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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: Who are the two witnesses in Revelation? |
Bible Note: Who are the two witnesses in the book of Revelation? '"My two witnesses" identifies who receives authority from God. With the definite Greek article "the" before it, John indicates his audience’s familiarity with the witnesses--not their specific names and identity, but their specific roles. Verse four will deal with this issue in detail. 'Wild and unnecessary speculations about the identity of these two witnesses have filled many pages. Enoch and Elijah are by far the leaders in this theological guessing game. Given the fact that both are murdered and savagely treated, it is highly unlikely that the two witnesses are historical figures from Israel’s past. The Lord Jesus, Himself, states, that the living "will not be persuaded" to repent "even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31)." A point proved by His own resurrection. Equally, given that these two witnesses are murdered, it is extremely unlike God to resurrect faithful giants like Moses, Elijah, Enoch or any other great figure from the OT only to have them murdered in the streets of Jerusalem. Another point that argues against past historical figures, particularly Elijah, concerns the ministry of the two witnesses. 'The ministry of Elijah is specifically defined. Malachi 4:5-6 states, 'Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse. 'What exactly is Malachi predicting here? The Lord Jesus helps us understand the meaning of this text. He states in Matthew 17:11, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things…." Literally, "Indeed, Elijah is coming and he will restore all things." This demands that John the Baptist was in a figurative sense, Elijah. 'However, the verse also supports the conclusion that the real literal Elijah is going to come. Jesus summaries Elijah’s mission: to restore all things. Elijah is going to bring reconciliation among the people of Israel. Now the reader must pay close attention to the Lord’s words. Elijah will restore all things. 'Notice Elijah will not try to restore. Elijah will not desire to restore, but in fact, Elijah will restore all things. Such a ministry is not reported to be a part of the ministry of the two witnesses. It is therefore best to see the two witnesses as two future individuals whom God will use in ministry reminiscent of Moses and Elijah (for reason to be stated below)...' To read more go to: www.revelationcommentary.org/11_chapter.html P.S. With bated breath I await the post explaining why the above and anything else quoted from RevelationCommentary.org or Solagroup.org is invariably wrong (i.e., incorrect, in error). |