LEARNING DAILY

 

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

 

The two witnesses seen by John are real men.  Personally, I think John should have told us who these two men are because doing so would have eliminated a lot of controversy over who they are.  The three men usually mentioned are Enoch; Genesis states that Enoch walked with God and then he was taken by God (God raptured him, so to speak.).  Elijah is also mentioned and we know from the book of 2 Kings that God took Elijah to heaven in a chariot of fire (I guess he was raptured too).  Neither faced death.  A third man considered by many to be one of the witnesses is Moses.  He was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of not trusting God.  Moses was allowed to go to a mountain top to see the Promised Land.  He died and God took his body.  But, does it really matter who they are?  What does matter is what they do at this time.

 

The 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel are sent into the world to be witnesses of the gospel.  The two witnesses are in the city of Jerusalem to witness there.  They are dressed in sackcloth because they are mourning over the spiritual condition of Israel.  In the following verses, they are described as olive trees and lamp stands.  These are Old Testament terms that signify the anointing of the Holy Spirit flowing through them.  The candlesticks or lampstands signify the churches of Jesus Christ.  Together, “John is saying the two men are empowered by the Holy Spirit and represent the churches of Jesus Christ as God’s clear witness and mouthpiece to perform miraculous signs in the presence of the end-time antichrist generation of unbelievers’ (note from The Life in the Spirit Study Bible).

 

Notice that the two witnesses are not allowed to be harmed.  If anyone tries to harm them, the two witnesses have the power to kill whoever tries to do so.  As a side note, it is important to understand that if one is in the will of God, doing what Got wants them to do, no harm will come to them until God decides their work is finished.  Not even covid or any of its strains can kill them.  The witnesses will denounce wickedness and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Judge for forty-two months – three- and one-half years, one thousand two hundred and sixty days!  They will do this in the first half of the Tribulation period. 

 

Not only do they have God’s protection during this time, they “have the power to shut heaven, so no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they want.”  It is not told if or how often they use this power.  It does remind us of the power Moses was given when talking to Egypt’s Pharoah. 

 

One must realize that the two witnesses doing this in Jerusalem among very hostile, hateful people will be upsetting to the Antichrist.  By the time of their ministry comes to an end they have generated tremendous hatred and he is allowed to kill them.  There is no burial; the Antichrist leaves them on the street.  Jewish law requires immediate burial and refusal to do so is a sign of extreme shame and dishonor (note from the David Jeremiah study Bible). 

 

But this is not then of their story!

 

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