Rev 11:1-14 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. (2) But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (3) 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. (14) The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
How has your day been going so far, Reader? Are you excited about what is to come? I have found the Book of Revelation to be more of a blessing in my life than it has ever been in my 42 years of salvation! I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have anything to worry about as far as where I will spend eternity or if it’s due to the fact that we are actually witnessing and living in the end times. We are literally seeing Bible prophecy unfold and come to light. (2Timothy 3:1-7 and 2Peter 3:3-7) Either way, it excites me to know that I won’t be here to experience the most horrific events this earth has ever experienced! It also presses on my heart that Christians do not have much time left to lead the lost to Jesus Christ and His salvation. (John 14:6) Can you imagine not sharing something of this magnitude with someone who is on his way to Hell?
Today’s topic sounds like something right out of a science fiction movie. It revolves around two men who will have such an effect on the world that the world will absolutely hate them. They won’t be despised because of their political party – nor will they be despised because they are murderers. They will be despised for their testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and preaching repentance to a lost, sinful and dying world. Can you imagine hating someone so much that you rejoice and have a party when they die? Stay tuned, and buckle up! We are about to witness such things in this chapter!
Just who are these two men and what is their purpose? They are referred to as the “Two Witnesses” who will be preaching in the streets of Jerusalem, where the Temple is located (Revelation 11:1) and where their Lord was crucified (Revelation 11:8). Since the Temple is mentioned here, it stands to reason that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem at some point prior to this. It was destroyed in 70 AD and at some point between now and the Tribulation, it will be rebuilt. We haven’t seen that yet, but when God’s Word says it will happen, that means it will happen and you can take that to the bank. (Ezekiel 12:25)
The Two Witnesses’ main purpose is to preach repentance (Revelation 11:3). We know this to be so because they wore sackcloth. Why is sackcloth linked to repentance? Jesus said in Matthew 11:21 that sackcloth and ashes were a part of repentance. Sackcloth was often made of camel’s hair as we see in Matthew 3:4 in John the Baptist’s clothing. As John the Baptist preached for a period of time on the topic of repentance and the coming of Messiah, these two witnesses will preach the same topics for 1,260 days, or three and a half years. That’s a long time for two people to preach in the streets of Jerusalem! Some believe this will occur during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation while others believe it will be during the second half. I believe they come in the first half because Revelation 11:7 says that once they have “finished their testimony,” the beast makes war against them. As you will see below, the Two Witnesses’ powers have the same outcome as in the eighth chapter during the Trumpet Judgments. Chapter 12 reveals how this beast will come to power so it stands to reason, for me at least, that they will be preaching during the first half of the Tribulation. Either way, people will not want to hear what they have to say because their hearts are evil.
Here’s where the Two Witnesses’ power comes into play. They will be protected by the Lord Himself and will be kept from any harm as we see in Revelation 11:5. Can you just imagine what people will think when they see that these men have fire proceeding out of their mouths when enemies attack them?? Wow! Fire is symbolic of judgment and damnation. I can just imagine what those who witness such events will think! Take note of the powers that are given to these two:
- Verse 6 – the power to shut heaven so it does not rain. Who else did this? Elijah did in 1Kings 17:1, 1Kings 18:22-39, James 5:17-18
- Verse 6 – the power to turn water into blood. Who else did this? Moses did this in Exodus 7:19
So it could be possible that the two witnesses are Elijah and Moses but that’s not 100% certain. Both appeared with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-38). Because of their Old Testament miracles being repeated here, I believe that they will be Elijah and Moses. Some believe that it is Elijah (2Kings 2:11) and Enoch (Genesis 5:24) because neither one died, but were taken up to Heaven. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after death is the judgment. Since neither died, their death could be a fulfillment here. Either view, these two witnesses will preach repentance to its fullest; so much so, their message will make people angry, much like Stephen’s message angered the people of his day to the point of martyrdom (Acts 7:54-60).
In Revelation 11:7-10, we read that our Two Witnesses will be assassinated by the Beast (the Antichrist) for their testimony. Although the Word says there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), the death of these two men will be like none other! The hatred for these two is so great that the people will leave their bodies in the streets for all the world to see. How cold must a heart be to rejoice, not only for their deaths but to watch the celebration as their bodies lay dead on the streets of Jerusalem!!!
Why is it important for us to know where these things will happen? Remember, the whole purpose of the Tribulation is for Israel to return to their God and Messiah. We know it’s Jerusalem because this verse specifies that our Lord was crucified there (Revelation 11:8). Also, did you notice the symbolic names John gives for Jerusalem? He calls Jerusalem, “Sodom and Egypt.” Why do you think the Lord chose those two specific words? The Bible says that Sodom’s destruction was due to the sin of sodomy (homosexuality) running rampant. As well, it is common knowledge that Egypt is a “type” of the world (Exodus 13:14); the world and its bondage to sin entraps us and we must “come out of the world (Egypt)” of sin into salvation through Jesus Christ. So I believe that worldliness and all its sins, especially homosexuality (for which Sodom was destroyed), will dominate Jerusalem (and the world for that matter) during the Tribulation. When I was first saved in 1980, this particular sin was not spoken of so openly as it is now. Today, however, “gay pride” is everywhere and the television is promoting it in any way they can! Once must realize that the first sin ever committed was the sin of pride committed by Lucifer when he wanted to be as God. For this reason, he was cast out of Heaven! The sin of pride is not only committed by homosexuals, it is revealed in the hearts of earth’s inhabitants as they take selfies and record their every movement in social media for all the world to see. 😡 Can you imagine how much worse it will be during the Tribulation??
Due to Internet, cell phones and social media, people all over the world will be able to see the dead bodies of our Two Witnesses lying in the street. Modern-day technology has allowed the fulfillment of these prophecies. If some people on earth do not have these technologies, they at least know someone who does. You can be sure if the Bible says all will see, then you can believe that all will see. There will be a global celebration of their deaths and they will even give gifts to one other for this horrifying event, much like Christmas! They are so sick and tired of hearing the preaching of repentance from these Two Witnesses for a solid three and a half years that they celebrate their deaths! The Scriptures say they were tormenting all that dwell on the earth so no wonder a celebration ensues! Wow! What cold, unrepentant and wicked hearts are within them!
I absolutely love what happens next though! Just as Jesus arose from the dead after three days, the Two Witnesses will as well! The Holy Spirit breathes them life into them again and they stand up! I don’t know about you, but if I were to witness this event, I would fall to my knees in fear and repent! The verse states that fear overcomes those who witness this event and as they are watching, a voice from Heaven calls out for the Two Witnesses to “Come up hither” and up they ascend in a cloud!! To top it all, everyone on earth will see this happening (Revelation 11:12). In the next verse we see that at that very hour, a great earthquake occurs and a tenth of Jerusalem falls and 7,000 men die as a result! As with the feeding of the 5,000, we know that Scripture only accounts for just the men. But there were women and children there during that miracle as well. So the 7,000 men could double or even triple when you add women and children. It also tells us that the survivors gave glory to God in Heaven! What a contribution and impact the Two Witnesses had, amen?!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!