AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 12
October 31, 2009
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Revelation 11:8 – And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed 25 to 30 years before Revelation was written.
The estimates as to when John wrote the Book of Revelation range from 95 to 100 AD. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD just as Jesus had prophesied some 40 years earlier.
The physical sacrifices continued to be offered until approximately 70 AD, but they were no longer spiritually accepted by God after the veil of the temple was ripped from top to bottom while Christ was one the Cross. He declared it would be rendered spiritually desolate when Israel made its final rejection of him, thereafter to remain in that condition until they saw him at his Second Advent. No sacrifices from Israel have been spiritually acceptable to God since the Temple, the house of God, was made spiritual desolate by His Son.
Matthew 23:37,39 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
[39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Matthew 27:50,51 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. [51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Jesus will return at His Second Advent, the Temple of Ezekiel will be built, and He will rule from Jerusalem over all the earth.
Matthew 24:30 – And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Ezekiel 43:1-5 – Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: [2] And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
[3] And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
[4] And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
[5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
Zechariah 14:8,9 – And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and
in winter shall it be. [9] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
After the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the disciples compared it to being judged like Sodom and Gomorra for its sin of rejecting its Messiah, hence John’s reference to Jerusalem as being as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Revelation 11:9 – And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead
bodies to be put in graves.
It would seem that in the case of Lazarus, Jesus let him remain in the grave for four days before He resurrected him, because He wanted no doubt in the minds of those mourning that Lazarus was stone cold dead. I admit that is speculation on my part, as is my opinion that God left the two witnesses on view for three and one half days so ALL could see them and no doubt would later say they were not really dead.
Revelation 11:10 – And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
It is still common cultural practice among Middle East leaders, even those who do not particularly like each other, to send gifts to one another on their birthdays, some festive occasion or religious holiday, or some political victory over an adversary.
I have no doubt this will be declared a national Islamic holiday for all Muslim states on this planet, for these two witnesses will have been tormenting the Islamic toes and horns of Antichrist for almost 42 months by the power of God.