Battle with the Antichrist (Revelation 11:1-14)

In one day, July 22, 1864, over 12,000 men were killed in the Battle of Atlanta. The Union general, William Tecumseh Sherman, is credited for saying, "War is hell." Indeed it is. My generation has witnessed too much war, and today, we continue to be threatened with war from both terrorists and evil empires. America has lost many heroes who have given their life so that we can remain a free nation. We are forever grateful for the sacrifices so many have made. Revelation 11:1-14 depicts a war, not between nations, but between believers and the antichrist. This battle will end all battles, for it is the last battle that will take place on earth.

I. The Preparation for the Battle

Revelation 11 opens with John being told to use a rod to measure the temple of God, the alter, and the ones who worship in it. Now, this is not a physical structure. It is, rather, a symbol for the church, the universal body of believers. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple...God's temple is sacred and you together are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. John was told not to measure the outer part of the temple. The outer part represents unbelievers- those who worship falsely. They will be rejected by God, and they will not be protected. During this time, the church will be persecuted, but God will protect it. He will give authority to the church (two witnesses) to prophesy. They will have, in the form of the Holy Spirit, the fuel (olive trees) and the fire (lamp-stands) that God will use to bring multitudes to salvation during this time. And if any try to harm the church, God will not only defend the church, but will give the witnesses the power to do miracles and inflict plagues on the enemies of the church. For three and one-half years, the church will do the work of evangelism, and then, the antichrist will come out of the abyss to make war with the church.

II. Antagonism of the Antichrist

The beast (antichrist) comes up out of the abyss with a vengeance. His goal is to utterly destroy the church. For the previous three and one-half years, the church has been protected and a multitude, too numerous to count, have been saved. The multitude of Revelation 7 is a foreshadowing of the multitude found in Revelation 11. During this time, believers must depend upon the Holy Spirit. They must realize who the Holy Spirit is, what he is able to do, and how he can equip them. If believers can learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, then they will not be defeated. The beast makes war with the witnesses, overcomes them, and kills them.

III. The War with the Antichrist

Seemingly, it looks like God and the church has been defeated. To make matters worse, the world is rejoicing over the church's death. Its death was a matter of exceeding joy to the godless world. So much so, that they wanted to leave the dead bodies exposed, so that the whole world could see and not forget. The world is so opposed to the Gospel, they consider any witnessing of the truth to be torment. However, what they don't realize is that their torment has not yet begun. After three and one-half days, God breathes life into death, and the church stands up on her feet. He not only brings the church back, but he emboldens her. Consequently, fear came upon the lost world. Then, as the unbelieving world watched, the church ascended into heaven. At the same time, a great earthquake caused a tenth of the city to fall and thousands were killed. The ones who survived gave glory to the God of heaven. Even in the end, God performs unbelievable miracles for our benefit- so we will know God is who he says he is.

How do we, the church, prepare to meet the antichrist with strength and perseverance? We have to get back to the basics. We must become mobilized, concentrating on sharing the Gospel. The church often talks about the need for revival. What is revival, and how can we experience it? Revival is not a few days of meetings held inside a building or tent. Revival is a movement of a universal church sold out to spreading the good new of salvation through Jesus Christ. We must get out of the pews and into the streets. Ask God to breath the breath of life into you, your local body of believers, and the church universal. That is how God can revive us and sustain us. We will experience this war, but in the end, we are the winners. Amen.

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