THE TWO
WITNESSES
Revelation
15:2 – 4
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass
mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and
over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on
the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3. And they sing of Moses the
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy
works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. 4.
Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy:
for all nations shall come and worship before Thee: for Thy judgments are made
manifest.”
We see men standing
on the sea of glass. We are not told here how many there are on the sea, having
harps and singing this great Song of victory. The only record of men having such
a Victory over the beast, as told in this prophecy, is in Revelation 11:3 – 14, which is the Commission, Ministry and Death
of the Two Witnesses.
Revelation
11:3 “And I will
give power unto My two witnesses, and they
shall prophesy a thousand two hundred
and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
They are in perfect
communication with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Day of the LORD, the specific
time for their Ministry.
v6
“These have power to shut
heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over
waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often
as they will.”
A WITNESS according
to Christ is a person who speaks what he knows and testifies to what he has
seen.
John 3:11
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We
speak that We do know, and testify that We have seen; and ye receive not Our
witness.”
In other words, if
you want to disprove the Deity of Jesus Christ, you have to find a false
witness!
A witness of Jesus
Christ is one who tells the Truth from God. And this definition peculiarly fits
His Apostles. An Apostle specially is a witness of the Person and Power of
Christ. His Apostles were specially ambassadors of Christ Crucified. They did
not explain Him; they just proclaimed Him.
Hebrews 3:1
“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus.”
Jesus Christ was that
which an Apostle is: a Man sent directly from God. His Apostles were special
people, with a special mission. Only a member of the Church – the Body of
Christ – could fit this special position of a witness.
Paul, called by
Christ to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, proclaimed clearly his position in
writing to the churches in Rome and Corinth.
Romans 1:1
“Paul, a servant of
Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”
2 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and
Timothy our brother, unto the church
of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:”
The Lord Jesus in His
prayer to the Father before His arrest spoke to Him of Their Oneness and the
oneness between His disciples; this is what the world should see in knowing
that He was sent by God.
John 17:23
“I in them, and Thou in Me,
that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou
hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.”
“that
the world may know that Thou hast sent Me.” He is the Original Apostle – He is
the Originator of all things!
And Paul continued to
proclaim his position as an apostle in writing to the churches in Galatia,
Ephesus and Rome.
Galatians 1:1
“Paul, an apostle, (not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from
the dead;)
Ephesians 1:1
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in
Christ Jesus;”
Romans 11:13
“For I speak to you Gentiles,
inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:”
In relating his
beseeching the Lord for the removal of the “thorn
in his flesh”, vs 7 – 11, Paul, in receiving the Answer and explanation
from the Lord, gives us to understand what a specialised witness an apostle is.
2 Corinthians 12:12 “Truly the signs of an apostle were
wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.”
We see in John 5 that the Lord Jesus gave a
Specialised Witness of God.
John
5:36 – 38
“But I have greater witness than
that of John for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same
works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me. 37. And the
Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither
heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. 38. And ye have not His word
abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.
Paul was sent to the
Gentiles and revealed by the Holy Spirit the extent of the Power and privilege
of the Church of God. We see then that it is the stamp of the Apostle
that they had seen the Crucified Christ.
The Two Witnesses
therefore must be from the Church, the Body of Christ, as first-hand
dynamic preachers of Christ Crucified, Alive and on the Rght-Hand of God.
And the Apostle is
peculiarly stamped with the Word of God; it lives in him. This is the
type of people who would most assuredly fit the Special Work that the Two
Witnesses were commissioned to do.
In the Acts of the Apostles there are numerous
references to what witnessing is. It is presenting to people the Person of
Christ and showing everyone that such a Person must be either accepted or rejected.
As John declared in 1 John 1:2,
“(For the life was manifested, and
we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which
was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)”
The Life was
manifested, not just any life. And we are to “bear witness” to That Life, not any other life!
Acts
13:31
“And He was seen many days of them
which came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses unto
the people.”
Acts 10:39 – 42
“And we are witnesses of all things
which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and
hanged on a tree: 40. Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly;
41. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us,
who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. 42. And He
commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was
ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.”
They witnessed to all
the things which He did – no one else. The very Person they hanged on
the Cross was the Person the disciples / Apostles spoke about – no one else.
Their whole Mission was preaching Christ who was crucified.
Acts 2:43
“And fear came upon every
soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
Acts 4:33
“And with great power gave
the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was
upon them all.”
Acts 5:12 – 14
“And by the hands of the apostles
were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with
one accord in Solomon’s porch. 13. And of the rest durst no man join himself to
them: but the people magnified them. 14. And believers were the more added to
the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
Souls were added to the
Lord. They couldn’t be added to the Apostles!
Acts 6:6 – 7
“Whom they set before the
apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7. And the
word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
Acts 15:2, 4, 6 “When
therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them,
they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up
to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. 4. And when they
were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles
and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. 6. And
the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.”
v6 “the
apostles and elders came together” – the apostles were the men who directed
the policy of the Church by the Word of Christ.
Acts 1:8
“But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.”
“and
ye shall be witnesses unto Me”
Acts 1:21 – 22
“Wherefore of these men which have
companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22. Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was taken up
from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection.”
“a witness with us of His
resurrection”. The
eleven were about to elect the twelfth to their number to replace Judas. He had
to be one of their number who had been with them throughout the Lord’s
Ministry; from the time that they left John and followed the Lamb as John
pointed Him out by the Spirit.
Acts 2:32
“This Jesus hath
God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.”
Acts 3:15
“And killed the Prince of
life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.”
Revelation
11:3
“And I will give power unto My two
witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth.”
Theirs was a Special
Mission; a Special Prophetic Ministry. They have to be two Apostles of the
Lamb! (They would be clothed in sackcloth, as a sign of mourning. They would
not gloat, take pleasure, over the sufferings of those under God’s Righteous
Judgments.
Revelation 11:4
“These are the two olive trees, and
the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
Zechariah
4:11 – 12
“Then answered I, and said unto him,
What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon
the left side thereof? 12. And I answered again, and said unto him, What be
these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden
oil out of themselves?”
Revelation says “olive trees”; Zechariah
says “olive branches”. They both
speak of “candlesticks”. In Revelation 1:20, Christ tells John that
the candlesticks he sees in His right hand are the churches he is to write to.
“and the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches” The
candlestick represents the Church – the Body of Christ – giving Light to the
world (Matthew 5:14 – 16; John 8:12)
The two
olive trees were seen in the visions as pouring the oil out of themselves into
the candlestick. They already had the oil – the Word of God – within them. They
were full of the Word by the Holy Spirit, and it poured out of them into the
thousands coming into the Church of God, Jesus Christ!
Exodus 27:20
“And thou [Moses] shalt command the
children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light,
to cause the lamp to burn always.”
“oil olive … for the light”
Exodus 35:8, 14, 28
“And oil for the light, and spices
for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 14. The candlestick also for the
light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light. 28. And
spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet
incense.”
“oil for the light”
Exodus 39:37
“the pure candlestick, with the
lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels
thereof, and the oil for light.”
Leviticus 24:2
“Command the children of Israel,
that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the
lamps to burn continually.”
Numbers 4:16
“And to the office of Eleazar the
son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet
incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight
of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the
vessels thereof.”
“oil for the light”
Matthew 25 vs 1 – 13 gives the record of the story told
by the Lord of the ten “virgins” –
young girls – five were wise and five were foolish. Their destiny depended on
them having enough oil to carry them through the waiting for the bridegroom. He
is not speaking of the anointing oil, mentioned also in all the
verses above. That was a special concoction representing the anointing of the
Holy Spirit for service (the kings were anointing with this oil). The “oil for the light” for their lamps to
continue burning is the Word of God.
v8 “And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us
of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. 9. But the wise answered, saying, Not
so; lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that
sell, and buy for yourselves. 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom
came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door
was shut.”
Matthew 7:21
“Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of My Father which is in heaven.”
Not
everyone but those that do the Will of God.
In
Matthew 25 vs 11 & 12 it says,
“Afterwards came also the other
virgins, sayings, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12. But He answered and said, Verily
I say unto you, I know you not.”
He
is surely relating the parable to Himself as the Bridegroom who is coming for
those related to Him through obedience to the Word of God.
Matthew 7:24 – 27
“Therefore whosoever heareth these
sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built
his house upon a rock: 25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon
a rock. 26. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sane:
27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Simple
outcomes!
The
wise man built his life upon Christ’s sayings – Eternal Life.
The
foolish man did not listen to the Word of God – Eternal Damnation.
The
Two Witnesses, the two olive trees, poured the Word of God into the Church –
the Body of Christ. A local church without the preaching and teaching of the
Word of God by the Holy Spirit is not a church at all, but just an
organisation; a coffee shop, a gossip centre!!
Acts 2:41 – 47
“Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43. And fear came upon
every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44. And all
that believed were together, and had all things common; 45. And sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.
47. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to
the church daily such as should be saved.”
What
terrific authority the Apostles’ Word had! The impact upon the whole community
was conclusive. They were all born again into the Kingdom of God by the Word of
God and the Holy Spirit and they were baptised in water all on the same day!
Acts 4:29 “And
now, Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all
boldness they may speak Thy Word,”
Acts 6:1 – 4 “And
in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a
murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration. 2. Then the twelve called the multitude of
the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the
word of God, and serve tables. 3. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you
seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may
appoint over this business. 4. But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
It
wasn’t that they didn’t care about the Greek widows, but giving out the Word of
God was their function. It was unthinkable that they should take up any other
occupation! How important the Word of God was to the Church in those days! How
wonderful it must have been to have sat under this outpouring of revelation
from the Heart of God!!
Then
persecution came and many disciples were forced out of Jerusalem. The twelve
Apostles, however, remained in Jerusalem.
Acts 8:4 “Therefore
they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”
Acts 12:24 “But
the word of God grew and multiplied.”
The
Word of God had been poured into them, and receiving it, they were born again!
Then
we come to the time when Paul came on the Church scene.
Acts 13:5, 46 “And
when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of
the Jews: and they had also John [Mark] to their minister. 46. Then Paul and
Barabas waxed bold, and said, It is necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Reception
or rejection of them didn’t matter to them; it was the reception or rejection
of the Word of God that mattered more.
Peter
had already received from God the revelation that Gentiles were welcomed into
the company of Jewish believers, into One Body, the Church. Here he relates
again that experience he had with Cornelius and his household.
Acts 15:7 “And
when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the
Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.”
The
Apostles’ preaching was done by word of mouth.
Paul
travelled extensively, preaching the powerful Gospel of the Crucified Christ.
Acts 16:6 “Now
when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region
of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,”
They
were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word of God in Asia at that
time, not just to not go there. They went only by the Word of God.
For
preaching the Word of God, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison.
Acts 16:32 – 33 “And
they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and
was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
The
Word of God prevailed, in spite of the opposition and imprisonment of Paul and
Silas. The Word of God increased in all the household of the keeper of the
prison!
Paul
preached in a Jewish synagogue three consecutive Sabbath days and a thriving
church was formed. But the unbelieving Jews objected!
Acts 17:13 “But
when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached
of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.”
Acts 18:11 “And
he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Paul
stayed in Corinth, a city of Greece, before travelling back to Galatia and
Phrygia. Teaching the Word of God was his preoccupation. Then he went back to
Ephesus, a city on the west coast, which would come under what was then called
Asia. [Refer to Revelation 1:11, where the apostle John was instructed by the
Lord to write to the seven churches in Asia.]
Acts 19:10, 20 “And
this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia
heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 20. So mightily grew
the word of God and prevailed.”
“So mightily grew the word of God
and prevailed.”
Never before in man’s history had such an outpouring of the Word of God been
experienced.
These
Witnesses could not be Old Testament
prophets. They had to be of those who had a personal experience of Christ
Crucified – the Lamb.
We’ll
look again at the two passages – one in the New and one in the Old Testament –
which speak of “olive trees” and “candlesticks”.
Revelation 11:4
“These are the two olive trees, and
the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
Zechariah
4:11 – 12
“Then answered I, and said unto him,
What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon
the left side thereof? 12. And I answered again, and said unto him, What be
these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden
oil out of themselves?”
The
Vision is the same! And it peculiarly fits the function of the Apostles. For
the Age of the Church, this was their Ministry.
2 Corinthians 5:18 – 20
“And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation: 19. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation. 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye
reconciled to God.”
“the ministry of reconciliation” was through “the word of reconciliation”. The Word of God.
Ephesians 5:26 “That
He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
John 13:10 “Jesus
saith to him [Peter], He that is washed needed not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all [Judas Iscariot].
John 15:3 “Now ye are clean through the word which
I have spoken unto you.”
We
see by these three verses that it is the Word of God that keeps the disciples
of the Lord Jesus Christ, now in the Church, clean. The Church – the Body of
Christ – is not clean unless it is living by the Word of God. Our feet
must be washed by the Word of God; we are to walk by God’s Word.
Psalm 119:1 “Blessed
are the undefiled in the way [the Way of the Cross], who walk in the law of the
LORD.”
v3 “They
also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways.”
1 John 2:1 “My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
1 Thessalonians 1:6
“And ye became followers of us, and
of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Ghost.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13
“For this cause also thank we God
without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of
us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of
God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
1 Thessalonians 4:15
“For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent [go before] them which are asleep.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1
“Finally, brethren, pray for us,
that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is
with you:”
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word; be instant in
season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and
doctrine.
Titus 1:9 “Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound
doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
Revelation 1:2
“[John] Who bare record of the word
of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.”
The
sense is of the whole, entire Word from God, in its Origin and full context of
its Message from God to mankind, so John bore record of That, not of his
own words.
The
Two Witnesses are represented as a
source of oil. What was in them, they poured out freely by
the Holy Spirit.
Which
of the Twelve Apostles are these Two Witnesses?
These
are the passages of Scripture which name the apostles.
Matthew 10:2 – 4
“Now the names of the twelve
apostles are these; ... Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother;
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3. Philip, and Bartholomew;
Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus,
whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who
also betrayed Him.”
Acts 1:23 – 26
“And they appointed two, Joseph
called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24. And they prayed,
and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of
these two Thou hast chosen, 25. That he may take part of this ministry and
apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his
own place. 26. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias;
and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
So
out from among Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas,
Matthew, James, Lebbaeus, Simon and Matthias, in place of the betrayer,
Judas Iscariot, just two were chosen to fulfil the role of Christ’s Two
Witnesses in the Future Day of the LORD.
We
must be fully aware that the Message that they will bring in those days will not
be a message of Hope!
Revelation 10:11
“And He said unto me [John], Thou
must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
John
was told personally by Christ that he must prophesy again. He was already a
very old man. There is no scriptural record or evidence of a world-wide mission
before he died.
“peoples”, “nations”, “tongues”. A
world-wide mission.
Revelation 11:8 – 10
“And their dead bodies shall lie in
the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,
where also our Lord was crucified. 9. And they of the people and kindreds and
tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and
shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10. And they that dwell
upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts
one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the
earth.”
And
here is the fulfilling of the Lord’s Command to John! He was among the dead
after his mission was over – a world-wide mission in the Day of the Lord. “people and kindreds”, “tongues”, “nations” had heard and were so deeply distressed by his message that
they greatly rejoiced at his death!
Revelation 11:7 “And
when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of
the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and
kill them.”
Satan
in the vile man, the Antichrist, will kill the Two Witnesses. In this
verse, Satan is clearly identified as the one who will be cast into the
bottomless pit (Hell) when Christ returns to the earth, and will be released near
to the end of His Thousand-Year Reign.
Revelation
17:8 “The beast … and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:”
Revelation 20: 1 –
3 “And I saw an Angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in His hand. 2.
And He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless it,
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be
loosed a little season.”
He
is released for the last time in order to seek out those remaining on the earth
who still prefer Satan’s way to the ways of the King at Jerusalem, the Prince
of Peace, the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Whilst on earth, James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, asked
for a special place beside the Lord.
Matthew
20:20 – 28
“Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons,
worshipping Him, and desiring a certain thing of Him. 21. And He said unto her,
What wilt thou? She said unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the
one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom. 22. But Jesus
answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup
that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with? They say unto Him, We are able. 23. And He saith unto them, Ye shall
drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father. 24. And when the
ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25.
But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the
Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise
authority upon them. 26. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your minister; 27. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant: 28. Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:35 – 45
“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him, saying,
Master, we would that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36.
And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37. They said
unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other
on Thy left hand, in Thy glory. 38. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what
ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with? 39. And they said unto Him, We can. And Jesus
said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the
baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40. But to sit on My
right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give; but it shall be given to
them for whom it is prepared. 41. And when the ten heard it, they began to be
much displeased with James and John. 42. But Jesus called them to Him, and
saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority
upon them. 43. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, shall be your minister: 44. And whosoever of you will be the
chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
We must note especially, that the Lord Jesus did not object to
their request. He asked them questions which gave them the opportunity to
declare their confidence in what they perceived to be their calling in the
Future to come.
We must also recall that James and John, at the time that the Lord
called out His disciples, were specially surnamed “Boanerges”, which means
“sons of thunder”.
Mark
3:17 “And James the
son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and He surnamed them Boanerges,
which is, The sons of thunder:”
Thunder always represents the Judgments of God
Revelation
4:5 “And out of the
throne proceeded lightnings and thundering and voices:”
This is the vision that John had of God upon the Throne as the Day
of the LORD was about to dawn.
Revelation
8:5 “And the Angel took
the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth:
and there were voices, and thundering, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”
Thunder among the sounds of Judgment as
Christ, in the service of the High Priest takes the censer [incense burner] and
goes to the altar to signal the start of the Day of the LORD.
Revelation
11:9 “And the temple of God
was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His
testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an
earthquake, and great hail.”
There will be thunder throughout the forty-two months of Judgments
upon the earth. This vision shows the time of the seventh angel’s plague of
hail, just before the Lord returns with His redeemed saints.
Revelation
16:18 “And there were voices,
and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not
since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
Again, this is after the Two Witnesses have returned to Heaven,
and following the pouring out of the vial of the seventh angel. Thunders. It is
the Day of the LORD. These are the day of His Great Wrath.
1 Samuel 12:17 – 19
“Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and He
shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness
is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
18. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that
day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. 19. And all the
people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we
die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.”
God sent thunder in order to show the
people of Israel that He was greatly displeased with their rebellion. They
wanted a king because the Gentiles had kings. They wanted to replace the LORD
as their King with ordinary flesh and blood!
The previous time that God sent thunder was when He rained down
the plagues in Egypt, the heathen nation holding the Israelites captive slaves.
Exodus
9:23 "And Moses
stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD send thunder and hail, and
the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of
Egypt.”
The thunder at harvest time showed the people that God was to be
feared. He is a God of Judgment as well as a God of Mercy. They showed some
repentance at the time, and God, through the intercession of Samuel, encouraged
them to serve Him with all their heart.”
The Apostles of the Lamb, James and John, resented greatly any
slight against their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke tells of a very specific incidence. Note that they first asked
the Lord if they should seek vengeance. It would appear that bringing fire down
from heaven as Elijah the prophet had done was no hard thing for them!
[2 Kings
1:6 –16]
Luke
9:51 – 56 “And it came to pass,
when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His
face to go to Jerusalem, 52. And sent messengers before His face: and they
went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him. 53.
And they did not receive Him, because His face was as though He would go to
Jerusalem. 54. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord,
wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even
as Elias did? 55. But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of. 56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s
lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
Their
desire for fire to consume their Master’s enemies is often used to prove that
James and John were surnamed “Boanerges”, the sons of thunder, because they were
angry men! On the contrary! After all, wasn’t John constantly being referred to
as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”?
Would Christ have had a special soft spot for a man with an angry, bitter
nature? Of course not! No! They had the fires of love burning in them for
Christ. It was a great outrage to them that the Samaritans should give the cold
shoulder to their Lord and Master. He had ministered to these people over the
years, but now they couldn’t open their doors to Him to give Him some rest on
His travels.
We
ought also to have the fires of love for our Saviour Jesus Christ! If we do
have those fires burning in us, we will certainly be used by God!
Revelation 11:5 “And
if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth
their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be
killed.”
This
is their Ministry as the Two Witnesses in the Day of the LORD! The burning Word
of the Messages of thunder which they proclaimed will actually scorch those
blasphemous, unbelievers, and kill them.
Besides
being able to clearly identify the men who will be the Two Witnesses into
Christ in the Future Day of the LORD, we learn certain lessons for our own
lives while we wait for the Lord’s Return.
One
must surely be the necessity to read an accurate version of the Bible! If we
read a corrupted version, we will not be reading the Inspired Word of God! There
are many godly scholars and teachers now who state that the deliberately
corrupted Alexandrian manuscripts have been used for every version of the Bible
coming after the King James (Authorized) Version.
Another
useful lesson to learn!
To
the pastor of the church in Smyrna
Revelation 2:11 “He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that
overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
To
the pastor of the church in Sardis
Revelation 3:5 “He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not
blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before
My Father, and before His angels.”
To
the pastor of the church in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:10 “Because
thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of
temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon
the earth.”
To
the pastor of the church in Laodicea
Revelation 3:16 “So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out
of My mouth.”
These
verses to four of the seven churches show us that it is not God’s intention
that those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should suffer the Judgments to come.
He promised to come back to take His disciples Home!
Those
who reject Him – or are quite indifferent to Him – like those in Laodicea,
however, will certainly incur the Great Wrath and Indignation of God on the
Throne.
Let
us have this great Confidence by the Holy Ghost, therefore, that if I love the
Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart, as He is revealed in the Word of God, I
will not suffer the Wrath of God.
Amen!
OTHER
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
Psalm
40:1 – 17 Hebrews
3:1 - 4
Psalm
49:1 – 20 Acts
4:1 - 37
Psalm
50:1 – 23 1
Corinthians 15:1 - 28
2
Corinthians 12:1 – 21 Isaiah
55:1 – 13
Hebrews
1:1 – 14 2
Corinthians 3:1 – 6, 12 - 18
Hebrews
2:1 - 18
Given
to the members of the Free Pentecostal Church of Acton, London, UK
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