Monday, September 20, 2021

41: The Revelation: Salvation Through the Two Great Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-14)

 

SALVATION THROUGH TWO WITNESSES

During this same forty-two-month period, God will shelter many Israelites in a place He has prepared for them in the wilderness (some speculate the rock city of Petra). Revelation 12:6 reads, “Then the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” Many Jews will follow Jesus’ warning to flee to safety.

The rest who remain will face terrible persecution from the forces of Antichrist. At that time, God will bring salvation to Israel, using the two powerful preachers who will appear in Jerusalem (verse 3), and will also suffer hostility and hatred (verses 7–8).

The connection between this vision of the two preachers and the previous passage (verses 1–2) should be clear. They are among God’s unique witnesses who will proclaim His message of judgment during the final stages of the tribulation. They will preach the gospel so the Jewish remnant can believe and enjoy God’s protection.

Their Duty

"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days." (Rev. 11:3a)

The speaker who will grant authority to the two witnesses is not identified, but could be only God the Father or Jesus. “Witnesses” is the plural form from which the English word “martyr” derives, since so many witnesses of Jesus Christ in the early church paid with their lives. Since it is always used in the New Testament to refer to persons, the two witnesses must be actual people. There are two witnesses because the Bible requires the testimony of two people to confirm a fact or verify truth (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 18:16).

It will be their responsibility to prophesy. Prophecy in the New Testament does not necessarily refer to predicting the future. Its primary meaning is “to speak forth,” “to proclaim,” or “to preach.” The two witnesses will proclaim that the disasters occurring during the last half of the tribulation are from God. They will warn that God’s final outpouring of judgment and eternal hell will follow. At the same time, they will preach the gospel, calling people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The period of their ministry is twelve hundred and sixty days, the last three and one-half years of the tribulation.

Their Attitude

"...clothed in sackcloth." (Rev. 11:3b)

Sackcloth was rough, heavy, coarse cloth worn in ancient times as a symbol of mourning, distress, grief, and humility (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 1 Chronicles 21:16; 2 Kings 6:30). The two witnesses will put on sackcloth as an object lesson to express their great sorrow for the unbelieving world. They will also mourn because of the desecration of the temple, the oppression of Jerusalem, and the rise of Antichrist.

Their Identity

"These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth." (Rev. 11:4)

The question of who the two witnesses will be has intrigued Bible scholars over the years. John identifies them as “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth,” a description drawn from Zechariah’s vision and prophecy in 4:1–14. While it is impossible to be dogmatic about the specific identity of these two preachers, there are a number of reasons that suggest that they may be Moses and Elijah.

First, the miracles they will perform are similar to the judgments inflicted in the Old Testament by Moses and Elijah. Elijah called down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:10, 12) and pronounced a three-and-one-half-year drought on the land (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17), the same length as the drought brought by the two witnesses (Revelation 11:6). Moses turned the waters of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:17–21) and announced the other plagues on Egypt recorded in Exodus 7–11.

Second, Jewish tradition expected Moses and Elijah to return in the future. Malachi 4:5 predicted the return of Elijah, and the Jews believed that God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18) necessitated his return (John 1:21; 6:14; 7:40). Third, both Moses and Elijah (perhaps representing the Law and the Prophets) appeared with Christ at the transfiguration, the preview of the second coming (Matthew 17:3).

Fourth, both left the earth in unusual ways. Elijah never died, but was transported to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11–12), and God supernaturally buried Moses’ body in a secret location (Deuteronomy 34:5–6; Jude 9). The statement of Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” does not rule out Moses’ return, since there are other rare exceptions to that general statement (such as Lazarus; John 11:14, 38–44).

Their Power

"And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not 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 plague, as often as they desire." (Rev. 11:5–6)

Whether or not the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah, they will have miraculous power similar to them. Like Noah before the flood and Moses before the plagues on Egypt, the two witnesses will fearlessly proclaim God’s judgment and the need for repentance. Because of that, they will be universally hated (verses 9–10) and many will desire to harm them during the days of their preaching. When that harm is attempted, fire will flow out of their mouth and devour their enemies. There is no reason to assume that this is not literal fire, since God has in the past used fire to incinerate His enemies (Leviticus 10:2; Numbers 11:1; 16:35; Psalm 106:17–18). Those who wish to harm the two preachers must be killed in this way because God does not want their preaching stopped until their ministry is complete and will judge with death those who try to halt it.

The extent of their great power will be revealed when they demonstrate “power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying.” That will greatly intensify the torment people are experiencing. The third trumpet judgment resulted in the poisoning of one-third of the earth’s fresh water supply (8:10–11). Added to that, the three-and-one-half-year drought lasting throughout the 1,260 days of their preaching (verse 3) brought by the two witnesses will cause widespread devastation of crops and loss of human and animal life through thirst and starvation.

Further, like Moses, the two witnesses will “have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.” The havoc these two miracle-working preachers will wreak all over the earth will cause them to be hated and feared. People will no doubt search desperately for a way to destroy them, but they will be unstoppable for the duration of their ministry.

Their Death

"When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." (Rev. 11:7–10)

Sinful men will try desperately and unsuccessfully to get rid of the two witnesses throughout their ministry in a kind of kamikaze effort that results in their own incineration. God, however, will protect them until they have finished their testimony. At the end of that time, “the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them.”

This is the first of thirty-six references in Revelation to the beast and anticipates the more detailed information about him to come in chapters 13 and 17. He is introduced here with emphasis on his origin. He is said to come up “out of the abyss,” indicating that he is empowered by Satan. Since Satan is depicted as a dragon (12:3, 9), this figure is not Satan. The revelation about him in chapter 13 indicates that the beast is a world ruler called Antichrist who imitates the true Christ and demands to be worshiped (13:1–8). The abyss is the prison for certain demons (cf. 9:1–3). Though he is a man, the beast is energized by the demonic presence and power coming from the abyss. To the great joy and relief of the sinful world, the beast will finally overcome the two witnesses and kill them.

After their deaths, their dead bodies will be left as rotting corpses in the street of the great city where they ministered and where they were killed. In the ancient world, exposing an enemy’s dead body was the ultimate way of dishonoring and desecrating him (Deuteronomy 21:22–23).

The “great city” is Jerusalem, spiritually called Sodom and Egypt due to its wickedness. Tragically, the city of Jerusalem that was once God’s city will be so overrun with evil that it will be like the wicked city of Sodom and the evil nation of Egypt. The description was to show that the once holy city had become no better than places which were known for their hatred of the true God. The footnote that the two witnesses will be killed in the city where their Lord was crucified makes the identification of Jerusalem unmistakably clear. That the two witnesses will die in the same city as their Lord suggests that Jerusalem will be the focal point of their preaching. It also appears that Jerusalem will be the seat of Antichrist’s rule (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).

The use of the all-inclusive phrase “peoples and tribes and tongues and nations” indicates that people around the world will look at the dead bodies of the two witnesses. In a morbid display of contempt and hatred, for three and a half days the world will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. The unrepentant, sin-hardened masses will want to gloat along with the Antichrist and glorify him for his victory over the two irritating preachers. The deaths of the two witnesses will touch off wild celebrations around the world. Incredibly, “those who dwell on the earth” will rejoice over them and celebrate. “They will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”

Ironically, this is the only mention in Revelation of rejoicing. Sinners will be happy because those who declared God’s judgments are dead. This emotional response graphically reflects the finality of their rejection.

Their Resurrection

"But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them." (Rev. 11:11–12)

The partying and gift giving of “Dead Witnesses Day” will be suddenly and dramatically halted by a most shocking event. “After three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into [the two witnesses] and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.” Panic will seize the world as their hated and reviled tormentors suddenly spring to life. If this is viewed on television, it will be replayed repeatedly. The phrase “Come up here” is likely the voice of the Lord, who summoned John to heaven in 4:1. The two preachers went up into heaven in the cloud, as their enemies watched them in awe. This two-man rapture will no doubt also be replayed endlessly for the entire world to see. It is reminiscent of the ascension of Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) and the mysterious death and burial of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5–6).

At this point, the hearts of those watching do not change. That should not be surpising. Jesus Christ said, “If [unbelievers] do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Indeed, after hearing the teaching and observing the miraculous ministry of the Son of God, unbelievers rejected and killed Him.

Their Impact

"And in 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. The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly." (Rev. 11:13–14)

Punctuating the resurrection of the two witnesses, “in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell.” Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The term “people” in the Greek text is literally “names of men.” That unusual phrase may indicate that the seven thousand who were killed were prominent people, perhaps leaders in Antichrist’s world government.

As a result of the violent earthquake, and the astonishing resurrection of the two witnesses, “the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” The phrase “the rest” must refer to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Jews who will come to faith in Christ. Supporting that interpretation is the fact that giving glory to the God of heaven is a mark of genuine repentance in Revelation and elsewhere in Scripture (4:9; 14:7; 16:9; 19:7; Luke 17:18–19; Romans 4:20). This passage, then, describes the reality of the salvation of Jews in Jerusalem.

On that positive, hopeful note, the interlude ends. For the unbelieving world, however, it ends with the sobering warning that “the second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” The seventh trumpet (the third woe, 9:12) will soon sound, bringing with it the final, violent bowl judgments and the return of Christ in glory to set up His kingdom. “Quickly” expresses the nearness of the last woe, which is the seven bowl judgments ushered in by the sounding of the seventh trumpet.