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1. 1260 Days of Preaching Repentance (Revelation 11:3-6)
REVELATION 11:3-6
3 “I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
Amidst the ruin of the end times the Lamb of God will send two witnesses, whom He will equip with great power and authority. He calls them “my two witnesses”, to make clear that He personally sent them with a very special commission (Acts 1:8).
Jesus does not give up on the “outer courtyard”, that has been cut off from the temple of God, which is to be tread down by the nations. The Lord also loves the liberal, secularized, and fanatical orthodox Jews, all who in like-fashion reject Him. In order to open to them a way of repentance in the remaining time left, and before the completion of the mystery of God, He sends two fully commissioned witnesses. The love of Jesus Christ remains greater than our comprehension. He continuously tries through His grace to win over the hate filled sons who murdered Him.
During the time of Jesus' earthly ministry He never sent out His disciples alone, but always two by two, so that the one could support the other in prayer, faith and council. In addition, in the Middle East the coinciding testimony of two witnesses is considered secure; the testimony of only one witness is considered weak and incomplete.
The goal and essence of the testimony of the two witnesses of Jesus, as reported by John, can be recognized through their clothing – sackcloth. They are to call the chosen people, who have become theologically, spiritually, ethically and culturally corrupt, to a comprehensive and heartfelt repentance. An immediate turn-around and change of heart remains the only chance for them (2 Samuel 3:31; 1 Kings 20:32; 2 Kings 19:1; Esther 4:1-3; Job 16:15; Psalm 30:11; 35:13; Isaiah 3:24; 15:3; 22:12; 37:1-2; 58:5-9; Jeremiah 4:8; 6:26; 48:37; 49:3; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13 etc.). Whoever reads these Bible words concerning a “repenting in sackcloth and ashes”, will recognize in the Old Testament people an intense and comprehensive feeling of national mourning and remorse brought about by repentance. Such a reaction can no longer be found in our superficial democracies or made-to-conform dictatorships. Everywhere we need to continuously ask the Lord for grace, in order to recognize sin, and for obedience unto repentance: for leaders, members in our society, and for our churches. Our prayer should not only be for the sloppy fashion modes and erotically charged film and TV programs to change, but that the entire life or our peoples would be transformed into the “culture of Jesus Christ”, through obedience to the gospel.
The exact details regarding the 1260 day length of testimony for the two messengers of Christ has brought about many questions and much speculation. In the previous verse (11:2) we read, the Holy City will be tread underfoot for “forty-two months”, which according to Jewish calculation of time translates into 1260 days (or three and a half years).
The earliest hint regarding such a time period is found with the prophet ‘Elijah, who declared with authority that “there would be no rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). It was Jesus who declared in Nazareth, “in the days of Elijah the heaven was shut up for three years and six months” (Luke 4:25), in which time the persecuted prophet was provided for by God in a wonderful manner. This period of time is confirmed by James, the brother of the Lord (James 5:17-18).
The next hint regarding this given period of time comes in the book of Daniel, and appears twice. In the vision of the prophet there will arise, after the ten kings, another king, who will speak (pompous) words against the Most High, persecute His saints, and change the law. This bloody time of persecution will continue “for a time and times and half a time” (Daniel 7:24-25). At the end of the book of Daniel this period of time is confirmed through the oath of an angel, who indicates the time of tribulation only begins when the scattering of the Old Testament covenant people would have its end. Its end, in turn, would be in connection with the resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12:1 and 7). In both the previously mentioned segments Daniel wrote not of “three and a half years”, but of three and a half undetermined “times” (periods of time).
The term three and a half times as a “time and times and half a time” appears also in Revelation 12:14, where the protection of the persecuted church of Jesus Christ from Satan is mentioned.
Understood as “years”, these three and a half “times” correspond to 42 months. For so long the Holy City and the court outside the temple (not the entire temple) should be tread underfoot by Gentile nations (Revelation 11:2). First of all, this description of time points to how Jerusalem will be tread upon and crushed for centuries by enemy powers (Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, British, Jordanian, Palestinian, tourists from all over the world). Secondly, it confirms the fact that, in spite of the great distress occurring during this “42 month” period, the worship of the Holy Trinity in the temple in Jerusalem (which as the Herodian temple no longer exists since the first century) continues uninterruptedly. True, within the “42 months” a great part of Israel will attempt in like manner to worship both God and mammon, turn away from the true Messiah, become increasingly secular, and harden themselves against the Spirit of Truth. True worshippers, however, are known to God at all times, and will receive from Him new strength in order to praise Him in word and walk.
The book of Revelation in three verses becomes more concrete, and speaks three times of 1260 days:
- So long will the repentance-preaching of the two witnesses continue (Revelation 11:3)
- So long the church in the wilderness will be provided for, in the time of persecution from Satan (Revelation 12:6)
- So long will the reign of the seven-headed beast, that blasphemes God and kills His saints, continue (Revelation 13:1-8)
The following results from the giving of these apocalyptic periods of time:
There is a limit to the working of Satan! He cannot endlessly persecute the church of God and its Lamb. As with Elijah and Daniel, so also in the vision of John, only a limited time has been granted to this ungodly pseudo-power to carry out his blasphemy and raging.
The sheltering care of God shows itself especially in the midst of bitter persecutions. The omnipotence of the meek Lamb of God transcends the power of evil. The blessing of Christ is also stronger than the curses of Muhammad and his followers (Matthew 5:44-45; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; Philippians 1:6).
When Will the Two Witnesses Appear? The various answers of Bible commentators to the question concerning the time plan for the last days of the world show significant differences. Daniel (7:25 and 12:7), as well as John (Revelation 12:14) speak of indefinite times, not of normal calendar years. Disregarding this difference has led many Jews and true Christians to erroneous speculations on a massive scale. As already stated in Psalm 90:4, 1,000 years appear to God as a day.
Satan will try to destroy true Christians from the nations and from the Jews (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5). But Jesus will respond to their sufferings and cries and come to save them (Hebrews 9:28), and in so doing destroy the Antichrist through His almighty word (Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:15,20).
In this final battle of the last days Messianic Christians will be cast out from their people like mangy dogs and be treated like lepers. These, however, will be the true worshipers of the Holy Trinity in Israel! The Old Testament covenant people must all the more unconditionally decide between Jesus Christ and the Antichrist.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we read in the Revelation of John that You would send two witnesses to remnants of the Jews to call them to repentance in three years and a half. Would that we get up and notice this favorable opportunity that we may repent of our self-contentment and our little trust in You.
QUESTION:
- Why does every man need sincere repentance?