Facing What’s Ahead
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Facing What’s Ahead
1. Serve Courageously by Divine Power
Revelation 11 opens with an image of measurement—John is given a rod to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. This alludes to Zechariah 2, where a measuring line represents God's protection and presence rather than physical dimensions. The measuring symbolizes a spiritual boundary within which God provides security.
However, protection does not mean ease. Believers are not exempt from hardship. Verse 2 speaks of the outer court being handed over to the nations who will trample the holy city for 42 months. This period appears throughout Scripture in various forms: 1,260 days, three and a half years, or "time, times, and half a time." These symbolic timeframes represent hardship under God's control.
During this time, God empowers two witnesses. These are described as two olive trees and two lampstands, pointing back to earlier chapters of Revelation and to Zechariah. The imagery suggests these witnesses symbolize the Church, empowered to speak truth and shine light. Their message brings judgment and repentance, symbolized by their sackcloth.
These witnesses possess divine power—fire from their mouths, authority to shut the skies, turn water to blood, and strike the earth with plagues. These signs echo the ministries of Elijah and Moses, suggesting continuity in God's work through history.
Though we may not see these miracles manifest in the same ways today, God's power is still at work. His Spirit is active worldwide, even when not visible in our context. The Church must step out in faith, trusting God to act beyond what we can do in our own strength. We must serve courageously by divine power.
2. Live Sacrificially in Confident Hope
Verse 7 turns the tone dramatically: the beast from the abyss makes war on the witnesses, conquers them, and kills them. Their bodies lie in the street of a symbolic city described as Sodom and Egypt, a place of rebellion and persecution.
The world rejoices at their death. Their message—a call to repentance—was unwelcome, a torment to those who wished to remain in sin. This sobering picture captures the cost of faithful witness.
But the story doesn’t end there. After three and a half days, the breath of God enters them and they stand to their feet, striking fear into those who see them. They are called up to heaven in view of their enemies.
This is both a picture of future resurrection and a powerful metaphor for how God vindicates faithful witness. The Church may look defeated, but God will raise it up. The pattern of death and resurrection mirrors Christ Himself.
An earthquake follows, and 7,000 people die, yet the rest give glory to God. Interestingly, Old Testament references (Isaiah, Amos, 1 Kings) often portray the majority being destroyed. But here, a tenth is judged while the rest are spared. This reversed arithmetic highlights God’s mercy.
Our calling is not to comfort, but to purpose. We are here to witness—to point people to Jesus. The opposition may be strong, but the hope is stronger. We live sacrificially, but with confident hope because God sustains His Church.
3. Look Triumphantly to Complete Fulfillment
The seventh trumpet finally sounds in verse 15. Rather than introducing another judgment, it signals completion: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
The heavenly elders fall in worship. One notable shift: God is praised not as the One "who is, who was, and who is to come," but simply as "who is and who was" because He has come.
Judgment is here. The faithful are rewarded. The destroyers of the earth are destroyed. God opens His heavenly temple, revealing the ark of His covenant. The time of humanity's rule is over; God's eternal reign begins.
This moment is a foretaste of the end. Though Revelation will cycle through more judgments and perspectives, this trumpet marks the victory that makes all our sacrifice worth it. In the end, none of us will regret what it cost to remain faithful.
No moment of witness, no suffering endured, will be wasted. The promise of God's eternal kingdom reminds us to live boldly, love faithfully, and long for the day when all will be made new.
SERMON DETAILS
Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: Revelation
Sermon Title: Facing What’s Ahead
Date: May 2196, 2024
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Revelation 11
Zechariah 2
Isaiah 6
Amos 5
1 Kings 19
Ezekiel 37
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