Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Revelation 11
In Revelation 11, we see the stage being set in the middle of the Great Tribulation for the antichrist to move into the holy temple of God in Israel, claiming that he himself is God. He is the answer, the remedy, the almighty.
God will bring forth two prophets to rise up and preach truth and judgment against him during this time. These prophets will be spiritually prepared to speak with God’s power and authority; sovereignly protected until the end of their testimony; and then further, they will be satanically persecuted for all to see.
But we’ve seen this before in our days: when a child of God dies as a martyr, the devil has not won. He has lost. Paul says it simply in Philippians, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Does this mean we don’t have to be afraid of the devil anymore? No, it means the devil ought to be afraid of us.
The devil’s chief weapon is killing. But ours, as the People of the Cross of Jesus Christ, is dying.
However, this isn’t the end of the story of the two prophets. The Scripture continues; God will supernaturally preserve them—raise them up from the dead in front of their persecutors, and bring them home to Him—just like He brought the Church home to him in the Rapture.
The devil may be able to put us to death but we are still supernaturally preserved by God. As Adrian Rogers says, “There is a God in glory and there is nothing the devil can ultimately do to you.”
Apply it to your life
If you are a Christian, you will not be around to see the Great Tribulation. You will have been taken up in the Rapture by Jesus. But we can learn something from the two prophets God has appointed in the Last Days.
If you are truly living the Christian life, you will face persecution of some kind. No matter what degree of persecution we face, our responsibility remains the same: to declare the Word of God in this generation whether they hear or will not hear.
Make your salvation public today in some way or another. Share your faith with someone without fear. Speak truth in love, engage in the world as an ambassador for Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit work through your willingness.
