For the past few weeks we have been studying the two witnesses, in regards to their purpose. We have discovered that they come under the authority of Jesus to preach the gospel, bear witness about Jesus, warn people of God’s final judgment to come, and urge people to repent of their sins. We have also discovered that anyone who tries to do them harm within the period that God has granted them to preach would die by fire. We also discovered that God will grant them power to affect nature in miraculous ways. And that God has granted these two witnesses to do all that has just been mentioned in 1,260 days.
But what happens when the 1,260 days have been completed? What happens when the time that God has allotted for these two witnesses hits zero? When happens on day 1,261? That’s the question we are going to answer in verses 7-10
After their 1,260 days are complete, the two witnesses will die.
You’re probably wondering how they die? According to verse 7, when the time that God has allowed these two witnesses to preach and bear witness about Christ has been completed, a beast will rise up from the abyss, otherwise known as the bottomless pit, and kill them. Revelation 11:7 says, “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.”
You’re also probably wondering who this beast is? Without going too much into detail, this is the same beast we read about in Revelation 13:1-10, which we will study more in-depth later. But for now, what we need to know is that this beast is the Antichrist, who, at this point, is either energized by a satanic angel or is Satan incarnate.
Now, upon hearing that, you may be wondering, why would God allow that? Why would God permit the Antichrist to kill his two witnesses who will come to bear witness about Jesus, warn people of the final judgment to come, and urge people to repent of their sins? We will tackle this question in another sermon. But for now, without going into much detail, my answer to that question is this: sometimes God allows evil to triumph over good, for His glory, according to His purpose and according to His will. But as I thought about the death of these two witnesses, I was reminded of what Paul said in Philippians 1:29. He said this “it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.”
To be clear, what will happen to these two witnesses is what can happen to any person who boldly bear’s witness about Jesus.
Every follower of Jesus, just like these two witnesses, has been commissioned to testify that Jesus is the Christ, according to Matthew 28. As we do, Jesus warns in Matthew 10, that persecution awaits. For example, in 2020, a teenage boy by the name of Samaru in India was martyred, because he was a Christian. This year a woman in Nigeria, while attending college in her country, was stoned, and then burned alive until dead, because she was a Christian. On April 16th of this year, a Christian pastor was arrested in India because he led a prayer meeting in his home. A young Christian girl in West Africa, when her family discovered she was a Christian, upon doing so they harassed her, beat her, and disowned her, simply because she professed faith in Christ. As we speak there are two women currently in Iran serving a two year prison sentence because they were helping plant house churches.
Now you may wonder, why? Why would people suffer in horrible ways for simply putting their faith in Jesus? The reason for that, according to Jesus in John 15, is because the world hates Jesus, and if the world hates Jesus, the world will hate those who follow Jesus. Jesus taught that if the world persecuted him, the world will persecute those who follow him (John 15:20).
Understand then, we can look at these two witnesses, as an example and symbol, to see that following Jesus and bearing witness about him is costly. It may cost you your job. It may cost you your family or cause division in your family. It may land you in court. It may land you in jail. It may cost you your friendships. It may even cost you your life. But Christ is worth whatever knowing him may cost you. So what happens to the bodies of the two witnesses after the Antichrist kills them?
After the Antichrist kills them, according to Revelation 11:8, “their bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”
The great city that John is referring to is Jerusalem. How do we know it’s Jerusalem? We know it’s Jerusalem, because this is the place where the Lord Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
So if John is talking about Jerusalem, then why does John say Jerusalem is “symbolically…called Sodom and Egypt”? The reason is because while Jerusalem was once the capital of Israel, and a symbol of holiness, during the tribulation it will be in enemy territory; which is the territory of the Antichrist. If you remember, going back to Revelation 11:1 & 2, a day will come during the second half of the tribulation where those who have come to trust in Christ will be ran out of Jerusalem, because the Antichrist will blaspheme God by making Jerusalem the place for people to worship himself, and it will be overrun by those who follow him.
As that happens, Jerusalem will no longer be the place that it is known as today. Jerusalem will not be the symbol of holiness, as it is today. It will become known for its sinful depravity, its rebellion against God, and its persecution on those who follow Jesus. Therefore, John compares Jerusalem with Sodom and Egypt, because both were well known for their wickedness. Sodom was well-known for many kinds of sin like sexual immorality and homosexuality, and its rebellion against God; and Egypt was well-known for its persecution and oppression of God’s people. This is how Jerusalem shall be during the last half of the tribulation. As I considered this, I began to ponder: how long will the bodies of these two witnesses lay in the main street of Jerusalem?
According to verse 9, the bodies of the two witnesses will lay in the streets for greater than 24 hours.
In fact, verse 9 says, “For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb” So for a little over 72 hours, these bodies will lay on the main street in Jerusalem. People from all over the world, who are present in Jerusalem to take place in its depravity and worship the Antichrist, will gaze or stare at their dead bodies, and will not let these bodies be buried.
Do you know what happens to a body 24-72 hours after it dies? According to Dr. Vass, who is a senior staff scientist with Oak Ridge National Laboratories and Professor at the University of Tennessee, the human body begins decomposition 4 minutes after a person dies. First, you have what is called autolysis, which is self-digestion. It’s when your organs decompose. This begins immediately after death and occurs through day 2. “As soon as blood circulation and respiration stop, the body has no way of getting oxygen or removing wastes. Excess carbon dioxide causes an acidic environment, causing membranes in cells to rupture. The membranes release enzymes that begin eating the cells from the inside out. Rigor mortis causes muscle stiffening. Small blisters filled with nutrient-rich fluid begin appearing on internal organs and the skin’s surface. The body will appear to have a sheen due to ruptured blisters, and the skin’s top layer will begin to loosen.”
The next stage is when your body begins to bloat and “blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose.” This begins to happen by day three. Per Dr. Vass, “Leaked enzymes from the first stage begin producing many gases. The sulfur-containing compounds that the bacteria release also cause skin discoloration. Due to the gases, the human body can double in size. In addition, insect activity can be present. The microorganisms and bacteria produce extremely unpleasant odors called putrefaction.” That is the odor that is smelled when someone has died without someone realizing it. This process can last up to day 5 after death.
Why do I tell you all this? Just to be gross? No. I tell you all this because I want you to imagine what all these people will be seeing and smelling as these two witnesses lay in the hot street of Jerusalem, as their bodies go through decomposition, because people will refuse to allow their bodies to be properly buried. It will be a very disgusting sight with a horrible smell. With that, you have to wonder – why not dispose of their bodies? Why not bury them? Why not burn them? Why not throw them in a tomb somewhere? Why not get rid of them? Why just let them lay there for all to watch their bodies decompose and have to put up with the smell, which undoubtedly will attract many kinds of insects?
The reason they will not discard the bodies is because their death is cause for celebration.
Verse 10 says, “and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents…” As I pondered over this verse, I began to question who are those that will rejoice over the dead bodies of these two witnesses? Who will make merry because of their death? Who will exchange presents? The answer is in John’s statement, “those who dwell on the earth”. That means those who belong to the world. Those who were wicked. Those who are ungodly. Those who have not believed in Jesus. Those who have not repented of their sins and continue to live a lifestyle of sin.
And notice what they will be doing upon the death of the two witnesses. They will be rejoicing. They will be making merry. They will be exchanging presents. In other words, the ungodly will be so overwhelmed with joy and happiness and pleasure and delight and glee and wonder and satisfaction as a result of the two witnesses dying, that they will honor the occasion by exchanging gifts, as though it is Christmas.
But why? Why are these ungodly people so overcome with joy with the death of these two witnesses? Why are these worldly people so overcome with delight that these two witnesses are dead to the point they would exchange presets?
Frankly, the reason these people are so joyful that these two witnesses are dead is because for 1,260 days these two witnesses have been a pain in their neck .
Verse 10 goes one to say, “because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.” This is very telling of how the two witnesses are viewed by the people who will be in Jerusalem in the latter half of the tribulation. The word “torment” means to cause worry; to annoy; to cause anguish; to harass; to cause misery; to cause pain; to afflict; to be a pest; to nag; to be a nuisance. That’s how these two witnesses will be viewed among the ungodly of their day.
From the viewpoint of the ungodly, over the past 1,260 days, the two witnesses have done nothing but cause them pain, cause them worry, and cause them misery. From the viewpoint of the ungodly, over the past 1,260 days, the two witnesses were nothing more than annoying. From the viewpoint of the ungodly in Jerusalem, over the past 1,260 days, the two witnesses did nothing more than harass them, pester them, nag at them, and have become a nuisance. That’s how the two witnesses will be looked at.
Why? Why will the ungodly people of Jerusalem be tormented by the two witnesses? A person could argue it’s because the two witnesses will have the power to affect nature in miraculous ways. Certainly droughts, turning water into blood, and various other forms of plagues will cause pain. But that’s not it. God did not send the two witnesses to do just that, the ability they had to affect nature was to support the real reason God had sent them. The real reason these two witnesses will be considered tormentors to the ungodly for 1,260 days is because of the message they will preach. And the message I am referring to is the message of God. And the message of God is the gospel.
Why will the gospel have that effect? I’ll tell you why. It’s the same reason people find the gospel tormenting today. It’s because the gospel is God’s message to a fallen world. It’s because the gospel, being that it is the Word of God, is “sharper than any two edged sword” that penetrates and convicts us to our very heart and mind and soul. It’s because the gospel teaches, reproves, and corrects. It’s because the gospel is the source of absolute truth in a world that does not believe in absolute truth. It’s because the gospel does not scratch itching ears, instead it is the sound doctrine that urges people to flee from pursuing their own sinful passions. It’s because the gospel confronts our sin nature, which we love. It’s because the gospel not only confronts our sin nature, but calls us to turn from our sin and repent of our sin, and believe in Jesus Christ, and him only, and trust him for our salvation, in a world that wants to believe there is more than way to heaven, and in a world that wants to rely on works to save them rather than Jesus’ death. As Dr. Herbert Carter once said, “The message of God is always sweet to the believer, but torment to the wicked.”
Again, just to be clear, that’s why the ungodly will be so overcome with joy when these two witnesses are dead – they find their message, which is the message of the gospel, tormenting. They will find the message of the gospel annoying and harassing and a nuisance. They will find the message of the gospel as a message that pester’s them and nag’s at them. They will see the message of the gospel as the source of all their pain, all their misery, and all their affliction. As a result, they, along with the Antichrist, will rise up, make war on the two witnesses, conquer the two witnesses, and kill the two witnesses; because they simply find it tormenting to hear the gospel the witnesses preach. And as I thought about that, I could not help but think of the state of our nation.
Personally, as I look at the landscape of America, including our churches, I can see that while people may want the gospel, they don’t want the true gospel.
People in our nation want a gospel of pluralism, a progressive gospel, where they govern truth according to their own conscience rather than the teachings of the gospel. People want an all-inclusive gospel, a free thinking gospel, a tolerant gospel, a liberal gospel, where everyone is included without having to repent of their sins, changing their ways, being born again, and living a life of total surrender to the gospel. People in our nation and even in our churches want an ear stretching gospel, where the message encourages them to continue in their sin and pursue their sinful pleasures rather than convict them of their wrongdoing. People in this nation, and even in our churches, want a watered down gospel rather than having the true gospel. And these days, if a preacher or a true believer stands for what the Bible actually says, they are considered hateful, bigotted, fanatic, closed-minded, and an extremist. As I close, I want to explain the irony of all this.
The irony here is that the message they will find as tormenting, is the very message that can save them from everlasting torment.
When the two witnesses come, they’re not coming just to give a message. They’re coming to bear witness about the gospel, so that sinners will be saved and rescued from hell. When they come, they’re coming on a mission to find and reach lost people, so that the lost people can be found. That’s what the gospel does. It saves. It rescues. It finds.
That is also the mission of the church before the rapture. The church, like these witnesses, is called to be on a 24/7 rescue mission. We all are called to preach the gospel. We all are called to be herald’s of the gospel. We all are called to proclaim the gospel. We are called to give the gospel to lost people, so that lost people can be found.
The Apostle Paul once said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Within that statement, Paul tells us that the gospel is the power and the source of salvation. That’s because the gospel is not just a message. The gospel is a person, and that person is the only Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear clearly: Jesus is the gospel, and the gospel is Jesus; and it’s never changing. The same gospel we preach today is the same gospel they will come preaching then.
The gospel teaches that by faith in Jesus Christ alone we can be saved. It teaches that God sent Jesus to save the world and not condemn the world. It teaches that without putting our faith in Jesus we remain condemned and will suffer everlasting torment in a place called hell, because of our sins.
The message of the gospel is not meant to torment us, it’s meant to save us. We only find it tormenting because it deals and confronts who we really are as sinful people. At the same time, it directs and guides us to the One, the Person, that God has sent to save and rescue us, if we would only listen. But the irony of all this is that while people don’t want to go to hell, they also do not want to hear the message about the Person who can save them from hell, and that is Jesus Christ.