Two Witnesses Return to Life

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.

   Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

   And 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.

   Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

   And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

   In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

   The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. 11:8-14 

Two Witnesses Lie in State

their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city. Dr McGee* writes, These men are not given even a decent burial. This reveals the crude, cold barbarism of the last days, which will be covered with but a thin veneer of culture. There is a strange resemblance to the sadistic curiosity, which placed two dead men, Lenin and Stalin, on display in Red Square in Moscow. They have removed Stalin, but at this writing, Lenin is still there, and I understand that that body is beginning to deteriorate.

  The picture here is that the word used for bodies (carcasses) denotes the contempt and hatred the world will have for the two witnesses.  They are treated as dead animals.

   Conversely, their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, may have a different meaning than Dr McGee offers.  It is unlikely that the bodies would last long with dogs and birds rampant in a city.  In addition, a very specific length of time is allotted for them to be on view; three-and-a-half days.   

   
   To me it seems more fitting to see these two witnesses "lie in state"; after all, they had been notable individuals; they will not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.  The whole world knew about them; the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies. 11:9.

  Various people, not all people; And many of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations. 11:9 MKJV, shall come to Jerusalem to see these two witnesses "lie in state" for three and a half days.  Many will rejoice over their deaths and send gifts in merriment because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11:10. 

   By some, this is interpreted to mean that their righteous manner of life and preaching bothered the conscience of the people of the world, and the world is glad that the preachers of righteousness are finally silenced. 

   If we look back at 11:6 we see that the torment they inflicted was much more physical.  These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls …and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues.  The reason for merriment may be much more physical than moral or spiritual.

   After they had been lying in state for three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them.  They stood up and great fear fell on those who saw them.  How would we feel if we saw a corpse come back to life after three and a half days?

   As Christ ascended to heaven in a cloud, not by a cloud, so did these two resurrected witnesses; and their enemies saw it happen. 11:12.

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.  Those that were left alive were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.  This sounds so different than those whom we read about earlier: the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent. 9:20

The Second Woe is Past

  Verse 21 says The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.  Very plainly, that means that the sixth trumpet has sounded, the sixth bowl of wrath has been poured out, and the seventh trumpet will be sounding soon.  We must not expect the rapture of the Church until the two witnesses have done their preaching or before the beast from the bottomless pit has killed them or even before they have ascended to heaven.

   In an earlier post was this statement: the sixth trumpet and the sixth bowl of wrath are the second woe and the second woe is the Battle of Armageddon. However, a prelude to that battle is Babylon, which we must visit first.  But now we are finished with Babylon, we have seen the little book, the temple and the two witnesses.  Now that the two witnesses have ascended to heaven The Apocalypse says, The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

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* Through the Bible with Dr J Vernon McGee.