For three and a half days, some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
– Revelation 11:9–12
This is pretty graphic imagery of prophets who had spoken God’s Word and were killed as a result. And the world, people in the world, rejoicing over their death. That’s the whole picture here. Those who dwell on the earth as a reference to those who remain opposed to God and his Word, rejoicing over these prophets, making merry, exchanging presents over these people who had proclaimed God’s Word, who had died, these martyrs. And yet, after that, a voice from heaven speaks to those prophets, “Come up here.” The breath of life from God enters them and they go up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watch them.
Revelation 11:9–12 teaches us God will reward the faithful proclamation of his Word.
And the message is clear, for martyrs, this world and what this world does to them will not be the last word. For martyrs and how this world thinks about them, this world will not have the last word. God will have the last word. Just think about our persecuted brothers and sisters right now, for whom people are rejoicing over their imprisonment or rejoicing over their death, to know that God is for them and God will bring them home, that God will reward them for their faithful proclamation of his word, their faithful love toward people who rejected and killed them.
So let’s pray for the faith of our persecuted sisters and brothers around the world right now, and let’s pray that we would have this kind of faith that is so fixed on heaven and heavenly reward that we would gladly endure rejection or whatever cost may come our way as a result of sharing, proclaiming the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Oh God, we pray for our persecuted sisters and brothers right now.
Revelation 11:9–12 encourages us to continue sharing the gospel without fear.
Those who are in prison, those who are following you at the risk of their lives right now, those who are following you in really hard places where it’s very costly to follow you. God, strengthen them, we pray. Help them to know in a fresh way today, even in this moment, that you are with them and for them and what they are doing, following you, sharing the gospel in those hard places, that it’s worth it.
And God, at the same time, we pray for our own lives, for every single one of us, wherever we are, especially in places where we have freedom to proclaim the gospel. God, help us to do so, boldly, without hesitation, without fear. Lord, help us to share Jesus today with other people, without fear, without fear of what someone may say about us or think about us, because we know what you will say and what you think in the end is all that matters. God, deliver us from fear of what other people think and might say about us on this earth.
Prayer for the Limin People of China
Lord, we pray specifically for the spread of the gospel to the Limin people of China, the small minority people group in China, knowing that the Limin and other unreached people like them are hard to reach, difficult to reach, and in some places dangerous to reach. God, we pray that you would cause your church to go anyway, to proclaim the gospel anyway, and even when it costs the church followers of Jesus, our lives, God, help us to be faithful unto death knowing that death is not the end of our story. We pray all of this according to your Word in Revelation 11:9–12. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
