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.
The two witnesses are described as two olive trees and lampstands, who devour their enemies with fire and exercise power to bring droughts, turn water to blood, and smite the earth with plagues. This connects back to Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and two olive trees (Zech 4). That vision was fulfilled in Zechariah’s day. However, Jesus uses this imagery to connect them to God’s sovereign plan for Jerusalem and the temple.
We cannot know the identity of the two witnesses. Jesus chose not to reveal that to John or us in this vision. Some see them possibly fulfilling the “prophet like Moses” prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15, though this is unlikely. Jesus seems the better choice as He fulfills His roles as prophet, priest, and king. They may fulfill the Elijah prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6, with one of them being Elijah. Though some have proposed they are Moses and Elijah, if one must find a person from the Old Testament, Enoch and Elijah seem most likely. Moses has already died and so cannot die a second time. Neither of them has died yet. Finally, these two witnesses could be two men whom God chooses at that time.
The two witnesses are safe from harm and kill their attackers with fire. Many interpreters like to attach symbolic meanings to these men to the point of seeing them as representing the church and its witness. However, as God is judging the world in more openly supernatural ways, it seems better to anticipate that there will be two literal men with supernatural powers. They will do the things described in these verses, both to individuals and to the world. Some of what they do is similar to Elijah’s ministry and the plagues on Egypt. The important point is that their impact will be worldwide and devastating.