---- The Two Witnesses Of Revelation 11:3 ----

(Notes from the Finis Jennings Dake Annotated Bible)

Print/PDF"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. 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. 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. 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." (Revelation 11:3-12 KJV)

18 Facts Identifying the 2 Witnesses

  1. They are two men, not covenants, dispensations, etc. (v3, 7-12)
  2. They are Christ’s witnesses (v3).
  3. They will be given power in the future when they come to earth (v3). This does not require them to be men who have already exercised this power.
  4. They will be prophets (v3, 10).
  5. They will prophesy the last 42 months, 1260 days, 31/2 years of this age (v2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; Dan. 7:25; 12:7).
  6. They will be clothed in sackcloth (v3).
  7. They are symbolized by two olive trees and two candlesticks which stand before God (v4; Zech. 4:11-14).
  8. They were already in heaven when Zechariah prophesied, about 500 years before Christ (Zeck. 4:11-14).
  9. John saw them in heaven about 96 A.D., so whoever they are they are two men translated to reside in heaven at least 500 years before Christ (v4; Zech. 4:11-14; Mal. 4:5-6). This will exclude John the Baptist, John the Apostle, and every other man living after 500 B.C.
  10. They will be invincible for the 31/2 years of their ministry (v5-7).
  11. They will have power to destroy their enemies the same way their enemies seek to destroy them (v5).
  12. They will be able to cause fire to come out of their mouths to devour their enemies (v5).
  13. They will have power to stop rain all the days of their prophecy (v6).
  14. They will have power to turn the water into blood and smite the earth with plagues as often as they will (v6).
  15. When the 1260-day ministry is finished the supernatural angelic spirit out of the abyss will use the human Antichrist to kill them (v7).
  16. Since it is appointed unto men once to die (Heb. 9:27), it is certain that they are two men who have never died so that they can die at the hands of the Antichrist in the future. This excludes Moses or any other man who has already died as one of the witnesses.
  17. They will remain dead for 31/2 days and then be resurrected (v8-11). This further proves that they are two men who have never died and that they will not be resurrected, immortal men when they come from heaven to begin their ministry.
  18. There would seem to be only two men in the Bible who could fulfill these facts about the two witnesses. They are Enoch and Elijah. That Elijah will be one of them is clearly predicted in Mal. 4:5-6. John the Baptist was never Elijah, fulfilling this prophecy. He said that he was not Elijah (Jn. 1:21). He only came in the same spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the hearts of men for the Messiah’s first advent in the way that Elijah will prepare their hearts for the second coming of the Messiah (Lk. 1:17). Enoch is the only other man translated that he should not see death in his lifetime on earth (Gen. 5:21-24; Heb. 11:5; 2 Ki. 2). Both were prophets of judgment (Jude 14-15; 1 Ki. 17-18). Both must come back and die their own appointed death on earth as all men must who live before the rapture (Heb. 9:27; 1 Cor. 15:51-58). If either Enoch or Elijah had been translated in immortal , glorified bodies they would have been the first-fruits of the resurrection instead of Christ (1 Cor. 15:20-23). This proves they are in heaven in their natural bodies. They will continue there until their return to fulfill Rev. 11. The lives of Enoch and Elijah are parallel in every sense, so their cases rise or fall together as to being the two witnesses.

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