I am sorry but many of you guys got the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 all misunderstood. You are thinking that the two witnesses will be two literal men coming back from the past with some supernatural power that will literally burn people with fire out of their mouths. Huh?! That is purely premillennial fantasy that do not know Gospel Truth.
First, let's find out who Two Witnesses really are:
Rev 11:3-4
(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.
The two witnesses "represent" the
true believers of the church who have received power with the Holy Ghost bringing true testimony to the world.
Act 1:8
(8) But
ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
This is God giving His witnesses POWER to witness the gospel to the whole Earth. They are CHRISTIANS! Not two literal men! THe reason why God used the number two (2) is to represent Truth. Thus His witnesses were sent out to the world with the testimony of Truth! Selah!
That's why we read that the word from their mouth is "as" fire (judgment). Because it is the witness of God's Word, not their own. The true believers in Christ are
symbolized by these two witnesses because (comparing scripture with scripture)
this is God's model or pattern illustrating truth. We see in scripture that God instituted that a "minimum" of two witnesses was the paradigm establishing what is the truth, as I said. For example:
Deuteronomy 17:6
- "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death."
Deuteronomy 19:15
- "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."
So we see in the law of God, it was required that a
minimum of two witnesses must testify "before" someone's judgment/testimony should be considered trustworthy. In other words, they were not to accept the word of just one witness as truth that anyone could be judged, the word had to be by at least two witnesses to establish the truth of it.
John 8:16-18
- "And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
- It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
- I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."
Christ declares that in the Scriptures, the testimony of two men was sufficient to establish that a thing was true. So the witness of the Word and that of his Father should suffice to establish righteous judgment. And also as an example of this, do you recall that Christ sent the 70 out to witness
two by two. Again, established the model that this signified they were
coming with the truth of the gospel, the
true testimony of Christ. Or in another passage:
Matthew 18:16
- "But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."
Again, very clearly God has designated the minimum of "Two Witnesses" that their word is established as truth.
2nd Corinthians 13:1
- "This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
Here again, the Apostle Paul quotes the law in demonstrating to the people that what he is declaring to them is true.
So back to Revelation 11, the designation of the Two Witnesses here is to SIGNIFY that these born-again Christians of God come
in the spirit of truth, and with the Word of truth. Every word is established as true because they don't come preaching their own word, but testifying
from the Word of God. For example, you will hear Christians say a lot of things, but it is only those whom you hear "quoting" or faithfully testifying to what God Himself says, who are those with the testimony of Christ (1st Corinthians 1:6). In the real sense, is the difference between the true witnesses of the gospel, and false witnesses. One comes with
God's unadulterated word in his mouth, and the other comes with his own word declaring that it is the interpretation of God's word.
Simply put, the two witnesses are
synonymous with those who are
spoken of as keeping the commandments of God, and that have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Witnesses, because of their testimony,
two signify that it is the truth. You can see in verse 7 that as witnesses, God speaks of "their testimony:"
Revelation 11:7
- "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."
Near the end of the world, when the purpose of their testimony/witness to bring all Elect into KIngdom of God is FINISHED, that is when God loosened the beast from the bottomless pit where he has been bound since the time of the cross. You need to understand that Christ had to bound Satan in order to build His Church through His witnesses, the Christians that were sent by him to the ends of the Earth with the power to prophesy! This is why the witness of the true believers since the Cross is to building the Church! When the Church is completed, all saved who are to be saved, THEN, and only then, their testimony is finished. Or to put it another way, God's witnesses couldn't be killed (silenced) until after their witness on earth was complete. Selah! ...and, of course, when this occurs, Christ's second coming is imminent!
Now...
Rev 11:4-5
(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.
The two Olive Trees and two candlesticks signify believers sealed by God with the power to bring gospel truth to the world. Now we need to understand how Christians will spew fire out of their mouth that devoureth their enemies. Do you understand this? You won't unless you go check with the rest of Scripture to find truth...
Actually, both hurt (torment) them because the two witnesses bring God's word of this torment from their mouths. That's why the enemies hate them and want them dead--because they prophesy or declare that they are under judgment. The Elect's testimony of the hurt that the witnesses bring
is the
torment of God in Word. Exactly
why God says their word is like fire and they as wood to it. It judges! The hurt of God's judgment upon the unrighteous by the locusts, and the Witnesses' word of it are two sides of the same coin. Observe carefully:
Revelation 11:5-6
- "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.
- 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."
Note that this is
synonymous with the judgments God pours out upon the unfaithful. Those who attempt to hurt the elect have no "real" power to do so, but by the Word of God that comes out of the elect's mouth, they are themselves brought under this judgment! For they are worthy. The fire from their mouths, turning waters to blood, stopping rain, etc.,
are all symbolic images signifying no more salvation for these wicked. Selah! That's the power of God's word against the enemies of God. God's judgment by God's word upon them (those unfaithful, locusts to anyone who would hurt them). ...as contrasted with the fulfillment in the hurt of the locusts upon these unrighteous
as judgment. Now moving on to next post...