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The Two Witnesses
Just like in most of our readings in Revelation, there is too much in today's passage to deal with everything. I'll quickly summarize the first part of the reading, then go a little deeper into the two witnesses.
In the beginning of this passage, an angel appears - some take the angel to be Jesus Himself, which is certainly a possibility. I would take the angel to be simply another angel because there is no indication here that it is Jesus. Seven thunders sound, but John is forbidden to write down the meaning of the seven thunders. Why? I think Walvoord has it right here:
"When John was about to write what he had heard, however, he was instructed not to do so. … This illustrates a divine principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time." [1]
Revelation tells us much, but it is clear that not everything is for man to know until the appointed time - perhaps ever.
Following this, John is given a little scroll to eat, which is sweet to the taste. This is clearly a reference to Jeremiah 15:16 and even more likely Ezekiel 3:1-15, where the scroll emphasizes the sweetness of God's word to the mouth of the prophet, but the bitterness that results when the people reject that word. John has been given the sweetness of God's revelation to write down for the world, but the reality is truly bitter, both because it is words of judgment and because ultimately the judgment is not heeded.
With that we move on to the issue of the two witnesses. The beginning of chapter 11 gives us a time indicator, which many would take to be connected to Daniel 9:27. I'm going to attempt to summarize a lot of big issues here without going into the details of them - hopefully it will help to create a clearer picture. Compositing passages in Revelation and Daniel, the picture we get is of a period of 7 years before the world ends called the Tribulation. This is set in motion by the rise of the antichrist, the occupation of Israel, and possibly a rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, which the antichrist will then defile. This period is split into two parts of 3.5 years each, the second of which is called the Great Tribulation, marked by even worse woes and disasters than the first. This is the context in which many futurists understand the events of Revelation.
When speaking about the two witnesses, there isn't a lot of agreement on whether they come in the first part of the tribulation or during the Great Tribulation. I personally tend toward the beginning of the tribulation. These two men prophesy about the truth of God during the time of tribulation, giving people clear interpretation of what is going on and how God's hand is in it, so there is no excuse for rejecting it.
"The identity of the two witnesses (v. 3) has understandably given rise to a variety of speculations. Most futurists take them to be two actual men who will arise to prophesy in Jerusalem in the Tribulation. The similarity of their miracles to those of Moses and Elijah have encouraged some to believe that the witnesses are Moses and Elijah themselves. Moses and Elijah appeared together with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, and would aptly represent to the Jewish people the Law and the Prophets, respectively, in whom the Jews put their trust. Elijah’s coming was promised in Malachi 4:5–6, which is an added support for his identification with one of the witnesses.
Some think that it is Elijah and Enoch who appear in this vision. This was the view of the earliest apocryphal writers and the early exegetes of the church. Henry Morris is one modern writer who shares this view. To support this identification, it is stressed that Elijah and Enoch are the only two men who never tasted death, and, since Hebrews 9:27 says “it is appointed for men to die once,” these two men must return to fulfill their missed “appointment.” [2] (emphasis mine)
I'm not sure where I stand on this one, but I think I tend toward the view that they are Enoch and Elijah, both being men who were taken up to heaven before dying. These men prophesy and nothing can stop them, for they are divinely appointed to continue. At the end of that time, they WILL be killed, but will be raised to life again and ascend to heaven.
Look - I know a lot of this is difficult to understand, as prophecy usually is. Just think of how many didn't properly understand the signs concerning Jesus! It's hard to picture some of this, but again - if you're interested in getting a clear (if fictional) picture of what some of these things might mean, check out the Left Behind books in our church library. Of course they aren't going to be 100% correct because no one knows all the details, but they are a good and accessible attempt to visualize these events.
I'm going to include a short clip today from the second Left Behind movie depicting the two witnesses. My apologies for the bad quality of the video and the cheesiness factor that often accompanies Christian movies, but it at least gives you some kind of depiction of this passage:
The Two Witnesses
Just like in most of our readings in Revelation, there is too much in today's passage to deal with everything. I'll quickly summarize the first part of the reading, then go a little deeper into the two witnesses.
In the beginning of this passage, an angel appears - some take the angel to be Jesus Himself, which is certainly a possibility. I would take the angel to be simply another angel because there is no indication here that it is Jesus. Seven thunders sound, but John is forbidden to write down the meaning of the seven thunders. Why? I think Walvoord has it right here:
"When John was about to write what he had heard, however, he was instructed not to do so. … This illustrates a divine principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time." [1]
Revelation tells us much, but it is clear that not everything is for man to know until the appointed time - perhaps ever.
Following this, John is given a little scroll to eat, which is sweet to the taste. This is clearly a reference to Jeremiah 15:16 and even more likely Ezekiel 3:1-15, where the scroll emphasizes the sweetness of God's word to the mouth of the prophet, but the bitterness that results when the people reject that word. John has been given the sweetness of God's revelation to write down for the world, but the reality is truly bitter, both because it is words of judgment and because ultimately the judgment is not heeded.
With that we move on to the issue of the two witnesses. The beginning of chapter 11 gives us a time indicator, which many would take to be connected to Daniel 9:27. I'm going to attempt to summarize a lot of big issues here without going into the details of them - hopefully it will help to create a clearer picture. Compositing passages in Revelation and Daniel, the picture we get is of a period of 7 years before the world ends called the Tribulation. This is set in motion by the rise of the antichrist, the occupation of Israel, and possibly a rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, which the antichrist will then defile. This period is split into two parts of 3.5 years each, the second of which is called the Great Tribulation, marked by even worse woes and disasters than the first. This is the context in which many futurists understand the events of Revelation.
When speaking about the two witnesses, there isn't a lot of agreement on whether they come in the first part of the tribulation or during the Great Tribulation. I personally tend toward the beginning of the tribulation. These two men prophesy about the truth of God during the time of tribulation, giving people clear interpretation of what is going on and how God's hand is in it, so there is no excuse for rejecting it.
"The identity of the two witnesses (v. 3) has understandably given rise to a variety of speculations. Most futurists take them to be two actual men who will arise to prophesy in Jerusalem in the Tribulation. The similarity of their miracles to those of Moses and Elijah have encouraged some to believe that the witnesses are Moses and Elijah themselves. Moses and Elijah appeared together with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, and would aptly represent to the Jewish people the Law and the Prophets, respectively, in whom the Jews put their trust. Elijah’s coming was promised in Malachi 4:5–6, which is an added support for his identification with one of the witnesses.
Some think that it is Elijah and Enoch who appear in this vision. This was the view of the earliest apocryphal writers and the early exegetes of the church. Henry Morris is one modern writer who shares this view. To support this identification, it is stressed that Elijah and Enoch are the only two men who never tasted death, and, since Hebrews 9:27 says “it is appointed for men to die once,” these two men must return to fulfill their missed “appointment.” [2] (emphasis mine)
I'm not sure where I stand on this one, but I think I tend toward the view that they are Enoch and Elijah, both being men who were taken up to heaven before dying. These men prophesy and nothing can stop them, for they are divinely appointed to continue. At the end of that time, they WILL be killed, but will be raised to life again and ascend to heaven.
Look - I know a lot of this is difficult to understand, as prophecy usually is. Just think of how many didn't properly understand the signs concerning Jesus! It's hard to picture some of this, but again - if you're interested in getting a clear (if fictional) picture of what some of these things might mean, check out the Left Behind books in our church library. Of course they aren't going to be 100% correct because no one knows all the details, but they are a good and accessible attempt to visualize these events.
I'm going to include a short clip today from the second Left Behind movie depicting the two witnesses. My apologies for the bad quality of the video and the cheesiness factor that often accompanies Christian movies, but it at least gives you some kind of depiction of this passage:
[1] Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), Re 10:1–4.
[2] Ibid, Re 11:3–6.
[2] Ibid, Re 11:3–6.
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