God’s Two Prophetic Witnesses of the Book of Revelation
“And I will give power to my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:3-19
This event is sometime during the 7 years of Tribulation. We don’t know when God’s two prophetic witnesses’ shift of 1,260 days (3½ years) starts but, with all the other events of the Tribulation period considered, best guess is it is during the first half.
Their mandate is to prophesy before the world for three and a half years (1,260 days), and the Bible tells us they will wear only sackcloth.
God gives these two a bunch of really destructive powers. Powers they will have no hesitation to use! We know this because the Bible says of their death:
“Everyone on the earth will be happy because these two are dead. They will have parties and send each other gifts. They will do this because these two prophets brought much suffering to the people living on earth“.
So here's the scenario:
The two witnesses will prophesy for 42 months, bringing plagues upon the earth and no one is able to kill them (Revelation 11:5). On the last day of the 42 months, the Antichrist goes into the temple in Jerusalem and stops the sacrifices (Daniel 9:27). He then takes his seat in the temple and declares himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
He walks out of the temple and immediately meets the two prophets, who have just finished their testimony.
No one on earth has been able kill the two witnesses for 42 months, but because their ministry is finished, the Antichrist is able to kill them. (Revelation 11:7). This gives him instant credibility in the world's eyes as the most powerful man on earth.
What Powers do God’s Two Prophetic Witnesses have?
- They can stop the rain,
- turn water into blood, and
- send every kind of plague to the earth
They can do these things as many times as they want. Which indeed they do!
If anyone tries to hurt God’s two prophetic witnesses, fire will come from their mouths and kill whoever tries.
God’s Two Prophetic Witnesses will be Killed
At the end of this time, they will be killed by “the beast that comes from the bottomless pit“. Their bodies will lie in the street for 3½ years while “people from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses“. (Think Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest…) and the people will refuse to bury them!
Then God will “let life enter the two witnesses again. They stood on their feet. All those who saw them were filled with fear.” With a loud voice, God will say “Come up here!” and they will rise into heaven on a cloud while their enemies watch.
But wait, there’s more… (you didn’t think it would end there, did you?) A great earthquake will follow that will destroy 1⁄10 of the city and kill 7,000 people.
All this is in Revelation 11:1-13.
Who are the Two Witnesses in the Bible?
These two guys appear in the first half of the 7 years of Tribulation to prophesy, to “deliver a message”. They are first mentioned in the Bible in Revelation 11:1
Many people have tried to guess their identity.
Contenders for the position:
We don’t have a clue who they are, so any guesses are entirely speculative. Moses and Elijah have some relevant experience. But after reading *this article, I think it’s Elijah and Enoch. What do you think ?
Moses
- Moses had the ability to turn water into blood. Exodus 7:17-19
Elijah
- Elijah had the power to stop the rain for 3½ years. James 5:17
Enoch
- Pretty much says, in The Gospel of Nicodemus, that he is one of the Two Witnesses.
But there isn’t a Gospel of Nicodemus in the Bible, I hear you say. And you would be right. There isn’t. The Gospel of Nicodemus is one that didn’t make it into the compilation of books and letters we call The Bible. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist though, but its reliability has been questioned.
God’s two prophetic witnesses could just as easily be none of the above, and two entirely new fellows we have never ‘met’.
*This article is worth a read, for interesting info on resurrection and why Elijah and Enoch are favoured for the position. Neither of these guys died (which, according to the article, is relevant). Both were ‘caught up to heaven’ by the Lord.
