REVELATION 11:1-12

As I mentioned yesterday, I believe the two witnesses of Revelation 11:1-12 are Enoch and Elijah. In this passage, John, having been caught up into heaven "in the spirit" (Rev. 4:1-2), described what he saw as being a vision (Rev. 9:17). He was told to measure the Temple below. Since Revelation was written after Herod's Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 (Dan. 9:26), this Temple must be a new one, perhaps the building of which was facilitated by the Antichrist as part of his seven-year covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27). The Lord told John that the outer court of the Temple and Jerusalem "shall be tread under foot for forty and two months" by the Gentiles (Rev. 11:1-2). That period is described as the second half of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:29; Matt. 24:15-29; Rev. 12 - 18).

The first half of the Tribulation is described as being "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (Rev. 11:3). The Jews will be living in the "safe protection" of the Antichrist. They will "hear of wars and rumors of wars" but they, themselves, will not experience them (Matt. 24:6). The Rapture of the Church will have already taken place (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; 1 Thes. 4:13-18), and then, those who realize Jesus was their Messiah, will be persecuted in the Synagogues (Mk. 13:9), not by the Antichrist, but by the Jews.

It is during the first half of the Tribulation that God will send two witnesses to try to convince the world to repent; He will give them power for "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (Rev. 11:3). Everyone, including Israel, will rejoice when they are killed (Rev. 11:10). I believe these two will be killed at the end of the first half of the Tribulation by the Antichrist (Rev. 13:1-8), taken up into heaven, and then the Abomination of Desolation will take place (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15; Rev. 13:5). The blindness that will have kept Israel from recognizing Jesus as their Messiah will be removed (Rom. 11:7, 25; 2 Cor. 3:14), and they will spend the next three and a half years "on the run" (Lk. 21:20-24).

The two witnesses, dressed in sackcloth (Rev. 11:3), will be given the ability to breathe out fire on their enemies (Rev. 11:5), the power to stop the rain for three and one half years, to turn water into blood, and bring plagues upon the earth (Rev. 11:6). Some have suggested that because of their ability to do those things, one of them must be Moses, but nowhere does the Bible say Moses, or Elijah for that matter, breathed fire or wore sackcloth. I believe they read of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13), and assume it is they who are God's two witnesses. However, Moses died, and as I said yesterday, Enoch and Elijah have yet to die. Also notice Jesus said Elijah must come; He said nothing about Moses.

No one knows for sure the identity of the two witnesses who are coming.
But every believer knows the identity of his Lord and Savior who is coming! Amen!