God Knows the End from the Beginning.
“… AND THEY WILL TRAMPLE THE HOLY CITY FOR FORTY-TWO MONTHS. AND I WILL GIVE TO MY TWO WITNESSES EVEN THAT THEY WILL PROPHESY FOR TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS, DRESSED IN SACKCLOTH .” – REV.11:2,3.
You may remember Australia’s first convicted terrorist, Jack Roche. He was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Perth court for planning an attack on the Australian embassy, even though no buildings were blown up, and nobody was killed or injured.
Yet at his trial, he faced a maximum prison sentence equal to the one he would have been liable for, had he actually carried out his plan. In this particular trial, one could say that the conviction was based on a prophecy. Given Roche’s capabilities, his accomplices, and the quality of his planning, the court came to the conclusion that mere planning needed to be heavily penalized.
The events of Revelation 11 build on the close of chapter ten. John is told that he must prophesy again to “many peoples, nations, languages and kings” (Rev 10:11). God gives him a glimpse into the future. While the message of the gospel is sweet, many traumatic events would occur before the End would come.
The time periods of 42 months and 1260 days recall Daniel’s time prophecies (Daniel 7:25; 12:7). During that time (the Middle Ages that spanned 1260 years) the people of God would suffer at the hands of many enemies. At the end of the period, the two witnesses are killed by the beast from the Abyss. But things do not end badly. The two witnesses are raised after three and a half days and ascend to heaven. (Rev 11:7-13).
The basic message of this passage is clear. God knows the end from the beginning even better than the Australian court system.
God knows the thoughts of those who oppose Him and His people. He scans the future course of history and sees the consequences of evil actions. He assures us in advance that He can deal with it. God too has a plan, and the outcome is sure.
The 10th and 11th chapters are part of the 6th trumpet. An interlude has been placed between the 6th and 7th trumpet to explain what has happened with God’s people during the time of the 6th trumpet. The 11th chapter falls into two parts: the measuring of the temple (Rev.11:1-2) and the two witnesses (Rev.11:3-14).
Lampstands are the churches (c.f. Rev 2 & 3). The church is the witness of Jesus who is the light. The 1260 days is mentioned 7 times in the books of Daniel and Revelation and is, therefore, a significant number. It is also referred to as the 42 months, time, times, and half a time and the 3 ½ years.
One of the principles in understanding Bible prophecy is that a day represents a year. Ezekiel 4:6 says,“… I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year.” Numbers 14:34 repeats the same principle. This method has been used for centuries, and time and again it has proven to be correct.
Of all the time prophecies in scripture, this one is repeated more than any other. 42 months is only used in relationship to the wicked or enemies of God. 1260 days is used in respect to the righteous and the term, ‘times, time and half a time’ is used to refer to the time of persecution.
The Bible says “no prophecy is of a private interpretation” 2Pet 1:20. Therefore we need to let the Bible tell us who these two witnesses are. Zechariah saw the two olive trees and two lampstands (Zech 4:11-14). Revelation refers to these two witnesses as the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus – in other words, the old and New Testaments. This is where Moses drew power to turn water into blood, and how Elijah stopped the rain from falling for 3 ½ years. Faith in what God said, was their witness – and so it will be in the last days.
The two witnesses represent the message of the gospel, a message that God intends will be heard throughout the earth before the end comes (Matt 24:14; Rev 11:11-12; 14:6-7). The two witnesses are portrayed as standing all alone, challenging the wrongs of their day, and standing for God in the face of great opposition. Is this the word of God and the Holy Spirit during the Middle Ages?
We too are sometimes called to stand alone for God. Such times are not pleasant. We prefer to be part of the “in” crowd, to be accepted in a group that believes and lives the way we do. But in hard times that may not be the case. The good news is that, as we make disciples for Jesus, our lonely influence is multiplied, and many others receive Him in spite of the difficulties that following Christ can bring in this world.
In today’s world, we are all called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. ¾ of the people in our world do not believe in Jesus, and half of the people in the world have yet to hear about him in a meaningful way. While there is little anyone of us can do about reaching the billions, we can each reach out to the one or two lost people who are closest to us. The work of God will be completed under God’s supervision and in God’s time. Our personal part is to sense His direction and His call each day.