In Revelation 11 John speaks
of two witnesses. These witnesses are killed, and left lying in the street.
After three and a half days life comes back into them, they stand to their
feet while the onlookers are filled with fear. They are then called to
heaven and ascend in a cloud. With their ascent to heaven there is a great
earthquake which destroys a tenth of the city. After these events it is
stated that the second woe is completed.
I hold the two witnesses
to represent two vitally important truths that are to be part of the Churches
theology. Two important truths that the Church allowed to die due to neglect.
However the present day revival movements are restoring these truths to
the Church. So the day is coming when these truths will again take their
rightful place in the heavens, with the saints. When they do the second
woe is completed.
In 1 John 5:5-11 the
term 'witness' is used repeatedly. (The KJV has translated the word as
"witness" as well as "record") In 1 John 5:8 the Spirit, as well as the
water and the blood, are said to be witnesses on this earth. According
to the text these three are witnesses to Jesus Christ. Now it is self evident
that the Holy Spirit is a witness of Jesus Christ. In John 16:14 Jesus
declares that the Holy Spirit “shall receive of mine, and shall show it
unto you.” John tells us that the Spirit, water and blood "agree
in one", (1 John 5:7) Therefore the water and the blood, like the Holy
Spirit must then be seen as witnesses of Jesus Christ. Given John's discourse
concerning the three witnesses on earth suggests that the two witnesses
Jesus speaks of in Revelation are the water and the blood. Note:
In Revelation 11:3 Jesus calls the two witnesses “my witnesses”.
Revelation 11:4
speaks of the two witnesses as two olive trees, and two candlesticks.
To understand these metaphors we must find scripture that explains them.
Zechariah 4 does so. When Zechariah sees the candlestick and the
olive trees, he questions the angel about the olive trees. Since he only
asks about the olive trees implies that Zechariah understood the symbolism
of the candlesticks. He undoubtedly saw the candlesticks as representing
the light of God.
In answer to
Zechariah's question about the olive trees, the angel states "Not by might
nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." (4:6) The angel’s
answer suggests that what is symbolized by the two olive trees is closely
linked with the Holy Spirit. However Zechariah is still not satisfied,
so he asks a second time about the olive trees. The Angel's second
answer is "These are the two anointed ones." (4:14) A literal rendering
of the phrase “anointed ones” is "sons of oil". Since oil implies
anointing we could say they are sons of the anointing. Now it is clear
from verses like Luke 4:18, and Acts 10:38, that Jesus was anointed of
the Holy Spirit. Thus it could be said that the Holy Spirit is the father
of the anointing. As the father of the anointing the Holy Spirit
uses the water of the word as well as the blood of Jesus to witness to
the anointing.
We need to understand
that "Christ" means “the anointed”. Thus Christians are anointed;
for being in Christ is to be in “the anointed”. Those who have submitted
to Jesus for baptism in the Holy Spirit have the rights and privilege of
flowing in that anointing. For they have experienced the same Holy Spirit
that descended upon Jesus for His anointing to ministry. And the Holy Spirit
works with the water and the blood to maintain and enhance that anointing.
The water is
the Word! Paul tells us that we are sanctified and cleansed by the
"washing of the water by the word". (Eph 5:26) It should be noted
that the Greek term for 'word', in Ephesians 5:26, is 'rhema' not Logos.
Jesus is spoken of as the Logos of God, and he speaks the 'rhema' which
has spirit and life. Receiving the Holy Spirit is likened to drinking,
because He takes the written word - the Logos - and transforms it into
the living word - the rhema. A process in which the word becomes
personalized to each of us. To the extent that I respond positively to
the work of the Holy Spirit in personalizing the written word – allowing
Him to make it a “rhema” word - to that extent I have rivers of living
water flowing from within. If I do not allow this personalization of the
word, there is no sanctifying or cleansing taking place. To deny this work
of the Holy Spirit in the Church will eventually kill the witness of the
word. When the witness of the word is killed the witness to the anointing
is also lost.
Allow me to interject
an observation at this point. Many in the charismatic movement are taken
up with the anointing. The desire to be anointed is commendable, and it
should be desired by all. However to run to every meeting possible hoping
to find an anointing is to deny the Word. In Christ you are anointed. For
this reason scripture can emphatically state: “These signs shall follow
them that believe.” When you are a believer you can lay hands on the sick
and see them recover. It is the Logos that says so. Allow the Holy Spirit
to take that Logos word and make it a living “rhema” word to you. If you
reject that witness, you reject all the benefits of that word.
“But”, you protest, “don’t
I have to be anointed to lay hands on the sick and see them recover?”
“Precisely!”
So are you in Christ? Then
you’re in “The anointed”. And the way to make that anointing flow is to
submit to Jesus Christ for your personal baptism in the Holy Spirit. Then
the Holy Spirit will take the things of Christ, witnessed to by the word
and the blood and make them personal to you. As you allow Him to make those
witnesses personal to you the anointing will become alive in your life.
It is because the Logos/Word declares “these signs shall follow them that
believe” that you can expect it to happen. Know this, if the Word didn’t
declare it, it wouldn’t happen even if you had every “anointed hand” laid
on you in the country. For it is not the laying on of hands that anoints
you. Being in Christ anoints you, and acting on the Word brings that anointing
alive.
The second witness
is the blood. The blood which Jesus shed speaks of more than just the giving
of his life. The Blood speaks of our life, for His shed blood
witnesses to, and is the seal of the New Covenant. (1Cor.11:25 ; Heb.13:20)
Because of that shed blood every provision of that covenant is guaranteed
to you and I. One of those provisions is the experiencing of the Holy Spirit,
who is the earnest - the down payment - of our inheritance. However if
I deny that I can experience those provisions, I deny the witness of the
blood, as well as the word. In so doing I have rendered the witness
of the blood ineffective and subject to death.
So if you deny the
work of the two witnesses in your life, you in fact render the Holy Spirit
powerless. He no longer has the witness of the word or blood to work
with in your behalf.
According to John's
record these witnesses have awesome power. That power is both positive
and negative. Which of those powers are exercised depends on us, and our
response to the witnesses. A positive response on the part of the Church,
allows for the witnesses to destroy the enemy with fire. We saw it happen
under the first trumpet. Acts records it: humanities structures of wood,
and hay were burnt up.
The witnesses
are also capable of turning the waters into blood. A positive response
on the part of the Church reverses that which Satan did by turning the
waters bitter. The blood speaks of life. As we act on the word, that which
the word testifies to becomes reality. So take note: we don't need legislation
to overcome. We overcome as we yield and give ourselves to the working
of the Holy Spirit who brings the witness of the water and the blood to
experiential reality.
A negative response
on our part results in the Holy Spirit being bond. As a result heaven
is shut, and there is no rain. That is: the Holy Spirit is not allowed
to move freely within the Church, resulting in the Church becoming frail
and anemic. The second negative result of not giving heed to the witnesses,
is that the earth is hit with plagues. The sad testimony of history is
just that. John indicated this would happen: for he tells us that
the witnesses were clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth speaks of grief caused
by calamity and failure. By the fourth century - about 200 years
after John wrote Revelation - Church leaders were saying that the work
of the Holy Spirit ended with the Apostles.
As a result
Apostolic doctrines and practices were on the wane. Worldliness was
on the increase. Greek philosophy was allowed to corrupt scriptural
teaching. The fire of the Holy Spirit wasn't allowed to burn out the wood,
hay, and stubble. The water in the word was not allowed to cleanse and
sanctify the Church. The witness of the blood was disregarded.
Instead of a call to repentance by Church leaders, the trend to worldliness
was rationalized as part of the times. (Sound familiar?)
A covenant blessing
such as healing of the sick, by the laying on of hands and or the anointing
with oil, was forbidden by Church councils. Consequently "by the
13th century, the practice ..... had become 'last rites' for the dying."
(Christian Life Magazine Sept83) As John predicted the two witnesses had
been silenced, killed by the 13th century.
The Protestant
reformation changed Christian thinking on many aspects, but it left the
witnesses dead. In fact with the passing of years theologians taught that
God used sickness, disease, misfortune, and death, for the benefit of the
believer. It was held that these plagues enhanced a believers spiritual
growth and well being. John predicted this would be so, he said: "And shall
not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves." (11:9) Burial is an
act of remembrance. Thus not to be buried is not to be brought back to
memory. So it was: all could see the witnesses' bodies of truth in scripture,
but none brought them back to memory. The Churches negative response
produced the negative power: no rain, and plagues.
John in fact
states that we as earth dwellers would celebrate the death of the witnesses.
And so it was. Theologians taught, preached, and practiced the death
of the witnesses. We could not expect to experience what the early Church
experienced. Our denominational gatherings were used to confirm and remind
us - celebrate - that fact. To suggest that we should be experiencing the
book of Acts was a torment to many. However the witnesses have come back
to life as John declared it would be.
The Witnesses Are Alive
January 1, 1900 marks
the day of a tremendously significant spiritually historical event.
Some believers in Topeka, Kansas began to experience a personal Pentecost.
(See Stanley H. Frodsham: With Signs Following Full
Gospel Publishing; Springfield, Missouri) With it came the realization
and teaching that we could personally experience what the Word talked about.
This was followed by the realization that believers were covenant people.
We could experience a covenant provision such as healing. The 1950's and
60's saw a surge of healing evangelists. In more resent years we have seen
the Holy Spirit renew the Church crossing all denominational lines. The
witnesses are alive today, and the revival movements around the globe are
daily confirming this fact. More and more the Church is coming into the
realization that we are the anointed. God's kingdom is advanced on this
earth by those that flow in that anointing.
True some watching
these happenings are gripped by great fear. Their not sure were they should
take their stand. If you want my advice, I'd say get into the flow of what
the Holy Spirit is doing today. Don't miss what God is doing and what He
is going to do. For as John stated the witnesses not only come alive, they
will ascend to heaven. Their ascent to heaven portrays the gospel becoming
the Everest it was meant to be within the Church. The witness of the word
and the blood will once again be the crown of the Churches glory. She will
realize the benefits witnessed to by the word and the blood.
In that same
hour John states that there is a great earthquake. The earthquake causes
two things to happen. First a tenth part of the city falls. Secondly: the
earthquake kills the names of seven thousand men. For some reason many
of the translations have omitted the word “names” found in the Greek text
of this verse. To understand what is said we need to pay attention to the
wording used in this verse.
To speak
of the death of the name of some one indicates their authority no longer
has any credibility. John thereby indicates that 7000 theologians loose
their credibility. Their name is said to be killed because the theology
they were known and noted for becomes irrelevant. It is proved obsolete
by the witnesses ascent to heaven. The number of 7000 may be used
figuratively, but it could also have a literal fulfillment. There are societies
such as the Biblical Studies Society which will soon have the signature
of its 7000th endorsee. It could well be such a society that would be the
literal fulfillment of the death of the 7000 names of men.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I building my own theology or am I building
on the witness of the Word and the Blood? The Chruch can't servive on theological
tradition, it must experience the reality of what the Word and Blood, and
especially what the Holy Spirit witness to.
Since
the earthquake kills the names of seven thousand indicates this is not
a literal earthquake. The other earthquakes mentioned in Revelation described
spiritually significant events. In order to be consistent with the other
earthquakes mentioned in Revelation, this one must also designate a spiritually
significant event. In this case the event is so significant that it is
stated to be "a great earthquake". It is great in the sense that it brings
about a most significant shift in theological thinking. A shift in theology
that is as significant as that from an Old Testament to the New Testament
economy. Here however it is not a matter of the Holy Spirit being given,
but the Holy Spirit being welcomed to once again do as He did in Apostolic
times.
Those activities
have been intensifying since January 1 1900. All the revival movements
of the sixth seal period are part of this intensification. These
witnesses will ascend to heaven. The Church will once again live and function
under their power. We are pictured by Paul as being quickened , raised
up, and seated with Jesus Christ, in the heavens. (Eph 2:4-6) When we come
into a full realization of the anointing that we have in Jesus Christ,
the witnesses have ascended to heaven. That realization will bring
cataclysmic changes in the Church and especially her theology. Changes
that John sees as a great earthquake.
In this earthquake
a tenth part of the city falls. The word "fell" speaks of failure, and
rightly so. The city referred to is religion. Religion that was allowed
to invade the Churches life giving theology. Our present denominational
structures are part of that religion and therefore part of the city of
Babylon. Reginald W. Bibby points out that there is no basic difference
between the church and society, in Canada. (Fragmented Gods ; Irwin Publishing,
Toronto, Ontario) I am sure that can be echoed in many other nations of
the world. So the answer isn't to restructure, but to repent. We need to
turn from our own ways and come under and into the anointing that we have
in Jesus Christ. Only then will we cease to be part of the Babylonian system.
So a tenth part of the city falling is good news, for with that fall comes
a restoration of the Church of the Book of Acts.
John's
final observation is "that the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to
the God of Heaven". As we have moved through history there has not been
much recognition of God, let alone man glorifying God. However as we move
into the events described under the two witnesses that will change.
John’s record
of the second woe began with society being involved in military conflict.
In that conflict man's atrocities are called devilish and serpent like.
Societies acts of aggression will not go unchallenged. Thus in the second
half of the woe we are brought face to face with Jesus, who now takes command.
Society will come to see and understand just what Jesus did provide for
us. (Remember the sixth seal, and the wrath of the Lamb.) That provision
is realized in what John describes as the witnesses ascending to heaven.
The answer for society is not to improve our structures of wood, hay, and
stubble. The answer is spiritual. We are wrestling against principalities,
powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness
in high places.(Eph. 5:12) Therefore we must do battle not
in the flesh, or with carnal weapons, but with God, and ordained weapons
that we inherited in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of that
inheritance. So let us fight in the power of the Holy Spirit and
not with carnal religious weapons.
In light of
our study of this second woe allow me to give you some practical points.
The second woe speaks to two aspects of our human life: the spiritual and
carnal. The carnal is spoken to in the military part of the woe,
and the spiritual is spoken to in the two witnesses. Our tendency as humans
is to put a great emphasis on the carnal aspect of life. That is also a
danger in the application of this second woe. Let me explain!
In addressing
the church of Thyatira, Jesus stated: "I know thy works, and charity, and
service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be
more than the first." So Jesus considered charity, service, faith,
and patience to be more important than works. Applying this to the topic
at hand means that we must see our anointing as of greater importance
than the promotion of anti war sentiment.
Peter calls
on us to be holy in our conduct. (1 Peter 1:15,16) We equate holiness
with morallity. So we immediately assume that if the second woe speaks
against war then our response needs to be anti war marches, rallies, and
demonstrations. However that is only coming against the enemy with carnal
weapons, and it does not constitute holy action. Because there is
something more important when it comes to true holiness. You see
holiness involves two things: First a setting apart from, which could be
seen as the carnal; and secondly a dedication to something, which constitutes
the spiritual. We have worked with carnal weapons by promoting
the aspect of being set apart, but we have not promoted or dedicated ourselves
to a holy cause. For sure we are to be set apart from warring amongst ourselves.
However that does not mean we dedicate ourselves to peace marches and demonstrations,
and thereby feel we have fulfilled the second aspect of holiness. We have
been redeemed for a higher purpose. We only fulfill that higher purpose
when we get involved in that which redemption has provided for us. Redemption
has made us Ambassadors of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18,19) As Ambassadors
we have all the rights, privileges and authority of the kingdom of God.
As that Ambassador you are commissioned to do the work of the ministry.
(Eph. 4:12) You as a believer have the right, privilege and authority to
have signs following, to cast out devils, to speak with new tongues, to
not be harmed by deadly things, and to lay hands on the sick, and have
them recover. (Mark 16:17,18) Those are not just the exclusive
rights and privileges of Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, or Evangelists, those
are the privileges of the believer. Are you a believer? If
you’re a believer than you’re anointed, and you’re anointed because you’re
in Christ, and Christ is in you – you’re in the anointed and the anointing
is in you.
Giving the world
another peace march isn't going to get its attention. But if you
as an anointed believer heal the sick, and demonstrate the power and love
of God, then the world will take note that you have been with Jesus. Jesus
was not holy because he didn't associate with sinners, in fact he did.
Jesus was not declared holy because He didn't sin. Jesus was holy because
He accomplished that for which He was sent. His holiness is witnessed to
by His healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the casting out of
devils and proclaiming liberty to the captive. He was set apart and
anointed to do His Fathers work. Jesus did it and that is why He is declared
holy. We are also set apart, and anointed to do God’s work on this earth.
If we don't use our anointing for that purpose, the holiness we claim we
have because we don't do certain things is a shame.
The witnesses are
alive today, and they will ascend to heaven, i.e. they will take their
rightful place in the Church. So if you want to be part of the action then
you need to allow those witnesses to enliven your Christian walk today.
Don't allow yourself to be poured into a denominational mould, and think
that anything that God does today must come approved by your denomination.
Let me encourage
you to follow through on this study. Pray for others with the laying
on of hands. Believe the anointing will flow through you. "Father in Jesus
name, and by the witness of the Word and the Blood I declare that anointing
released in all believers who are now exercising their rights, privileges,
and authority as your Ambassadors. We dedicate ourselves to flow in that
anointing, to be imitators of Jesus and Ambassadors of reconciliation in
this world."
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