1A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, “Rise and measure God’s temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months. 3I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
7When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 8Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10Those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13In that day there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe comes quickly.
15The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”
16The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God’s throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and reigned. 18The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and those who fear your name, to the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.
Miracles are Happening
3 I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
Like much of the content of the Book of Revelation, the identity of the Two Witnesses is a matter of conjecture. Whoever they might be, they are a matter of great intrigue. These two witnesses, filled with the Holy Spirit, will have supernatural powers. When anyone approaches them to kill them, fire will come out of their mouths and consume all enemies. This should get a “wow” out of anyone who reads this. There are all sorts of guesses concerning who the witnesses might be. Some think they include John the Baptist himself, who was a personage much like Elijah. Others believe it could be Enoch because he did not die. Others have thought that it might be Moses because he appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. It’s really anybody’s guess. I sort of feel like one of them might be Moses. When Jesus was asked by the lawyer which was the greatest commandment, he quoted the Torah passage that mandates loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. He said that on these two commandments hang ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. When we think of the Law, we think of Moses as the lawgiver. When we think of the prophets, we think of Elijah as the super prophet. These two would be the ultimate coming of the Law and the Prophets. Perhaps there is a prediction of the identity of the witnesses in those commandments.
Others believe that it could be Zechariah, and others believe it could be John, the beloved disciple himself, because in the last verse of Chapter 10, Jesus says that “You will prophesy again.” The bottom line is that we do not know. We’re told that the two witnesses are sort of untouchable. I think of them sort of like Jedi Knights from Star Wars with supernatural ways about them. We think of Elijah calling down fire to consume the enemies of God during his battle with the Prophets of Baal. When I was a little boy, my mother would read me stories of things that Elijah did, and in my mind, he was sort of like a superhero. Later in life, I’ve wondered if some of what she told me was just stories that she had made up. There is a story in which Elijah recovers an axe head that was floating on the river. “4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” 6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.” (2 Kings 6:4-7, NKJV). My mother wove many tales around that one short account mentioned in the Bible, so I suppose I want Elijah to be one of the two witnesses, and I think that he will be.
These two will have the power to shut off the rain. Elijah did the same thing. Moses had the power to turn the waters to blood. That is one of the plagues of Egypt. They will have other powers like Moses to bring plagues upon the land. Regardless of who they are, they remind us that God is still in the business of doing supernatural works, and they will be on great display at the end of time. We live in an age in which we wonder why God doesn’t just come down and perform mighty deeds like those of old. I’m talking about waters parting, walls falling, armies falling dead, and demons fleeing. The fact is, there are still miracles happening around us. We fall asleep, then, by His grace, most of us wake up. Our bodies are intricately and wonderfully made. The sun, moon, and stars continue in motion, defying all explanation. The plants on the earth continue to generate their own food from sunlight. We’ve just grown accustomed to the miracles of God around us. Reader, there are miracles in your own life. Observe them and give thanks for them. God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants. Miracles still happen, but that is not what keeps us faithful. We are people of faith because God’s word tells us who God is and what He can and will do. The miracles can always be explained away, but God’s word is true, and He is faithful. He can still part the troubled waters of our lives. He still knocks down the walls that entrap us. Recommit to Him today and rest in Him and His word. Miracles are happening. He is faithful.