Transcript

Timothy Stackpole was a New York Firefighter, who was severely burned in a June 1998 fire in Brooklyn.

Timothy spent over two months in the Burn Center with fourth and fifth degree burns over 40% of his body. He endured many surgeries and months of painful rehabilitation.

After he recovered, he returned to the force on March 10, 2001, despite the advice of some friends and family and the fact that he could retire comfortably.

He was a great fire fighter and passionate about his work and was promoted to captain on September 6, 2001. Timothy was in the New York Fire Department headquarters, and was off-duty the morning of September 11th. But receiving the first news of the calamity he rushed to the trade center.

He was one of the fire fighters that ran into the south tower to try to save some people. When he did, it collapsed and took his life. Timothy knew his calling—to save people.

We too have a calling to save people from the fires of hell by sharing the saving message of God’s grace that Christ died for our sins and rose again. As our apostle said, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

Following the Rapture of the Church, at the beginning the Tribulation, God will raise up two witnesses to share the saving message of the gospel of the kingdom. And many will respond and be saved. These two witnesses will be main characters of the apocalypse.

Revelation 11:3-4: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

God will not leave Himself without a witness after the catching away of all believers at the Rapture. Immediately after the Rapture, two witnesses will supernaturally appear in Jerusalem.

As the dark days of God’s judgment begins in the Tribulation, you see the evidence of the love of God, by Him sending these two witnesses to the world right away, for them to give the light of the message of God’s Son in the gospel of the kingdom for people to be saved.

Verse 3 states that God “will give power unto my two witnesses.” First, we learn that their ministry will be one marked by power and authority. Second, they will be God’s witnesses. And third, there will be two of them.

And they will be two literal men. They’re not angels. They are not symbolic representations of institutions, movements, or groups of people. We see that they are real men by the fact that they will wear sackcloth, and they die, and their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem, and their bodies will be resurrected.

These two men will be granted supernatural power and special authority by God to preach a message of judgment and salvation.

As God’s witnesses, they will powerfully proclaim God’s Word, giving testimony to the gospel of the kingdom and declaring God’s judgments.

There are two witnesses because two is the number of witnesses prescribed by the Law of Moses. The law required two or more witnesses to confirm testimony. The fact that there will be two of them gives credibility to their witness, and gave legal ground and authority to these witnesses to pronounce judgment on God’s enemies.

Deuteronomy 19:15 reads, “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.”

Verse 3 further teaches, “…and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” The character of their ministry is prophetic. And they are actually called the “two prophets” in verse 10.

These two men will have the responsibility to “prophesy,” and as Israel’s prophets of old they will confront wickedness and sinfulness, and call for repentance.

To prophesy means they will proclaim or speak forth God’s Word. Their message will be in accordance with and from the law and the prophets in the Scriptures.

And by these Scriptures and the gospel of the kingdom, they will call people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as the true Messiah.

They will proclaim how the disasters that will be occurring are the judgments of God. And they will likely give witness to what is coming based on the Book of Revelation.

Their message will be prophecy and they will wear the garments of prophets “clothed in sackcloth.” Sackcloth was a rough, heavy, course cloth worn in biblical times as a symbol of mourning and distress. It also signified approaching judgment and needed repentance.

Jeremiah 6:26 reads, “O daughter of my people, gird thee WITH SACKCLOTH, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.”

When prophets wore sackcloth in the past, it indicated their own brokenness over the message of doom and judgment which they were delivering to Israel.

The two witnesses will wear sackcloth as an object lesson to express their sorrow for the wretched wickedness and unrepentant world to which they prophesy, and the doom of it.

The ministry of prophecy for these two witnesses will last for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days,” or 1260 days.

This equals 42 months or 3 ½ years according to the Jewish calendar of 30 days in a month and 360 days in a year. We know we are talking about the first 3 ½ years of the 7 year Tribulation, because after the deaths of the two witnesses, verse 14 declares that the second woe is past. And the second woe is in regards to the sixth trumpet.

The third woe and the seventh trumpet declares the seven bowl judgments during the second 3 ½ years of the Tribulation.

These two witnesses will minister in the power of God for 1,260 days in spite of the antagonism and hatred of the world.

In verse 4, John wrote, “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

This imagery is drawn from a prophecy in Zechariah 4, which refers to the high priest Joshua and Judah’s governor Zerubbabel in the days after the Babylonian captivity and how they were to be aided by the Spirit in the rebuilding of the temple.

In biblical times, oil from the olive tree provided fuel for lamps. And in the Scriptures, oil is often a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Being called two olive trees and two candlesticks, teaches that they and their witness will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And by the oil of the Spirit, they will be shining lights, sharing the light of God’s truth in a dark place, the dark place of this dark, wicked world during the thick darkness of the Tribulation.

And it through the witness of these “two candlesticks” that the “seven golden candlesticks,” or the seven churches in Asia of Revelation 2-3, are reached and established in that day.

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.”

So who are these two witnesses? Some have suggested the possibility of them being Enoch and Elijah, the two men in the Bible and in history to have not died.

But personally, based on these verses, and taking other Scriptures into account, I believe they are Moses and Elijah.

First, in verse 4 we read that the two olive trees and two candlesticks are “standing before the God of the earth.” There are very few who are said to stand before God in the Bible, but two of them are Moses and Elijah.

Of Elijah, 1 Kings 17:1 states, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, BEFORE WHOM I STAND, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

Of Moses, Psalm 106:23 states: “Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
had not Moses His chosen STOOD BEFORE HIM in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them.”

Second, Malachi 4:5 states plainly that “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”

And in Matthew 17:11 our Lord said, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” Elijah is coming back at the time of the dreadful day of the Lord and thus, he is one of the two witnesses.

Third, during our Lord’s earthly ministry, Moses and Elijah appeared together when the Lord transfigured before Peter, James and John in that high mountain.

Matthew 17:2-3: “and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias [Elijah] talking with Him.”

Fourth, the witness of these prophets will be based on the law and the prophets. And what they will give witness to is the Person and identity of Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah.

Our Lord told His disciples in Luke 24:44: “all things must be fulfilled, which were written in THE LAW OF MOSES, and in the PROPHETS…concerning Me.”

And the Lord told the two on the road to Emmaus: “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the PROPHETS have spoken…And beginning at MOSES and all the PROPHETS, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25,27).

The two witnesses will, likewise, expound from the law and the prophets the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The law and the prophets are frequently mentioned as a dual witness and are Israel’s two witnesses in the Word of God.

And in that day, Israel will have the dual witness of the actual presence of Moses representing the Law, and Elijah representing the prophets.

As Abraham told the rich man in hades, “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29).

Fifth, Matthew 11:13-14 states, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John [or John the Baptist], And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”

Of this, Pastor Ricky Kurth, editor of our Berean Searchlight magazine, wrote: “John the Baptist would have been Elijah had Israel received her kingdom. But since they rejected an Elijah-like prophet [or John] (Matt. 17:11-13), Elijah himself will have to come.

“The other witness will be ‘that prophet’ that Moses spoke of like unto himself (Deut. 18:15). The Lord in His first coming would have been ‘that prophet.’ But since Israel rejected a Moses-like prophet, Moses himself will have to come.”

And sixth is the description of the two witnesses given here in verse 6. “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy.” This is what Elijah did during the days of his prophetic ministry.

James 5:17 reads, “Elias…prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” Three years and six months is “the days of their prophecy” as verse 6 says, which is 1260 days according to verse 3.

Verse 6 also says, “and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” Turning water to blood and smiting Egypt with plagues is what Moses did when he was sent to deliver Israel out of her bondage.

Exodus 7:20 reads, “And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.”

Not only will these prophets declare God’s words, but they will also do God’s works and perform miracles of judgment.

The type of plagues the two witnesses will smite the earth with are not described, but we can safely assume they will be like the plagues Moses brought upon Egypt: frogs, lice, flies, hail, locusts, boils, and so on.

In the Tribulation, there will be false prophets performing “great signs and wonders” in the power of Satan (Matt. 24:24). Satan will have his false prophets, and God will have His two prophets. And their miracles will authenticate them as true prophets of God.

Revelation 11:5 tell us that “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.” You won’t want to mess with these two witnesses in the Tribulation.

The two witnesses will fearlessly proclaim God’s judgment, wrath, vengeance, and the need to trust the gospel of the kingdom. They will cause it not to rain and cause water to turn to blood and smite the earth with plagues to awake the people of the tribulation to their sinfulness and to move them toward repentance and faith in Christ.

Because of all this, they will be hated and many will desire to harm and kill them. But when anyone attempts to harm them, the two prophets will react with miraculous power and fire will proceed out of their mouth and consume their enemies.

For three and a half years, the witnesses will be preserved from harm by incinerating their foes. They will be invincible until their ministry is completed.

When men challenged Moses and Elijah in the past, fire came from God in heaven to devour men.

With Moses, Numbers 16:35 reads, “And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”

With Elijah, 2 Kings 1:10 tells us, “And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”

Revelation 11:7-10: “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.

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”

When they “have finished their testimony,” or the days of their witness, this is referring to their 1260 day ministry which ends at the mid-point of the Tribulation.

At this time, the Anti-Christ will be assassinated. Verse 7 makes reference to this, that the beast will ascend out of the bottomless pit. God will permit him to brought back to life, and his soul will ascend out of hades and be rejoined to his body. He will die and rise again and claim that He is the true Messiah and God in the flesh.

And one of the beast’s first actions after coming back to life will be to “make war” against the two witnesses. He will want to take over the temple in Jerusalem; but he cannot succeed until the two witnesses in Jerusalem are out of the way.

The beast will declare war against them, and gather those who hate them and attack them. With their ministry complete, God’s hand of protection will be lifted at this time, and the beast will be permitted to “overcome them, and kill them.”

The beast will accomplish what many had died trying to do. Along with his resurrection, killing the 2 witnesses will provide another reason why mankind will worship the beast.

After their deaths, the world’s utter contempt for these men will display itself by leaving their dead bodies lie in the streets without giving them a proper burial.

They will leave their bodies lying in public disgrace on a Jerusalem street for all to see.

They will die in the great city, “where also our Lord was crucified,” which is Jerusalem. But John adds “which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.”

In that day, Jerusalem will be overrun with evil and wickedness, as seen by letting the corpses of the witnesses lie in the street. In her godless state in that day, Jerusalem is likened to both a wicked city and a wicked nation.

And spiritually it will be Sodom because of its spiritual immorality, and Egypt because of its spiritual oppression and bondage. This reminds us how God looks at men and nations from a spiritual viewpoint. To Him, Jerusalem will be spiritually polluted and worldly as Sodom and as spiritually rebellious and proud as Egypt.

Verse 9 states that the Jews and people from all nations will view their dead bodies but will no one will lift a finger to bury them, choosing instead the indignity and humiliation of letting their bodies rot in the streets. They will look on their bodies with disdain and with approval and gladness at their death and letting them just lie there.

This act of leaving their bodies unburied will show the world’s and Jerusalem’s contempt for their ministry and message from the Word of God concerning God’s Son.

Verse 10 states, “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another.” This is the only earthly celebration recorded in the Book of Revelation and during the Tribulation.

The two witnesses will be regarded for 3 ½ years as the greatest enemies of the human race. They will be feared and hated, and people will rejoice at their deaths. They will be glad that these powerful prophets are gone and their plagues have come to an end.

People all over the world will rejoice at the triumph of the beast and will celebrate a kind of “satanic Christmas” by making merry and sending gifts to one another.

And they will do so, “because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.” How these two prophets will torment people will be by their plagues, but chiefly because of them proclaiming the truth, the truth of Jesus Christ, the truth of God’s Word.

The death of the two prophets will touch off a global celebration among unbelievers because they hate Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

The world will celebrate because they no longer have to listen to stinging messages of judgment from God from these witnesses and their unpopular prophecies will be silenced.

The preaching of righteousness by these two witnesses will be a torment for many, because they can’t stand to hear the truth when they love their lies.

And this is not unlike how it is under grace, because the unpopular truth of the gospel, of the Savior, and God’s Word torments people today too.

Revelation 11:11-13: “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”

“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

Being dead for three-and-a-half days recalls the three-and-a-half-year ministry of the witnesses. After 3 ½ days, the gift-giving and merriment of the world will be cut short, because suddenly and shockingly “the Spirit of life from God” will enter their dead bodies and they will stand up on that street in Jerusalem.

And not surprisingly, “great fear fell upon them which saw them.” The witnesses’ resurrections will terrify and astonish the onlookers, and panic will seize them.

And then a great voice from heaven was heard, which said unto the two witnesses: “Come up hither.” Their ministry completed; they were invited to come up to Christ’s presence in heaven. Then not only will the enemies of the two witnesses see them rise and stand up from the dead, they will watch them ascend up to heaven.

Our Lord’s disciples and friends watched Him ascend to heaven, but it is the enemies of the two witnesses who will watch them ascend “up to heaven in a cloud” and disappear from their sight.

This sequence of events will serve to remind Israel and Jerusalem of the ministry of Jesus Christ: His 3 ½ year ministry of miracles and truth, His death in Jerusalem, His resurrection, and His ascension to heaven.

With Jerusalem still wrapping their minds around the shocking events of the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses, the city will begin to shake violently.

The witnesses’ enemies will be shaken with great fear when they see the witnesses resurrected, and their fear will be heightened, when this great, violent earthquake occurs.

God, in righteous anger, will shake the city in His displeasure at Jerusalem’s wickedness and mistreatment of His two witnesses. It will be so powerful that it will destroy and cause a tenth part of Jerusalem to collapse and it kill 7000 people.

And as one commentator put it well: “They would not allow burial to the slain witnesses, and now they themselves are buried alive in the ruins of their own houses.” And we find how their joy and merriment will be replaced by great fear.

The “remnant” or survivors of the earthquake will be terrified. These three quick, consecutive miracles will so traumatize the inhabitants of Jerusalem that it will cause many to become religious on the spot, giving glory to the God of heaven out of fear.

They will give glory to God, not in genuine worship, but in grudging, outward admission of His great power.

Studying the Apocalypse makes you grateful that we are living during a time when God is offering the world grace and peace, and not judgment and wrath like He will pour out on this world in the Tribulation.

We should be careful to not take for granted that we live in such a time, and we should take advantage of it to live for and serve the Lord and to be strong in our witness in the power of the Spirit like the two witnesses.

As Romans 13:11-12 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”