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JESUS TWO WITNESSES(Acts, Part II)

A Study of Revelation 10:1 11:13

Prepared by Rick Toews

The Daniel and Revelation Sabbath School Class

Camarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church

www.danielrevelation.com


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Introduction

The annual festivals God gave to Israel (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Day

of Atonement, Tabernacles) are a template explaining various phases of the plan of salvation in earths

history. These festivals were not evenly distributed throughout the year; rather, the first four of them

came at the beginning of the year, in the spring, around the time of the spring harvest. The last three

came around the time of the autumn harvest. The festivals associated with the spring harvest seem topoint to things that were fulfilled at Jesus first coming, and the festivals associated with the autumn

harvest seem to point to things that will be fulfilled near the time of his second coming. I see references

to each of the autumn festivals in Revelation.

The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11 talks about the two witnesses, but the prophecy actually begins in Revelation 10.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a

rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars

(Revelation 10:1).

We can identify this angel with Jesus Christ. This point is essential to the following understanding of theprophecy on the Two Witnesses.

This opening scene of Revelation 10 appears to be strongly connected with Jesus ascension to heaven in

Acts 1. A week and a half before Pentecost, Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the

gift promised from the Father: baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Quoting from verse 8 to verse 11:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

After he had said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their

sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in

white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the

sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way

you have seen him go into heaven.

Here, Jesus is ascending to heaven in a cloud around the time of the spring harvest and just before the

Holy Spirit is to be poured out at Pentecost. The angels state that he will come back in the same way that

his disciples have seen him go. Just prior to this, Jesus had promised his disciples the baptism of the Holy

Spirit, which would prepare them to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, the surrounding regions, and to the

whole world (Acts 1:8); and just before his crucifixion, Jesus had identified his witnesses as the Spirit of

truth from the Father and his apostles (John 15:26-27). Further, in the wake of Pentecost, when the

apostles were called before the council of the high priest, Peter testified to Jesus death and resurrection as

Savior and stated that we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God hasgiven to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).

Now, in Revelation 10, Jesus comes down from heaven, as an angel, in the same way in which he

ascended just before Pentecost; and, in chapter 11, he declares that he will give power to his two

witnesses. It is important to recognize the connection between the time of Pentecost and the prophecy of

the two witnesses, because it is by understanding the account of Pentecost that we will be able to

understand about the two witnesses of Revelation.


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The Spring Harvest and the Autumn Harvest

Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, was the last of the yearly festivals observed during the spring and

associated with the spring harvest. It was through the Spirit of truth and the apostles that God brought

forth the harvest of believers at Pentecost (Acts 2).

In the yearly cycle, there was not only a spring harvest but also an autumn harvest; and Revelation 14

specifically describes this harvest. Just as God sent the Spirit of truth to Jesus apostles to bring forth the

spring harvest, so he will send his Spirit of truth to Jesus modern-day apostles to bring forth the

autumn harvest.

In the spring harvest, Jesus two witnesses were the Spirit of truth and the 12 apostles, whom he had

chosen. At that time, the harvest consisted of the 3,000 who were saved at Pentecost, as well as those the

Lord added to them daily. In the autumn harvest, I understand the two witnesses to be the Spirit of truth

and the 144,000 servants of God who are specially sealed. I understand the harvest to consist of the great

multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, introduced just after the 144,000 (Revelation 7:9-

17).

Spring harvest Autumn harvestJesus witnesses: Spirit of truth,

12 apostles

Jesus witnesses: Spirit of truth,

144,000 servants of God

Harvest: 3,000 plus those the

Lord added daily to their

number.

Harvest: Great multitude that

no one could count from every

nation, tribe, people, and

language.

The Mystery of God

In Revelation 10:5-7, John sees the angel raise his right hand to heaven and swear by him who lives

forever and ever, who created the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and everything that is in them: There

will be no more no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the

mystery of God will be accomplished.

What is the mystery of God that is to be accomplished just before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet? I

find the beginning of the answer in Ephesians 3:6. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles

are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ

Jesus. In other words, before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, the gospel will go to the Gentiles,

and God will call his people from among them. It is to the Gentiles, or the nations, that the two witnesses

will be prophesying; and, judging from the multitude in Revelation 7, many, many of them will accept

Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The Gentiles are to share with Israel in the promise in Christ Jesus. What is the promise in which the

Gentiles are to share? I believe it is the promise of Gods blessing, which he gave to Abram: All nationswill be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3). In Galatians 3, Paul quotes Genesis 12:3 to illustrate the

gospel and explains how we come to share in the promise of Gods blessing:

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in

advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you (verse 8).

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:

Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to


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Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the

promise of the Spirit (verses 13-14).

As Paul indicates, the gospel is the message of Gods blessing. This blessing comes by faith in Jesus

Christ, who is Abrahams seed (see Galatians 3:16). Notice, though, that before the blessing came to us,

we had to be delivered from the curse of the law, which we had fallen under because we are naturally out

of harmony with it. The law is an expression of Gods character; therefore, those who are by naturelawbreakers are under a curse. (It is not that there is anything wrong with Gods character; the problem is

with us.) Jesus took this curse on himself when he was crucified, or hung on a tree and so redeemed us

from it.

Now that Jesus Christ has redeemed us by removing the curse, the way is open for us to receive Gods

blessing. This is what the proclamation of the gospel is about, and in order for the mystery of God to be

accomplished, the gospel must be proclaimed to the Gentiles. This proclamation is found in the message

of the first angel of Revelation 14. John writes:

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those

who live on the earthto every nation, tribe, language, and people. He said in a loud voice,

Fear God, and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who

made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water (verses 6-7).

The good news of Gods blessing and the call to worship our Creator will be proclaimed to every person

on earth within the short space of about three and one-half years. Then, when everyone has chosen either

to accept salvation through Jesus Christ or to follow his own way, the mystery of God will be

accomplished.

Rebuilding the Temple

Before the gospel is carried to the world in its fullness, the temple of God must be finished. Stated in

plain English, that means that Gods people (his temple) have become one in spirit through the love of

Jesus so that they love one another. This love is the badge of authority that identifies us as Jesus

disciples (John 13:35). Just before Jesus was crucified, he prayed for his disciples and for all who would

believe in him through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am

in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:21).

When this unity of the body of Christ is achieved, his Spirit will fill the believers, and they will be

empowered to proclaim the gospel to the world.

The Bible prophesies about the building up of Gods temple in this way:

After this I will return and rebuild Davids fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore

it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the

Lord, who does these things (Acts 15:16-17, quoted from Amos 9:11-12).

We can understand the temple to be not a physical structure but the body of Jesus Christ on earth, madeup of his disciples. Ephesians 2:19-22 says, Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners,

but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the

foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the

whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being

built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. See also 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Peter 2:4-5.


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But first, the Shaking

The quotation in Acts 15 begins with the word After this Going back to the source of the quotation,

we find that it is after the house of Israel goes through a time of shaking that Davids fallen tent is

restored:

Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the faceof the earthyet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob, declares the Lord.

For I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain

is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. All the sinners among my people

will die by the sword, all those who say, Disaster will not overtake or meet us (Amos 9:8-10).

It is my understanding that, before the message of the first angel in Revelation 14 goes out in its fullness

to the world, those who profess to be Jesus disciples will be tested to see if they will remain faithful to

him. Many who make a profession may yield their faith when thus tested, but the result of this process

will be that God will have people who are 100% committed to him and can represent him clearly before

the world. Compare this with Israels experience around the time of their second census and when they

crossed the Jordan.

In Numbers 25, the Israelites are tempted into idolatry. As a bit of background, the prophet Balaam had

been bribed to try to put a curse on Gods people Israel; however, God would only allow him to bless

them. As long as Israel remained faithful to God, they would have his blessing, and no curse could come

upon them. Well, Balaam found a way to curse Israel

Numbers 25:1-2 says, While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual

immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. As a result of Israels

immorality and idolatry, God sent a plague among them that destroyed 24,000. The plague was stopped

when Phinehas, the son of the high priest, followed an Israelite man into his tent and drove a spear

through him and the Moabite woman he was with. After this, Numbers 26 tells that God commanded a

census to be taken of the whole Israelite community. (Cf. measure the temple of God and the altar, and

count the worshippersRevelation 11:1.) Shortly after this, they crossed the Jordan and took Jericho.

The marriage relationship kept pure between husband and wife is closely associated in the Bible with true

worship, and sexual immorality is closely linked with false worship. In his message to the angel of the

church at Pergamum, Jesus alludes to the incident in Numbers 25, warning that there are some in the

ranks whose object is to lead his people astray.

I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,

who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by

committing sexual immorality Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will

fight against them with the sword of my mouth (Revelation 2:14,16).

Jesus message to the church of Thyatira contains a similar but stronger rebuke:

I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By

her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to

idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her

on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely,

unless they repent of her ways (Revelation 2:20-22).

These two passages mention false worship (eating food sacrificed to idols) and sexual immorality,

suggesting that the problem of immorality in the church is not merely a reference to false worship.

Further, the reprimand is not merely directed at those who subversively encourage the immorality within


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the church (following in Balaams footsteps) or who actually engage in it. The reprimand is directed also

at those who know about it and put up with it. Is sexual immorality worse than other sin? Paul says,

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins

sexually sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18).

The Little Scroll

In Revelation 10, the angel is holding an open scroll in his hand. The voice from heaven tells John to

take the scroll from the angels hand, so John asks the angel to give him the scroll. The angel says to

John, Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.

After John eats the scroll, he is told, You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages,

and kings.

The experience of John is very similar to that of Ezekiel, recorded in the first few chapters of his book.

John and Ezekiel both encountered the same being (the Son of God), and they were both given a scroll to

eat, which contained a message they were to prophesy. Ezekiel was to bear a message calling the house of

Israel to repentance (see Ezekiel 2 and 3); and I believe the message John is given is also a call to

repentance, given first to the house of Israel. Perhaps this message is to be instrumental in the shaking

process described above.

Measuring the Temple, Counting the Worshippers

Next, John is given a measuring stick and is told to measure the temple of God and the altar, and to count

the worshippers. He is, however, told not to measure the outer court, since it has been given to the

nations.

To measure something is to compare it with an objective standard. I believe this is a time of judgment,

indicating that the shaking of the house of Israel has done its work and Gods ambassadors to the

nations have been purified and tested. In other words, Davids fallen tent has been restored so that the

body of Christ can be a refuge for the nations. The text says to measure the altar. I dont quite

understand this, but I suspect it may have something to do with the completion of the work of intercession

at the golden altar before the throne (Revelation 8:3-5), which ends just before the seven trumpets begin to

sound. The text further says to count the worshippers. Numbers 26 tells how the army of Israel was

counted just before Israel crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan. The first city they attacked was Jericho,

which fell when the priests sounded the seven trumpets.

Excluding The Outer Court

The outer court was not measured yet. I have understood this to mean that, while the judgment of the

body of Christ has begun, the judgment of the nations has not, since the gospel hasnt yet gone out them.

The work of carrying the gospel to the nations is evidently given to the two witnesses; and when it is

finished, the earth will be harvested (Revelation 14).

Meanwhile, the nations will trample the holy city for 42 months. I understand this to be the times of the

Gentiles Jesus spoke of in Luke 21:24: Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times ofthe Gentiles are fulfilled. Revelation 13:5-7 refers also to this time, indicating that it is a time of intense

persecution against the saints.

To get a clear picture of what is happening here, we need to understand from Revelation that several

things are going on at this time: the four winds have been released and are bringing harm to the land, the

sea, and the trees (Revelation 7), the seven trumpets of warning have begun to sound, bringing a number

of natural and spiritual calamities (Revelation 8-9), the two witnesses are prophesying (Revelation 11),

and the beast has come out of the sea and is exercising its world-wide authority (Revelation 13).


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In the story of Revelation, everyone is polarized to belong to one of two cities: the New Jerusalem (the

holy city) or Babylon the Great (which rules over the kings of the earth). The two witnesses are

proclaiming the everlasting gospel and calling those who havent heard it yet to worship their Creator (the

one who made the very things that the trumpets are affecting); and they are declaring that the worlds

system, which received its power and authority from Satan, is false and cannot be relied upon to endure a

crisis.

On the other side, the worlds system (symbolized as a beast with seven heads and ten horns) represents

mans solution to a crisisself-preservation. Because of its apparent invincibility (one of its heads

recovered from a fatal wound), it looks like a good place to turn for help. This beast is given power for 42

months to blaspheme God and make war against his saints. Revelation 13:7 indicates that the saints will

be conquered. This is the trampling of the holy city for 42 months by the Gentiles.

Jesus Two Witnesses

In Revelation 11:3, Jesus says, I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260

days clothed in sackcloth.

It should already be clear that, if we use the account of Pentecost to help us understand this prophecy,

Jesus two witnesses are the Spirit of truth and the apostles (John 15:26-27). I believe these modern-dayapostles to be specifically the 144,000 servants of God introduced in chapter 7. Whereas Jesus chose 12

men to be his apostles at the time of the spring harvest, he will choose 12,000 from the 12 tribes of

Israel to be his apostles at the time of the autumn harvest.

Note on Israel: In the Bible, the name Israel is not of human origin; rather, it is a name God gave

specifically to one who had wrestled with him and prevailed. Israels descendants were those God called

out of Egypt for the express purpose of being his ambassadors to the nations (Exodus 19:5-6). It is in this

sense that I understand the 144,000 to be sealed from the 12 tribes of Israel: they are a select group of

people from among Heavens ambassadors to earth.

Olive Trees and Lampstands

Revelation 11:4 reads These [Jesus two witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands

standing before the God of the earth.

Zechariah 4 refers to two olive trees and one lampstand with seven lights. The angel who was talking

with Zechariah explained their meaning:

He said to me, This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by

my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.

What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he

will bring out the capstone to shouts of God bless it! God bless it!

Then the word of the Lord came to me: The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation ofthis temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent

me to you (Zechariah 4:6-9).

Zerubbabel was the governor of Judea and the one overseeing the work of rebuilding the Lords temple.

The message here is that the work is to be accomplished not by human might or power but by the power of

the Spirit of the Lord. Nevertheless, as the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of the temple

and would also finish it, it is through the human agent that the Spirit accomplishes the Lords work. The

olive trees represent the Spirit, and the lampstand represents the human agent.


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I understand the olive trees to correspond to the Spirit of truth and the lampstands to correspond to the

apostles. Conceptually, olive trees provide oil, which must be contained so it can burn and provide light;

and lampstands are the containers for the olive oil. This goes along with 1 Corinthians 3:16: You are

Gods temple, and Gods Spirit lives in you.

The length of time the two witnesses prophesy is 1,260 days. I believe this to be a literal 1,260 days, or

the equivalent of nearly three and one-half years. In Revelation 12, the woman is chased by the dragonfor 1,260 days, which I understand to represent a historical 1,260 years. During these 1,260 years,

Gods saints suffered persecution at the hands of those who professed to be Gods church. I believe that

this is an indication of what the 1,260 days of the two witnesses will be like.

Elijah and Moses

Revelation 11:5-6 says, And if anyone 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. These have power to

shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn

them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

These two verses clearly allude to two great prophets of the Old Testament: Elijah and Moses. The

pairing of these prophets is most interesting. They are the two who are mentioned in the last prophecy ofthe Old Testamenta prophecy concerning the great and dreadful Day of the Lord, they are the two who

came down from Heaven to Jesus on the mountain where he was transfigured, and they are two of the

three people who went to Heaven before Jesus first advent (one was translated, the other resurrected).

The work of these two prophets helps us to understand the work of the two witnesses.

The references to Elijah and Moses are explained as follows:

Elijah

If anyone 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. I have understood this to be a reference to an

experience of Elijah, recorded in 2 Kings 1. Quoting verses 9-10:

Then he [king Ahaziah] sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went

up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, Man of God, the king says,

Come down! Elijah answered the captain, If I am a man of God, may fire come down from

heaven and consume you and your fifty men! Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the

captain and his men.

While the actual fire didnt issue from Elijahs mouth, the word that brought it certainly did.

The first part of Revelation 11:6 says, These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days

of their prophecy. This, too, is a reference to Elijah. 1 Kings 17:1 says, Now Elijah the Tishbite, from

Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be

neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.

This verse isnt specific about the amount of time for which it wouldnt rain, stating it merely as a few

years. Jesus, however, specified that the time was three and one-half years (Luke 4:25); and James

reiterates that in James 5:17. Revelation 11:3 states that the two witnesses are to prophesy for 1,260 days,

which is three and one-half yearsthe same amount of time as in the account of Elijah.


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Moses

The rest of Revelation 11:6 says, and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the

earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. Anyone acquainted with the story of Moses leading the

children of Israel out of Egypt should recognize the references here. The first plague on Egypt, which is

recorded in Exodus 7:14-24, is the turning of the waters of Egypt into blood. The plagues then continue

through chapter 11.

To summarize so far, Revelation 11:5-6 clearly associate Jesus two witnesses with Elijah and Moses. It is

not that Moses and Elijah will come down from heaven and be Jesus two witnesses in the time of the end,

nor is it saying that two men like Moses and Elijah will be Jesus two witnesses. (Remember, Jesus two

witnesses have already been identified as the Spirit of truth and the apostles.) Rather, it is saying that the

work of the two witnesses will resemble the work of Moses and Elijah.

Elijah and Moses before the Day of the Lord

Lets look at the last prophecy in the Old Testament. Malachi 4 is speaking of the coming Day of the

Lord. It describes it as follows:

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will bestubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root

or branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will

rise with healing in its wings.

Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He

will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers;

or else I will come and strike the land with a curse (verses 1-2, 4-6).

As we can see, the last prophecy of the Old Testament scriptures contains a reminder of the Law God gave

to Moses and a promise that the prophet Elijah would come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Is it a coincidence that the description of the two witnesses clearly alludes to both Elijah and Moses? I

dont think so. Lets look at the work of these two great prophets, because that will tell us about the work

of the two witnesses.

Elijah the Reconciler

Elijah is the Reconciler: the one who will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts

of the children to their fathers. The story of particular interest is in 1 Kings 18:16-39. Verse 37

emphasizes the work of reconciliation. In Elijahs prayer to the Lord, he says, Answer me, O Lord,

answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts

back again.

If you have read the story, or are already familiar with it, you see that it is the account of Elijah calling thepeople to worship the true God. As he puts it, If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow

him (verse 21). He is calling the people to stop wavering in indecision about whether to follow God or

Baal. Now look at the message of the first angel in Revelation 14: Fear God and give him glory, because

the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the

springs of water (verse 7). This, too, is a call to worship the true Godthe Creator. I believe this will

be the first message proclaimed by the two witnesses.

In briefly studying the ministry of Elijah, it is apparent that the work of the two witnesses will include

calling the nations to worship the true Godthe Creator. They will present him as a loving Father who


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deeply desires a relationship with every person. They will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children

and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

Moses the Deliverer, the Lawgiver

Now, lets look a bit at Moses. Moses is the one who leads Gods people out of slavery. He is also the

Lawgiver. The children of Israel had been in slavery in Egypt for a long time, and God sent his servantMoses to call them out of that. The Lords word to Pharaoh was, Let my people go, so that they may

worship me in the desert. The implication is that the people had to be set free before they could worship

God in the way he desired. The message for us appears to be that we must be set free from slavery to sin

before we can worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

After a number of increasingly severe plagues, the Egyptians finally drove the children of Israel out; and,

in the third month after the Exodus, God spoke to them from Mount Sinai. He identified himself as the

Lord their God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, and he gave them ten basic

commandments, which he wrote down on tables of stone. These commandments are not arbitrary rules

meant to make life difficult; rather, they are an expression of Gods character, and God has made a

covenant with his people to write his laws not just on tables of stone but on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3;

Hebrews 10:16).

The work of the two witnesses, then, will include a call to the nations to leave behind their slavery to sin

and worship God by keeping his commandments, for it is only by living in harmony with Gods law

(which is an expression of his holy character) that anyone can live in harmony with God. It is Gods

promise to write his laws on our hearts so that, as we cultivate a relationship with him, we will come to do

by impulse that which pleases him.

The Two Witnesses Are Killed

Revelation 11:7 says, When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit

will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

The symbols Jesus used to represent his two witnesses are olive trees and lampstands (11:4). Neither of

these functions independently of the other. One fills a lamp with oil, lights it, and has illumination.

Without the lampstand, though, there is no container for the oil, so the oil cannot be ignited to provide a

light that can be carried throughout the world. On the other hand without the oil to put in the lamp, there

also can be no illumination, because there is nothing to light. Both elements are needed to provide light;

and, in the illustration Jesus chose, neither works without the other. (It is not that God is powerless to do

his work without human agents but rather that he chooses to operate through human agents.)

Body + Spirit = Living Being

Lets go off on what may appear to be a tangent for the moment and look at Genesis 2:7. The Lord God

formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man

became a living being. Here is the formula for a living being: body (formed, in this case, out of the dust

of the ground) plus breath of life. Although both the body and the breath can exist separately, it is onlywhen they are brought together by God that a living being results. When the body and the breath are

separated, the body is buried and decays; and the breath, or spirit, returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes

12:7). The living being does not exist as long as these two elements are apart. A good way to think of

this is by comparing the body with a light bulb and the breath of life with electricity. The light that is

produced when electricity is applied to the light bulb is like the living being that results from the union of

body and breath of life. This is a good illustration, because it can help us to see that, just as the light bulb,

the electricity, and the actual light are three separate things, so the body, the breath, and the living being

are three separate things.


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In Revelation 11:3, Jesus says, I will give power to my two witnesses. Those who believe in Jesus

Christ are collectively referred to as his body (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff; Ephesians 1:22-23;

etc.), and the 144,000 form a subset of this body. This I understand to be the human element of the two

witnesses. The divine element is the Spirit of truth. Notice, now, that the two witnesses include a body

and the Spirit (spirit means breath). When the Spirit is breathed into the body, that body becomes, as it

were, a living being.

Now, what happens when someone dies? He breathes his last. James 2:26 says, As the body without

the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. When the breath, or spirit, departs from the body, death

results. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God

who gave it.

The death of the two witnesses results from the Spirit of truth leaving the 144,000 and returning to God

who gave it. This does not mean that any of Gods servants are deprived of his presence with them (Jesus

words are, I will never leave you or forsake you) but that the wicked have become confirmed in their

wickedness so that truth can no longer speak to them. (Notice also that, just as the death of the two

witnesses cannot mean that the Spirit of truth dies, it does not address the question of whether or not any

or all of the 144,000 will die.)

Revelation 11:7 says that when the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast from the Abyss

will attack them and overpower and kill them. I understand this in the light of what the man of

lawlessness (the beast from the Abyss) leads men to do and the state of mankind at the end of the sixth

trumpet.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 says, The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work

of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders, and in every sort of

evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and

so be saved.

Notice that, just as the two witnesses manifest supernatural powerssimilar to Elijah and Moses, as well

as the apostles at Pentecostthe man of lawlessness is also able to work miracles. Those who choose not

to be convicted by the message of the two witnesses will be able to find a ready excuse to disregard it, inspite of their powers. After all, there are supernatural powers at work on both sides (cf., Exodus 7:10-11,

22).

At the end of the sixth trumpet, Revelation 9:20-21 says, The rest of mankind that were not

killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop

worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and woodidols that cannot see or

hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality, or

their thefts.

This is the state of affairs that accompanies the death of the two witnesses. Those of mankind who have

not yet repented and turned to God have reached a totally unrepentant state. Therefore, since there is no

one left to whom the Spirit can appeal, the Spirit returns to God. This death of the two witnesses is

attributed to the beast from the Abyss because it is he who has led them to this point of rejecting the Spiritof truth. In fact, according to Revelation 13:13-15, he essentially gives mankind an ultimatum: worship

the image (which is to reject God), or be killed.

The Servants Of God Are Dishonored And Then Glorified

Revelation 11:8-10 says, And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is

called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues,

and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into


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graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one

another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. (NKJV)

While it is natural to assume that these verses are referring to two dead bodies, the actual number of

bodies isnt specified. The only specification of two here is the reference to the two prophets who

tormented those who dwell on the earth. Since verses 5-6 alluded to Moses and Elijah, the two prophetsmentioned in the prophecy concerning the coming day of the Lord (Malachi 4:4-6), it seems plausible that

the two prophets are Moses and Elijahmeaning that the ministry of the two witnesses closely

resembles that of both Moses and Elijah.

The phrase dead bodies is translated from a single word that Strongs Concordance defines as a lifeless

bodybasically, a body without the breath of life in it. In this sense, the meaning can be harmonized

with the understanding that the two witnesses are the 144,000 (body) and the Spirit of truth (breath of

life), because the lifeless body would be the 144,000 without the Spirit of truth. The wicked would then

be gazing on and gloating over the 144,000, through whom the Spirit of truth is no longer working.

The difficulty here is that the word is translated as plural (dead bodies), rather than singular (dead

body).

Revelation 11:11-12: But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they

stood on their feet, and terror struck 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, while their enemies looked on.

At his resurrection, Jesus became the firstfruits of those raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23),

and at his ascension, he went up to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9). Here, the two witnesses are resurrected

and go up to heaven in a cloud. Revelation 14:1-5 shows the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount

Zion and says that they were offered as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

Just as I understand the death of the two witnesses to refer not to the physical death of two or more people

but to the end of the empowerment of the 144,000 by the Spirit of truth, I understand the resurrection of

the two witnesses to refer to the Spirit returning to the 144,000 for the purpose of taking them up to

Heaven.

If their death and resurrection are to be understood in this way, rather than in the usual, physical sense,

why should their ascent to Heaven in a cloud be understood in a physical sense? There are a number of

reasons:

1. The 144,000 are offered as firstfruits of the harvest, and they appear to be in Heaven before the rest of

the redeemed (Revelation 14:1-5).

2. Elijah and Moses are types of the two witnesses. Although Elijah was translated and Moses was

resurrected, both of these men were physically taken to Heaven before Jesus first coming; and both

appeared with him on the mountain of transfiguration in a type of the second coming.

3. The 144,000 are said to follow the Lamb wherever he goes. As Jesus public ministryfrom the time

when he was anointed at baptism until his deathspanned 3.5 years (though it was actually of ashorter duration), the two witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days; as Jesus was put to death by his

enemies, so the two witnesses are killed by the beast from the Abyss; as Jesus was resurrected and

ascended to Heaven visibly in a cloud, so the two witnesses will be resurrected and will ascend to

Heaven visibly in a cloud.

4. Whereas the Bible provides a way to explain the death of the two witnesses as the separation of the

Spirit from the body, I dont know of a way to explain the visible ascent to Heaven in a cloud other

than in the most literal sense.


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Revelation 11:13 reads, In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the

earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of

heaven.

I understand the great city to be Babylon the Great (cf. Revelation 17:18). The prostitute (whose title is

Babylon the Great) is riding the beast with the ten horns, which represent ten kings. Revelation 11:13

suggests that the city has ten parts, since a tenth of the city collapses in the earthquake. To me, this

indicates that, because the prostitute is presented in close connection with the beast, the ten parts of

Babylon the Great correspond to the ten kings represented by the ten horns on the beast she rides.

When the two witnesses are resurrected, there is an earthquake, and one-tenth of the city collapses. This

leaves nine-tenths, which are evenly divisible into three parts; and in Revelation 16:19, Babylon the Great

is split into three parts at the end of the plagues.

On a timeline, this is at the time just before the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. Revelation 10:7 says,

In the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will beaccomplished. I understand this to mean that the gospel has gone to the whole world and many have

accepted it. The harvest is now ripe (Revelation 14:14ff).

This concludes this study on the two witnesses of Revelation.

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