"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth."
(Revelation 11:3-4)
PART 2:
These messengers “prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth,” the same timeframe of their opposition by the world. As we see in (Rev. 10:1-7), the ministry of the gospel is not forever; there’s a terminus for that gracious work. “Sackcloth” was the garment of mourning and repentance. It indicates that the prophetic work conveys a message of repentance, as well as a sense of grief at the rebellion of the world against the gracious provision of God through Christ. “These are…the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” indicates the source of the church’s power and strength for ministry. The lampstand in Zechariah’s prophecy indicated the power of the Holy Spirit. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (4:6). Standing before the Lord of the earth is similar language borrowed again from (Zechariah 4:14) to indicate God’s messengers anointed by the Spirit, living in God’s presence. The significance is that the two witnesses—the church—would take a message of repentance to the world, and would do so by the strong presence of the Lord’s Spirit upon them.
(Phil A. Newton)
No comments:
Post a Comment