“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are “the two olive trees” and “the two lampstands”, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[ 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. 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. When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 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. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation WILL GAZE ON THEIR BODIES AND REFUSE THEM BURIAL. 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. 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. 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. 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. The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.” (Re 11:3-14)
“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zc 4:10-14)
Scripture reveals that the two witnesses appear near the midpoint of the Tribulation around the time when the beast breaks his covenant with Israel and places the abomination of desolation in the holy place, spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Mt 24.15, 21)
We know that (a) scripture must be fulfilled; (b) scripture cannot be broken; and (c) to have the complete picture we must allow the spirit to guide us to put all the relevant parts in the right order.
The events described all happen on earth. The beast makes war on the saints, indicating they have not been raptured but have been on earth bearing witness against him. (Re 13:7) He also makes war on the woman’s seed. (Re 12:17)
Scriptural prophecy is conspicuously silent concerning the Church being raptured to heaven at any time prior to the Last Trump which is the 7th trumpet. This proves that the saints have been on earth all the time. The only saints in heaven are the ones who have died or were martyred by the beast. (Re 6:10-11)
The mistiming of the rapture as pre-Tribulation is Satan’s masterpiece of deception. This is part of his master plan to take us off guard, so that the antichrist and the false prophet will be revealed and deceive Christians. Many will not see through this deception because they believe they will be raptured before the antichrist appears, thus falling into Satan’s trap. This is in complete contradiction to scripture. (2Th 2:2)
Some believe they don’t even need to know what the Bible says, as they are just waiting to be raptured. Instead of being prepared for the tribulation, they are praying to be ‘rapture ready’ as the pre-tribulation rapture has become a counterfeit doctrine of salvation and redemption for them. But without the light of the word, believers can lose their way in the darkness of the Tribulation.
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” (2Th 2:7-15)
The 7th angel now sounds the 7th trumpet which heralds the imminent coming of Christ’s Kingdom on earth. (Re 11:14) It is also the time for Christ to reward his saints on earth when he comes in his kingdom bringing his rewards with him. (Re 11:18,24)
“And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” (Da 12:7)
“But in the days of the voice of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” (Re 10:7)
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump[et]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1Co 15:51-52)
The Bible tells us that in the Last Days, God will send his two witnesses who will stand in the holy city of Jerusalem to prophesy before the antichrist beast and his followers. They will also testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His kingdom is coming soon.
Their witness is for the whole world but particularly for the people of Israel to turn their hearts away from the man of sin back to the true God of heaven, and to prepare them for the true Messiah, Jesus.
That the two witnesses continue to stand before the god of this world is a testimony to their chief work which is against the beast and what he claims to be. (2Th 2:4)
The beast makes war on the two prophets, and also makes war on the saints on earth. (Re 13:7) who are the remnant of the woman’s seed (Re 12:17) proving that the rapture has not yet happened.
In relation to these events described in Revelation Chapter 11, John is told by the angel standing by him to “Rise up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those that worship therein”. John is told not to include the court outside the temple because it has been given to the Gentiles and they will tread the holy city under their feet for 42 months.
“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)
This would imply that the temple is already in existence during the first 3½ years of the Tribulation, which would place the work of the two witnesses in the latter half of the Tribulation because they prophesy for 3½ years. Also, because after the witnesses are killed, the second and third woes follow soon after. This may also happen in conjunction with some of the trumpet and bowl judgments.
So by comparing scripture with scripture we can see that the two witnesses prophesy for 3½ years mostly during the Great Tribulation. They are clothed in sackcloth signifying the call to repentance before the coming of the Great and terrible day of the Lord in which the sun itself will be clothed in black sackcloth. (Jl 2, Ac 2, Re 6)
The 7-year tribulation marks the last period of this present age. When Christ returns the new millennial age will dawn. (Rev 20:4)
The two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands who are standing before the face of the god of this world. The two witnesses are given power to devour their enemies with supernatural fire and any that would hurt them.
They also have power to stop the rain for the 3½ years of their prophecy. They will turn water into blood, and strike the earth with all kinds of plagues similar to those of Egypt as often as they will. Their witness torments those who have rejected the Gospel of Jesus.
Many claim that the two witnesses must be Moses and Elijah because the miracles they perform are similar to the miracles performed by Moses – who turned waters into blood – and Elijah – who stopped the rain for 3½ years. But this is not what the Bible says. Also, scripture says that it is appointed to men once to die (He 9:27) and Moses has already died once so he cannot die again as one of the two witnesses who are killed. Whereas Enoch, like Elijah did not die but was taken up into heaven.
Some believe God may empower other individuals or groups in the spirit and power of Elijah: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Lk 1:17)
Although there is no mention of others being empowered in the same way, scripture does say those who know their God will do brave exploits on behalf of the truth. This will be their witness. “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Da 11:32)
As the spirit does not speak of himself, but glorifies Jesus, so the two witnesses will not speak of themselves but bear witness to the coming kingdom of Christ. Due to their work many will be converted. When they finish their testimony (Re 1:9, 19:10, 22:9), the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit makes war against them, overcomes and kills them.
The world rejoices and people send gifts to one another to celebrate the death of the two witnesses, as they had been tormented by their bearing witness to the truth. The two witnesses are made out to be evil tormentors. And there is an extended period of celebration, and the inhabitants of the whole world rejoice because the enemies of mankind are no more. The beast is acclaimed as the true saviour of mankind.
Their dead bodies are not allowed to be buried and are left on the street as a public spectacle to prove the superior power of the beast. But after 3½ days, the spirit of life from God enters into them and, to the great fear and astonishment of their enemies, the two witnesses rise to their feet. Then a great voice from heaven tells them: “Come up here”. The two witnesses ascend up to heaven in a cloud in the sight of everyone. (Re 14:14)
So the two witnesses of Jesus, who are martyrs, ascend to be with him. Their work is not yet fully finished for they will have a part to play in future events. They will sit on the right and left hand of Jesus’s throne in his Kingdom on earth.
In the same hour, there is a great earthquake and a tenth part of the city falls killing 7,000 of the followers of the antichrist, including dignitaries. This is the second woe.
How then can we `test’ the Toronto Blessing? If we cannot trust personal experience or short term gains, what can we trust? The answer is basically a matter of systematic theology.
Unfortunately, systematic theology has not been a particularly strong feature of the Anglo-American scene for some time. In the English case there is hesitancy about theological systems which seem to claim too much. But as Colin Gunton has observed, there is “an important distinction between a systematic theology that aims at a SYSTEM, and one that more modestly aims at being SYSTEMATIC.” (`An English Systematic Theology?’, The Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 46, 1994, pp.479-496).
We need to recognize that systematic theology is a biblical concept. The reason Jesus gave for not investigating claims that he had returned to the desert or the inner room is grounded in a systematic theology about the second coming which links the SIGNIFICANCE of this event with its NATURE: “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man” (Matt 24:27).
But we also need to recognize WHAT IS the systematic theology contained in the Bible. The best key to this is, I would argue, the biblical theological approach pioneered by Donald Robinson and developed by the likes of Graham Goldsworthy, Bill Dumbrell etc. The particular feature of this approach is that it recognizes and identifies in the Bible both CONTINUITY and DEVELOPMENT. There is the continuity of ONE great theme, from start to finish and there is the DEVELOPMENT of that theme through Scripture.
Only a systematic theology allows us to give coherence to our experience and expectation of God. And more specifically, only a systematic theology allows us to recognize that whilst God CAN do anything he DOESN’T do everything – and this is fundamental to our approach to the Toronto Blessing.
In running a web site with over 900+ articles, thousands of hits per month from all over the world, and hundreds of e-mails per week, I have come to realize, with time, that there is a terrible problem in Christendom today. The problem stems from an existential subjective view of the world that has filtered into the church from secular society, but also from the teachings of heretical wolves who have taught an entire generation of churchgoers completely unbiblical methods of discernment or to get rid of any discernment altogether.
Let me start out this chapter by telling you what methods are being used for “discernment” today that don’t have biblical support, then I will move on to the ways in which the Bible does tell us to test teaching, prophecy and actions.
The following criteria are what many people who call themselves Christians are using to test reality and truth today:
(1) Experiences, manifestations
(2) Feelings, emotions
(3) Numbers of followers
(4) Numbers of people who claim to be saved
(5) The size of a church or movement
(6) Signs and wonders, purported miracles (whether real or false)
(7) Subjective testimonies
(8) Hearsay and rumors
(9) How successful and rich a teacher is
(10) If a person speaks with authority
(11) The atmosphere of a meeting
None of the above criteria being used by many churchgoers today are cited in the Bible as ways we are to test, discern and judge rightly.
A paper on the Toronto Blessing, delivered on the 16 September 1995 by John Richardson
My contribution to this conference concerns the theological foundations from which we assess a phenomenon like the Toronto Blessing. We are well aware that the Bible tells us to `test all things’. The question is HOW we test things.
Supporters of the Toronto Blessing frequently make two pleas to people who wish to assess or criticize it. FIRST, we are urged to approach it with an open mind. We are told to attend meetings for ourselves – and not critically, but asking God to bless US also if something real is happening. SECOND, we are urged to judge the phenomenon by its fruits – to look at the long-term results, not the immediate manifestations. See for Yourself …
However, it is far from an invariable biblical principle EITHER that we should assess claims to God’s activity personally and uncritically, OR that we must look at the fruits to make an assessment. For example, claims that Christ has returned in secret are NOT to be assessed personally: “So, if they say to you, `Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ DO NOT GO OUT”. Nor are they to be assessed uncritically: “if they say, `Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ DO NOT BELIEVE IT” (Matt 24:26).
If the claim had been made that Jesus was in Toronto we would be entitled not to go and not to believe. Why should we then go if the claim is that the Spirit is moving in Toronto? Unbelief can be a sign of faith!
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” Perhaps you’ve encountered this famous line penned by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hopkins aimed all of his poetry at helping people see that we live in a world drenched in divine delights — a world that everywhere reveals the glory of God. That is a wonderful reality, but for the child of God, the wonder goes even deeper.
For the Christian, the glory revealed in the world is not the glory of some generic deity; it is the goodness of our happy Father. “The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5 NASB). And so, the pleasures we experience in the world are paternal pleasures. The beauty of the world is our Father’s smile in stuff. And, wonder of wonders, our Father delights in our delight in his gifts. Like a happy dad on Christmas morning, the Father of lights lavishes on us all things richly to enjoy so that we might be happy in the Giver of all good things (James 1:17). Who then could resist reveling in the pleasures of God?
We do — daily! Like fussy children, aren’t we often too greedy or self-focused or distracted to enjoy our Father in his gifts? Consider yourself for a moment. Did you enjoy the sunrise this morning? I’m not just asking if you saw it. No, did you marvel as the sun vaulted the horizon? Did you delight in the fanfare of light and color? Or maybe you’re not the “outdoors type.” In that case, did you find pleasure in a cup of coffee? Or the comfort of a good pair of socks? Or the smile of your child? Did you really attend to any of our Father’s gifts?
As you can see, there is a reason C.S. Lewis called enjoying God the difficult discipline of hedonism. Joy is hard work, but eternally worthwhile. In Letters to Malcolm, Lewis writes, “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito” (101). And pleasures are his footprints, reminding us that he is here. “Pleasures are shafts of the glory as it strikes our sensibilities” (121).
So, if Lewis is right, if we can nowhere evade the presence of God, then how do we so often — consciously or unconsciously — evade the pleasures of God? How are we so easily distracted from enjoying our Father’s gifts? Lewis gives three reasons well worth pondering.
The Sword is the one weapon that is quite different from the rest of the weapons. The sword is more an offensive weapon than a purely defensive one. To fight the devil in your life, there are no short cuts. In fact, there is no other effective way than to take the sword of the spirit in your mouth. In order for you to get there, you need to spend a lot of time meditating the word of God and memorizing portions of it. That is the way you have an abundance of Word when you need it. You cannot tell the devil, “Hey devil, hold on, let me find out which word will stop you”. No! You have lost the battle already if you do that. You need to get trained to use this weapon so effectively that the devil will not mess with you anymore. It is the only way to drive the devil off.
Are you finding it so hard to fight with the enemy? It is not as hard. The only thing that you need to be aware of is your position in Christ and the privileges you have in the Lord. The devil is already defeated. He cannot stop you from doing God’s will in your life. But you can stop him. Jesus has given you the power to trample over serpents and scorpions and nothing can by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19)
The source and the nature of the Sword of the Spirit:
1. It penetrates:
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”.
God’ word is so powerful to penetrate to every area of a human being. It divides the soul and the spirit, the innermost area of human personality. It goes to areas where no missile on earth can reach. It does much more than any human inventions can do.
2. Comes out of the mouth of Jesus:
John the disciple saw a vision in Revelations 1:16 when he had a vision of Jesus in His glory as the Lord of the church, one of the things that he saw was a sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus. “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword”.
3. The only weapon Jesus used:
Matthew 4:1-11 says that Jesus used this weapon all the three times the devil talked to Him in the wilderness. Every time Jesus encountered Satan personally, the only weapon He used against him was the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Jesus had no doubts about the scripture. He knew it so well that if he uses the scriptures, there will be divine manifestations. Satan also never questioned the authority of the Scripture. He never will. The devil knows the power of the Word of God. The temptation that Satan threw at Jesus was for Him to doubt the Word of God. Notice Satan starts each question with an “if”. That means he calls for doubt.
Beloved, this is the same strategy the devil uses against us. He will cause us to doubt the Word of God as he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Once he gets there, then it is easy for him to work on us. That is why we need to hold on to the Word like an anchor even when the going gets tough. No matter what your situations are, the Word of God is the same. God’s word is perfect, powerful and reliable in every situation.
Also notice, Jesus did not have different methods to deal with the enemy. He used the same weapon of the Word of God against him. “It is written…it is written…it is written…”
4. Sword of the Spirit is the “Rhema word”:
Ephesians 6:17 says, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Paul speaks about the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. In the Greek it is ‘Rhema’ which is the spoken word. It is not the Bible that is in your bookshelf or on the nightstand or on your coffee table. It is the word of God you have put in your heart and the Holy Spirit taking the one word and giving it to you in your time of need.
Our part is to deposit the word of God in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will not do that for us. But when we take the sword in faith, then the Holy Spirit gives us the power and the wisdom to use it.
May the Lord help us use the sword of the Spirit effectively in our lives. Amen.
Ephesians 6: 16 says, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”.
There are many facets of faith. First of all we enter into God’s Kingdom by faith. We perform signs, wonders and miracle by faith. We even prophesy according to our measure of faith. In the scripture above, we notice that faith is also the shield that will quench the arrows of the enemy. Yet there are many who do not understand it and there are few who use it.
Faith is the most visible part of the spiritual life in a Christian. Let us say that a solder is marching toward you with his shield held rightly. It will be the most prominent thing you will ever see about him. In the same way, when others look at you walking towards them, is your faith that prominent? Our words and deeds should bring about faith in others. Sadly, some people have their shields in a place that is hardly seen. Yet some are dragging their shields behind them instead of holding it up against the enemy.
All of life’s trials that come our way are for one great purpose, our maturity. We should therefore embrace the trials as opportunities. That way, each trial the enemy flings at us will actually cause our faith muscle to grow stronger and stronger and it becomes impossible for the enemy to hurt or wound us.
Every soldier must learn to use the shield skilfully. Irrespective of the direction from which the attacks came, the warriors use their shields efficiently so that he will not miss the target from an unexpected direction. We too need to learn to be flexible with our faith. Usage of faith should accompany trust in God and assurance of His victory and never look at situations in doubt and unbelief.
Shields are of two types. One is a small circular, flat one and the other one is a long rectangular shield and is taken from the word for a door because it is shaped somewhat like a door. This is the kind of shield Paul speaks of when he says, “the shield of faith.”
A properly trained Roman soldier uses the shield so skilfully that no part of his body could be reached by the enemy. It gave him complete protection. This is the faith Paul is talking about when he refers to it as a shield.
Satan doesn’t care about the folks that do not cause any damage to his kingdom. He wants to cause trouble to those who will trouble him. The enemy first counterattacks our minds, our hearts, our bodies and our finances. So we need to have a shield that covers us. He will attack any area he could reach. If he cannot attack us, he will attack those closest to us. If you are a married person and the first thing the enemy would want to touch is your spouse. That is why you need to have shield big enough to protect you and everything around you. You, your family, and everything God has committed to you.
Faith is mentioned twice in this list of the armour. First, as a breastplate. The breastplate is faith and love and secondly, a shield is the shield of faith. Each of us of “faith” must be understood slightly differently.
The breastplate is faith for our own personal righteousness, but the shield of faith is for protection and provision for ourselves and all whom God has committed to us. It is that which covers everything. We must hold our shield of faith for full protection and provision.
May the Lord make us strong soldiers in His Kingdom. Amen.
Persecution Live 