Saturday, February 17, 2007
Revelation 11:1-14 ~ Jeff Ludington
Revelation 11:1-14
Pray:
· Pray that we will measure up to God’s values
Vs. 1-2
1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
· John tells us that he is given an implement to measure with
o A reed, or a measuring rod
o Like a “yard stick”
Textual Problem:
· NIV: Dynamic Equivalent
o The translators put together the words that best suited us for the MEANING of the text
· ESV: Literal Equivalent
o The translators tried to do the best WORD FOR WORD translation as possible
· This verse is a good example:
o The word “count” in the NIV doesn’t exist in the original
o It is the same verb from the first half of the verse
(Revelation 11:1-2 ESV)
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple;
· Notice no “count”
The verb “métreeson” which means measured is used for three things:
· The Temple
· The Altar
· And: those who worship there.
Why is this such a big deal Jeff?
· We in the Western Church are so prone to counting;
· When God would prefer we measure!
Example:
· I know how many people come each week (we count)
· I don’t know how many people are involved beyond Saturdays
We think that by sitting in a church service each week that we are living out our Christian Faith:
· How are you serving the poor?
· How are you sharing the message of the Gospel?
· Who are you praying for – praying with?
· What kind of small-group community are giving to and receiving from?
· What area of service inside the church are you giving too?
· Are you consistently giving to the church?
· Are you serving outside the church?
· Are you giving outside the church – in addition to tithing?
How are you living your faith, not just sitting in church?
· That, my friends, is the difference of measuring
· Rather than just simply counting
We are surrounding by a culture who places more value on numbers than it does on value.
· We count to get numbers
· We measure the faith or action of the people to get value
John is told to measure:
· The reason is that there needs to be some discernment
· We need to quit thinking that in Christ - anything is ok.
Vs. 3-5
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
God has a plan for His followers
· This is why we must measure
· God is able discern who is “in” and who is “out”
· He does it by value, not by quantity
“And I will give power to my two witnesses”
“And they will prophesy”
Two olive trees are out of the vision to Zerubabbel:
Zecheriah 4
Then the angel returned and wakened me. He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." I asked the angel, "What are these, my lord?" "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
· Zerubabbel asks what it is he sees
· God first answers with the key to His measuring system
· “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit”
· Notice that it is by God’s Spirit and Empowerment that things are measured
If that had been written today, it may have said:
“Not by attendance, nor by giving, but by My Spirit” says the Lord of 2007
Zerubabbel goes on and asks:
Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand? What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?" He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I said. So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth."
· The two olive trees or branches are those anointed to serve the earth
· Old Testament wording that equals “those anointed to share God’s message”
Now, the lampstands are explained to us in Revelation 1:
Revelation 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
· The lampstands are the 7 churches
But why do we only see 2 churches represented here?
· We will tackle that after we finish the passage
Vs. 6
6 These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
· These men
o Seen in the OT as those people anointed for the Gospel
o And in the NT as the Church anointed for the Gospel
o So we will just call the 2 witnesses the anointed Church
· The Church is given power to prophesy and do miracles
o The are charged with sharing the Gospel through their lives
o Another word for that is sharing their testimonies
See next verse:
Vs. 7-10
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
· We have now discerned between the Church and the World
· Those that are not a part of the Church are called “inhabitants of the earth”
Here is what is transpiring:
· The Church is looked over
· Those who are faithful are called to a task prepared by God
· Those who are called to a task are given power from God to complete it
· They complete their job through God’s power and then are killed
· The inhabitants of the earth celebrate their death
o Because they are evil
o And the faithful are calling sin what it is, sin!
Why you might ask, do they get killed for doing God’s work?
This may sound calloused to you, but their job was completed:
· Our job as faithful Christ-followers is to finish our divine task
· God will see to it that we do that
But, why weren’t they given protection for finishing the job?
· Because God is to get the glory, not them
See next Verse:
Vs. 11-13
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. 13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
· God gave them the greatest gift
o Eternal life
· When they were faithful in this gift
o God gave them a task
· When they completed the task
o God honored His own name through them
· When God had been honored
o They were again blessed by being taken into Heaven
Our issue is that we think that life here is the payoff!
· That is why we measure the wrong way!!!
· We are starting with the wrong set of tools!!!
We asked the question earlier, why are there only 2 churches represented here?
· 2 olive trees, 2 golden lampstands
· Why only 2 churches?
· Measurement!!!
Let’s look at some ways we measure:
· Beauty magazine – image (how you look on the outside)
· Athletic magazine – points scored (works)
· Pregnancy magazine – inner health
The pregnancy looks at ways of seeing the true “health value”, not just looks.
· This is most like God’s value system
· He is looking at our health
o Are we eating right spiritually
§ Bible, prayer, fasting, journalling
o Are we exercising our faith regularly
§ Sharing our faith, serving
o Are we getting check-ups regularly
§ Allowing others in a small group to walk with us
These things help us get at how we are on the inside.
So, how does God measure us?
(Revelation 2-3 – what Jesus says to the Church)
Ephesus:
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men. You have persevered and have endured hardships. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
· Ephesus has some good, and some bad
· Good deeds – like the points scoring of the sports magazine
· But, you have lost your first love
They are in need of repentance:
· So, this means that they are not ready for being sent out
o But they also aren’t apostate (completely away from God)
· They also are not OK to stay where they are
o They are in need of change
Not one of the 2 churches being sent out.
Smyrna:
I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
· Not measured by size or wealth
o But measured by character
· They will suffer it says, but they are being sent out!
This is one of the 2 churches being sent out.
I am not going to go through all the churches:
Pergamum & Thyatira:
· They both have good and bad attributes
· These both are in the “needs work” category
Sardis:
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
· The first one with no redeeming values
· God gives a stern warning that they are in danger of eternal punishment
Philadelphia:
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make (your enemies) fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
· Another one of the faithful churches
· This is the 2nd of the 2 churches mentioned
Laodicea:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
· Laodicea has no real redeeming value
· They are told to get straight, or they will end up in utter punishment
Here are the percentages:
2 churches worthy of God’s calling and accomplishing His tasks
· These are the two lampstands or olive branches
· These are the two prepared for ministry and God’s calling
· They are also both smaller, and have no money
· One is called weak!
Not the churches we would consider for ministry if we measured by our standards!
3 churches on the fence: in need of some serious work
· This is where the majority falls
· I would say that this is where a lot of America falls
o Unable to be useful as they are
o But still fixable if they repent and try
These are many of the churches that have large numbers, great programs, and huge budgets; the ones we would pick if we measured on the outside.
2 churches that are not fit to call themselves churches
· One of these churches is large in number
· And the other has a great reputation as a church
· Both are lacking in God’s eyes
Again: how would we measure them?
We are called to measure ourselves, not the way we want to, but by the scriptures:
· The scriptures give us the guidelines
· They tell us how to live to be useful
They are the ones that ask us:
· How are you serving the poor?
· How are you sharing the message of the Gospel?
· Who are you praying for – praying with?
· What kind of small-group community are giving to and receiving from?
· What area of service inside the church are you giving too?
· Are you consistently giving to the church?
· Are you serving outside the church?
· Are you giving outside the church – in addition to tithing?
WE must satisfy this measurement, not our own.
Share the Gospel:
· Our salvation isn’t by works
· We are saved by Grace
· But then called to a life of service to our God
Ephesians 2:7-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Are you ready to be measured by God’s values?
Pray:
· Pray that we will measure up to God’s values
Vs. 1-2
1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
· John tells us that he is given an implement to measure with
o A reed, or a measuring rod
o Like a “yard stick”
Textual Problem:
· NIV: Dynamic Equivalent
o The translators put together the words that best suited us for the MEANING of the text
· ESV: Literal Equivalent
o The translators tried to do the best WORD FOR WORD translation as possible
· This verse is a good example:
o The word “count” in the NIV doesn’t exist in the original
o It is the same verb from the first half of the verse
(Revelation 11:1-2 ESV)
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple;
· Notice no “count”
The verb “métreeson” which means measured is used for three things:
· The Temple
· The Altar
· And: those who worship there.
Why is this such a big deal Jeff?
· We in the Western Church are so prone to counting;
· When God would prefer we measure!
Example:
· I know how many people come each week (we count)
· I don’t know how many people are involved beyond Saturdays
We think that by sitting in a church service each week that we are living out our Christian Faith:
· How are you serving the poor?
· How are you sharing the message of the Gospel?
· Who are you praying for – praying with?
· What kind of small-group community are giving to and receiving from?
· What area of service inside the church are you giving too?
· Are you consistently giving to the church?
· Are you serving outside the church?
· Are you giving outside the church – in addition to tithing?
How are you living your faith, not just sitting in church?
· That, my friends, is the difference of measuring
· Rather than just simply counting
We are surrounding by a culture who places more value on numbers than it does on value.
· We count to get numbers
· We measure the faith or action of the people to get value
John is told to measure:
· The reason is that there needs to be some discernment
· We need to quit thinking that in Christ - anything is ok.
Vs. 3-5
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
God has a plan for His followers
· This is why we must measure
· God is able discern who is “in” and who is “out”
· He does it by value, not by quantity
“And I will give power to my two witnesses”
“And they will prophesy”
Two olive trees are out of the vision to Zerubabbel:
Zecheriah 4
Then the angel returned and wakened me. He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." I asked the angel, "What are these, my lord?" "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
· Zerubabbel asks what it is he sees
· God first answers with the key to His measuring system
· “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit”
· Notice that it is by God’s Spirit and Empowerment that things are measured
If that had been written today, it may have said:
“Not by attendance, nor by giving, but by My Spirit” says the Lord of 2007
Zerubabbel goes on and asks:
Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand? What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?" He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I said. So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth."
· The two olive trees or branches are those anointed to serve the earth
· Old Testament wording that equals “those anointed to share God’s message”
Now, the lampstands are explained to us in Revelation 1:
Revelation 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
· The lampstands are the 7 churches
But why do we only see 2 churches represented here?
· We will tackle that after we finish the passage
Vs. 6
6 These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
· These men
o Seen in the OT as those people anointed for the Gospel
o And in the NT as the Church anointed for the Gospel
o So we will just call the 2 witnesses the anointed Church
· The Church is given power to prophesy and do miracles
o The are charged with sharing the Gospel through their lives
o Another word for that is sharing their testimonies
See next verse:
Vs. 7-10
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
· We have now discerned between the Church and the World
· Those that are not a part of the Church are called “inhabitants of the earth”
Here is what is transpiring:
· The Church is looked over
· Those who are faithful are called to a task prepared by God
· Those who are called to a task are given power from God to complete it
· They complete their job through God’s power and then are killed
· The inhabitants of the earth celebrate their death
o Because they are evil
o And the faithful are calling sin what it is, sin!
Why you might ask, do they get killed for doing God’s work?
This may sound calloused to you, but their job was completed:
· Our job as faithful Christ-followers is to finish our divine task
· God will see to it that we do that
But, why weren’t they given protection for finishing the job?
· Because God is to get the glory, not them
See next Verse:
Vs. 11-13
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. 13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
· God gave them the greatest gift
o Eternal life
· When they were faithful in this gift
o God gave them a task
· When they completed the task
o God honored His own name through them
· When God had been honored
o They were again blessed by being taken into Heaven
Our issue is that we think that life here is the payoff!
· That is why we measure the wrong way!!!
· We are starting with the wrong set of tools!!!
We asked the question earlier, why are there only 2 churches represented here?
· 2 olive trees, 2 golden lampstands
· Why only 2 churches?
· Measurement!!!
Let’s look at some ways we measure:
· Beauty magazine – image (how you look on the outside)
· Athletic magazine – points scored (works)
· Pregnancy magazine – inner health
The pregnancy looks at ways of seeing the true “health value”, not just looks.
· This is most like God’s value system
· He is looking at our health
o Are we eating right spiritually
§ Bible, prayer, fasting, journalling
o Are we exercising our faith regularly
§ Sharing our faith, serving
o Are we getting check-ups regularly
§ Allowing others in a small group to walk with us
These things help us get at how we are on the inside.
So, how does God measure us?
(Revelation 2-3 – what Jesus says to the Church)
Ephesus:
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men. You have persevered and have endured hardships. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
· Ephesus has some good, and some bad
· Good deeds – like the points scoring of the sports magazine
· But, you have lost your first love
They are in need of repentance:
· So, this means that they are not ready for being sent out
o But they also aren’t apostate (completely away from God)
· They also are not OK to stay where they are
o They are in need of change
Not one of the 2 churches being sent out.
Smyrna:
I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
· Not measured by size or wealth
o But measured by character
· They will suffer it says, but they are being sent out!
This is one of the 2 churches being sent out.
I am not going to go through all the churches:
Pergamum & Thyatira:
· They both have good and bad attributes
· These both are in the “needs work” category
Sardis:
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
· The first one with no redeeming values
· God gives a stern warning that they are in danger of eternal punishment
Philadelphia:
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make (your enemies) fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
· Another one of the faithful churches
· This is the 2nd of the 2 churches mentioned
Laodicea:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
· Laodicea has no real redeeming value
· They are told to get straight, or they will end up in utter punishment
Here are the percentages:
2 churches worthy of God’s calling and accomplishing His tasks
· These are the two lampstands or olive branches
· These are the two prepared for ministry and God’s calling
· They are also both smaller, and have no money
· One is called weak!
Not the churches we would consider for ministry if we measured by our standards!
3 churches on the fence: in need of some serious work
· This is where the majority falls
· I would say that this is where a lot of America falls
o Unable to be useful as they are
o But still fixable if they repent and try
These are many of the churches that have large numbers, great programs, and huge budgets; the ones we would pick if we measured on the outside.
2 churches that are not fit to call themselves churches
· One of these churches is large in number
· And the other has a great reputation as a church
· Both are lacking in God’s eyes
Again: how would we measure them?
We are called to measure ourselves, not the way we want to, but by the scriptures:
· The scriptures give us the guidelines
· They tell us how to live to be useful
They are the ones that ask us:
· How are you serving the poor?
· How are you sharing the message of the Gospel?
· Who are you praying for – praying with?
· What kind of small-group community are giving to and receiving from?
· What area of service inside the church are you giving too?
· Are you consistently giving to the church?
· Are you serving outside the church?
· Are you giving outside the church – in addition to tithing?
WE must satisfy this measurement, not our own.
Share the Gospel:
· Our salvation isn’t by works
· We are saved by Grace
· But then called to a life of service to our God
Ephesians 2:7-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Are you ready to be measured by God’s values?
