Then I
was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and
measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. “But leave
out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has
been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for
forty-two months. “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will
prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These
are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the
earth. Revelation 11:1-4 NKJV
Years
back I recall taking my family to the theater to watch a movie concerning the
end times, which among other things, had two actors who portrayed the two witnesses
of Revelation spoken of here in this passage from Revelation. At the time, I found it curious to see how
they were dressed, until I read this passage more closely and realized they
will be wearing sackcloth for the entire three and one half years. Obviously that detail, as well as their mission
on this earth, will make them stand out like sore thumbs in an unbelieving
world. Yet that is not the only thing I learned as I studied these two
individuals and their ministry.
You
see, if you are at all familiar with these two, you understand that they will
witness for “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” or three and one half
years. Because of that specific
timeframe, one of the more enduring debates concerns which half of the
tribulation period they will appear in; the first half or the second half. I have read with interest the opinions of
many concerning this question and I am sure many of you probably have an opinion
as well. So in the interest of
preserving feelings of goodwill among the body, let me answer that question as
only I can. The correct answer is;
neither. Surprised? So was I at first,
but a careful reading of this chapter of Revelation will reveal all.
By
way of explanation, I first want you to read an excerpt from Jack Kelley’s
commentary on the book of Revelation, which can be downloaded free from his
website Gracethrufaith.com.
Who Are Those Guys?
There
are three primary candidates for their identity; Moses, Elijah and Enoch.
Elijah and Enoch are popular choices because they’re the only two in the Old
Testament who didn’t die, but were taken into heaven alive. And Moses and
Elijah are liked because the powers of the two witnesses are identical to those
exercised by Moses in the Plagues of Egypt and Elijah in his contention against
idolatry in Israel. Remember, it climaxed in his spectacular defeat of the
prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel with fire from heaven and the end of the 3½-year drought he had earlier proclaimed (1
Kings 17:1, 1 Kings 18:16-46). (You have
to read James 5:17 for the duration of the drought.)
Also
Moses and Elijah were on the Mt. Of Transfiguration with Jesus and the
disciples (Matt.17:1-13) and according to early church tradition were the two
men in white who appeared to the disciples following the Lord’s ascension (Acts
1:10-11). And finally, Moses and Elijah
are two of the most highly revered figures in all of Israel’s past, more able
than anyone else God could send to convey His message. Moses was the Law Giver and Elijah was the
greatest of Israel’s Prophets. Their two names are all but synonymous with the
Jewish name for their scriptures, the Law and the Prophets.
I
believe Enoch’s disappearance before the Great Flood was a special event
designed to pre-figure the disappearance of the Church before the Great
Tribulation. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the Coming of the
Son of Man. (Matt 24:37) In the days of Noah the world perished in the Flood.
They represent those who will perish in the End times judgments. Noah and his
family were preserved through the Flood and represent Israel, preserved through
the judgments. Enoch was taken alive
into Heaven before the Flood, representing the Church who will be taken alive
into heaven before the judgments begin.
For all these reasons, I hold the Moses and Elijah view.
Now
when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss
will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the
street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where
also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people,
tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.
The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending
each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on
the earth.
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
that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed.
Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were
terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The
second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. (Rev. 11:7-14)
There’s
no question that their bodies will be left where they fall in the streets of
Jerusalem, because that’s the city where the Lord was crucified. And through the technology of satellite
communications their dead bodies will be visible all over the world.
In
Middle Eastern cultures the greatest insult one can convey is to deny burial to
one’s enemy. Their deaths prompt the only expression of joy on earth in the
entire book. But after 3½ days, symbolic of the length of the Great
Tribulation, the two witnesses will hear the same command that John heard in
Rev. 4:1, “Come up here!” and will ascend into Heaven in full view of the whole
world. Just as the Lord’s command in chapter 4 was a model of the Rapture of
the Church, the command here is a model of the resurrection of the Tribulation
martyrs.
In
the Psalms we read, O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have
defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have
given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the
flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out blood like
water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.(Psalm 79:1-3)
It’s a clear prophecy of things to come, and it begins in Revelation 11.
By
saying that the earthquake survivors gave glory to God, John didn’t mean that
they worshiped Him or came to faith in Him. It means that they correctly
attributed these miraculous events to Him, like the Egyptian priests did in
explaining the cause of the plagues in Exodus 8:19.
Now
after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and
they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
And they heard a loud
voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven
in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 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. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Revelation 11:11-14 NKJV
This
is the passage that answers our question about the timing of the two witnesses
and their ministry, especially what we are told in verse fourteen. You see, their
resurrection occurs between the second and third woes which places it just
before the beginning of the bowl, or vial judgments which are the last of the
three judgments of Revelation. So the
end is close, but not yet here so their ministry must begin shortly before the
midpoint, or abomination of desolation and end before Jesus returns at the end
of the Great Tribulation.
Considering
the state of the world right now, I would not be at all surprised if they are
being fitted with their sackcloth as we speak.
Keep
watching.
