In Revelation 11 we read about two witnesses. A couple of weeks ago we read on the 144,000 Jews also. Both of these groups are significant because if the Church is still here, why are these Jews and two witnesses needed?
Revelation 11:3-4 – 3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
These two are the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth?
Wasn’t the Church signified by seven lampstands? Also they appear to be in Heaven. Here we have two witnesses that are from God and they are lampstands on the earth. They are Prophesying and have protection from God to not only witness about the Lord, but have a real Old Testament style way of causing havoc on the earth to those who try and harm them.
Which brings up the other point, what separates the Old and New Testaments? The coming of Jesus Christ. With the rejection of Jesus as the Jews’ Messiah, we have a church age that appears to have stepped in separating Daniel’s 69th to the 70th week. That’s a whole other study if you’re not familiar with it and is found in Daniel 9:20-27. Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would be cut off from the people after the 69th week. These weeks are symbolized by a period of 7 years. Thus 70 weeks of years is 490 years.
The symbolic nature of this is Jesus died 483 years after Daniels prophecy started ticking. What is the 70th week? It’s the 7 year peace treaty with the antichrist. So there is a gap and we know it as the church age. In essence there was an Old Testament time freeze. What starts it back up? Not the rapture, but the signing of that peace treaty between Israel and the antichrist.
I say all this because, the judgments in Revelation along with those that the two witnesses are causing have Old Testament written all over them. As we saw in verse three above they were clothed in sackcloth. That is an Old Testament tradition.
Revelation 11:5-6 – 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
No rain? Water to blood along with plagues? This is why some believe these two witnesses to be Elijah and Moses.
So it appears the Church comes in after Daniel’s 69th week and leaves before his 70th week, which I believe points to more Pre-Trib rapture support information.
Once again, if the Church is hear doing its job, what’s the reason for the two witnesses? Why are they referred to as the two lampstands on earth? If the Church was still here wouldn’t they be considered the seven lampstands that stand for the Lord of the Earth?