Notice the end of chapter 10 has the seven peals of thunder saying to John, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings” (10:11). So in the middle of persecution, in the middle of being thrown into jail for preaching the gospel, in the middle of losing one’s job because the Christian is holding to his or her religious convictions, God’s message is still: Keep preaching the gospel!
With that background in mind, let’s look at chapter 11…
THE CHURCH WILL BE PERSECUTED – 11:1-2:
The “temple of God” in the NT is the church of Christ so Christians are those “who worship in it.” In the middle of persecution, God is reminding Christians that they are under God’s control; they are “owned” by God; they have God’s protection.
God gives non-Christians authority, power, and opportunity to persecute His followers – why? Because it tests our faith, our convictions, our willingness to love God supremely and serve our fellowman sacrificially. However, God still has that persecution under control. Non-Christians can only persecute the church for “forty-two months” – equivalent to 3 1/2 years, which is how long Jesus’ ministry lasted on earth, how long Satan persecuted Jesus before Satan crucified Jesus.
BUT THE CHURCH’S “JOB” IS TO CONTINUE TO EVANGELIZE – 11:3-6:
Here, the church’s presence in the community, sharing the gospel of Christ, is pictured under the image of two witnesses sharing the gospel. Notice in verse 5 that people want to harm God’s witnesses, the church! But, “fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies.” That reflects the power of the gospel to conquer sin and bring hearts unto obedience to Jesus Christ (Jer. 5:14).
In verse 6, John will use two men from the OT as emojis for the work of Christians in evangelizing. The church must be faithful to the message of God in our evangelizing, just like Elijah was, even as his own people were perverting the word of God. Secondly, just as Moses stood up to Pharaoh and presented the truth of God without compromise, so the church in the first century and in our age and in every age must stay faithful to the word of God and continue to preach it and teach it!
DESPITE THREATS OF PERSECUTION – 11:7-14:
Family, there will not be a time when God’s people are not threatened with destruction by cultural forces under the control of Satan. It is simply God’s way of strengthening us and testing us to see if we love Him and His gospel supremely.
Yes, if Satan working through our culture can get the church to close its mouth, then Satan and our culture will celebrate! But the gates of Hades did not prevail against Jesus from establishing His church (Matthew 16:18-19), and death will not stop the church of Christ from continuing to share the gospel with others! That’s the message we see in verses 11-14.
If we lose our jobs or we lose our lives or we lose our families because we will not compromise the truth of the gospel, then we will still enjoy a resurrection! That’s the message of verse 12. We just can’t lose our faith.
According to a recent Barna Research survey, more than 75% of all Americans across all ages want to grow in their spirituality. That tells me, family, that we can have success with our neighbors and friends if we will just direct them back to the Bible. Let’s get back to the Bible. There’s never been a better time for us to live and share the gospel with others than now!
WE ARE OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE CHRIST REIGNS! – 11:15-19:
We know the kingdom is already established; it is already on earth (1:6, 9). This verse is not talking about the establishment of the kingdom. John is praising God because the kingdom is already established! Daniel said that the kingdom of the Messiah would “break and consume” all the kingdoms of men (2:44-45)! That’s John’s same message here in Revelation. Nations rise and fall; they come and go; but the church of Christ, the kingdom of the Messiah will be left standing when the dust clears. That’s why men and women need to be members of that kingdom and that’s why you and I need to share the gospel with others.
We need to be continually sharing the gospel with others; let’s not allow the culture to dictate that we keep our mouths closed!
Paul Holland