“THE TWO WITNESSES” Revelation 11:3-14 , When The Lamb Stands, seriesby Sharon Clemens

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THOSE WHO ARE OFFENDED BY FIRE AND BRIMSTONE PREACHERS
WILL NOT TAKE KINDLY TO THESE TWO.

       In our last Prophecy Chat, we dipped our toes into the first three verses of chapter eleven of The Revelation. The Apostle John was given the task of taking a survey of the Tribulation temple in Jerusalem and found the temple, the worshippers and the nation under Gentile domination. Israel is not replaced by the Church, but Israel is on the clock and under Gentile control. However, their domination has an expiration date. Israel will be trampled down of the Gentiles for another three-and- one-half years UNTIL Israel recognizes Christ as their Messiah, [Zechariah 12:10ff].
       While measuring the Temple, John witnessed national Israel worshipping in spiritual blindness. By participating in Old Testament sacrificial traditions, they demonstrate their rejection of Christ Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. However, as a demonstration of His grace, the Lord calls two Old-Testament-style prophets into service to warn Israel and call many to repentance. We saw in chapter seven another remnant of believers—the 144,000 anointed Jews. However, the Two Witnesses stand out as unique servants of God, appointed to serve in the darkest period of human history.

“And I will give power to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:3

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A HERO
       Super heroes are popular in our culture because they stand against evil—and defeat it. The Two Witnesses of the Tribulation are God’s super heroes. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they stand against the world system of Antichrist and the hoards of Hell in order to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to those called to salvation. Although our Lord elects those who are saved, He also determines the means by which they will receive Him. So it is that He uses believers to preach truth that converts unbelievers [Romans 10:14].

       These two men are super-preachers, but they are not the kind popular in many pulpits today. Their message is one of coming judgment and the wrath of God, a message designed to convict the heart rather than offer false comfort in a soft pew.

       It takes a divine hero, called by God and filled with the Holy Spirit, to preach in a time when deception, strong delusion, and evil saturate the earth [2 Thessalonians 2:9-12]. These two men are hand-picked to fit God’s qualifications “for such a time as this” [Esther 4:14].

QUALIFICATIONS AND CANDIDATES:

* Verse 11:3—They are “clothed in sackcloth,” a traditional symbol of Jewish mourning, to demonstrate their grief and mourning over the wickedness of the world and the desecration of the temple and the city of Jerusalem by Antichrist. Old Testament prophets, such as Elijah, wore simple, humble clothing to illustrate their submissive attitude toward God. These men may also wear course, rough clothing, possibly made from goat or camel hair, to remind the Jewish people of their prophetic heritage and bring attention to their message. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ’s first coming, wore such clothing. [Gen. 37:34; 2 Sam. 3:31; 2 Kings 6:30; 19:1; Esther 4:1; Isaiah 22:12; Jer. 6:26; Matt. 11:21] * Verse 11:4—the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. When the meaning of symbolic language such as this is not explained in the passage, it is explained elsewhere in the Bible. Good expository teaching uses the Bible to explain the Bible. We meet two other men in Zechariah 3:4 who are described in the same way. In the prophet Zechariah’s day, Israel was rebuilding after seventy years in Babylonian captivity. Two men, Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the civil leader of the royal line, were called by God to lead in the restoration. These men are pictured as being so hooked into God that they are like two bright lampstands of spiritual truth attached to olive trees to provide a perpetual source of olive oil for burning. This vivid picture is of an uninterrupted flow of the Holy Spirit power in their ministry. Just as these ancient men fulfilled their destiny in the Old Testament, so the Two Witnesses will be empowered to serve in the Tribulation. Could it also be that Zechariah pre-figured the two men who are the “olive trees and lampstands” of the Tribulation in another way? Could the Two Witnesses represent two men of Jewish descent—one of the priestly class and another of the royal line? If so, they would represent a cross-section of Jewish society that would make their message more acceptable to their own people. * Verse 11:5-6—Just as Old Testament prophets were given power to perform miracles, so these men will have power to defend themselves with fire, cause drought, turn waters into blood and strike the earth with all manner of plagues. They are able to perform these miracles at their God-given discretion, as often as they desire, in order to complete their mission. Will fire proceed from their mouths like human flame throwers? It may well be literal; however, it may also be that their spoken word, containing the power of God, will cause their enemies to spontaneously combust. Perhaps the fire will be accompanied by a verbal barrage of fire and brimstone preaching—LITERALLY! Note that the power to turn water to blood and bring plagues sounds like the Trumpet and Bowl judgments. If the Witnesses are not directly responsible for the designated judgments, they will most certainly be blamed for them. These men will be public enemy number one and two of the Tribulation. The “earth dwellers” will hate them and label them religious terrorists. * Verse 11:7-10—For the three and one-half years of their determined time of ministry, they are invincible [verse 5]. However, God’s mercy limits their participation to half of the Tribulation. Perhaps this is an indictment of man’s rejection of truth. God does not remove His grace entirely, but He controls it. The rejection of His truth condemns those who do not listen. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 “The coming of the lawless one [Antichrist] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, That they should believe the lie, That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” * Verse 7—Their time is up because their mission is completed. Antichrist is allowed to kill them. But Satan is not victorious; he is merely being set up for public humiliation. Antichrist does not bury their bodies but allows them to lay in the streets. *Note that this is considered to be a way to show great dishonor and contempt to ones enemies in the Middle East, which is why the burial of Osama Ben Laden was a sensitive political issue. [Reference Acts 14:19. This practice is forbidden to the Jews, Deut. 21:22, 23.] Their bodies lie in ignominious state in the streets of Jerusalem, labeled Sodom for its Tribulation wickedness and Egypt for its worldliness. However, it can be no other city but Jerusalem because it is also the city “where also our Lord was crucified.” This distinction takes on added significance in a moment… *OUR LORD IS THE GREAT CONDUCTOR OF ORCHESTRATED EVENTS—THE MASTER OF SETTING THE STAGE FOR OPTIMAL EFFECT: Just as our Lord lay in the grave three days, so the Two Witnesses have the honor of their bodies lying dead for three days as martyrs to Christ. The wicked celebrate their death and come to gawk, even turning the event into what some call the Devil’s Christmas, giving gifts to commemorate the execution. * Verse 11:11-13—After three-and-a-half days, while the crowds party around them, God resurrects their bodies in full view of their enemies. The timing is perfect. At the height of their victory, it is snatched from them and fear takes its place. To punctuate the moment, a loud voice is heard from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Just as Christ ascended to heaven [Acts 1], so His servants are now taken up in a cloud in their sight. *Note that this passage of scripture has long been viewed as evidence that the Tribulation could not be fulfilled until the technology existed to allow people to view bodies in the streets in Jerusalem all over the world [verse 9]. Indeed we are living in a day when cell phones and satellite links can send images around the globe instantly. *Again, Osama Ben Laden’s death is an example of how images can quickly be downloaded for global viewing. *To drive home the drama of the moment, a “great” earthquake hits the city in the same hour. When the Bible adds an adjective, it is “great” indeed, and a tenth of Jerusalem falls killing seven thousand people. Note that there is a remnant saved out of this event. The fear of God’s wrath causes “the rest” to give glory to the God of heaven. Even the dramatic death and resurrection of the Two Witnesses is used to bring elect to salvation. The parallel between this event and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem over two thousand years before will not escape the notice of those who have a spiritual eye to see. Antichrist and His false prophet may have re-written history, but the truth cannot be destroyed. History repeats itself because God repeats history—to make a point.

A QUESTION REGARDING WHEN THEY PREACH:
Note that there is a difference of opinion regarding WHEN the witnesses evangelize. As they have only three-and-one-half years to complete their commission [Revelation 11:3], will they preach in the first half or the last half of the Tribulation?

* Those who believe they will preach in the first half note that their preaching may be what converts the 144,000 thousand select Jews. Just as Paul said in Romans 10, God uses the Gospel as a means to evidence true faith. It is logical that the witnesses, who possibly are supernaturally deposited in this time period following the Rapture, are those facilitating their conversion. Their appearance JUMP STARTS the Tribulation revival, so to speak. If this is so, then we learn of them at the half-way point because this is when their mission ends, terminated by their death at the hands of Antichrist. * Their execution would be part of the mid-point dramatic shift in Antichrist’s public policy. At the mid-point of the Tribulation, he desecrates the Temple, demands worship and complete control [Revelation 13], and begins the genocide of the Jews and believers and all who refuse “the mark.” This is the contrast between the relative “false peace” of the first half and the open war/persecution of the second. [Warren Wiersbe and Thomas Ice are of the opinion that the Witnesses preach in the first half of the Tribulation.] * Others believe the Witnesses are present in the last half of the Tribulation. Although a remnant of believing Jews flees Jerusalem to hide in the wilderness at this mid-point, they may have been converted by the preaching of the 144,000. There is a question as to how the 144,000 come to repentance in the first half of the Tribulation if the Two Witnesses are not present, but the Lord may accomplish it all through His supernatural intervention. * If also the Witnesses are active after Antichrist’s desecration of the Temple, after the remnant flees from the city [Matthew 24:15-22], the witnesses would continue preaching truth to those who remain. MacArthur: “[They are] individuals granted special power and authority by God to preach a message of judgment and salvation during the second half of the Tribulation. The OT required two or more witnesses to confirm testimony [cf. Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; John 8:17; Heb. 10:28], and these two prophets will be the culmination of God’s testimony to Israel: a message of judgment from God and of His gracious offer of the gospel to all who will repent and believe.” * There is a good case for both opinions. If they preach in the first half, they uniquely fill the spiritual void left by the departure in the Rapture of the Church’s salt and light from the earth. If they preach in the second half, they fill the spiritual void created by Antichrist’s desecration of the Temple and the fleeing of the remnant to the wilderness hiding place.

CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE:
       Several Bible heroes of the faith are nominated for the office of Tribulation Witness. The possibility that it could be a person who has already served a human “term” on earth is based on the passage in Malachi that predicts that Elijah is to return to earth as the forerunner of Christ’s second coming:

Malachi 4:5, 6
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

       There may be a repeat of the test of Elijah against the false prophets of Baal as in 1 Kings 18:17-40. Only this time it will be against The False Prophet of Antichrist [Revelation 13:13]. The False Prophet will be able to duplicate what Elijah performs in this scenario because God allows GREAT deception so that the lost believe the lie that Antichrist should be worshipped. Not all miracles are of God; it will require spiritual discernment in order not to be deceived.

       Other candidates are Enoch, Moses, John the Baptist, or two new and not-yet-known believers from the Tribulation who are “types” of Elijah or the prophets of old.

* SUPPORT FOR ELIJAH AND MOSES: MacArthur states that we cannot go beyond speculation regarding the identity of these two witnesses, but several observations suggest they might be Moses and Elijah. Like Moses, they strike the earth with plagues [Exodus], and like Elijah, they have the power to keep it from raining [1 Kings]. Jewish tradition expected both Moses [Deut. 18:15-18] and Elijah [Malachi 4:5, 6] to return in the future [John 1:21]. Both Moses and Elijah were present at the Transfiguration of Christ, which was a preview of Christ’s second coming [Matthew 17:3]. While Elijah was taken alive into heaven, Moses’ body was buried where it would never be found, buried by God himself. [Jude 9; Deut. 34:5, 6; 2 Kings 2:11]. Perhaps this secret burial served a particular purpose. Moses and Elijah also represent a team suggesting THE LAW [Moses], and THE PROPHETS [Elijah], the two portions of Old Testament scripture. * SUPPORT FOR ENOCH AND ELIJAH: Enoch was raptured or translated, not experiencing death, like Elijah [Genesis 5:24]. It would glorify God to bring two from the past forward in time who have not tasted death. Their physical death would glorify God by dieing a martyr’s death during the Tribulation. Magee sites Seiss and Govett who say that the two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah. The Gospel of Nicodemus, which was not included in the canon of scripture, says this: “I am Enoch who pleased God , and was translated by him. And this is Elijah the Tishbite. We are also to live to the end of the age: but then we are about to be sent by God to resist Antichrist, and be slain by him, and to rise after three days, and to be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord.” [Magee, p. 135] * SUPPORT FOR ELIJAH AND JOHN THE BAPTIST: This team would represent both the fore-runner of Christ the first time and the fore-runner of Christ the second time. Also, Elijah would represent those Raptured or translated into eternity and John would represent those delivered by death into heaven. Both Elijah and John had very similar ministries in their first human terms. John is a “type” of Elijah and dressed the same, lived in the wilderness, and preached the Gospel of the Kingdom—“Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand…” as Elijah will do in the Tribulation. John, however, did no miracles as Elijah did in the Old Testament dispensation; but if he is a Witness, he will be given such power.

PUNCH IN THEIR MESSAGE:

         Whoever the Two Witnesses are, they share traits that will suit them to appeal especially to Israel.

* They are Jewish, Old Testament-style prophets whose methods will resonate with Jews familiar with their heritage. * They will preach with Holy Spirit zeal and will have no fear of Antichrist’s authority. * The message they preach is simple and powerful because of Christ’s imminent return. “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Repent now; you don’t have much time. Messiah is coming. * For those who have spiritual discernment, their coming has been prophesied, which gives them credibility.

       From our temporal perspective, we may wonder why any of these candidates would wish to return to the earth. After worshipping and experiencing the holiness of God for centuries, the Two Witnesses will have the honor of dieing in the city in which their Lord died. They will add a martyr’s crown to their rewards and be able to present it to Christ on their return to heaven. In the case of Elijah, he will experience physical death for the first time. In the case of Moses, he will die a second time. But the first time he died outside the promised land; this time he would die IN the promised land.

       No two men have experienced such an exit from this life to the next. Their send-off is on world-wide coverage and a massive earthquake applauds their ascent. All is to cause those on the earth to give glory to the God of heaven.

Revelation 11:14
               “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”

               This Prophecy Chat closes with a reminder that this middle-point of the Tribulation is just an interval before the third woe, the Bowl Judgments, is released. WE COULD USE MORE FIRE AND BRIMSTONE PREACHERS IN OUR CURRENT AGE. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”


In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]