Revelation: The War Behind Our Witness - Chris Workman

John’s vision in Revelation 10 through 12 puts the church in the middle of a spiritual war. Christ does not seal His people simply so they can hide out and wait for the end. Christ seals them, preserves them, and commissions them to keep giving a faithful witness in an unbelieving world. The open scroll represents God’s plans and purposes, including judgment on those who oppose Christ and the coming establishment of His eternal kingdom.

John eats the scroll, and its sweetness and sourness capture the reality of witness. The good news of Christ is sweet, because salvation, victory, and the kingdom of God are good news indeed. God’s judgment is sour, because people are heading toward ruin, many refuse to listen, and believers themselves must endure hardship in a rebellious world. The mission, however, is not to wait for the end but to witness until the end.

The temple in chapter 11 represents the church, God’s spiritual temple where His Spirit dwells. God preserves this temple even while the nations trample it and attack it. The two witnesses represent the whole community of believers, called to continue Christ’s ministry in the world. The church is not merely supposed to passively endure opposition. The church is called to testify to Jesus while opposition is happening.

The olive trees and lampstands point to the Holy Spirit’s supply for this mission. God does not expect Christ’s witnesses to do this in their own strength. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” remains the fuel that keeps the flame of witness burning in a dark world. The word of God carries real authority, and every faithful testimony places eternal realities before people who need salvation.

The dragon in chapter 12 pulls back the curtain on the real battle. Satan stirs up individuals, powers, governments, and institutions against Christ and His people. The woman represents the faithful people of God, beautiful in God’s sight even when despised by the world. The dragon cannot destroy Christ, so he wages war against those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

The blood of the Lamb guarantees the outcome of this war. The word of believers’ testimony becomes an offensive against Satan, even when that witness brings backlash, suffering, or what looks like defeat. The church may be down at times, but it is never out. Christ’s blood ensures that faithful witness will not be wasted, and future believers may yet say, “Thank God for their faithful witness.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Witness until the very end. The church’s mission is not to sit back and merely survive until Christ returns. Christ commissions His people to testify in the middle of pressure, confusion, and opposition. Faithfulness means continuing to speak of Jesus when silence would feel safer. [08:11]
• 2. The Spirit fuels faithful witness. The feeling of inadequacy does not disqualify anyone from testifying to Christ. The oil of the Holy Spirit supplies what human courage and skill cannot produce. God’s mission is carried out not by personal force, but by His Spirit working through ordinary believers. [16:41]
• 3. Witnessing is spiritual warfare. Satan wants Christ’s people to treat opposition as nothing more than clashing opinions. Revelation exposes a deeper conflict in which the dragon works to silence testimony and weaken loyalty to Jesus. Every act of obedience and every courageous confession of Christ strikes back against that agenda. [23:48]
• 4. The Lamb guarantees ultimate victory. Faithful witness can look like failure when people reject the gospel or when believers suffer for it. Christ’s blood has already secured the final outcome, even when the church appears weak in the present moment. The word of testimony matters because it belongs to the victory Christ has won.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:22] - Revelation and the Spiritual War
• [01:30] - Sealed and Commissioned
• [02:15] - The Mighty Angel and Open Scroll
• [05:37] - The Sweet and Sour Scroll
• [08:11] - Witness Until the End
• [09:05] - The Church as God’s Temple
• [11:14] - The Two Witnesses
• [15:05] - Witnessing Is Not Forcing
• [16:21] - Empowered by the Holy Spirit
• [18:17] - God’s Word as Fire
• [21:04] - The Beast and Rising Opposition
• [22:30] - The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
• [29:38] - Obedience as an Offensive Against Satan
• [31:54] - Victory by the Lamb and Testimony
• [33:29] - Be Bold in Witnessing

Bible Reading

Revelation 12:11
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” [32:17]

Revelation 10:9-11
“So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, 'Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.' I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” [05:37]

Revelation 11:3-4
“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are 'the two olive trees' and the two lampstands, and 'they stand before the Lord of the earth.” [11:14]

Observation questions

1. In Revelation 10:9–11, what two contrasting reactions does John experience after receiving and eating the scroll, and what assignment follows?
2. What details in Revelation 11:3–4 connect the two witnesses with both lampstands and olive trees? [16:23]
3. According to the description of the witnesses, what is happening at the same time the holy city is being trampled? [11:14]
4. In Revelation 12:11, what two means of victory are named, and what does the verse say about the believers’ willingness to suffer? [32:17]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might the message of God’s kingdom, salvation, and coming judgment be both sweet and sour for believers who are called to share it? [07:02]
2. What does it mean that the two witnesses represent the whole community of believers rather than only two unusually gifted individuals? [13:37]
3. How do the olive trees and lampstands help explain why feelings of inadequacy do not remove a believer’s call to testify about Jesus? [17:16]
4. How does seeing opposition to Christ as part of spiritual warfare change the way believers should view people who reject, mock, or resist the gospel? [23:48]

Application questions

1. Who is one person in your life—a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor—who may need to hear a clear and caring word about Jesus? What would a simple first step in that conversation look like?
2. What usually makes you hesitate to speak about your faith: fear of rejection, not knowing what to say, concern about seeming pushy, or something else? How can sharing your beliefs respectfully differ from forcing them on someone? [15:05]
3. Where do you currently feel inadequate for the task God has given you? What would it look like this week to depend on the Holy Spirit’s strength rather than waiting until you feel fully prepared? [17:39]
4. Think of a recent situation where obedience to Christ cost you comfort, approval, convenience, or control. How might choosing obedience in that situation be part of resisting Satan’s work? [30:00]
5. Have you ever shared your faith and felt that it failed because the person did not respond well? How does Christ’s victory through His blood encourage faithfulness even when the results are not immediately visible? [32:32]
6. What kind of witness do you hope people will remember from your life? What specific action could help you become more faithful and courageous in pointing others to Jesus this week? [35:37]