1The angel who talked with me came again and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2He said to me, “What do you see?”
I said, “I have seen, and behold, a lamp stand all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; 3and two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl, and the other on the left side of it.”
4I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”
5Then the angel who talked with me answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
I said, “No, my lord.”
6Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies. 7Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’”
8Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also finish it; and you will know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you. 10Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are Yahweh’s eyes, which run back and forth through the whole earth.”
11Then I asked him, “What are these two olive trees on the right side of the lamp stand and on the left side of it?”
12I asked him the second time, “What are these two olive branches, which are beside the two golden spouts that pour the golden oil out of themselves?”
13He answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
I said, “No, my lord.”
14Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
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.