Many will convert, not all, in fact most probably won't, of the Jewish people. But it will be they will they will pull on in their preaching what Peter did Peter in Acts chapter 2 said, This is what the prophet Joel spoke about. It was an appeal to their understanding of their own scripture. It was Peter saying, This isn't a random event, this is prophecy being fulfilled and you're living it. And everything concerning the Christ prophetic.
This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Revelation chapter 11 is the text Pastor Rick will be teaching from on this edition of Cross-Reference Radio.
The temple is built before Antichrist goes full-blown devil. But then once it's built, He he does become Possessed by Satan. And he does defile the temple as I've been reading from the The prophets and from the Lord.
So the Jews get their third temple, and the beast will. Defile it. And the Jews will flee. And Jesus said, don't even go back in the house for a sweater. Just get out of there.
Because before Antichrist makes his move, he's already setting up roadblocks. He's already doing what he needs to do to keep people from getting away from him. What is with these dictators? They put up an iron or wall so you can't leave their country. I mean, why?
Don't they? Don't they? Feel like, well, if you don't like me, then go. No, it's like if you don't like me tough, you're going to suffer. I need to enslave you.
Well, coming back, well, decent people say, well, if you don't like me. or flatten your tires. Anyway, back to this, and those who worship there. Again, what a national sense of pride will fill Israel. Maybe more than 1948 when they got back into the land, because that was.
Spiritual slash secular, this is totally spiritual for them to have their temple. In the courtyard attendants of the Third Temple, would be astounding. Antichrist is going to see that. He's going to hate them, the Jews, and try to slaughter as many of them as he can. These worshipers, incidentally, are not said to be true worshippers.
We know they're Jews. They could even be proselytes, Gentiles who joined the Jewish faith. But it doesn't they j they're worshipers. which means they're just religious people. They're not converts.
Which is why you have the 144,000 Jews and the two witnesses coming on the scene to get. Out of that number as many converts as you can of the Jewish people.
Now there might be Some Christians who, if given the chance, they would go to a Jewish temple and offer sacrifices, and you'd be sinning big time. This is what Paul said about that affair. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. You see that he draws this big line between the two. There's the Jewish temple that was still there when Paul wrote that, And he said to the Jewish Christians and anybody else, You name Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Don't you dare go down to that temple. It's done. Christ has fulfilled it. He is our altar. He is our Passover.
We don't that stuff was all speaking of him. He's here now.
So, anyway, coming back to this, the rebuilding of the temple gives the two witnesses. more prophetic evidence for their evangelistic message. Whereas the 144,000 Jews would be pointing to all the events taking place. These two seem to be centered on Israel and would be saying, even our temple was prophesied about, and it's going to get defiled. And they'll be using these things.
God's not done saving people when a church gets raptured. Otherwise, why send the two witnesses? Why not just burn them all up? Because he's about saving souls, and Satan is committed to damning souls to the hell that he is going to. And once you begin to understand that, You d you don't have too much of a problem with what happens after death.
What happens in this life? Many will convert, not all, in fact most probably won't, of the Jewish people. But it will be, they will pull on in their preaching what Peter did. Peter in Acts chapter 2 said, This is what the prophet Joel spoke about. It was an appeal to their understanding of their own scripture.
It was Peter saying, This isn't a random event, this is prophecy being fulfilled and you're living it. And everything concerning the Christ, prophetic. The incarnation is more to the incarnation than the virgin birth. And when I say more, there are things that have to be fulfilled before Christ gets to the cross and the resurrection, which are just as important. Because if they're not fulfilled, then Satan prevails.
He has stopped the prophetic word, but he couldn't stop it.
So Matthew and John, when John writes about the crucifixion, he says according to the scriptures. And so they divided his garments according to the scriptures. And Matthew is even more so, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And what they're doing is they're constantly taking the word of God and saying, put it in their face of an unbeliever and say, see, he told you so. You need to get right with God.
You need to turn to Christ. You need to turn or burn. Very simple. And so the two will be doing like Peter did in Acts 2.16. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.
And they didn't stop there, but Joel is the one that they recorded.
So do something with what you're seeing. It's not enough to connect the dots. You've got to say what the picture is. You have to say what's the outcome of connecting the dots. What good is it if you go to church and say, Well, how was church?
Well, you know, the Spirit was moving. We were rocking forth, back and forth.
Well, what did the Word of God say to you? It should, I mean, it's not the sp it's not the preacher, it's the Holy Spirit.
So the rebuilding of the temple gives the two witnesses this Platform. And they will take Jews and Gentiles through the scriptures. that promised these very things, giving The Second best end time studies in history.
Well, I'm first. I'm not going to give them that. They're not even here. I thought that would generate a raw standing ovation. Anyway, they will be giving the best end time studies known to man, not because of the information, but because everybody's living it.
unlike ever before. And they still have the past prophecies that are fulfilled. Such as the coming of Christ and the virgin birth and all the other things that are there. They will be assisted by the 144,000. and the Gentile converts who will be done who will be martyred for their faith.
proof that Incidentally, Proof that the rapture has already taken place in the Great Tribulation. is that the 144,000 aren't raptured. Why not? But they came after the rapture. Who needs them if we have the church still here?
the true church, because the apostate church will remain.
So again, for those of all the rapture happens after everybody's been slaughtered. Close the door, the hoss is gone. Uh I think that's okay, that sounds like I'm being sarcastic. And I have joined sarcastic people anonymous to try to break from this. But every time I get in the truck, it just comes back.
Uh Anyway, back to this. The fact that the 144,000 are given during the Great Tribulation period tells us, is another indication that the church is out of here, already raptured.
So, how will the temple ever be possible to be rebuilt? With hateful Islam running the Temple Mount where the dome of the rock is.
Well, let's go through that a little bit. The present Day Dome of the Rock. Is believed by many to be put right on the spot where the Holy of Holies was for the Jewish temples. Prove it. You can't.
So it's sort of just a word of mouth. I think that's the spot where it was. And uh Islam Again, her clout will be neutered in the defeat of the Russo-Islamic alliance against The Atlantic alliance under Antichrist slash a NATO kind of a thing versus the the eastern uh part of Europe and And the Muslims. How do we know that?
Well, because their their armies are listed in Ezekiel thirty-eight, and they're all Islamic countries today. Uh Saudi Arabia being one, for example.
Sounds like a new drug. If you want to grow hair again, get Exampia. If you find Xampia in the store, please pick me up one. All right, so they lose their clout and they're going to lose their oil fields too. I mean, you know, you just almost wish Antichrist was a good guy, he's not.
It's just one evil destroying another evil. Presently, in 2025, the United States has nuclear superiority. over Russia, over China, and everybody else. And that's why we just saw in the news, they said, well, you know, this tariff war can get worse, and we can and then, of course, our new Department of Defense leader says, well, we're ready for you. And then the Chinese responded, sorry.
And we didn't mean that. It was the Xampia talking. Here. Because they know. that we currently have.
Well, Antichrist inherits this.
So He he will have no care to appease Anybody, especially the Muslims. He's going to hate all the religions, but particularly the Jews. And um This will allow him to build that third temple. go f back to where the dome of the rock is. That dome of the rock is really in the Antonio Fortress.
And really, where Pilate had one of his courtyards. And we'll come to that in a moment. Verse 2. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will tread the holy city underfoot forty-two months.
So the area belonging to the Lord is partitioned off From what the Gentiles are doing. Before the 42-month period, when the temple is built, the Gentiles will be outside. What once was the courtyard of the Gentiles will not be part of this temple that he is measuring. Literally where it says leave out. The Greek is forceful.
It's cast out. or rid. And it's used when the demons were cast out or driven out.
So it's a very strong word in the Greek. It's sort of like, but. Rid the temple of the courtyard of the Gentiles, kind of vibe to it. The outer denotes the courtyard of the Gentiles. and do not measure it.
for it has been given to the Gentiles, which Tells us that the dome of the rock can stay where it is. It's not the right spot anyway.
So there's not going to be this friction. It's not so much. Of, well, you can't put the temple there. You'll have to get rid of the Muslims on the Temple Mount.
Well, that's not the Temple Mount, so they can keep it. The Temple Mount's really over here. And the archaeology will give that. Israel's always coming up with new finds, incidentally, they just had a new one. I found a water fountain.
That um had a um a plug-in for an iPhone. Just be goofy. They just didn't have any cords.
So back to this. As I mentioned, I believe the the present dome of the rock is Pilate's judgment seat. John chapter 19, verse 13, the pavement. But in the Hebrew, the Gabbatha. And that is sort of a knoll.
Gabbath is a knoll. And the dome of the rock, if you were to look at it, you can see pictures of it because non-Muslims aren't supposed to go in there. It's just a rocky area. It's a rock, dome of the. Rock, there we go.
Good.
So Thinking they put it over the second Jewish temple footprints, aha, we've got the Jews now, they'll never be able to rebuild their temple. Wrong. They're always wrong, the Muslims, about anything religion.
So, and they will tread the holy city underfoot. 42 months. That's 1,260 days, according to a 360-day calendar, which is what the Jews used.
So the math is right.
Now, when you get to Daniel, he's got some different days, a little bit more, 35 here, because there's going to be. administrative uh things taking place. That requires a whole verse-by-verse thing. One Daniel's prophecies. But if you come across what you think are discrepancies in the days that Daniel gives, they're not discrepancies.
They are addressing different facets of the return of Christ And how he cleans things up. Daniel 7 verse 25, about this beast. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High. shall persecute the saints of the Most High. and shall intend to change times and law.
Now that's not daylight savings time. but we still need somebody to do that. Anyway, then the saints Shall be given into his hand for a time and times and a half, and that's three and a half years. And that's the Jews. are going to be persecuted for that.
Period of time.
Now In verse five of chapter thirteen, we read this, that matches, it connects what Daniel said in chapter to the Antichrist in Revelation 13.5. And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue 42 months. And so, rather than when John gets that part of the revelation, the angel is saying, Hey, look, I'm not going to tell you this, just go read Daniel 7:25, you'll be good. No, he shows him, so it's an independent prophecy. that matches a previous prophecy.
John gets his own revelation. And some of the commentators, you know, when they write about these things, they say, clearly he has been, he is just quoting. No, he's not quoting Daniel, he's agreeing with Daniel. He's being given. Given Fresh information.
Luke chapter 21, verse 24. And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trampled by Gentiles until the times. of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The times of the Gentiles started when Nebuchadnezzar took Control of Jerusalem.
That began the clock ticking, and it will continue until Christ's return.
Well, there's plenty more in Daniel. I'm not going to read it. Time is late. We have now an introduction, and you can cross-reference Daniel 8. Versus nine.
Through twelve. For more information on what I've been saying. In the midst of all of this, God is going to raise up two men. We don't know where they come from. And we'll cover a little bit of that too.
But there are two men who proclaim God's message. in an extraordinary way. In the New Testament, The brothers, James and John, wanted to bring fire down on those who rejected Christ. And Jesus said, You don't know what spirit you are of, because that was the age of grace, the church age.
Well, this isn't the church age anymore. It is not the church. This is a whole nother ball game, and they're going to be able to call fire down. Jeremiah took up four. False prophets.
He said, Yeah, well, you'll be dead before the year's up and that guy died. And then he does it again. And so I would not have messed with Jeremiah. Anyway, let's go to verse 3. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days, clothed with sackcloth.
So you see, this. The days, the very days are given to us. And these witnesses are going to be using this stuff.
Well, anyway, they're going to counter the ideology of the world. They will deliver their message. and they will uphold their message. And People can be killed by them. We'll come to that in a few verses.
The law required two witnesses to bring an indictment upon an individual, and here we have them. Plenty of people at that time on earth. will still never have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are those in the Vatican City that have never truly heard The biblical gospel. They've gotten religion, they've heard the name.
But have they gotten the gospel? That salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone. and not through penance. or some other thing. You can't buy it.
There are those that are in Laos and Cambodia, for example, or in Arab countries. There are many people that. have never heard the gospel.
So there's not going to be a shortage of people to convert during this time. Their description in verse 6 with them calling down fire and bringing drought, of course, reminds us of Moses and Elijah. And a lot of guessing has been about their identities.
Well, it's Enoch and it's Elijah because those two men have not died.
Well, neither did anyone who was raptured. I mean, why not let me come back and call some fire down on people? I'd be pretty busy. I never liked that guy anyway. Anyway.
So uh I think it's pointless. To try don't I do not believe it is going to be Enoch. If it is, I don't want to hear you telling me I told you so. With the frontrunners, Enoch, Moses, Elijah. It's just guesswork.
No one knows. I think they're just two men that God has found and He has appointed them to do this. And back to, well, because they never died, it has to be those two men.
Well, Hebrews 9:27, they base that it is appointed for man to die once after this, the judgment. But again, the raptured saints don't die. And this is one of the reasons why a lot of you want to get out of here that way.
Some of you have started building ladders to speed this up. Anyway, and they And they will prophesy 1,260 days, a variant of 42 months. clothed in sackcloth.
Well, they don't have pleasure in their ministry. This is all business with them. And it's deadly business. And when we get to verses 5 and 6, it comes out.
So now, verse 4. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before The god of the earth.
So, John's imagery that he is being shown matches Zechariah chapter 4. Zechariah and Haggai, they go together. They're two prophets that were raised up to tell the people when they came back from Babylonian captivity. When are you going to build a house of God? You started, you laid the foundation, then you got scared because the Arabs put pressure on you and you stopped.
And so God brought these two prophets and they stirred the people. Zechariah said in the building of this second temple, Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. We all know that verse, but it's in the context of the temple. It goes further than that for sure. Ezra the prophet.
Speaking about the two leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, not Joshua the leader of the Jews.
So Zerubbabel the son of Sheitael and Jeshua the son of Jezoadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem and the prophets of God were with them helping them. point. John is sort of referred back to the days when God built the first temple to say There's a connection between this third temple. And there's a connection between these two witnesses and this third temple. The two olive trees that are mentioned here in verse 4 again come from Zechariah, where he tells him.
the angel with Zechariah, that these two Olive trees represent Uh the The men of God who stand before the throne of God. who are filled with the Spirit. And the lamps, of course, the light, but where does the lamp get the light? It's just a lamp. Without the oil, it has no light.
So it comes directly from the throne of God. They are anointed. There's an endless supply of fuel. and their work will be, as witnesses, to shine the light of God and His truths on those who will receive them. The Holy Spirit.
Will be active during the Great Tribulation, even though he's withdrawn. He's withdrawn from the assemblies because there are none. But he's still active. And that's what we're being told as New Testament students. We're saying, okay, this is the work of the Holy Spirit through these two witnesses.
to shine brightly And it's connected to the ancient Jewish temple because it's connected to the third Jewish temple. Verse 5. and if any one wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth. and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them.
He must be killed in this manner.
Well, that's pretty straightforward. It doesn't even require a comment. Except to say, well, I get that. Verse 6, these have power to shut heaven.
so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. And they have power Over the waters to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire.
Now, it doesn't mean it's whimsical, like, you know what, I'm having a bad day. Actually, you know what? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Both sides are the wrong side of the bed. Anyway.
Uh That's not what's being taught here at all. What is being taught? to us Is that these outcomes are identical to the ministries of Moses and Elijah? And the two witnesses and the 144,000 will be pointing out this to the Jews. Saying these guys are just like Moses and Elijah and We have Latter prophecies From John, a Jewish apostle of Christ.
It called it before it happened. And yet, in the midst of all of that, as it is to day, There will be those Jews that will still reject that witness. There will be those that receive it. And those that reject it, God is focused on those who will receive it. The church age of grace is past.
And these two can destroy their enemies. That's what God has granted temporarily. It is because they will be Because of this, they will be so hated by the world. That the world will just rejoice when they are finally killed, and we'll get that next session.
So the intolerant protesters will want to harm them. They hate them. but they won't be able to get them.
So we close with this verse. And next session we'll get The rest of the Two witnesses, information about them. Jeremiah 23, 29. Is not my word like fire, says Yahweh? Like a hammer that breaks The rock in pieces.
Yeah.
Okay. This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings.
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Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Yeah.
