The Two Witnesses

December 17

Nahum 2-3

Psalm 143:1-6

Proverbs 30:1-6

Revelation 11:1-14

The Two Witnesses

“And I will give authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the Earth.  And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, he must be killed in this way.”   Revelation 11:3-5 LSB

Revelation 11 describes two witnesses who will come to Earth during the Tribulation Period to help accomplish God’s work.  We are given some information about these two men.  We are told they will wear sackcloth and will prophesy for 1,260 days.  They will be supernaturally protected so that if anyone tries to harm them, fire will come out of their mouths and devour their enemies.  Anyone who wishes to harm them will be killed.  They will have the authority to shut up the sky and keep rain from falling during the entire time they are on Earth prophesying.  They also have authority to turn water into blood and to strike the Earth with plagues as often as they wish.  When they have completed their God-given mission, the Antichrist will make war with them and kill them. He will not be able to do anything to them until they have completed what they came to do. Their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days.  Everyone across the Earth will look on their bodies and people will rejoice over their death sending gifts to one another to celebrate.  The message of the two witnesses will be so convicting and their powers will cause such fear that they will be hated and everyone will be glad when the Antichrist kills them.  Then after the three and a half days are completed, God will raise them from the dead and they will stand to their feet.  Then they will ascend to Heaven in a cloud while everyone watches.  Apparently, their death, lying in the streets, and their resurrection and ascension will be broadcast over the whole Earth so that everyone can see it as it happens. 

There is debate about whether this happens in the first half of the Tribulation or the last half.  I  believe it makes more sense and fits into the timeline of other things happening better if they come at the beginning of the Tribulation Period and are here for 1,260 days until the midpoint.  While Revelation is not presented exactly in chronological order, the text speaks about the two witnesses after the sixth trumpet and before the seventh trumpet which should occur near the midpoint so that suggests that their ministry is at the beginning and not the end.  Also, their message is intended to convict people of their need to believe in Jesus which is much more likely to happen in the first half of the Tribulation.  By the second half the Antichrist will be openly killing Jews and those who have become Christians, so conversions will be less likely.  The great revival will take place near the beginning and as time passes it will be harder and harder to come to faith.  

There is also a lot of debate about who the two witnesses are.  Some believe they are Moses and Elijah, some Enoch and Elijah and some believe they are just two unknown believers God will use to be His witnesses at that time.  John does not reveal who they are so we cannot know for sure.  Those who believe it is Enoch and Elijah point to the fact that these two men were the only two men recorded who did not die but were raptured to Heaven.  Hebrews 9:27 says that all men are appointed to die once and then judgment.  Since they did not die when they were on Earth the first time, they are still eligible to be the two witnesses who are killed by the Antichrist and then resurrected.  They were both prophets who pronounced God’s judgment so it is possible that they return during the Tribulation to pronouncement God’s judgment.  Those who believe it is Moses and Elijah point to the fact that these two men represent the Law and the Prophets.  Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4) and the specific miracles the two witnesses are capable of performing duplicate when Moses turned water to blood in Exodus 7 and when Elijah destroyed his enemies with fire from Heaven in 2 Kings 1.  Jewish tradition also holds that Moses and Elijah are going to return based on prophecies in Malachi 4:5 that say God is going to send Elijah before the great and awesome day of the Lord and in Deuteronomy 18:15-18 when Moses told the people God’s promise to raise up a prophet like him that the people would listen to.  We cannot know for sure who the two witnesses will be, but it is certain that they will appear during the Tribulation to prophesy with the message God gives them.