homosexual bars and prostitution are coming to the Holy Land. Lebanon had such businesses after the "Cedar Revolution". It seems that the military arm of Babylon the Great will be responsible for most of the immorality and the spiritual arm of Babylon will be responsible for the idolatry.
  Other prophecies point to the establishment of a place of idolatry in Jerusalem. A great sign in the latter rain will be the conversion of Israel. Therefore, Jerusalem becomes a spiritual battle ground in this war. So, Satan will cause a significant attack of the church in Jerusalem. Their triumph only lasts three and a half days.
• Celebration for 3½ days (Verse 10). The wicked rejoice at the successful attack on the righteous. They have stopped their ministry and created many martyrs.
• The Visible Rapture: Proof from God in the Sky (Verse 11-12). After a short celebration God shows some proof from the skies that makes them afraid. It must be proof that establishes the laws and the prophets and condemns the persecution. This proof is the resurrection and ascension of the righteous.
• The Fall of the Powers (Business, Government, Religion) (Verse 13).
  After the celebration a sign appears which convinces the wicked that they have been rejected. They become afraid but it is too late. The wrath of God in the seven last plagues intensifies. The proof causes the powers who orchestrated the persecution and encouraged disobedience to crumble.
  » The Great Earthquake. This event will be accompanied by a great earthquake in the holy land. This causes industries to fall and it will probably be the event that removes the oil supply and triggers a global economic collapse.
  » One Tenth of the City. This is Jerusalem. Probably the place of idolatry and a seat of Babylon the Great.
  » 7000 Killed. The literal translation is "the names of people, seven thousand". These are the organizations, leaders and earthly powers who have been put to shame.
• A Kingdom Lost (Verse 18-19).
  • Angry Nations. The mark of the beast persecution intensifies but the people also turn against their leaders.
  • Your Wrath Came. The seven last plagues are over.
  • Judgment of the Wicked Dead. This is at the beginning of the millennium.
  • Righteous Rewarded. The resurrection and rapture.
  • Destroy. The wicked living are destroyed at the Second Coming.
  • Earthquake and Hailstorm. The hail of fire and brimstone and the great earthquake that splits the earth.

The Temple of Ezekiel: The Two Witnesses Experience Wrath
The experience of the two witnesses follows the pattern of wrath in the north in our lesson on the twelve tribes. It specifically mirrors the journey from north to south by the twelve tribes in the vision of Ezekiel. The suffering comes from the king of the north. This temple is measured just like the temple of Ezekiel.
So He brought me there; and behold there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod; and he was standing in the gateway. (Ezekiel 40: 3)

Zechariah also describes this judgment of Israel and flight from Babylon.
Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, whare are you going? And he said to me, "to measure Jerusalem to see how wide it is and how long it is". (Zechariah 2: 1-2)
We are instructed to escape from Babylon. At that time many nations will turn to Christ.
Ho there! Flee from the land of the north, for I have dispersed you as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. Ho Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.
Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. (Zechariah 2: 6-7,11)

Ezekiel's Vision of Israel
Judgment of the King of the North
	Babylon Judged
History of the Seven Churches (The Falling Away)	Dan	Church Comes out of Babylon
	Asher
	Naphtali
	Manasseh
	Ephraim
	Reuben
	Judah
The Man of Sin Restrained	Temple	The Man of Sin Revealed
	Levites
	City Trampled
Christ	Benjamin	Church United
	Simeon
	Issachar
	Zebulun
	Gad
	Christ Comes

• Dan ("Judged a Serpent"). Verses 7, 10. They are judged and condemned to death because they tormented the wicked who were judged and condemned.
• Asher ("Dead"). Verses 7-10. The beast wages a war to kill them and celebrates their deaths.
• Napthali ("Resurrected and Set Free"). Verses 11-12. God resurrected them in public.

The rest of their experience completes the north to south journey of the tribes. After the public resurrection, a great earthquake occurs. The event shakes up the world and places all nations in the valley of decision. Two branches of the church emerges from this experience when they repent. The city falls and repentance occurs at the same time that Jerusalem almost falls and the Jews recognize their Messiah and repents (Zechariah 12). The fall of Jerusalem also causes the spiritual fall of Babylon, because this is when the majority of the exodus begins.

• Manasseh ("Forget"). This is the Jewish portion of the church that emerges from the earthquake. They will mourn for their long lost Messiah whom they have rejected and the time wasted in rebellion. However, God forgets the past two thousand years of rebellion and makes them forget.
• Ephraim ("Fruitful"). This is the Christian portion of the church. They now become most fruitful as the Latter Rain floods the earth and many nations join themselves to God.
• Reuben ("Afflicted, Turbulent Waters"). The nations were enraged and increased their persecution on the righteous so that God has to pour down His wrath.
• Judah ("Praise the Lord"). Verse 17-19. They give thanks because God has begun to reign. God rewards them and as they flee from persecution, they enter the temple that was measured for them. This temple is the same temple that Ezekiel was measuring. It represents the interaction between God and His still imperfect church from the crucifixion to the Second Coming.

As we come to the temple and the city, we find that the righteous are beseiged in the temple and the city is being trampled by the wicked.

• Temple. The Antichrist has now taken up residence in the temple on earth. So the righteous are tabernacled by faith with God in the heavenly temple as they flee from persecution and travel south.
• Outer Court. However the wicked are in the outer court.
• City of Jerusalem. The wicked are also trampling the city of God

From Revelation 13 we find that the Antichrist has taken up residence in the temple. The Second Coming will not occur until the church sees the corrupting influence of the Antichrist in the church and he is exposed.
The Man of Sin. "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the second coming of Jesus) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
Restrained. And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Exposed. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming. (2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4, 6-8)
So the righteous are forced to flee the temple and the city and continue south. By faith the children of Abraham, leave this earthly temple and city because they are looking for a temple made without hands and a city whose builder and maker is God.
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, dwelling in tents with Issac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; He was looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11: 8-10)

• Benjamin ("Son of Sorrow and Son of the Right Hand"). The children who will be on the right hand of God when He separates the righteous from the wicked, are now living as the children of sorrow under persecution.
• Simeon ("Hated"). The righteous are hated by the rest of the world.
• Issachar ("Rejoice in Your Going Forth"). They are driven out of the sanctuary of God but they proceed with joy on a great exodus, not knowing where they are going.
• Zebulun ("Living in Tents"). Forced out of the temple, they live as hunted men and women in the earth, which is their land of promise. They live outdoors in temporary shelters or tents under the protection of God waiting for the city of God.
• Gad ("Raider"). Then Christ returns as the raider on the white horse to rescue them at the Second Coming.
  And I saw heaven opened, and saw, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. (Revelation 19: 11)

Repetition and Enlargement
This is an enlargement about the time of the end. From this lesson and the previous we see that several events would occur at the time of the end (1798 to the future). The previous lesson talked about the people of God at the time of the end who would understand the prophecies of Daniel. This chapter talks about the efforts of the forces of evil to stop the gospel at the time of the end.

1260 years	The Time of the End
	Event	Forces of Good	Forces of Evil
	1260 years	Two Witnesses prophecy in sack cloth	No rain
	Around 1798	Book unsealed and prophecy understood	Word of God banned by the beast from the abyss
		A new power attacks God	The new king of the South (Daniel 11: 40-43)
	Knowledge increases	A remnant prophesies again when they understand the book of Daniel and spread the gospel worldwide	Beast from the abyss attacks the word and spreads the philosophies of communism and secular humanism
1844	Judgment	Seventh Trumpet. The righteous are judged	They will be destroyed

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright     Updated : August 2007 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)