Are you confused by the discussion surrounding the “Two Witnesses” in Revelation 11?
I think the lesson author of “The Two Witnesses” does a pretty good job of explaining it, but, judging by the comments suggesting interpretations that cannot fit the description given, confusion remains. The language in Revelation is prophetic and figurative, but the symbols have meaning that can be deduced by context and cross-referencing. So let’s look at them again:
3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy
4 These [the two witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth (Rev. 11: 3, 4)
So it seems that the “two witnesses,” the “two olive trees” and the “two lampstands” all refer to the same divine agency. Let’s check out similar wording in Zechariah 4:
2And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I said, “I am looking, and thereisa lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it,and on thestandseven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.3Two olive trees areby it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”4So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “Whatarethese, my lord?”
4These are thetwo olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the[God of the earth.
5Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
6So he answered and said to me:
“Thisisthe word of theLord toZerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:2-6)
In Zechariah, the angel answers the question regarding the two olive trees and lampstands by telling him that “the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the [God of the earth” signify a message for Zerubbabel:
“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says theLord of hosts.”
This suggests that the oil flowing from the olive trees and into the lampstands is the Spirit of God (“My Spirit”), just as oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit in other places in the Bible.
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses ….
4These are thetwo olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.5And if anyone wants to harm them,fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. Rev. 11: 3,4
In similar language, Revelation 11 equates the “Two Witnesses” with the “‘the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. ” Thus we can tentatively conclude that the “two witnesses” in Revelation also refer to the Spirit of God. We need to determine which manifestation of the Spirit is referenced.
Where in the Bible do we have “fire” proceeding from the mouth? Usually we have words proceeding from the mouth. Do such words ever turn to devouring fire? Let’s check this out:
SoElijahanswered and said to the captain offifty, “If Iama man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and yourfiftymen.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and hisfifty. 2 Kings 1:10
SoElijahanswered and said to them, “If Iama man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and yourfiftymen.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 2 Kings 1:12
At the word of Elijah, fire came down from heaven. Was it really the word of Elijah, the man, that consumed the soldiers sent by a wicked king to arrest him? Or was this the Word of God sent through Elijah by the Holy Spirit? (Recall that Elijah was a prophet of God, and the definition of a prophet is “one who speaks for God.” So was it the word of a mere man, or was it the Word of God that resulted in fire coming down from heaven?
The third captain recognized that Elijah was not an ordinary man but a “man of God” moved by the Spirit of God and begged that his life be spared, and it was. (2 Kings 1:13)
The Revelator gives us another identifying mark:
6 These [the two witnesses] have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; (Rev. 11:6)
So let’s check to see if there are any instances in the Bible where the heavens are shut by the Word of God so that no rain would fall:
AndElijahthe Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “AstheLordGod of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew norrainthese years, except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. James 5:17
Again, was it the word of Elijah that had the power to shut the heavens, or was it the Word of God conveyed by Elijah?
they [the two witnesses] have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. Rev. 11:6
So what but the Word of God can turn waters into blood and “strike the earth with plagues”?
Then theLordspoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over thewaters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools ofwater, that they may becomeblood. And there shall bebloodthroughout all the land of Egypt, both inbuckets ofwood andpitchers ofstone.’ ” Exodus 7:19
And Moses and Aaron did so, just as theLordcommanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck thewaters thatwerein the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all thewaters thatwerein the river were turned toblood. Exodus 7:20
Whose words turned the water into blood? And whose word produced the plagues of Egypt?
I believe we can agree that these were not just the words of Moses or Aaron, but the Word of God delivered by them through His prophet Moses.
I cannot find any other interpretation that fits all the description given in Revelation 11 other than that the “Two Witnesses” are the Word of God as inspired by the Holy Spirit. If you have a different interpretation, please run it through all the checks of the things that “the two witnesses” have done and can do.
In ancient times, all the words of God were referred to as “the law and the prophets.” Later we might have referred to them as “the Torah (law and prophets) and the writings of the disciples of Christ, or, not so accurately 1 as the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament.” You can call it what you will, as long as you recognize that only the Word of God fits the specifications given in Revelation.
Now we’ll have to venture into post-New Testament history to interpret the rest of the text:
7When they [the two witnesses] finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. (Rev. 11:7)
The prophecy states that when the Spirit of the Lord has spoken through His Word, the Bible, Satan will make war against the Bible and kill/destroy it. And that’s precisely what happened in the French Revolution, after the Bible had been translated into the languages of the people of Europe. God appealed to the people of France many times and in various ways, but His Word and offer of salvation was rejected time and time again. Finally the nation went so far as to officially ban the Word of God/the Bible and to collect all copies and burn them. Satan inspired the populace with his own spirit of hatred of the God and His Word, which resulted in unspeakable horrors.
8And their dead bodieswill lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Rev. 11:8)
Goddess of Reason, an opera girl, presented as an object of worship in the French Revolution. ©GoodSalt.com
Sodom is symbolic of sexual excesses and Egypt is symbolic of open defiance of God. (“Who is God?”) Revolutionary France fits both these descriptions.
And “our Lord was crucified” in France in spirit if not in a physical body, which was safe in heaven (or they would have crucified Him again): “Jesus Christ was declared to be an impostor and the rallying cry of the French infidels was “Crush the Wretch,” meaning Christ.” (The Great Controversy, p. 190) But that’s not all, Christ was crucified in the persons of His followers as well, whenever they could be found.
[Chronologically misplaced sentence deleted.]
Thenthosefrom the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, (Rev. 11:9)
For exactly 3 1/2 years, France was officially atheistic and godless. Christians who had not been butchered or condemned to the galleys on ships had fled, and the Word of God seemed defeated.
The “three-and-a-half days (years) prophecy was fulfilled with remarkable accuracy: “It was in 1793 that the decree which abolished the Christian religion and set aside the Bible, passed the French Assembly. Three years and a half later, a resolution rescinding these decrees, thus granting toleration the Scriptures, was adopted by the same body. “(The Great Controversy, p. 287)
10And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry,and send gifts to one another,because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. (Rev. 11:10)
That, too, is an accurate description of what happened among the enemies of the Bible, especially at Rome. (They literally “sent gifts to one another.” Read it for yourself .) Note that here “the two witnesses” are called “these two prophets.” (Prophets speak for God!)
There is much more. The chapter on the French Revolution in Love under Fire and The Great Controversy make riveting and terrifying reading. You can read them for free online at egwwritings.org and you can listen to Chapter 15: France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause from Love Under Fire on Youtube.
Satan has waged war against the Word of God at every opportunity. During the “Dark Ages” he kept it away from the people, chained in churches in a foreign language. When he lost the war to keep the Bible chained and in a foreign language, he changed tactics. Nowadays, he is more successful in leading people to take the Bible for granted and leave it on a shelf or the night stand, except for Sabbath. And he may even suggest that the “old interpretations” are wrong, and we need to interpret His Word in a more “modern way,” to agree with the current scientific paradigm.
If we will apply ourselves to “dig” in His Word, He has new discoveries for us every day, but they are not likely to be mere intellectual discoveries to set others straight. Instead He speaks to our hearts to change us to be more like Jesus.
Please dig for truth for yourself and don’t expect to have everything come “easy.” The promise is sure:
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
Andlift up your voice for understanding,
4If you seek her as silver,
And search for her asforhidden treasures;
5Then you will understand the fear of theLord,
And find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)
- The idea that salvation in pre-Christ times was obtained through the “Old Testament/Old covenant” is not accurate. Salvation was ever only through the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. ↩
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