The Two Witnesses

  I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 

   These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And 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. 

  These have power to shut heaven, so that 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 desire.

   When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 

   And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 11:3-8

Moses and Elijah

   11:5 certainly does not allow these two witnesses to be humans, as we know humans.  The Bible says that 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.  Many Bible teachers agree that these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah in a transformed state; they have power to stop the rain from falling. They also have power to turn water into blood and to smite the earth with plagues. 11:6 

   We recall that when Elijah prayed that it might not rain it rained not for three and a half years. James 5:17.  When Moses, with Aaron's help, stretched forth his rod, the waters of Egypt became blood, and at another time the land was infested with plagues. Ex. 7:19.  

   We also recall that when Christ was transfigured, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias (Elijah) talking with him. Mat. 17:3.  These two witnesses stand before the God of the whole earth and they come to the new Jerusalem to preach; they have magnificent powers.  However, they must die again; the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will ... kill them. 11:7, but just as surely they will be raised to life again; And after three days and a half, a spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. 11:11.

  These two witnesses will prophesy for three and a half years clothed in sackcloth.  They are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.   he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, …there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, …one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these,…So he answered and said to me: “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth. Zech. 4:1-14.

Here is a quote from The Signs^, the two witnesses represent God's word in the Old and New Testaments.   

I reject this theory because:

1. The witnesses had power 1260 days.  According to The Signs own interpretation, this is from 538 AD to 1798 AD, which would mean that the Bible was not to be found on the earth before 538 AD or after 1798 AD.

2. The witnesses have power to turn water into blood but the Bible has never done that.

3. The beast will kill the witnesses, 11:7.  The beast does not have the power to kill the Bible.

4. The witnesses ascended to heaven before the Church is raptured.  If that would happen the Church would be left on earth without the Bible.  Based on the emphasis the Church has put on the Bible we cannot believe that that will happen.

   Asimov says that some suggest that the two witnesses are Paul and Peter and that the great city is Rome.  John says that Christ was killed in what is spiritually (figuratively) called Sodom or Egypt.  

   However, some scholars would insist that it could be said that Christ was killed in Rome since Rome and Babylon are the names used to designate other evil places as well.  In this case, John would have been calling Jerusalem, at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, an evil city, comparable to Rome. 

Low Moral Standards

   In a spiritual sense, the city will be as wicked as Sodom was and as destitute of hope, as Egypt was, for the Israelites when they lived there.  The city is not Sodom, not Rome, not a city in Egypt, but the city where also our Lord was crucified. 

   the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. 17:18  It seems, by inference, that Babylon, in this case, is apostate Judaism, the great city where our Lord was crucified.  It is so sad that it is often the religious people of the day that "crucify" our Saviour or His followers.  

   Mr Jim Crew says that in The Apocalypse the women represent the churches. The woman of chapter 12 represents the "right" church and the wicked woman (Babylon) represents all the other churches. 

  If one were to accept that line of thinking, this reference to Sodom would certainly fit the modern, God-forsaken, United Church of Canada.  The following, printed in blue, is what I found on Google under the heading, The United Church of Canada.

1965 premarital sex is approved

1988 Practicing gays approved for ordination

1997 Church head denies Christ's resurrection.

1997 Leaders unanimously approve Phipps (as moderator of the United Church of Canada in October 1997, even though he is recognized to be) an infidel and enemy of Christ!

2003 church petitions Ottawa to change the definition of marriage to include homosexuals. 

(Phipps) Head of United church denies Resurrection of Christ!

   This church condoned same-sex marriage before the government of Canada even legalized it. It is the Christian church that should set the highest moral standards in the world; it is not the church's position to petition the government of the country to lower that country's standard!

Christ said You are the light of the world. John 5:14.  Thank Jehovah, there are still some churches whose lights shine in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Phil. 2:15.  Some other churches are just social groups with low moral standards.

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^ Signs of the Times Magaizine: What the Revelation says about.