GETTING THE MESSAGE/Hardships and opposition

In Revelation 11:1, the apostle John is given a measuring rod and told to “measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.” The context is the proclaiming of the gospel to the nations. The act of measuring the contents of the temple points to the security of the redeemed people of God as well as their blessedness. 

It is like taking inventory of your most precious possessions to make sure they are safe and accounted for. This scene is to assure those in Christ that whatever hardships and opposition they will face in bearing witness to Christ, they have a secure place in the presence of God forever and ever. The eternal security of the saints is what is being conveyed. 

This is a vital point for the saints to consider because John is told not to measure the outer court (verse 2). The outer court represents the gospel being taken to the ends of the earth. This is the time of the Gentiles the Lord Jesus spoke of. In other words, the outer court will be vulnerable to attacks from the world. There will be many conversions to Christ, but there will also be threats of persecution and death. 

Paul often referred to looking to things unseen and eternal when he faced death for proclaiming the gospel. I once saw a man’s hat that read, “I already know I am going to hell, so I have nothing to lose.” I assume that meant he was going to live out that reality by doing whatever he pleased. Many live that way without being that bold. The reverse is true as well. As one who belongs to Christ, you can be a bold witness for Christ knowing that you have eternal life. 

In Revelation 11:3-4, the two witnesses represent the church bearing witness to the gospel. Two witnesses were required in the law to establish an offense against the law. Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. The gospel calls sinners to turn to God in repentance and believe in Christ for forgiveness of their sins.

The witnesses are “clothed in sackcloth.” Sackcloth represents sorrow over sin and a soul that is in distress over the judgment of God that hangs over the world. There is a distinct element of humility in the proclamation of the gospel. As Martin Luther said, “The face of the church is the face of a sinner.” 

The witnesses are identified with “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” These things symbolize the light (lampstands) the gospel of Jesus Christ is to the world, as well as the need of the Holy Spirit (olive trees) to convict the world of sin and righteousness (John 15). 

The gospel declares such things as “except you repent you will perish,” and “the wages of sin is death.” The gospel is good news to a world in darkness. It promises deliverance from the just condemnation of God through Christ, forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and adoption into the family of God through faith in Christ. 

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the gift of God that attends the proclamation of the gospel. The influence of Satan and the power of the sinful heart in men is such that no one would yield to the truth of Christ apart from the Spirit of God convicting them of the truth. If you truly have believed in Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work in you. You cannot believe apart from God’s working, as much as you cannot exist apart from God’s working. So, we owe thanks to the Lord for all things. 

This passage is about the security the saints have in Christ no matter what troubles they face in this world. The Lord Jesus said about the apostle Paul, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Paul said that he “walked about in the body of death proclaiming Christ”, meaning that he was willing to suffer and die so that men may hear of Christ and live. He knew both sorrow and great joy in his ministry. He pleaded with souls to make sure of Christ.

All Christians can know the joy of the Lord in sufferings. Some bear one cross, others many heavy crosses, but the Lord bears the heaviest part of the cross for his people. Let God do what he will now, and he shall make glory out of your sufferings and end them with consolation.