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NASB | Revelation 11:3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Revelation 11:3 "And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth." [Deut 18:18; Mal 4:5; Mark 9:4] |
Subject: timetable of the two witnesses |
Bible Note: Revelation 11:3 “And I will give to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:7 “And when they complete their witness, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and will kill them.” LITV In Revelation 11 we are told of two witnesses who prophecy for 1260 days. During this time, fire comes from their mouths to devour anyone who would try to hurt them. They can send any plague on the earth anytime they want. When they have finished their testimony, the beast from the bottomless pit (this is the beast that Mystery Babylon rides, with 10 horns which are 10 kings – Rev. 17:8, 12) will kill them. They will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days, then come back to life and ascend into heaven. In the same hour there will be a great earthquake, and following this, we are told that the second woe is past, and the third comes quickly. In Revelation 8:13, following the sounding of the fourth trumpet, we are told of an angel declaring 3 woes of the 3 remaining trumpets, which will sound. Revelation 13 speaks of the beast from the sea, having 7 heads and 10 horns, and upon his head 10 crowns. This same description is given of the beast that Babylon rides (Rev. 17), which we are told in Rev. 17:8 ascends out of the bottomless pit, which is locked until the fifth trumpet is sounded. Compare this beast with the one described by Daniel in Dan. 7:19-21. Each has 10 horns which are 10 kings. The beast from the sea, in Revelation 13:5-7, is given power to continue for forty-two months, during which time he makes war with the saints and overcomes them. Daniel also gives this prophecy in Daniel 7:25 “and they (the saints) are given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time (a year, 2 years, and half a year).” The standard year around the world until the 3rd century B.C. was 360 days. This was the Babylonian year, as well as the Jewish year. Extensive information is available explaining the reasons for a 360-day year, and when it was changed. The Bible uses a 360-day year in its prophetic computations. 1260 days equals 42 months of 30 days each, or 3.5 years of 360 days each. The two witnesses prophesy for 1260 days, until their testimony is done, and then they are overcome by the beast (Rev. 11:7). According to Daniel 7:21-22, the beast, whose 10 horns are 10 kings, prevails over the saints until the Ancient of Days comes, and the kingdom is given to the saints. The duration that the beast overcomes the saints is 3 1/2 years, or 42 months (Dan 7:25, Rev. 13:3-5). Jesus returns to earth to establish His rule, which the saints will share, at the end of the 70th week (Dan. 9:24-27, Rev. 20:4). If the beast overcomes the saints for 3 1/2 years ending at the Second Coming, and the two witnesses prophesy for 3 1/2 years until the beast overcomes them, then they must be prophesying during the first 3 1/2 years. The first woe is the fifth trumpet, a plague of “locusts” from the abyss. The second woe is the sounding of the sixth trumpet loosing 4 angels bound at the Euphrates to kill 1/3 of mankind, and 200,000,000 ‘horsemen’ with power to kill. In Rev. 9:11, following the fifth trumpet, we are told that the first woe is past, and two more are coming. In Revelation 11:14, “the second woe is past, and the third comes quickly”. These judgments are happening sequentially, one finishing before the next begins. If the second woe is passed 3 1/2 days after the middle of the Tribulation, when the two witnesses ascend to heaven, the first woe, or the fifth trumpet, begins 5 months or more before the midpoint. Therefore, the seals are opened and first six trumpets are sounded prior to three and one half days after the middle of the tribulation. The first half of the tribulation as well as the second half will contain the outpouring of the wrath of God. The only question now that remains is when exactly does this wrath begin. We know it begins before the abomination of desolation. Any changes to the sequence of events in the Revelation would be arbitrary, since this book is filled with words and phrases such as "after this", "after these things", "and then". When taken as is, the Revelation is in complete harmony with the rest of the word, with no distortion required. |