Killing the Witness
Killing the Witness
Now 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 street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:7,8—NIV)
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, (Matthew 24:12—NIV)
We find in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation that the Christian witness is attacked, overcome, and killed. While the saints will be driven from the cities of the earth by force, the actual overcoming of the witness will be by enticement to sin. The world will become so filled with wickedness that many of those who had borne the remarkable anointing of the last days will be tempted and fall. The love of the majority will grow cold.
The problem of the last days will not be tribulation and persecution, although these will abound. The deadly danger will be the prevalence of sin.
We have set forth in previous writings the reasons why we believe the two lampstands of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation are Christ and His saints. They will bear witness, under an unprecedented anointing, of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. Their message will be that of the first century: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." They will heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead, and also bring plagues on the earth that portray the powers of the age to come—powers that will be exercised as the Kingdom is installed on the earth with violence.
The witness will be given during the first half of the prophetic "week." During the second half of the "week" the testimony will be attacked, overcome, and killed.
Obviously Christ cannot be overcome and killed and there is no power in the heavens or on the earth that can separate the saints from God's love.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39—NIV)
But the witness indeed can be attacked, overcome and killed. This already has happened in the United States of America. While there is an abundance of Christian ministry in America, the witness of the Person, will, way, and eternal purpose of God in Christ has been overcome. The Christian religion abounds but it does not have enough moral or spiritual power to cause our government and citizens to stand in awe of Almighty God or His Christ.
We have been overcome by the wiles of Satan and do not even realize we have been burned.
The mess in Washington, D.C., as of this writing (1999), reflects the moral and spiritual weakness of the Christian churches. Our lampstand has been removed because of our unrighteous behavior, our neglect of the commandments of Jesus Christ and His Apostles.
But does the Bible teach that the testimony shall be overcome in the last days? Yes, it does. In several passages.
To be continued. Killing the Witness 1
Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson.