Rev 11:10 KJV
(10) And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Previously, we have seen that lost mankind was joyous at the death and disrespect that was given to the two witnesses for Christ. This symbolically displayed lost mankind’s rejection and hatred of the servants of Christ.
Why does such hatred exist? In our devotional for this morning we will find the answer to our question.
We are told that the basis of lost mankind’s hatred is that the witnesses “tormented them”. The word for “torment” carries with it the ideas of “torture”, “pain”, or “vex”. This terminology is referring to the effect of the witnesses message upon the lost. As the witnesses spoke the truth of God’s Word it brought conviction, guilt, a sense of inability and great need upon them. This is the natural result of God’s Word in the life of those who are yet in their sins.
Joh 3:19-20 KJV – “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
This is the core reason why the lost despise witnesses for Christ. It is only through the gracious intervention of the Lord into the life of the lost individual that will allow the gospel message to be received and acted upon. Without His grace, the lost person will always reject the truth and count it as an irritant that needs to be removed for their lives.
2Ti 2:24-26 KJV – “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
May we all understand the lost person’s state of spiritual blindness and their natural inclination to despise the Word and those who deliver it. May we all minister to the lost in a spirit of kindness and love realizing that we, too, at one point in time were in the very same condition as those to whom we now witness.
For an in depth look at these sections of the Revelation
Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
As I was reading this I was thinking about believers in Africa and the Middle East that face the wrath of Islamic extremists
We do not realize how blessed we are in this nation to have, for the most part, religious freedom and the freedom of speech. May we all be in prayer for Christians throughout the Middle East who are facing such horrible persecution. Lord bless.