God's Witnesses

Revelation 11:1-19 - Riley Boggs

“Philip James Elliot (otherwise known as Jim) was born on October 8, 1927, in Portland, Oregon. His father was an evangelist, and his mother was a chiropractor. Growing up, Jim and his three siblings were introduced to countless missionaries who visited in their home and told them exciting stories about Gospel work.

In 1945, Jim went to Wheaton College. He became a star on the wrestling team, and roomed with Pete Fleming. Together, these two friends dedicated their lives to whatever Christ had for them.

During his junior year of college, he met a godly girl named Elisabeth Howard. They had a long courtship, and then were married on his 26th birthday. Following their marriage, the Elliots continued to form detailed plans on how they could best reach the most unreached Ecuadorian natives with the Gospel. They knew the Aucas were a hostile tribe in Ecuador, but the added risk did not matter to them. They enlisted the help of four other men – including Elliot’s old college roommate, Pete Fleming – and made plans to take the good news specifically to the Aucas.

Little did these five men and their families know that their mission to the Aucas would be the last thing they ever did. On January 8, 1956, some misunderstandings and hostility came to a head, and the Aucas turned against their would-be friends and evangelists. All five of the missionary men were speared to death by those whom they had endeavored to reach.” (https://equipu.kids4truth.com/jim-elliot/)

There are many who would look at the lives and of Jim and his friends, slain on that beach, and see failure. They would see 5 men who had so much potential, but were unable to do anything with it. They never really got to evangelize the people they intended to reach. They were never able to return home to their families. They had one goal and it seemingly died there with them on that beach in Ecuador.

Maybe you don’t think this. But, what if that were your son or your daughter? Would that change how you view this story? What if it were your son who had been murdered at the hands of the very people he had gone to reach, leaving behind your daughter-in-law and granddaughter? If you were honest, would you wish that they would have never gone? Would you wrestle with whether or not it was worth it? Would you see their life as successful, or a tragic picture of so much potential wasted?

At the end of the day, the whole way you view the story of Jim Elliot, or the way you would view it if it were your son or daughter, all comes down to what you consider a successful life. I mean, what does it mean to be successful? Some view success as a comfortable retirement where you set life to cruise control and enjoy the hobbies you never had time for before. Some view success in the number of days you are able to live. Life is all about longevity and being able to see your great great grandchildren. Some view success in the amount of people you reach, the amount of people you impact. If any of these are indeed how we measure success, then Jim Elliot’s life was seemingly no success at all. Is that true?

The Word of the Lord comes to us this morning from the 11th chapter of the book of Revelation. This is sermon number 11 of what will likely be 22 sermons, so we are officially halfway. As we have been working through this book I’ve been continually reminding us of the cyclical structure of this book. That is, it is written in 7 cycles, all telling the story of life between the first and second coming of Jesus. Each cycle offering a new perspective of the same reality, the same truths. Each time, helping us see the world for what it is, see God for who He is, and be moved to persevere in faith until the Lord returns for us. The passage we are looking at this morning, once again, does this very thing. And I think it does it particularly by showing us what it looks like for Christians to be successful in the world we are living in. Hopefully you’ll see this as we work through the chapter.

Look with me starting in verse 1. Our text begins by John telling us that he was given a measuring rod, like a staff, and was told to measure something. Now, before I go on, I want to take this opportunity to remind you and show you that this book is not to be taken literally, but symbolically. I think this detail concerning the measuring rod is a great example of how we can see that this is the case. After John is given the measuring rod, he is told to measure 3 things. The first 2 things he is told to measure are the temple of God and the altar. That makes enough sense, right? We could take this to be literal or symbolic. You can literally measure a temple or altar, or you could symbolically do it. Both seem to be an option.

But then, look at the next thing he is told to measure. John is told to use the measuring rod and measure those who are worshipping in the temple. Now I don’t think that John is being commissioned to walk around the literal temple, take out the measuring rod, and begin to mark down people’s heights. “5’10”, 5’4”, wow 6’10””He’s not running back to Jesus to say, “Alright Jesus, I had a hard time getting their actual height because they kept lifting their hands in worship, but I think I got the majority of them.” Its abundantly clear that this isn’t how this is intended to be understood.

So, if it’s not supposed to be taken literally, then what is in view here? What is it that John is supposed to do? Well let’s keep looking at what his instructions. He’s supposed to measure the temple, the altar, and the people in the temple, but then he is specifically not to measure something. You can see this starting in verse 2. He is told, “...but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”

Here’s the picture being painted. Through this vision, John is being shown that God has a people whom He has claimed as His own. It’s a people who has been counted, or measured. A people who God has brought near to Him, into His presence, or you could say the temple. He has a people for Himself. This tracks right in line with what we have seen in the previous 2 cycles, right? First we had the seven churches, a people who have been brought in and are being protected by God Himself. Then we had those who received the seal of God, which was a picture God’s definite and final claim on His people. It was a way of God saying, “You are mine and no one can take you from me.” Here, we are being shown that same reality. God has a people for Himself, and we are being shown this through the “measuring” taking place.

But then further than that, God is telling us that there is place, a people, who God has not counted among His own. John’s told not to count them, and says instead that they are given over to the nations and will trample on the holy city. In other words, they are a people who are in love and bound by their sin, and who despise the very things of God. And as such, they are not among those whom God has claimed as His own. You have people who God has numbered and brought near, and you have a people who have not.

But, the vision doesn’t stop there. Look, starting in verse 3. Jesus says, “And I will grant authority to my two witnessess, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” I hope you are beginning to see what is being described here. First, Jesus is telling us that He has a protected people for Himself. A people that have been marked out, claimed as His own. A people who will, emphatically and certainly, be kept until the very end by God Himself. Then, we are told that there are a people who are rebels to God. We are told that there is a world full of people who are hostile ot God and the things of God. A people who are lost. And then in verses 3-4, we are being told that Jesus has appointed witnesses to go out and prophecy. This takes us to the first point I have for us this morning...

1.) God has made us His witnesses in a fallen world (vv.1-6)

I believe that the two witnesses in view here are simply the church, and there are several reasons why I believe that. First, they are called the lampstands, which we have seen to be a direct reference to the church in previous chapters. Second, this idea of two olive trees is a way of saying that these two witnesses are being supplied by the Spirit Himself to do there work. This also tracks with verse 3, where Jesus says that He has granted these 2 authority. And that itself should take your mind back to the great commission where Jesus commissions the church to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth, and says, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me…and I will be with you to the end of the age.”

So, once you put all of this together, I think the point being conveyed is a rather simple one. God has appointed His people to be His witnesses to the fallen world full of fallen people. He’s brought a people near, claimed them as His own, promised to keep their soul, and then commissioned to go and be the very means by which more would be brought in. Through the prophesying, the declaring, of Jesus Christ, there will be people added to the number of those within the temple.

And we see, in verses 5-6, what their witnessing will look like. We see what God has said of them. He says that if anyone would harm them, fire will pour from their mouths and consume them, and they will be killed. He says that these witnesses have the power to shut the sky and stop the rain during their days of prophesying. He says that they can turn water into blood and strike the Earth with plagues, whenever they desire. Hopefully you see these continual call backs to the life and ministry of Moses and Elijah. But the picture being painted here is not one where we would do these things literally. That’s not what is intended here. Rather, we are to be witnesses in the same way that Moses and Elijah were witnesses. That is, on account of God and with the authority of God we declare the things of God. We go out, proclaiming that Christ has come to break that bonds of sin and shame. That by His death, burial, and resurrection, He has made salvation possible for all who would trust in Him. And because this message comes in the authority of the living Spirit of God, it accomplishes the very purpose for which it was sent.

You and I, we are witnesses. Jim Elliot and his 4 friends, were witnesses. We are all a people who know God. We’ve been brought near to Him. He dwells within us. And now, in an act of obedience, we go and declare the good news of the Gospel to the nations. That’s the task of all believers until Jesus returns. From our children to our neighbors, all the way to the distant unknown peoples of the world, it is been commanded of us that we take the Gospel to them. To be witnesses to the nations. We don’t hunker down in our homesteads and watch the world perish in their sins from our front porches. But we go, with the authority and confidence of our Lord, and declare that Christ has come to save you from your sins. We are God’s witnesses to a fallen world.

Now there is one thing that I think needs to be addressed before we move on to the rest of the passage. I mentioned that what is being conveyed here in verses 5-6 is not that we are to literally speak fire upon those who attempt to harm us. That’s just a symbolic way of saying that we will go on the authority of God. However, it does seem like there is certainly an act of protection involved here, right? I mean it seems, rightly, that God is saying that He will preserve the life of His witnesses so that they can continue to spread the Word that God has called them to spread. I think we can all agree with that this passage is clear on that.

But doesn’t that lead us to an interesting question? If God says His witnesses will be protected and will not die, what happened to Jim Elliot? Were they not His witnesses to the nations? Does this text not specifically speak of men like that? Or what about the other countless martyrs who have died for standing with Christ?

Well, I believe the answer comes in the following verses. Look with me starting in verse 7. It says, “And when they have finished their testimony…” That’s the key phrase, right there. And it’s where I want us to go for our second point...

2.) When our witness is complete, God will bring an end to our days (vv.7-10)

Keep looking with me starting in verse 7. It says that after the witnesses have finished their testimony something will happen. What happens? It says that the beasts of the bottomless pit will make war on them, conquer them, and will kill them. And then even further, it says that their bodies will be laid in the streets of the cities.

The reason that I began this morning with the story of Jim Elliot and the idea of success is because of this point specifically. There are many who see Jim as a man whose life was cut short. They see him as a man who had so much potential, but it was taken from him before he could use it. This is the world’s view. They say live now, take all you can before things go dark. And as such, they see Jim as a noble man, but not a successful one. This text tells us exactly why this is a lie. Success is not found in the number of days you live, nor is it found in the amount of people you reach. Success is found by simply finishing the witness that Jesus Himself called you to, and then He calls you from.

The issue is that we often think that our impact or legacy is the proof that God used us. We look for results and when results aren’t there, and someone dies, we view it like there was potential left on the table. The passage speaks directly against this. The reality is that God will not let you die until your witness is complete. He won’t. Whether it’s a baby who dies in the womb, a young child who dies before they reach middle school, a young parent who was just beginning adulthood, or the man or woman who was nearing 100. In every case, because they are the Lord’s, we can say with absolute confidence that their witness was complete.

Recently some friends from our previous church lost their son exactly one month from the day he was born. In response to this heartbreaking tragedy, their pastor, Lee, said this. “Who knows what all the Lord may have accomplished through your baby’s life in this one month? In our minds, someone needs years, even decades, to achieve great accomplishments, but our Lord is not limited in these ways. I look forward to eternity so that we might see all that he has done.” Do you see the truths of our passages reflected in this? God has not promised to protect us from death for all of our days. As we take the Gospel to the nations in a fallen world, there will be opposition and persecution. There will be sickness and suffering, and death, that by our standards, seems to have come far too soon. But the beautiful truth being shown here in this passage is that God will never let His people go unto death until their work is finished. And so no matter the time of their days, we can say with absolute confidence that they accomplished all that the Lord had for them.

Even further, this means that though the enemy might desire to destroy the church, it cannot be destroyed. Think about what Paul says in Romans 8. Actually, turn there with me for a moment. He’s using this same argument here. He says, starting in verse 31, “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Do you see the connection? If God’s people are coming under all of this harm, even death, surely they are losing, right? No. Because there is a reality that goes beyond what the eye can see. The church cannot fail. It will not collapse. Not because hardship won’t come and not because our faith is strong enough, but because Our God is holding us. He is sustaining us and empowering us to accomplish the works He has established for us. He carries us through them, building His church, and then ends our days.

And it is there that true success is found. It is in the daily, life-long, pursuit of Christ. Trusting that what He has for you is good. Believing that the days He has you in are purpose-filled. Whether the tasks before you seem big or small, God is using them to build His kingdom. Don’t count the small things as something not worth your time. We have no idea the plan that God is fulfilling even in the smallest acts of obedience of your life.

As you keep reading our passage, it seems to take a less hopeful turn, at least at first. It continues with the world’s celebration of the witnesses being slain. They are laid in these cities known for their sin and wicked deeds. Verse 9, people will gaze upon them and not let them be buried. Verse 10, people will begin to rejoice that they have been killed. They will celebrate, exchanging gifts, and rejoicing because their witness is finally over. It’s a picture of the persecuted church seemingly lying dead, while world laughs. Sounds like a story I’ve heard before about a man named Jesus. Verse 11, “but after 3 and a half days…”

Let me go ahead and give you our third and final point this morning.

3.) God’s final victory will be displayed in the resurrection of His people (vv.11-19)

Throughout the ages, God has had a people for Himself. He’s brought them near and has commissioned them to declare His goodness among the nations. He’s called us to walk into the enemies territory and speak His truth that can break the enemy’s strongholds. He promises to sustain us until our work is done, and then will bring our days to an end. And it’s there that the enemy might think he has won. As the cold lifeless body of the persecuted saint lies there on the ground and the world begins to celebrate around them. That goes to show you just how foolish the enemy really is.

Because the story continues for God’s people. It continues all the way to victory. For after 3 and a half days, we read that God breathed life into these saints. Then as they stand on their feet again, dread begins to fill everyone around them. All those who were just celebrating are now struck with fear, as the truth becomes undeniable. And then the Lord Himself calls His people to heaven as the world is once and for all judged. This is the symbolic picture taking place afterwards, as the seventh and final trumpet is blown. It’s this back and forth telling of what will happen when final judgment does indeed come. On one hand you have those who remained in their sins because judged accordingly, as they begin to experience the wrath of God. And then on the other hand, you have God’s people rising being resurrected, and being brought into the new heavens and new earth. They come worshipping God for all that He has done and for keeping His promises, as they trusted He would do. Verse 19 shows this final picture, the very end of this cycle, of God’s people being brought into the very presence of God Himself as the things truly do come to an end.

I can’t help but think that C.S. Lewis had this very passage in mind as he wrote the way in which Aslan resurrects his people in The Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan is put to death and the white witch begins to celebrate. Her castle is full of his people who are seemingly now hopeless, frozen forever. But then, right when you begin to think it is truly over, Aslan comes back to life. And then he rushes into the castle and breaths on all those who were frozen. He resurrects them. Then, in an act of final judgment, once and for all, he brings an end to the white witch.

The Lord is promising us this same reality, except it is no children’s story, it’s our life. It’s our future. We can pursue Christ all the way unto death itself because we know the end. We know that Lord will breath life into our bodies once more, and like our Lord Himself, we will be raise. We will be brought into the glorious eternity, with Him, declaring with the saints of old the words spoken in verses 17-18. “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Right now, until that day, we have been called to be God’s witnesses in this fallen world. We have been called to follow Him down the path that often leads to difficult things. And we do so not under the guise that we have been promised an easy and long life, but with the assurance that our days our purpose-filled and that a glorious eternity awaits us. That’s the hope of the Gospel. That’s the promise of our God. That’s what it means to live a successful life.

I want to close this morning by telling you the rest of Jim Elliot’s story. The story of what happened after he and the others with him were killed. This is an excerpt from the voice of the martyrs.

“A news flash alerted the world: ‘Five Men Missing in Auca Territory.’ The date was Monday, January 9, 1956. A team of missionary pioneers trying to make peaceful contact with an infamous tribe of Indians in Ecuador, the Waodani, had failed to make a scheduled radio call. For almost a full day no word had come from their camp on the Curaray River, which they named “Palm Beach.” Then a hovering pilot reported the badly damaged plane at the camp. This was followed by a gruesome confirmation on Wednesday, January 11, when the first body was spotted in the river. Though a search and rescue team was quickly formed, the discovery of more bodies quickly changed the mission from rescue to retrieval and burial.

By Friday of that week the team reached the missionaries’ campsite and hurriedly buried four of the bodies. The men had died violently from repeated spear wounds and machete cuts. The fifth body (Ed McCully) was never located after being identified on the beach but then washed away by the river. Five widows and eight orphans mourned the deaths and looked to God for comfort and direction. The world witnessed in stunned amazement.

Shockwaves from the tragedy traveled around the globe. Eventually, thousands of Christians identified the news of the deaths of five young men as the turning point in their lives. In her book, Through Gates of Splendor, written a year after the deaths, Jim Elliot’s widow, Elisabeth, described some of the remarkable early results from what seemed like a tragic waste of life. The places of service vacated by those men were filled many times over by young men and women moved and motivated by their selfless sacrifice. Fifty years later, the effects continue to be felt.

Within two years of their deaths, Elisabeth Elliot and Nate Saint’s sister made a friendly and lasting contact with the Waodanis. Bible translation into the Waodani language began. One by one, the men who committed the murder became believers in the One who sent the missionaries to reach them. Steve Saint spent much of his childhood among the Waodanis. Despite the fact that they had killed his father, Steve became an adopted son of the tribe and eventually took his own family to live for a time among them. The painful arrival of the Gospel among that violent people worked a miracle of transformation…

...True to the Maker and Mover behind the scenes, the story of the Waodani displays God’s ways. Those who were once the impossible-to-reach are now taking their place among those who reach out. Believers among the Waodani have suffered for Christ and at least one has experienced martyrdom. Their long history with violence makes them keen observers of the state of the ‘modern’ world, where the increasing fascination and practice of hatred, violence, and killing appear all too familiar for those recently freed from that life of despair. God’s deeper purposes take time to come to light. Occasionally, those who are paying attention get to see those purposes shine and are amazed.” (https://www.persecution.com/stories/stories-of-christian-martyrs-jim-elliot-pete-fleming-ed-mccully-nate-saint-roger-youderian/)

After Jim’s death, in his journal, they found this statement written. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” He knew that his days were numbered, and he had no intention of living as if they weren’t. Instead, he trusted that God would complete His work in him, whether it be a few days or many years. And one day, as the Lord resurrects Him, he will rise with the very people who killed him on that day to meet their Lord. Was Jim’s life a success?

This morning the Lord is calling us through His Word to live in a way that reflects these glorious, often unseen realities. Let us be a people who walk together in this. And this morning, in the Lord’s kindness, He has given us something tangible to remind us of what can often feel untanglible. This morning we have the priveledge of coming to the table, together, to delcare what Christ has done for us and the very reason we have hope.