THE SIXTH TRUMPET (Part 3) continued

An important comparison:

The word GIVEN occurs in both the previous verse, Verse 2 and in Verse 3 — or some variation of the word, depending on translation. The comparisons are helpful.

Verse 2: The Court is GIVEN to the Gentiles so that they can persecute the true Church.

Verse 3: It is GIVEN to the two witnesses to prophesy in sackcloth.

In BOTH cases the time allotted is the same: 42 months, 1260 days. Thus, during the same period of time (the time the true Church flees into the wilderness — Rev 12:6 and 14), the Church is persecuted but also fed by the Word of God. So, while God GAVE the opportunity for something bad to happen, He also GAVE a compensating blessing.

Revelation Chapter 11

VERSE 3 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Jesus will grant (or give) to his two witnesses (the Old and New Testament Scriptures) to prophesy — to continue teaching the life-giving Gospel for those who hunger after it. But they must do so in sackcloth — in mourning due to their suppression by Papacy in all areas which Papacy controlled. Clearly, this ability to suppress would be limited to the 1260 years. Once 1799 came, the embarrassed Papacy could not suppress the Scriptures anywhere.

These two witnesses DO prophesy. They are NOT silent, neglected, or hidden. BUT they are, during this period IN MOURNING (clothed in sackcloth). They had much reason to mourn. They caused persecution for those who used them. They were suppressed in all localities controlled by the Papacy — which, until Luther’s day, was everywhere. On top of all of this, their true intent and meaning were being violated. The “church” which claimed to support them was the very institution which misused them terribly. There was, because of this suppression, NO RAIN — no blessings of truth. (Amos 8:11)

VERSE 4 “These are the two olive trees and the two lamp-stands standing before the god of the earth.”

We are here given more equal signs.

The two witnesses ARE the two olive trees — the suppliers of the oil which pictures the Holy Spirit.

They ARE the two lamp-stands — the givers of light to the Church. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet.” Then they are said to “stand before the Lord of the earth.” To STAND BEFORE seems to be a symbol of a position of service (Compare Rev 7:15) Thus these witnesses, even in mourning, continually serve God and His purposes.

VERSE 5 “And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. and if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.”

Their continual power — even while in mourning — is here confirmed. Many agencies wanted to harm the Scriptures. The Scriptures, however, just like the doctrines extracted from them (see Rev 9:17-18), had the power to eat up all arguments against them and foil any sinister plot to harm them. The text seems repetitive; but it is not. The last half of the verse seems to say that if someone PERSISTS in trying to harm the Scriptures, the power of the Scriptures will KILL him.

That is, a constant battle with the Bible will, over time, make an honest man find out that he can’t win — that the Scriptures are BETTER than he thought. He will be killed by them: his false beliefs will die; he will be CONVERTED. Many a Catholic and agnostic became a convert after trying an extended battle with the Word of God.

VERSE 6 “These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”

THESE HAVE POWER TO SHUT HEAVEN, SO THAT NO RAIN FALLS IN THE DAYS OF THEIR PROPHECY:

This verse names two prophets without giving their names. It is clear that Elijah and Moses are the references — the two who were in the Mount of Transfiguration, and who represented the products of the Gospel and Jewish ages. It seems strange to say that the Scriptures had power to shut heaven. It was, after all, the 1260 years of their SUPPRESSION, their mourning, during which there was no spiritual rain. But if we recall how God arranged for Daniel’s book to be “shut up,” we have an answer.

Prophecy was hidden because it was tied to unfulfilled events. Until the events occurred, the prophecies could not be unlocked. Thus Elijah (in antitype) could prophesy that there would be no rain until the Time of the End would unlock the mysteries. Therefore, there was “no rain during the days of their prophesying” — during the 3 ½ symbolic years (or 1260 years) before 1799.

AND THEY HAVE POWER OVER WATERS TO TURN THEM TO BLOOD, AND TO STRIKE THE EARTH WITH ALL PLAGUES, AS OFTEN AS THEY DESIRE:

The Bible is also shown to have the power to turn water to blood and provide other such pestiferous plagues! Again, we see what Rev 9:17-19 showed and what Rev 9:10 also shows about an earlier period. The Bible has ALWAYS been a thorn in the side of its enemies — those who dwell on the earth (those bound to the present order of things). Luther, in essence, said to the Roman church, your water is not drinkable.

Before going on, it would be good to ask why the Bible (the two witnesses, the Old and the New Testaments) are featured so strongly in this message (Verses 3-12). There may be several reasons. Chapter 10 specified how the LITTLE BOOK (the book of Daniel) was now OPEN. Chapter 11 is stating the same. It is showing the emergence of the Bible from the 1260 years of wilderness experience. This is one of the PRIME events of the sixth stage of the Church. The Bible is now being PRINTED instead of hand-copied. It is being translated widely. It is being made available in all Protestant regions. It is being more widely understood; and as the Philadelphia period nears its end, its very secret time prophecies are being opened due to the events of the Time of the End. This message gets the Church ready to UNDERSTAND more as was promised to the “wise” in Daniel 12. NEVER before this time was the Bible becoming such an important factor and power in the lives of the saints.

Continued with next post.