Up To Heaven
(Rev 11:12~13)
Many years ago, a patient who had been in a coma, received the gospel, saying 'I accept the Lord!' before he passed away that night. Yet his wife fell prey to human grief over his death, forgetting the joy of his salvation. He was indebted for this salvation to his mother, a senior deaconess, who had constantly prayed for him. Lets think about the spectators who just look on the great event of salvation helplessly, without joining in.
1. The enemies watched the two witnesses ascension. The two witnesses were invited to Heaven after being mocked, killed, and raised from death after three and a half days. This shows us that the almighty Lord definitely revives the church in Christ Jesus. All the enemies did was watch them ascend to heaven. Just as Jesus disciples just watched Him ascend to heaven, we often miss the reality in our daily ascending incidents, looking on as mere spectators because of our pride and self-consciousness. What matters is focusing on the Word as we offer our daily worship as usual. Thats how we see ourselves objectively without being hurt by any verbal attack on us. The worst enemy is the one within us, who cant be lifted to Heaven, jeeringly looking on us as we are ignored and mocked by others. Husbands should not be roused to anger no matter how wives nag them. Without being united with God, by being as spectators, they are unable to solve their problems.
2. Some of the spectators were judged by God. A tenth of those in the great city who persecuted the church were destroyed by Gods justice and judgment. Although we sinners are also to be destroyed as the wages of our sins, God mercifully destroyed a tenth of us just as he did Egyptian eldest sons. We need to interpret it as the token of Gods compassion for us that we are not yet totally destroyed with seven woes to come. In 1937, a survey was done of 268 prominent students of Harvard University on the 7 most important factors of a happy life of the elderly on the basis of their 72 years lives. The factors are: the attitude of adapting to suffering, good education, a peaceful married life, no smoking, no alcohol, regular exercise, and maintaining a proper weight. What matters the most is having good relationships from childhood and being accustomed to big and small sufferings through a small group community and Sunday school. Education also matters because it teaches us to endure its process along with growth mindset and academic ability, not school background. During the time of Elijah, seven thousand people survived the attacks of the Baal believers, but in Revelation, only seven thousand people were killed while a great number of people were saved. Thus the book of Revelation shows us Gods abundant love for us.
3. Others were preserved by repenting their sins after the ascendance. The story of the two witnesses shows us that God never fails to reap the fruit of the witnesses blood sacrifice. Therefore, we need to wait and endure on earth, refraining from revenging ourselves on our enemies because God will do it for us in his time three and a half days. A few years ago, heartless parents were arrested for abandoning their son who was suffering from Downs syndrome. Who is truly a wretch, the child or the parents? God will protect the innocent deserted child, but He will judge those who deserted the child. So the parents are the poor wretches! They were unable to endure sufferings because they were raised as sheltered elites in their greenhouse. True happiness depends on how we respond with maturity to our sufferings. None of us can blame or judge them. We need to have mercy on them, whose misdeeds were due to their ignorance of God, and repent that we didnt bring them to God. Those who survived the woe of locusts didnt come back to the Lord, but lots of people repented of their sins after the two witnesses sacrifice. Thus proclaiming the gospel is important. We are changed not through woes but the Word and repentance through the gospel. The most wretched are those who are not saved by God, rebelling and grieving Him. The Bible regards sin as a bloody rebellion against the Creator and a proclamation of independence from the Lord. In all circumstances, we should be the first to repent of our negligence in sharing the Gospel and pray for others around us, remembering that our family was saved through our repentance. May God bless us not to be spectators but ascending witnesses working out our salvation with fear and trembling!
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 looked on (Rev 11:12).
