Roche Coleman Ministries: The Infusion Broadcast

Dr. Roche Coleman: He said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." He said, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." But the part I really like is He said, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Anybody know that God can do that?

Don't worry about the enemies. Don't worry about the adversary. Don't worry about the beast that comes up out of the abyss. All we have to focus on is our God and know that our God, He'll make the table. He'll allow us to dine. He will allow us to rejoice because God is the Resurrector and God will allow us to stand and be in His presence and give Him glory forevermore. If you believe that, give the Lord a handclap of praise.

Guest (Male): Thanks for joining us on the Infusion Broadcast with Roche Coleman Ministries. Dr. Coleman continues teaching today from the book of Revelation, Chapter 10, in our series on Heaven. The events outlined in this book reveal all that's in store for humanity and the clear distinction of what believers in Jesus Christ and what those who reject Him will face. We see the absolute power and authority of God over all things, and here's Dr. Coleman now as he brings part two of the message "Extraordinary Witness."

Dr. Roche Coleman: There's been so much ink wasted on who are the two witnesses. Many believe it could potentially be Enoch back in the book of Genesis. Many believe that it could be John the Baptist. Others believe they are just non-descript individuals whom the Lord will select during the tribulation period to function in these offices as prophetic voices to the masses.

So we are not sure, and there are others we could list, but these are some of the more reputable options that are out there. But I'm convinced if you look at the activities of these two individuals, the most likely candidates would be Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah.

If you look at the activity of Moses, Moses performed so many miraculous signs when he was there in Egypt. God used those signs by Moses to authenticate him to two different people, maybe even three. Number one, Moses performed those signs to authenticate him to the people, Israel, who were in bondage.

The Israelites needed to know that God sent them a redeemer through the person of Moses, and so Moses performed these miracles to authenticate himself before the people. But then it authenticated Moses to Pharaoh. Those signs that Moses performed were against the over 360 deities that lived and dwelled in the pantheon of deities in Egypt.

Every one of those miraculous signs that Moses performed were against one of the gods of the Egyptians. What is he doing? He's demonstrating that the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is superior to the gods of the Egyptians. And so Moses performed these signs.

Also, we are going to see with Elijah, Elijah performed many miraculous signs and wonders as well. You can see the list. Elijah called fire down from heaven. Elijah performed these signs that were able to make people understand that he is potentially one of these witnesses, and one of the key things that he does is he calls for a drought, which is one of the activities we're going to see of these two witnesses.

So these two individuals most likely are the candidates for the two witnesses. Six things I put here I want you to see real quickly. Six things I put here that I believe would serve as support for Moses and Elijah for the two witnesses. The miraculous signs that parallel the witnesses they performed, number one.

Number two, they both were seen on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus Christ. Number three, Elijah was translated just like Enoch, caught up with the chariots of fire by Elisha of the Lord, and he did not experience death. Moses died, but who buried Moses? God himself.

Also, Moses turned water to blood. Elijah called fire from heaven, and I believe that their death in the tribulation will lead to their resurrection bodily, which also substantiates potentially the fulfillment of all righteousness, which is why I believe Moses and Elijah are candidates, and there could be others, but I'm going to stop right there.

Why is this important? It's important because we want to try to grasp why would God use them. He tells us something about these witnesses. If you look further in the text, important here, I want you to see it. When you slide down here to verse five, it says that if anyone wants to harm these two witnesses, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies.

So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. It's as if God took a page out of our sci-fi, and these are fire-breathing prophets like dragons, something off of a cartoon. But when they open their mouths for those who come against them, the Lord allows them to kill their enemies with fire that comes out of their mouths. Somebody said, "I would love to have that gift right about now." We've got a few enemies we want to deal with in a forthright manner. I love it. I love it.

But look at verse six. It says these have the power. Look at the powers that God gives them: fire to harm their enemies, power to shut up the sky, power so that rain would not fall. He called for a drought. All of the days of their prophesying, they possess these powers. It doesn't stop there.

They have power to cover the waters to turn them into blood. See, these are the activities of Moses and Elijah, and their abilities during their ministry parallel the ministry of these two witnesses and power to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire. They are doing this for 42 months, 1,260 days. God is allowing them to prophesy.

But I want you to see this: God protects them during their ministry. Is there anybody who walked in here this morning with any fear in your life? Are you fearful? Listen to me and I want you to hear me. God can protect and cover you. Listen. I want you to get it in your spirit. Listen.

God not only can, but God will protect and cover you. I want you to receive that. You young people, I really want you to receive that today. This does not mean that I would walk through the most violent community that I could find and say, "Oh, God's going to cover me." No, there's something called wisdom.

I would not walk in a field that is covered with landmines and say, "Well, God is going to cover me." That would be foolish. But if I am living my life, if I carry on the normal behaviors of my duties, I expect God, no matter how many enemies I may have or adversaries, I expect my God to cover and keep me.

I don't concern myself with the enemies and the foes around me. I don't worry about them. Why? Because I believe that my God, who has purpose for me, who has a plan for me, who has placed me, who has planted me, that He will cover and keep me until my season is done.

It is useless for you and I to try to worry and fret when the psalmist has already told us in Scripture. He says, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of workers of iniquity." He said, "Very soon they will fade like the grass." And so it is not for us to worry about the enemies. The Lord will deal with those adversaries.

And that's what He does. He tells these witnesses, He says, "I have a specified number of days for you to prophesy." He says, "You do your work, you are protected. I'm giving you powers to preserve you and to keep you." He said, "And I just want you to do what I've called you to do for your season when I planted you in the tribulation period. And I will cover and care for you."

Relax in the Lord and trust Him. That's what these witnesses had to do in this tribulation period, and God used them. And they are proclaiming the word of God to a people who reject God's word. They proclaim the word of God to a people who recoil, who detest them. And God used them for their season until their season is done.

Once their season is done, then the Lord transitions them from labor to reward. Look at what the Bible says in verse seven: "When they have finished their testimony." Here again, testimony, witnessing, same word that is used there in the Greek. Different forms of the word, but same concept of being the spokesperson, ambassadors of God.

It says, "The beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them." The abyss is this area that's described in Revelation Chapter 9. In Revelation Chapter 9, we saw the abyss. The angel had the key to the abyss, symbolizing that God keeps everything in His sovereign authority.

But the angel opens the abyss, and when he opens it, this dark smoke emanates. All of these demons and dastardly features come out. All of these malevolent and just wicked, dark, sinister creatures emerge. And now we see the beast emerging, which I believe is none other than Satan who comes up out of the abyss.

The Bible says that this beast, which I believe is Satan here, he makes war with the two witnesses. Look in your Bible. Underline this. Underline war in verse seven because he makes war with them and overcomes and he kills them. Why does the beast eventually kill them? Because their season is done.

Their service is done. God allows us to serve for a period of time and then God says it is over and He has a new phase for them. But you have to understand that this is a war that ensues between the beast and these two witnesses. Why is this important? Because the Christian life is a war.

It's important that we teach believers to prepare for war, and in war there are always casualties, unfortunately. But in the spiritual realm, which we are operating in here, this is a spiritual realm. There is a spiritual battle that ensues. And let me tell you something, this is not two-hand touch, to use a football analogy.

In football, you can play various types. There's two-hand touch where you touch the person with the ball to stop them with two hands, just tap. Not a push, but just touch, soft. Then there's flag football. Flags on both hips and you run with the ball and to stop them, you grab their flag. That's not violent.

But then there's the gladiator football of the '70s and before, not contemporary where you can't touch the quarterback and you can't touch the wide receiver. No bump and run. I'm talking about Lester Hayes, that dirty Raiders football. You're five yards out of bounds and they still hit you. You might be coming out of the tunnel and somebody will swing on you.

That football, that's how the Christian life is. The enemy doesn't play fair. He doesn't care if you're inside the lines, he'll hit you anyway. You can be getting popcorn in war, he'll hit you. He doesn't care. That's how the spiritual life is. There is no zone where the enemy will not attack and come against you as a force. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Oh, I like it.

He kills them. Why? Because it's a war. They are casualties of the war and it seems like they're defeated. Look what happens, because it shows you the sinister nature of the people during the tribulation period. Look at verse eight: "Their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city," and he says it's mystically called Sodom and Egypt. What does he mean by that?

Where our Lord was crucified. Jerusalem is where he's referring to where our Lord died. And he's saying mystically, meaning the spirit that was there in Sodom, of perversion, lawlessness, all sorts of lascivious behavior, it characterized Jerusalem right now. The spirit that was in Egypt, barbarism, bondage, held captive and enslaved to sin, that spirit was cultivating Jerusalem.

And he said that spirit is there, and it is that place where the bodies of these two witnesses are lying out there. Why? Because it has the spirit of perversion, it has the spirit of bondage, it has the spirit of wickedness and all sorts of horrid behavior happens there. And so as a result of that, this is why they leave the bodies out there.

Not giving those who are created in the imago Dei a proper befitting burial of human beings, and their bodies are lying out there and you smell the putrid foulness of decaying flesh as they are lying out there for three and a half days. And the Bible lets us know further in this text the whole world is going to see this.

Look, verse nine: people from every tribe, tongue, nation, look on the dead bodies for three and a half days and they said you don't bury their bodies. I believe because of our Lord who rose the third day, they're saying, "No, there will not be anything miraculous happening with these guys." And I think they have seen the miraculous signs they performed and so they were anticipating that they were going to rise.

And so I'm certain they set up a camera somewhere and live-streamed it for three and a half days. It was on every social media feed and people took out their phones and they could see the bodies lying there. But I want to let you know that God is a good God and He will not leave us in a harmful situation.

Verse 10 says they're rejoicing over them. Look at that verse. They're rejoicing over the death. They celebrate, they're having a Mardi Gras parade enjoying themselves because of these two prophets who tormented those who were on the earth with their words. And now they're celebrating and enjoying because they are rejoicing over this, making merry, and they're sending gifts to one another because of their hatred for righteousness.

And it degenerates into an unconscionable depth of inhumane behavior. And I believe all of this is because of the influence of the beast. This fiendish, malevolent behavior happens because they have dropped to a level of wickedness. And I believe they leave their bodies out there as a display of defiance and triumph.

They believe they're victorious. You recall in 1 Samuel 31 when they had the body of Saul and they hung it up as a sign of victory. But one of the things that they don't know is that the Lord is still on the throne. All of the demonic forces are there and they're circumventing just basic social norms. And they're lying there and all of a sudden, the Lord begins to move.

The Bible says in verse 11, "After three days and a half, the breath of life from God came into them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell upon those who were watching them." Isn't that amazing what God does, how God can do something supernatural? Let me tell you something, God can do it. We talk about something being dead all the time, but I'm telling you that God can breathe life into dead situations.

God can resurrect. God can do it, and He does this for these individuals. And they hear a loud voice because this is the resurrection of them. They are resurrected in verse 11 and verse 12, now they get their ascension. "Come up here!" And then they went up into heaven in the clouds in their bodies. Everybody watched them as they go up.

What is God doing? God is allowing those enemies, those who hate them, who rejoiced at them, to see them victorious. I know some of you guys remember, some of you don't remember, you're not old enough, but in 2001 I still remember where I was sitting. I was having breakfast with my buddy Skip, and we were sitting there and I remember I got the news of what happened in New York.

Those two towers that symbolized financial stability, strength, the rigor of United States, the American spirit, when those towers tumbled. I remember how there were so many people in the cities there, in the streets of New York, you could see the images of people just crying and embracing and hugging one another, people they didn't know, and there was such a unity that existed seen, people just were people.

The fear that gripped them, the uncertainty. People were afraid, they were sad. But in Gaza, there were Palestinians that were celebrating it. There were passing out candy, they were clapping, and they were hoisting the V sign for victory. They were rejoicing at the fall of the Twin Towers. There were people in the United States of America from Palestine and Gaza that were celebrating the demise of those towers and the deaths.

And the same happens with the two witnesses. Why? Because there's a hatred. And if you don't believe it happened, go back and look at the footage from 2001 on 9/11. You'll be amazed at what people will celebrate when you are at your darkest moment. But the one thing I love is that the God of glory, in verse 11 first of all, He resurrected them.

But then after He resurrected those two witnesses, the Lord says, "Y'all come on up." He said, "No longer will you have to stay on an earth where there's darkness and desperation." He says, "Come on up." He says, "I have a greater plan for you." And guess what happens? Those who hated them, their enemies in verse 12, they had to watch it all transpire.

I love this because it reminds me of Psalm 23 as we close. Anybody know Psalm 23, the 23rd Psalm? He says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." He says, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." But the part I really like is He said, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Anybody know that God can do that?

Don't worry about the enemies. Don't worry about the adversary. Don't worry about the beast that comes up out of the abyss. All we have to focus on is our God and know that our God, He'll make the table. He'll allow us to dine. He will allow us to rejoice because God is the Resurrector and God will allow us to stand and be in His presence and give Him glory forevermore. If you believe that, give the Lord a handclap of praise.

Our impact fact for today is this. I want you to see it. Believers must remain faithful to the Lord in every season of life. In every season, let's remain faithful just like the witnesses. God has given us a time, a season to serve, and we have to remain faithful. Why do we remain faithful? Because God one day, He's going to resurrect and reward us for our faithfulness to Him.

Let us pray. Father, we love You, we thank You, and we give You glory. And we are so delighted to see how You have this plan for the future. Lord, help us to remain faithful in our season, the church age, and be thankful, Lord God, that You will be with us. Do a work and we will give You the glory. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Guest (Male): What a powerful statement, not only with regard to these two witnesses, Dr. Coleman, but also that God breathes life into our dead situations as well. No matter how hopeless we think our situation is, when we surrender it and cry out to God, He's promised to work things out for the good of those who love Him.

Friends, I want to encourage you to get plugged into a local church wherever you reside. If you don't have a home church and live in Houston or the surrounding areas, Dr. Coleman's the senior pastor of the Impact Church of the Woodlands in The Woodlands, Texas. Sunday worship times begin at 8:00 and 10:45 AM, and the church is located at 5401 Shadowbend Place, The Woodlands, Texas, 77381. There are ministries for children, youth, young adults, women and men, and it's a church that's passionate about serving our community. We hope you'll stop by.

Our Impact Thought for today is: Believers must remain faithful to the Lord in every season of life. Whatever season we may be in, let's be faithful to share His love and the message of salvation with those around us.