Hopefully, John wasn't disappointed when he was handed a long length of bamboo-like cane and found out he wasn't going fishing. I have fond memories of fishing the ponds with a long cane pole from the bank. But he was told to use it a measuring rod, to measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshippers there. Measuring it is noted to be Jesus claiming it, with ownership bringing fair and proper judgment. This is Jewish ground. The scene is Jerusalem in the Great Tribulation. Antichrist is going to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed in 70 ad. on the same original foundation. But how? Currently, the famous Dome of the Rock mosque is supposedly standing there. Are the Jews to wipe this Muslim influence away from their country? Asher Koffman proposed a theory that is quite interesting. His research indicates the true, original Temple foundations were a mere 27 meters north of the Dome. One bit of evidence he claims is the bedrock in this area is very smooth compared to the jagged bedrock under the Dome. Strangely, it was within this Dome, on this rough bedrock, that the Muslims believe Abraham attempted to sacrifice Ishmael. Ishmael, not Isaac? Interesting twisting of the Word. This smooth rock to the north would not have needed tooling and would've accommodated the interior of the Temple well. Measuring the space, minus the large outer court, there is just enough room north of the Dome of the Rock for the new Temple to be built. Antichrist will have the Jewish Temple right next to the Muslim Dome. It will be a sign of international peace, with everyone getting along, living in perfect harmony. They will all share a Coke and a smile! He will soon thereafter set Himself up in the Temple as God to be worshipped. This is known as the "Abomination of Desolation" in the scriptures. (Those not pleased with our current government administration have jokingly related this to being the "Obama-nation of Desolation".) There, he will direct the requirement of having the mark of the Beast in order to buy, sell, and work within the One-World economy. On the heels of peace, all hell breaks loose.
A personal application here is that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Don't include the outer court of the Gentiles in your life's property boundaries. Don't try to fit in with the world. Don't be about belonging to the world. Don't try to be cool and well liked. Be separate. Witness. Speak truth in love. Preach. Teach. Be bold. Share the Word. Dare to be different.
The gentiles will persecute Jerusalem for 3 1/2 years. Enter the two witnesses. The Greek word for witness is "martus", where we get the word "martyr" from. Who are these guys? These empowered preachers have spurned much debate over their identities. Is it Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, or Enoch? I say, "who cares?". We can trust the fact that there is good reason the Lord didn't disclose their names. It could just as well be you and me, since we have been raptured and are already in heaven. Why not? The question is what kind of witnesses for Christ are we going to be, even today?
These two guys had quite the ministry. I seriously doubt we hoped our ministry would look quite like theirs when we counted the cost. They wear the irritating sackcloth, a garment of goat or camel skin, with the hair prickling their skin, as done in times of mourning and grieving. Why do so many hate them? "But I thought we were going to start this ministry, everyone would love us, and come following behind, skipping along a rainbow!" You ever experience someone getting mad when you point out their misdeeds? Have you observed a teenager angry when he gets caught in his mischievousness? People get mad at the ones in authority, illuminating their not meeting the standards. Sinful men have never actually wanted to hear or obey the Word of God. These two witnesses were world-class thorns in their sides. They caused some serious grief. Their plagues were a whole lot worse than the localized plagues Moses inflicted back in the day. These two guys had a world-wide impact. That's why their enemies through such a huge party in celebration of their death, when the Lord proclaimed their ministry to be over, and allowed the Beast to kill them. We must remember, we are invincible within our ministries until the Lord is finished with our part in His plan.
The Gentiles allow their dead bodies to lie in the streets for three and a half days. (Notice, Jerusalem is called Sodom and Egypt, for its immorality and enslavement to sin.) This is a huge defilement in their culture. To deny proper burial is to bring the utmost dishonor to their names. Maybe the world was somewhat scared of their potential even when they were dead, since they had had such trouble killing them in the first place. For sure, news cameras will be stayed on their corpses for the entire time. Meanwhile, the Satanic Christmas is going strong. People are sending gifts and congratulations across the globe. It's a world party. Imagine their dismay and surprise when God breathes life back into them and they stand up on their own two feet! I know I need God to breathe life into me and resurrect my lame attitude and perspective from the dead. I need Him to infuse His passion and energy into my dry, jaded heart. I need the risen Savior of Easter everyday. Then they will hear the loud voice of God from heaven, "Come up here!", and the two witnesses will ascend in a cloud. Can you just see the gaping mouths and wobbly knees of their enemies on Earth? I love it!
Look out! Their world is getting shaken up again. "What is the deal with these earthquakes?!", thy may exclaim in frustration. May we pay attention to the Lord when He shakes up our world and our expectations. The severe earthquake destroys a tenth of the city and kills seven thousand people. Interesting detailed numbers. Why not more? I know I don't deserve to live, so I suppose it's simply grace. The survivors gave glory to God. I want us present-day survivors to give glory, praise, and honor to God with our lives.
Jesus is moving towards taking over the world from Satan. His kingdom is coming. The seventh trumpet sounds, ushering in this movement. The loud voices in heaven anticipate His kingship. Notice what's missing in verse 17: "the One who is and who was...". The time is ripe for the One who is to come. He is moving into power. The end of evil is near. The answer to their prayers is at hand. How are we doing in this? Are we looking ahead, to the time when our prayers are answered? when we are healed? when that estranged relationship is mended? when those needs are met? when those kids straighten up? Are we looking forward in faith? Are we confident in the Lord bringing the answer? How's our peace in the meantime? Are we walking in trust and solid hope?
Suddenly, God's temple in heaven came into view. The Ark of His covenant was seen. Tears are welling up in my eyes at the thought. God is a God of covenant and promise. This is God's promise becoming reality in my life. The time is coming. Oh, how my spirit longs for Him to make things right around me and within me. We all deal with the reality of the "wretched man" Paul mentions in Romans. It is impossible for man to remove his carnal, sinful nature. We desperately need God to remove it for us. We are only alive and have eternal life because of His grace. Our sin deserves death, otherwise. I want us to eat and digest Zech. 4:6, "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Have I been going about life on my own strength and resources? Has my faith been limited by what I think I can accomplish? Have I been walking in my own wisdom and understanding? Have I ignored the influence of the Holy Spirit and the reality of His presence in my daily life?
God promises to write His law on His peoples' hearts. What is this law? Is it about doing this or not doing that? Instead of His law being written on stone tablets or hung on a wall, it will be upon and in our hearts. This speaks of having right relationship with God, which is the original purpose of the law in the first place. We broke the law, which broke our relationship. The prescribed scapegoat as a sacrifice did not suffice to restore the relationship. The perfect, complete sacrifice was provided in the form of Jesus taking on the penalty for our sin that we deserved to make our relationship right again. We err in thinking we can keep His law perfectly, like a Pharisee, when our very nature is sinful. The difference is love. If we love God, we will want what He wants. Our desires change to reflect His. We will look at people the way He looks at them. Those are surely my best days on this planet, when I can do that, even to the slightest degree. Do we love God? If so, then what?
Remember going to the optometrist and going through the eye exam to see what corrective lenses you needed? The doctor would ask, "which is clearer: window one or window two?". Ah, and of course that dreadful puff of air that would scare the living daylights out of you as well! We didn't think twice about the trauma we experienced as kids! This lesson is about our focus. Two weeks ago we were encouraged to pray. Last week, to read the Word. This week, bring back your focus. Are we too focused on things of the world? Our jobs? Our stocks? Our health? Our entertainment? Our pleasures? Our marriage? Let's not lose sight of the Kingdom coming and our purpose as witnesses for Him in the meantime. We are called to live above the world while living in the world, all the while looking towards heaven. May we be empowered by the sight of the Kingdom and our King Himself to stand strong in our tribulations.
