Two Witnesses (Part 1)

This post is from my previous blog, Ear to the Heavens. Enjoy.

"...at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established." Deut. 19:15

The Revelation is a perplexing book. Many theologians and scholars have taken stabs at the meaning of the book. In the end, most who strive to understand it will find themselves adhering to one of, or a variation of, the 4 major interpretations: the Pretorist view, the Historist view, the Futurist view, or the Allegorist view. This usually is the result of the individual seeking help in interpreting the meaning from a mainstream commentary. Whatever the view held by the author often becomes the view held by the reader.

Without opening Pandora’s Box - a debate over which mainstream interpretation may or may not be "correct" - let me say this: they all have their flaws and none of them are likely to be totally correct. In the end, no one can understand prophecy in it's entirety until it has been fulfilled. Even then, there are passages in the New Testament that we are explicitly told are the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, yet few could ever have pieced the prophecy and fulfillment together on their own.

In the end, regardless of your "position" it should be a flexible one and no one should be dogmatic to death on the matter. One day we shall all understand clearly, but for now we need to be willing to accept our interpretation may ultimately prove to be incorrect.

I currently adhere to a variation of the Futurist view. However, unlike most "futurists" or dispensationalists, I do not believe that The Revelation is written in chronological order, and I think there is a lot of overlapping and cascading going on in the seals, trumpets, and bowls. Although I do believe that most of The Revelation is prophesy that is yet-to-be-fulfilled, I am not as interested in the chronology of the events as much as I am the meaning of events and symbols.

It is almost impossible to begin to understand the symbols in The Revelation without a solid understanding and knowledge of the Old Testament. There are some 800 references to the Old Testament in The Revelation alone. It is also important to understand the prevalent culture at the time and place of The Revelation's writing.

One popular point of contention among many scholars, regarding symbols and events, is the identity of the Two Witnesses that appear in Rev. 11:3-13. For many, these are allegorical characters, but to most futurists, these witnesses are real people. For the purpose of this writing, we will assume the two witnesses are real people.

Most futurists identify the first of the two witnesses as Elijah based on the supernatural powers that are described in Rev. 11: 5- 6 and because the scripture says that Elijah will return before the Messiah returns. (Mal. 4:5)

Again, based on the powers that are described in Rev. 11: 5- 6, many argue that the second witness is Moses. It is important to note, regardless of the similarity in abilities, God can grant these abilities to anyone, and it need not be Moses and Elijah just because they, too, at one time, had similar abilities.

Others argue that the two witnesses are Elijah and Enoch because these are the only two men in history who did not die natural deaths before being translated to Heaven. They argue that because Hebrews states that it is given to a man to die once and then be judged (Heb. 9:27), Moses cannot come back lest the scripture would contradict itself.

Well, I believe that the verse in Hebrews is speaking generally. The way things generally work, is that most men die once and then are judged. However, there are exceptions to this. The widow of Nain's son (Luke 7:11-15), Jairus’ daughter (Mar. 5:22-45), Lazarus, Tabitha, and others are all exceptions to this, meaning that it is not a hard a fast rule, but a principle. The point is, we are not reincarnated, but are given one life to live. For some that life is momentarily interrupted by death, but they can be miraculously resuscitated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, in principle, Moses remains a viable candidate. Let us also not forget the struggle over the possession of Moses' body by the archangel Michael and Satan (Jude 1:9). Could it be that Michael was charged with retrieving Moses' body for a future purpose?

Other than the fact that Enoch didn’t die a natural death, there is no evidence anywhere in the scripture that supports Enoch as the second witness. However, there is substantial evidence that points to Moses as the second witness. In fact, I hope to show that the scripture clearly identifies Elijah and Moses as the two witnesses.

For a moment, let's focus on the purpose of a witness. When Christians speak of witnessing or being a witness, what we really mean is proclaiming or sharing a personal experience with others. Generally we equate witnessing with proselytizing.

But the job of a witness is to testify.

In its original context, and still today in our justice system, to be a witness meant to come before a court and testify as to events witnessed that might indict or absolve an individual of having broken the law.

So, whereas Deuteronomy demands that the guilt of an individual be attested to by two or more witnesses, two or more witnesses might also establish the innocence or testify that an individual had kept the law.

In the case of Jesus, two false witnesses had come forward and made false accusations before the Sanhedrin. (Matt 26:60-62) These men were of ill-report but the Sanhedrin overlooked their credibility to accomplish their goals: the death of Jesus and the security of their place as the ultimate religious authority in the land.

So, what is the identity and the role of the two witnesses described in the eleventh chapter of The Revelation? They are not just there to proclaim or to proselytize, but to testify. Testify to what? Who are they and what have they seen that they might possibly be testifying to? And to whom are they testifying?

Jesus opens the scroll in Rev. 6, breaking the seals on the deed, claiming ownership of the Earth. The ensuing trumpets announce the coming king, and these two witnesses are there to testify to His legitimacy, credibility, worth, and right to lay claim to the earth. Contrary to the middle-of-the night railroading that Jesus underwent at His death, here are two credible witnesses proclaiming His innocence, purity, and perfection in the light of day.

The scripture tells us that the two witnesses are in Jerusalem. So, they are testifying according to Jewish law to Israel. Jesus is described in John 1:45 as the one whom the Law of Moses and the Prophets did write. And who would make more credible witnesses to Israel than those who epitomize the law and the prophets: Moses and Elijah?

Everyone points to the description of the witnesses’ powers in Rev. 11:5-6 as the key to their identity. Yes, Elijah called consuming fire from Heaven and caused a three-and-a-half year drought. Yes, Moses turned the Nile to blood and was there when God sent nine other plagues on Egypt. The parallels are undeniable. However, while for most this is evidence enough of their identity there is even stronger evidence as to the identity of these witnesses – the Word of God.

Rev 11:4 reads: “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” This is a direct reference to a passage in Zechariah. In Zechariah, chapter 4, Joshua, the priest, asks an angel the meaning of the two olive trees and an angel responds, saying, “These [are] the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” Zech .4:14.

Moses and Elijah were most definitely anointed to do the work of God. But the scripture goes on, “standing by the Lord of the whole earth.” What relevance does this have?

“And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. (Mat 17:1-3)

So, here we have a clear picture of two anointed ones standing “by” the Lord of the whole earth, an obvious fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah. Combine this picture with the described supernatural powers described in Rev, 11:5-6 and it would seem hard to dispute that the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Zechariah 4:14 points to that event on the mountain top with Jesus. Surely, then, the two olive trees in Revelation must also be Moses and Elijah.

I want to note a subtle difference between the two verses describing the olive trees. The verse in Zechariah speaks of the olive trees as the anointed ones who stand “by” the Lord of the whole earth. Moses and Elijah stood by Jesus when He was transfigured. But look at the verse in Revelation. The olive trees are now “before” the God of the Earth. Jesus has ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father. They now stand “before” Him, not by Him. For me, this makes the appearance of the two witnesses a future event.

(Notice that Revelation 1:4 is a reference to Jesus as God- yet another place we can point to that identifies Jesus as God if we tie this into the transfiguration.)

The next question remains: what are these two witnesses testifying to? Undoubtedly, they are testifying to the character and qualifications of Jesus Christ to assume the throne. But one cannot testify to that which is hearsay, rather they must be eyewitness to the events that point to Christ’s true identity. How is this possible?

Well, for one, we know that Moses and Elijah were eyewitnesses to Christ’s transfiguration. They saw Jesus glorified by God and heard the Lord’s voice when He spoke of Jesus, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” So, Moses and Elijah can testify to the fact that God miraculously identified Jesus as His Son, the Messiah.

But what other things might they testify to in order to establish the character and qualifications of the Christ – to affirm Jesus’ legal right to ascend to the throne as Lord of the whole earth?

The Resurrection. Paul tells us that without the resurrection, Christianity is meaningless. “And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.” 1Cor. 15:14. So, bearing witness to the resurrection would be vital in affirming Jesus as the Messiah.

Luke tells us, “And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:” Luke 24:2-4 While the other Gospels speak of angels or men inside and out of the tomb, Luke is clear that two men in shining garments were present.

Perhaps these 2 men are Moses and Elijah, now witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus?

For those who might argue that these were angels, the word that Luke uses is “aner” which means man. The Hebrew and Greek words for angel are more generic terms that can refer not only to the angelic realm, but also to human messengers and ambassadors. These words are translated to mean one or the other based on context. When the scripture says “angel” it may refer to men or angels, but when the scripture says “men,” it cannot refer those of the angelic realm. In this instance, when Luke says these are men, they are just that: men.

The Ascension. Jesus prophesied many times that He was from the Father and would ascend back to the Father (John 3:13, others), and only the Messiah would be able to do so. The ascension was an important fulfillment of prophesy that aided in identifying Jesus as the Messiah.

Again, Luke writes, “And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;” Acts 1:9-10. Again, perhaps these 2 men are Moses and Elijah, now witnesses to the ascension of Jesus?

If this be so, Moses and Elijah would be able to testify in Jerusalem that Jesus had been identified by God as His Son (transfiguration), that He had overcome sin and death (resurrection), and that He has ascended back to the Father from which He had come (ascension).

End Part 1