Revelation #35

Today we will look at the two witnesses in more detail.

Revelation 11:4-14



4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.



In verse 4 we are told these two witnesses are" the two olive trees" and " the two lampstands". We have to look at Zechariah 4 to get the meaning of this:



Zechariah 4:11

11Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"



Zechariah 4:14

14Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."



The two olive trees tell us these two witness es are anointed of God! The lampstand if you remember from earlier studies is the church, so these two witnesses are also the church of God at this time. Verse 5 goes on to tell us they are protected by God and if anyone tries to harm them they will be consumed by fire from their mouth. Now we are not sure if the fire from mouth is symbolic as God rained fire from heaven in 2 Kings 1:10-12.



2 Kings 1:10-12

10But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, "O man of God, this is the king’s order, 'Come down quickly!'" 12But Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.



Or if the witnesses literally consume people with fire from their mouth. I tend to believe it is the symbolic picture. In verse 6 we are told they also have the power to "shut the sky up from rain while they prophesy". We also have seen this power before from Elijah:



1 Kings 17:1

1Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."



They also have the power to turn water into blood like Moses:



Exodus 7:14-24



14Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16And you shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. But so far, you have not obeyed." 17Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."'" 19And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'"

20Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.



And they could strike the earth with any kind of plague as often as they wanted....wow these are some powerful, anointed servants of God! Verse 7 tells us when they have finished their testimony (in other words in God's timing) the beast will be allowed out of the bottomless pit and will kill the two witnesses and let they lay in the street for 3 and 1/2 days in Jerusalem which the cities Sodom and Egypt represent here when described as where the Lord was crucified. Verse 9 tells us the world will gaze at them and will not allow them to be buried. Verse 10 says they will rejoice over their death by exchanging presents! Wow! We are told they are celebrating because the two prophets had been a torment to them. They we a torment because those on earth refused to believe the truth! Verse 11 tells us after the 3 and 1/2 days God breaths into them and they stand to their feet! Can you imagine what the effect of this will be??? They are resurrected! All who see them around the world on TV and at the actual site will have great fear! Verse 12 says they will hear God's voice from heaven calling them up. The will rise to heaven as their enemies watch. Verse 13 tells us at that very hour a great earthquake will take place and a tenth of the city will collapse and 7,000 people will die from the earthquake! Wow! We are told the rest are afraid and give glory to God, I am not sure if this is true worship or just a scared short lived tribute! In verse 14 we are told the second woe is now passed but another is coming soon!



Their is much to grasp today, very powerful!



Tom