Revelation 11:3-13 declares, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
Verse four connects the witnesses to Zechariah 4:14, “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth (see Zechariah 4:1-14).” They are also nameless in Zechariah. However, Revelation 11:6 gives clues, “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
Elijah was a prophet used of God to stop rain (1 Kings 17:1). The second half of verse 6 certainly suggests Moses in his encounters with Pharaoh of ancient Egypt (Exodus 7:10). The idea that these two are the ones is further supported by the fact both appeared with Christ on the mountain when He was transfigured (Matthew 7:1-13).
Given the fact of Malachi 4:5, it seems quite definite that Elijah is one of the Two Witnesses. However, in my mind there is a problem about the other one being Moses. Moses died (Deuteronomy 34:5-7), while Elijah was taken to heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12). According to Hebrews, a person dies once, then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). If Moses is the other witness, then we see he would have to physically die a second time. On the other hand, the epistle to the Hebrews was written after the death and resurrection of Christ. Upon His death, He entered into Hades and those who would believe in Him He led away to be with Him (1 Peter 3:18-20, Ephesians 4:8-9). All that is now left for Hades is the fearful judgment.
If it is not Moses, there is a high probability that it will be Enoch who never saw physical death (Genesis 5:23-24). This has been my own thought over the years. Though there is no Biblical record of God working through him to bring miracles as mentioned in Revelation 11:6, he holds the place of the first Biblically known prophet (Jude 14-15). Seeing that he did not leave this planet by physical death might qualify him as one of the Two Witnesses based on Hebrews 9:27.
Knowing exactly who the Two Witnesses will be is not as important as emulating the godly characteristics of the men just mentioned. Elijah and Moses had their own struggles with their sinful nature but some common links between the two include faith and meekness. Enoch is known for walking with God and pleasing Him.
Bible prophecy falls silent on issues like this for a number of reasons, one of which is that we might research the Word of God, and in the process of studying it, apply it to our lives so we may be ready either way.
Notes:
Look for an upcoming article on Triond / Relijournal titled, “Never Mind The End of the World–Think About the End of Your Life.” Hopefully this will be up by November 30. God willing, I shall also do one on the 144,000.
God willing, this article will be part of my Bible GemLight series as onyx015.
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Great share! Well written and presented article. truly informative too.
Great article thanks for sharing.
Thanks for featuring this. This reminds me to scan the pages of my Holy Bible.
Good information to know! well written,
Why did I miss this? But finally I read this. Thanks so much, Pete. I agree the most important this is not questioning who are the two witnesses but applying their good deed into our life. This is amazing indeed, God works through them.
I think this very interesting subject. Thank you for sharing this not many people are up to pointing out the things that really of this world.
Yea, Moses Died, but if God wants to use him again, he can do that. He died and was seen with Jesus. God way of thinking is not our way of thinking. That’s why we don’t understand sometimes. He can bring somebody back to life you know and use them. It’s not impossible. That’s why I laugh at people that are involved in Witchcraft communicating with the dead. We have God. We don’t need them. Great Article!