Imagine a sailor lost at sea in the middle of a raging storm. Waves crash against the boat. Winds howl. The sky is pitch black. Then, far in the distance, he sees a lighthouse. The storm continues to rage, but the lighthouse stands firm. Its beam cuts through the darkness, unwavering and constant. No matter how violent the storm becomes, the lighthouse does not move.
God’s Word is our lighthouse in the chaotic world in which we live.
God and His Word are eternal, constant, true, and trustworthy. When the world seems confusing and the future uncertain, we must continually look to God through His Word. This is one of the great assurances found in the book of Revelation. Our confidence does not come simply from looking ahead and trying to determine what happens next. Our assurance grows as we look back and see God’s faithfulness in every generation.
Seeing Revelation From a Different Camera Angle
The first nine chapters of Revelation have taken us through a series of visions.
Revelation 1 introduces the book and gives us a glorious picture of Jesus. Chapters 2–3 contain Jesus’ letters to the churches. Chapters 4–5 take us into the throne room of heaven and show us Jesus, the victorious Lamb, receiving the scroll. Chapters 6–7 show the breaking of the seals as God’s plan unfolds. Chapters 8–9 introduce the first six trumpets and God’s judgment upon a rebellious world.
As we enter Revelation 10–11, it is important to remember that John’s visions do not always answer the question, “What happens next?” Often the better question is, “What does John see next?”
The seals and the trumpets give us different camera angles on the same great story. Both move from the victory of the resurrected Jesus toward His return and the establishment of His eternal kingdom.
Revelation 10–11 gives us something like a 30,000-foot view. The chapters that follow will zoom in and show us the conflict at ground level.
Through it all, one truth remains constant: God is in control of history.
God Will Accomplish His Plan
In Revelation 10, John sees a mighty angel descending from heaven with a little scroll open in his hand. The imagery reminds us that this messenger has been in the presence of God. The scroll represents God’s plan and purposes for His world. The angel raises his hand toward heaven and swears by the One who created heaven, earth, and sea that God’s purposes will be completed.
That matters because we often think about time differently than God does. We look at the condition of the world and wonder how everything could possibly be made right. We see evil, suffering, and chaos and assume God’s plan must be delayed. But God is not governed by time as we are.
The God who created the world in six days, flooded the earth in forty days and nights, and promises to transform His people “in the twinkling of an eye” is not struggling to accomplish His purposes. The Creator of this world will bring to pass everything He has determined to accomplish within it.
God is never late. God is never overwhelmed. God’s plan is never in danger.
The Church Has Been Given a Message
John is then told to take the scroll and eat it. It is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. God’s Word is sweet because it announces the victory of Jesus and the salvation of God’s people. Yet it is bitter because that same message announces judgment against sin and rebellion. John is commissioned to prophesy again “about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
The message God has given must be proclaimed.
Revelation 11 continues this picture by describing two witnesses. They are called two olive trees and two lampstands. Earlier in Revelation, lampstands represent churches. The imagery points us toward the Spirit-empowered witness of God’s people.
Why two witnesses? Under biblical law, two witnesses established a testimony. The picture is of the church faithfully bearing witness to the truth of the gospel. The imagery of Moses and Elijah is also woven into the vision. Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets. Both appeared with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The church does not invent its message. We proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture. Our commission is not to create something new. Our commission is to proclaim what God has already said.
The Gospel Will Always Face Opposition
Revelation 11 makes clear that the church’s witness will face opposition. The beast makes war against God’s witnesses. The world celebrates when their testimony appears to be silenced. Why such hostility? Because the gospel confronts us with the reality of our sin and the authority of Jesus.
The message of Jesus reminds Satan of his defeat. From Genesis 3:15 forward, Scripture tells the story of the promised Savior who would crush the serpent’s head. Satan opposes the gospel because the gospel announces his defeat. Yet Jesus told His followers not to fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
The world may oppose the church. The world may mock the gospel. The world may even kill the witnesses. But the world cannot defeat Jesus.
God Knows and Protects His People
At the beginning of Revelation 11, John is told to measure the temple. Throughout the New Testament, God’s people are described as His temple. Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Peter describes believers as living stones being built into a spiritual house. Paul teaches that God’s people are being built together into a dwelling place for God.
The measuring of the temple communicates an important truth: God knows His people. He counts them. He seals them. They belong to Him. This does not mean Christians will never experience suffering. Revelation clearly shows believers facing persecution and even martyrdom. It means something far greater: Nothing can separate God’s children from Him.
God has demonstrated His ability to preserve His people throughout Scripture. He preserved Noah through the flood. He rescued Lot from judgment. Peter reminds us that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.” God has done it before. He will do it again.
Jesus Is Coming
The world celebrates the apparent defeat of God’s witnesses, but Revelation 11 says that after a short time, the breath of life from God enters them. They stand. They rise. They are called upward. The scene points us toward the resurrection of God’s people and the final victory of Christ. Then the seventh trumpet sounds.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” Throughout Scripture, the return of Jesus is associated with the sound of a trumpet. Jesus is coming. The dead will be raised. Judgment will come. Death itself will finally be destroyed. And the kingdoms of this world will give way to the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.
God Is Coming to Dwell With His People
Revelation 11 ends with the temple of God opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant appearing. The ark represented the presence of God among His people. This vision points us toward the great conclusion of the biblical story: God is coming to dwell with His people.
The hope of Scripture is not simply that we escape this world and go somewhere else forever. God will restore His creation. Jesus will establish His eternal kingdom. God’s plan, first revealed in Genesis, will finally be fulfilled. The people of God will inherit the eternal Promised Land. Creation will be restored. Sin will be judged. Death will be defeated. Jesus will reign. And God will dwell with His people forever.
Our Confidence in a Chaotic World
Revelation 10–11 gives the church tremendous assurance …
- We can be confident that God is Lord of all and will accomplish His purposes.
- We can trust Scripture even when our circumstances are chaotic or God’s promises seem delayed.
- We can trust God to give us courage to share the gospel.
Too often, we hesitate because we are afraid we will not know what to say or how to answer someone’s questions. But perhaps our deeper struggle is that we do not fully trust the power of the gospel and the power of God’s Word.
The commission in Revelation 10 is simple: proclaim what God has already said. Share the truth of Scripture. Charles Spurgeon famously compared God’s Word to a lion. A lion does not need to be defended. It simply needs to be released.
- We can be convinced of God’s faithfulness.
- We can be convinced of God’s authority.
- We can be convinced that God knows and keeps His children.
- And we can be convinced that Jesus is coming—and He is bringing all of heaven with Him.
The storm may rage.
The world may seem dark.
God is faithful.
His Word is true.
His kingdom is coming.
And Jesus will reign forever and ever.
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MichaelStovall 