Resurrection and Vindication Before the World (Rev.11:11-14)

🌬️ Resurrection and Vindication Before the World

Welcome, friends and family—wherever you’re tuning in from. This message isn’t just about the end times; it’s about this time—your time. We’re opening up the book of Revelation, but not with fear or confusion. We’re listening for God’s voice—one that still breathes life, still calls us higher, and still wakes us when we’ve been asleep too long.

Whether you’re a firm believer, someone searching, or someone who’s been wounded by religion—I believe this word has something living in it for you. So take a breath… open your heart…

Because the God who raises the dead still raises hope.
And He’s still saying, ‘Come up here.’ Let’s go.

“But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. 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 watched them.” (Revelation 11:11–12)

This is not merely the resurrection of two witnesses—it is a portrait of resurrected purpose, vindicated truth, and divine affirmation in plain sight of rejection. These two are not just characters in a future prophecy—they represent the people of God who refuse to stay buried by this world’s systems, shame, or silencing.

Their story echoes:

• Ezekiel 37:10 – “The breath entered them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.”
• Jesus’ Resurrection – “On the third day He rose…” (Luke 24:7)
• Acts 1:9 – “As they were watching, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”

Like Jesus and like the dry bones, these witnesses stand again. Rejection did not end them. Death did not define them. God raised them—and in front of their enemies.

⚖️ Earthquake and Awakening: A Judgment That Shakes the Soul

“At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”                                                                                                                                         (Revelation 11:13)

Here’s where the narrative changes. Throughout Revelation, many judgments are met with stubbornness—hearts like Pharaoh’s—but here, the survivors are shaken awake. They don’t just fear, they glorify.

This echoes God’s pleading through the prophet Joel, saying,

“Return to me with all your heart… rend your hearts and not your clothing.” (Joel 2:12–13)

This earthquake isn’t just about the ground moving—it’s about heartquakes.
It cracks the foundations of false hope, self-reliance, and spiritual apathy. It’s not God’s desire to crush—but to call. To disrupt sleep, not destroy life.

🧠 Analogy: When the Alarm Clock Shakes the Room

Let’s say you’re in deep sleep. You’re dreaming you’re winning the lottery while riding a llama through the Alps. And then—BAM! The alarm clock blares. You jolt upright. It didn’t destroy your house, but it ruined your dream really quick.

That’s this moment.

• The earthquake is the alarm.
• The seven thousand lost are the cost of ignoring it.
• The survivors? They finally open their eyes and say, “That was real. That was God.”

Some of you listening right now are dreaming—of success, control, maybe even religion without relationship—and God in His mercy is shaking the bed, not the whole house… yet.

🔄 Partial Judgment, Partial Response

Like the trumpet judgments of Revelation 8–9, which struck a third of creation, this judgment strikes a tenth. The number seven thousand isn’t random—it’s symbolic of completeness in Jewish culture.

In other words:

This wasn’t everything God could do. It was what God chose to do to give room for response.

It’s not wrath—it’s warning.
Not vengeance—it’s a final invitation.

🎯 Theological Takeaway: Wake-Up Grace

God’s judgments are not rage-fueled explosions—they’re grace-filled interventions.
They are like a parent shouting, “Don’t run into the street!”
They are mercy with volume.
Sometimes whispered. Sometimes shouted. But always aimed at restoration.

God is not in the business of losing people—He’s in the business of resurrecting them.

🛡️ The Witness Within You

“You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen.” (Isaiah 43:10)

So, here’s the reflection for everyone listening:

🙏 To the believer:

You are not just called to be a watcher of events, but a witness of the resurrection power in your life.
Your struggles, your silence, your suffering—they will not end in death. If you stand in truth, God will raise you up where people least expect it.

🧐 To the unbeliever:

This may be your alarm moment.
God is not after your destruction. He wants your attention.
What if the shaking in your life isn’t punishment—but preparation?

😢 To the one who’s walked away or is unsure:

Maybe religion wounded you. Maybe people misrepresented God.
But listen—the witnesses in Revelation were killed by the beast, not by God.
God raised them. He wants to raise you too.
Come home—not to a building, but to the One who still says, “Come up here.”

💬 Closing Challenge: Whisper or Quake?

Ask yourself:

What will it take for me to give glory to God?
Do I need the quake, or will I respond to the whisper?

God’s voice is calling. Not with shame. Not with guilt. But with resurrection breath—ready to revive, restore, and raise.

🔄 Revelation 11:14 – The Calm Before the Storm

“The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming very soon.” (Revelation 11:14)

This verse is brief, but heavy. It acts as a divine pause, a breath between judgments.

Think of it like the quiet before a storm—the eye of the hurricane. It’s not relief. It’s a warning laced with mercy.

God gives space.
Not just to announce what’s coming, but to allow reflection, repentance, and readiness.

🔔 This is grace in motion:

Even when the second woe has passed and the third is near, God still gives us time to respond.

This moment in Revelation isn’t just a chronological update—it’s a spiritual checkpoint.

🎯 How This Fits Our Flow

After the resurrection of the witnesses (vv.11–12) and the spiritual awakening from the earthquake (v.13), verse 14 brings tension:

Will we just move on… or will we move into God?

This is God saying:

“You’ve seen resurrection. You’ve seen judgment. You’ve seen grace. What now? What will you do with what you’ve seen?”

🔁 Call to Action

To the Believer:
Don’t rest in the pause—prepare in it. Strengthen your witness. Be ready for what’s ahead. The third woe may be coming, but you’re not called to fear, you’re called to stand.

To the Unbeliever:
God isn’t rushing you—but He is inviting you. The space between judgment is not a loophole—it’s a lifeline.

To the Wounded and Returning:
This pause is for you. Not to prove anything, but to give you space to return—not to religion, but to relationship. You haven’t missed your moment. It’s now.

📖 So here we stand—in the tension between what has passed and what is coming.

But our hope isn’t in avoiding judgment—it’s in the One who overcame it.

🙏 Closing Prayer: “Rise Again, O Witness”

Father God,
We thank You that Your voice still speaks—not in chaos, but in clarity. Not only through thunder, but through truth. Thank You for the breath of life that raises what this world tries to bury—faith, hope, purpose, and even people.

Tonight, Lord, we stand before You as witnesses in different places—
Some of us believe, but need boldness.
Some of us are searching, unsure, but drawn to something real.
Some of us are bruised, tired, even tempted to give up.

But You are the God who says, “Come up here.”
You are the One who calls us out of silence and shame, into life and truth.

So, breathe on us again, Lord.
Awaken every heart that has been sleeping.
Shake what needs to be shaken. Heal what has been broken.
And raise up a generation of witnesses who don’t just observe truth, but stand in it—with love, with courage, and with joy.

Let the message not fade at the end of this broadcast,
but live in our hands, our steps, and our words.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
Now and forever,
Amen.

📢 Ending Benediction

“May the breath of God revive what the world tried to bury.
May your ears be tuned to whispers before the shaking ever comes.
And may you stand as a witness, risen, bold, and chosen—
To glorify God in your generation. Amen.”

Grace & Peace
Dr. John Roberts THD