Revelation 11 closes the first half of the Book of Revelation. In this chapter, we are given assurance that there will be a faithful gospel witness throughout the present age (Rev. 11:1-3). Endless speculation, and I believe fruitless speculation, has gone into the identity of the 2 witnesses in Revelation 11:3. We need to remember that Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel of God’s Kingdom by twos (Lk. 10:1), and the Old Testament pattern was for a testimony to be established by 2 or 3 witnesses (Deut. 19:15). This seems to be the pattern of what is being followed here.

The Going Will Get Tough, But Keep Preaching!

Instead of trying to get every detail right here, which is an impossible task, we are to be encouraged and emboldened that faithful testimony to the crucified and risen Christ will continue until the end of this present age. Faithful Gospel preaching and living has always occurred in the context of persecution. The persecution will only intensify as we get closer to Christ’s Second Coming. It will seem even for a short while that Satan will be able to silence the witness of the Church, but this will only  be a temporary defeat (Revelation 11:7-12).

The authority and context in which the Church witnesses to Christ’s victory is compared  to Elijah’s ministry (Rev. 11:4-6). He ministered in the face of great opposition and great apostasy (1 Kings 17 & 18). Despite his sufferings and challenges, Elijah defeated the great number of false prophets and idolaters through the power and authority of God. His prayers availed much before God.

In the second half of Revelation 11, the 7th trumpet is sounded, and again we find ourselves at the end of this present age, just like when the 6th seal was broken (Rev. 6:12). In Rev. 11:15, right after the 7th trumpet is sounded, we read these words: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” I think this would have been greatly encouraging words to the first hearers of John’s teaching in the Book of Revelation. They were a persecuted minority. But because of the faithfulness of believers like them, the Lord will eventually fulfill His purposes for this world.

Behind The Scenes

As we move to the second half of the Book of Revelation, the Lord opens the curtain to the unseen spiritual world to show us the spiritual realities that drive the opposition between Christ’s Church and its persecutors. It is like John is seeking to give us a deeper understanding of what is happening in the visible affairs of this earth.

The chief characters that arise in opposition to Christ and His Church are introduced in Revelation 12-14. They are the dragon, the beast out of the sea, the beast out of the earth, Babylon, and the men who have the mark of the beast. The visions that follow show us what happened to each of these anti-Christian forces: to those having the mark of the beast (Rev. 15&16); to the harlot Babylon and to the 2 beasts (Rev. 17-19); and, finally to the dragon (Rev 20).

In Revelation 12:1-3, we are given the vision of a glorious woman who is crowned with 12 stars, and about to give birth. This must be Mary, who represents the Jewish Messianic community, who gave us the Messiah Jesus. The dragon is pictured standing in front of the pregnant woman, ready to devour the Child as He is born. But the Child is delivered, and Satan, who is represented by the dragon, is frustrated. The immediate reference here would be the escape to Egypt of baby Jesus and his parents, after they were warned in a dream that the satanically-inspired King Herod would try to destroy the Child.

As we read Revelation 12, we are reminded of Genesis 3:15, the first time we are given the promise of the Messiah. Note God’s Word to Satan: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). Throughout Israel’s history, Satan has aroused earthly opposition against the Jews to destroy them, especially the long-expected Messianic King from David’s descendants. In Revelation 12, John informs his readers that this opposition to God’s people, who now consists of Jewish and Gentile  Christians, will continue throughout the Church age. But the opposition will never stop God’s purposes from being fulfilled in the world.

In Revelation 13, we see a 7-headed beast, with 10 crowned-horns, emerge from the sea. The beast had the body of a leopard, the feet of the bear and a mouth like that of a lion (v. 2). These animals remind us of  the different world empires that persecuted God’s people in Old Testament times that we read about in Daniel 7. Here, in the 1st century, the immediate reference would be to the Roman Empire and its Emperors. Christians in the churches of Asia Minor, like in Smyrna and Pergamum, were under great pressure to worship the Roman Emperors. The leaders and pagan priests wanted to curry Rome’s favor, so they created a worship cult of the Emperors, strongly encouraging and even forcing its citizens to participate in the idolatrous worship.

The beast out of the sea represents a political leader, an Antichrist figure. The beast out of the earth (Rev. 13:11), represents a false prophet. In the 1st century, this  false prophet would be the pagan priesthood in Asia Minor forcing people, including Christians, to take part in the worship of the Emperor. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been totalitarian political leaders with the spirit of Antichrist working through them. And there have always been false prophets and religious figures leading people in idolatrous worship. In the final days, just before Christ’s Second Coming, there will be the final incarnation of an Antichrist leader, and he will be supported by a false religious system.

In Revelation 14:1-4, we have another interlude, which like previous interludes in the Book of Revelation, are meant to encourage the servants of Jesus. We have a picture of 144,000 worshipers in heaven, who are described as those who faithfully follow the Lamb. And as those who “were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless” (Rev. 14:4-5). We need to remember that numbers are often used symbolically in the Book of Revelation.

Twelve, just like seven, is a number of completeness and perfection in the Bible. The 144,00 could represent the full number of the Church (i.e. 12×12), who have been preserved and saved for the new earth and new heaven. Even though there is great opposition and persecution (Rev. 14:9-13), the Lord will be able to fulfill his purposes to faithful Jewish and Gentile Christians. Nothing in all of creation  will stop God’s work in the victorious Lord Jesus Christ.

QOTD: Are you obeying God’s commandments and remaining faithful to Jesus even when the going gets tough?