Revelation Chapter 11 Verse 3

 Who are these two witnesses? Everyone wants to know that and that’s

intriguing to me. The Bible doesn’t say. It just simply doesn’t tell us.

So, is it important? Debatable. But since everyone seems to want to

know, have an opinion, discuss who these two witnesses are, so will

we.

 But perhaps more important than who these two witnesses are is just

the simple fact that they are given! The world rejects God, runs from

Him, calls out to the rocks instead of Him…, and yet He gives… This

is who God is… He is a loving God and therefore He is a giving God,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave…” Even though the world

is full of men and women that refuse to turn to Him…, God’s knows

that, sees that, acknowledges that, processes that, and still returns

that offense with giving.

 God has given two witnesses into the world and their mission is to

prophecy three and a half years, clothed in sackcloth. The garment of

affliction. Why? Because the world will hate them. In proclaiming

the truth there will also come the proclamation of God’s condemnation

upon the actions and the lifestyles of the world. And just as we see it

today, people will not tolerate that.

 As Christians, we actually should be willing to receive the Godly

judgment of others upon our actions. Proverbs 10:8, “The wise in

heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall.” Proverbs

9:8, “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man,

and he will love you.” Wonder which one you are? Are you training

people around you not to command or correct you with how you treat

them for doing so?

 Ok, so, who are these two? We can only speculate. The Bible doesn’t

name them. The front running candidates are Moses, Elijah and

Enoch. And that guy that told me he was the two witnesses about 5

years ago, HA! Some folks come up with some interesting theories!

 There is a prophecy given in Malachi Chapter 4:5 that reads, “Behold,

I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and

dreadful day of the Lord.” And his mission will be to turn hearts…and

so many have concluded that one of the prophets could be Elijah. In

just a moment we will read how these prophets have the power to spit

fire in order to consume their enemies, and that does remind us of

Elijah who had the power to call fire down from heaven to consume

his enemies.

 Also, you may recall that Elijah was raptured in the Old Testament. In

other words, he was just taken by God, he didn’t see death, why?

Maybe because God had further work for him… just as Malachi

prophesied. But didn’t Jesus already say that Elijah came and that

prophecy was fulfilled in John the Baptist? Not exactly. Jesus said of

John the Baptist in Matthew 11:14, “If you are willing to receive it, he

is Elijah who IS to come.” They asked John the Baptist, “are you

Elijah?” And he responded in John 1:21 saying, “I am not.” So, Luke

1:17 is really the key to the John the Baptist question as it says, “He

will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,” but is not

the full fulfillment of the prophecy given by Malichi.

 And so, one of these witnesses could be Elijah himself returned. (And

that is certainly not without problems…) But what about the other

one? Some believe him to be Enoch because he was also raptured as

we read in Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch walked with God, and he was

not, for God took him.” But that’s sort of where that trail ends.

 Still, others believe the second witness to be Moses. First of all, on the

Mount of Transfiguration who was there with Jesus? Elijah and

Moses. And in the Book of Jude, we are given clues about Satan

wanting the body of Moses for some reason. Maybe he knew…and

wanted to stop Moses’ return. And who better to speak to the people

of Israel than Moses? Or the Moses Elijah team, one representing the

law, one representing the prophets…

 Just a few thoughts. We really don’t know who these two are

because John doesn’t name them…

Revelation Chapter 11 Verse 4

 Notice, the quotations have ended. The angel is no longer speaking so

this is John continuing the description and what John says is prophecy

fulfilled! The two olive trees and the two lampstands are references to

a vision Zechariah had that he recorded in the fourth Chapter of his

Book, hundreds of years earlier. The vision speaks of the oil that

flows into the lamps situated in the Most Holy Place in the temple.

Important because for the presence of the Lord to remain, the lamps

had to be continually lit…, the oil supply had to be uninterrupted,

and oil of course is a picture, a type of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

 The angel there in Zechariah 4 showed Zechariah a vision of two olive

trees that continually supply oil into the gold pipes that supply the

lampstand in the temple…, and the meaning was that God’s presence

with His people will be something that He will provide, not man and

thus the most quoted verse, Zech 4:6, “Not by might, not by power, but

by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts…”

 And John looks upon these two witnesses and thinks to himself,

“There they are.” Zech 4:14, “These are the two anointed ones, who

stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.” Cool moment for John, as

recall, the quotations have ended so we know this is John just telling

us what he saw and understood and man I just love that because the

fact is if John didn’t know the Book of Zechariah, he would have

missed this whole scene! But because he knew, because he had read

and studied, he understood…

 And the same goes for us! All day, God’s faithfulness and works are

all around us…lining entirely up with His word but we miss so

much because we simply don’t know His word! He knows the word

of God and when it comes to pass, he is blessed.

Revelation Chapter 11 Verses 5 – 6

 A few additional clues here. James tells us in James 5:17 that Elijah

prayed and it did not rain for 3 and a half years. And who was it that

pronounced the plague on Egypt that turned the water into blood?

Yup, Moses…just some clues. The Bible doesn’t tell us by name who

these two are… But if you lean towards Moses and Elijah, you’re

probably right, HA! Harkens back even to the Mount of

Transfiguration.

Revelation Chapter 11 Verses 7 - 8

 A testimony is defined as evidence of proof. Notice, it’s the reason

why the beast makes war against them. Your life, my life, it really

should be an evidence of proof of Jesus Christ. As we love and give

and serve and do it all with this peace and motivation of something

supernatural within and through us… But that kind of stuff, the enemy

hates it. It’s disgusting to him. Why? Because it helps people…, and it

glorifies God! And where this happens, …war will come.

 Each person in this room has a testimony to give, a testimony of

purpose and redemption that will set many souls free. Unique.

Powerful. Never again will there be one like yours. And the enemy

knows it…but check this out…I see these two having great power and

being very well protected, until they stop breathing fire. And I believe

that is what has happened to the church and what happens to

Christians all the time. And it’s tragic.

 Someone gets saved. Comes alive. On fire, burning hot for the things

of the Lord and eternity. It’s simple. It’s joyful. But then it settles in

and the enemy lies to you…it’s not enough, is it? Don’t you want to

be more? You’re being so good to them, shouldn’t they be good to

you? You’re not getting what you need and that’s not fair! They don’t

love you… Just like he did to Eve….and the battle begins. And even

though you win at first…he doesn’t let up. And after a while, its not

about saving souls…its not about living forth the Gospel, it’s not

about Jesus only anymore…it’s about me now…and the testimony

finishes and the power fades and often times even the most prominent

leaders of faith fall into some sort of sin…don’t believe the lie…Jesus

is enough. It is still simple…get back to your first love…

 Happens to whole churches too. Ministry is planted, begun and

it’s amazing but then without a doubt…it gets hard. People turn

against you. Not everyone approves of you anymore. Folks don’t like

being held accountable. And so, you soften up the message. Begin to

be preoccupied with filling seats and such, and before you know

it…the testimony of the church is watered down. The cares of this

world and the approval of men has become the testimony, not the all-

consuming fire of living controlled by the Holy Spirit…and the

beast makes war against the church…!

 Why does he do that…? Because if he does not, if he is not

successful in making war against the church then he knows that it

will be entirely the other way around. A church alive filled with

Christians that want to grow in the Lord and glorify God will storm

the gates of hell on this earth! But things have wholesale changed on

the earth during the Great Tribulation especially…

 It’s so dark and different by now that John calls it Sodom and Egypt!

In the spirit, how Jerusalem in the last days is described! Why?

Sodom, all kinds of sin! Egypt, all kinds of idolatry. What

happened? Well it already happened! They rejected Jesus. And the

result…is always Sodom and Egypt. Where is Sodom now? GONE.

How is Egypt now? Inconsequential. Such is the life of the one who

disallows the power, presence and leadership of Jesus.

 And notice, they kill the olive trees. The supply of the Holy Spirit, the

endless flow of oil, they kill them…

Revelation Chapter 11 Verses 9 – 10

 For hundreds of years no one could accept that all peoples, tribes,

tongues and nations could see these two lying dead there on the

streets of Jerusalem. When Chuck Smith began teaching the Bible

verse by verse, he had to imagine a way for this to be possible.

Then in 1965, Early Bird was launched into orbit. The first

commercial communication satellite and then shortly after in 1967,

the first national network of satellite television was created called

Orbita in the Soviet Union. Then Anik 1 was launched in North

America in ’72 and then finally Ekran , the first direct-to-home

geostationary satellite was launched in 1976.

 Now, a half of a generation later, thousands (over 8,000 operational

today) “eyes in the sky, commercial communication satellites.”

Isn’t that interesting that we call a satellite an “eye in the sky?”

Whose eye? Everyone’s! And now there is no more imagination

needed…we, this generation, us…we are seeing it with our own

eyes! Precisely how Revelation Chapter 11 verse 9 will unfold…on

our big screens in our living rooms, and our devices in our

pockets.

 John couldn’t see this, have this in his day. Chuck couldn’t have

seen this when he started preaching! It’s us! This generation! The

stage is set! All is in order. And the Lord’s return…the calling up

of His bride into heaven…right now!

 And do you know what is going to happen when all the Jesus freaks

disappear? The world will rejoice! Why? No more accountability!

No more of this God talk! No more of this prophecy…just like they

do when the beast slays the two witnesses…they have a Satanic

Christmas of sorts…and this is the only time we read of the people

rejoicing in the Great Tribulation. “Hey, the ones who made us

uncomfortable with their truth, leave them in the gutter and let’s

celebrate because they are dead!” but that rejoicing doesn’t last

very long…

Revelation Chapter 11 Verses 11 – 14

 If this is Elijah then he just got raptured for the second time! Lived,

raptured, lived, died, lived, raptured…, ha! Elijah is quite unique! And

so are you, so am I, we have a testimony to give and help to each other

and to this world that can only come through us. And as we step into

that, God will give us His breath of life…, His Holy Spirit. Opposition

will come, we will fall, and we will get back up…, to the glory of

God! And truly, that alone, is motivation enough!