The Text
God’s two witnesses are described in Revelation 11. They:
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- Prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth (v3),
- Are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the Earth (v4),
- Kill their enemies with fire flowing out of their mouth (v5),
- Shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall (v6),
- Turn water into blood (v6),
- Strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire (v6), and
- Torment those who dwell on the earth (v10).
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This article identifies the two witnesses.
Introduction
In Revelation 10:8-11:1, John actively participates in the vision. He receives the book, eats it, and prophesies with bitter consequences. He is commanded to prophesy again and to measure the temple.
After that, however, he becomes a passive observer, allowing the two witnesses to take center stage in this drama. They prophesy for 1,260 days while clothed in sackcloth. Eventually, they are killed and remain dead for three and a half days before being resurrected. After their resurrection, they ascend to heaven as great catastrophes unfold on the earth.
The two witnesses are first mentioned in 11:3. The following three verses (11:4-6) provide additional background information. [Show More]
The Witnesses are a Symbol.
Some believe that the two witnesses refer to two literal people. However, for the following reasons, it is proposed that they symbolize something else:
Firstly, there are some indications that they are symbolic
(1) Revelation is a book of symbols (cf. Rev 1:1).
(2) Since they are also called prophets (Rev 11:10), they are opposed in Revelation by the false prophet (the Land Beast – Rev 13:11-18), who is not a literal person (Rev 13:11).
(3) The two witnesses seem to be similar to the sixth trumpet, which is certainly symbolic. [Show More]
Secondly, for the following reasons, they cannot possibly be two literal persons:
(1) They kill their enemies with fire from their mouth (Rev 11:5). [Show More]
(2) They have only one mouth (Rev 11:5), meaning they symbolize a single concept, not two things.
(3) They prophesied in sackcloth for 1260 days (Rev 11:3), which a previous article identified as 1260 years. (Read Article) Literal people do not live that long.
(4) In contrast to all the verses before and after, the two witnesses are described in the present tense (Rev 11:4-6). The present tense indicates perpetual existence. [Show More]
God’s Warning to the World
It is proposed here that the two witnesses must be understood as symbolizing God’s witness, responsible for establishing God’s presence in the world and warning the world of impending doom. God uses His people for this purpose, but He uses specific people at specific times and places in special ways as prophets. Therefore, God’s witness is not exactly equivalent to God’s people.
For example, during the time that the holy city is trampled (42 months – Rev 11:2), the two witnesses will prophesy in sackcloth (1,260 days – Rev 11:3). Since the “holy city” symbolizes God’s people, the two witnesses are related to, but not identical with, God’s people. [Show More]
Indications of this include the following:
(1) The number two symbolizes truth. In Jewish law, two independent witnesses whose testimonies agreed were required to validate something as true (Deut 17:6-7; 19:15, cf. John 8:17; Heb 10:28). Jesus applied this principle by sending out His disciples in pairs (Mark 6:7). [Show More]
(2) Earlier in Rev 10-11, John received a little book and was told to prophesy and to measure (restore) the temple (God’s presence on earth). That was one example of God’s witness. However, the text does not describe John doing that. The two witnesses execute that command. [Show More]
The indications that the two witnesses represent God’s witness also include allusions to some of the main prophets of the Old Testament (Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Joshua, and Zerubbabel) and even to Jesus Christ:
(1) They are identified as “the two olive trees” (Rev 11:4). This refers to a vision in Zachariah 3-4 in which Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua were presented as two olive trees. They had to restore the worship of God in Judea after the exile. In other words, God used them in a special way as His witness. In the same way, the two witnesses must restore the worship of God in the world after the 1260 days (the Middle Ages). [Show More]
(2) The two witnesses kill their enemies with fire from their mouth. God said, similarly, that He would make His words fire in Jeremiah’s mouth, which would consume Israel because God would bring a nation against them (Jer 5:11-16). In other words, the fire that the two prophets breathe is God’s word, particularly warnings of coming disasters.
(3) Like Moses, the two witnesses turn waters into blood (Exod 7:17-21), and like Elijah, they have the power to prevent rain from falling for 3½ years (1260 days – Rev 11:6; 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; Jam 5:17). Therefore, the two witnesses are modeled after Moses and Elijah, probably God’s two main witnesses in the Old Testament. [Show More]
(4) There are several parallels between the two witnesses and Jesus Christ. While they witnessed for 3½ times (1260 days), Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted 3½ years. Similar to Jesus, the two witnesses are killed, resurrected, and ascend to heaven (Rev 11:7, 11-12).
Conclusion
The description of the two witnesses is part of the interlude or interruption between the last two trumpets. The first part of the interlude (chapter 10) symbolizes a specific missionary effort at a specific time, using John to symbolize God’s witness. The second part takes a broader perspective of God’s witness, referring both to the periods before and after John has to witness. A subsequent article will analyze the sequence of events in Rev 10-11 and show that:
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- The 1260 days (years) precede John’s “prophesy again” (Rev 10:11), and
- The death of the two witnesses follows after John’s witness.
Other Articles
Revelation 10-11
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- The Little Open Book – (10:1-7)
- The Church’s Final Message (10:8 to 11:2)
- The Time, Times, and Half a Time (11:2)
- God’s Two Witnesses (11:3-6)
- The Death and Resurrection of the Two Witnesses (11:7-13)
- The Seventh Trumpet is the Final Judgment. (11:15-19)
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