He Reigns
Bible reading
1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshippers. 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. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’ 4 They are ‘the two olive trees’ and the two lampstands, and ‘they 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. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens 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.
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 public square of the great city – which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt – where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some 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.
11 But after the three and a half days the 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.
14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
Devotional
I used to think that church was a safe place. A place where we sang nice songs, heard nice stories and met with our friends. Don’t get me wrong, I still love church, and I love my church family but now I understand that Church isn’t a safe place… it’s a good place, but it isn’t safe! Because of what the Church is called to do it will be persecuted to the point of death. In fact, it will appear that the Church has died, but the reality is, nothing can defeat it!
John is watching a story unfold before his eyes, the story of the Church and its role in society. The two witnesses that John sees are prophesying. Perhaps they are calling out warnings or maybe they are rebuking the evil that’s around them. Maybe their message also includes a call to repentance, to turn to the Lamb before it is too late. The witnesses call out their message until the society around them cannot bear it any longer and they attack and kill the witnesses.
I would like to think that when the last witnesses of the Truth are destroyed, the world will mourn. But John sees a different picture. He sees that the world celebrates. They think they have put an end to guilt because there will be no more challenge to change to be and to do better. For a certain amount of time, the world keeps spinning, evil continues to grow, and hope appears to have come to an end.
We, the Church, are the two witnesses and we have an important role to play in society. The Church needs to always speak the truth, and to speak it in love! The Church needs to stand firm in defending the weak and the helpless, in supporting those who are oppressed, in calling for justice. The Church needs to call for beauty, for purity, for dignity, for repentance and of course, for Truth. All these messages are irritating for a world that desires to go its own way and to satisfy its every whim and whimsy. But the Church must stand firm, even to the point of death. Which, as John saw, is a temporary situation.
So Church, take your stand in love. Be brave, speak the Truth and speak justice. Do not be afraid, for although the world may not like our message, it is one that people desperately need to hear!
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.