The Book Of All Prophecy: The Two Witnesses

Many see this as the greatest mystery of all prophecy, the identity of the "two witnesses" spoken of in Revelation. Using the Bible alone to arrive at a conclusion, we are not given proper names, but we are not left without further information as to the identity of the two either. In Zechariah we find some answers. Here in Revelation, they are called "the two olive trees", and they stand by the the two lamp stands, standing before God. In Zechariah, the angel says: "These are the two sons of fresh oil who stand by the Lord of the whole earth", almost word for word as it was spoken in Revelation, so we know the two verses are speaking of the same two olive trees.

*Revelation 11:3-4 And I will give to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands, standing before the God of the earth.

Literalism fails when applied to identifying the witnesses, because they are called the two olive trees, and the two lamp stands, and the two sons of fresh oil, all three.

The seven spouts with lamps on top, God said they represent the seven eyes sent out to and from the earth. The two anointed sons stand beside the bowl, the two golden pipes that empty oil into the lamp. They appear as two olive trees, and two lampstands. In Revelation One we read that the seven golden "lampstands" represent seven assemblies, and there are seven angels belonging to each of the seven assemblies. So we have seven assemblies (spouts), and seven angels (lamps), flowing from a bowl, one of the two witnesses stand on each side of the bowl (as two olive trees), filling it with fresh oil.

Zec 4:2 And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see, and behold, a lampstand, all of it gold, and a bowl on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven spouts each to the seven lamps on its top;
Zec 4:3 and two olive trees are beside it, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left.
Zec 4:4 And I answered and spoke to the angel who was talking with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5 And the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the Word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of Hosts.
Zec 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts: Grace! Grace to it!
Zec 4:8 And the Word of Jehovah was to me, saying,
Zec 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it. And you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent me to you.
Zec 4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of Jehovah; they run to and fro through all the earth.
Zec 4:11 And I answered and said to him, What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand, and on its left?
Zec 4:12 And I answered a second time and said to him, What are the two clusters of olive trees beside the two golden pipes, emptying the golden oil from themselves?
Zec 4:13 And he spoke to me, saying, Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14 And he said, These are the two sons of fresh oil who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

And consider...

Rev 1:13 And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, having been clothed to the feet, and having been girded with a golden girdle at the breasts.
Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw on My right, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are angels of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands you saw are seven assemblies.

We know without a doubt as to where they were killed, and rose up... Jerusalem, as it was said in Revelation, "where also our Lord was crucified", also revealing they were killed after Jesus was crucified.

Rev 11:8 And their bodies will be on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.

We know all this from the Bible. Clothed in sackcloth, they were in mourning, preaching during a difficult period in time, the generation of Messiah, a time of intense spiritual warfare. The place they were "killed" was Jerusalem, the holy city where Messiah was killed. Just as His Apostles and disciples were, and all the prophets before them. This is Jesus, speaking to Scribes and Pharisees, workers of the temple in Jerusalem, Herod's temple:

Luk 11:47 Woe to you! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Luk 11:48 So you bear witness and consent to the works of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
Luk 11:49 And because of this, the wisdom of God said, I will send prophets and apostles to them, and they will kill and drive out some of them,
Luk 11:50 that the blood of all the prophets which has been shed from the foundation of the world may be required from this generation,
Luk 11:51 from the blood of Abel until the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the House. Yea, I say to you, It will be required from this generation.

After a testimony of 3 1/2 years, having Word from the Holy Spirit and a testimony of the Light that was sent into darkness; Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, and the gospel of the kingdom of God, after their testimony, they were killed, and did rise up from the dead after 3 days, ascending unto the Father.

Works are as trees. They have deeper roots into the earth than grass and flowers, they produce more leaves and fruit, and do remain on earth longer. That this is an olive tree represents the works of the people well, they are a holy people having fresh oil from the Holy Spirit for the lamps. They have a testimony, and that is the testimony of Jesus Christ. They are the seed of Abraham, covenant people, a natural olive tree and a wild olive tree, the natural being old covenant people, sons of Israel, and the wild being the new covenant people, the Gentiles, as John speaks of in John chapter one, and Paul in Romans ch 11, a holy unity of people born of Spirit, not flesh, not Jew or Gentile, but becoming born again of Spirit as children of Abraham, through Christ the Lord.

Romans 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree

In the past, to draw a picture of the two witnesses would have been for me to draw a picture of two old bearded men with white hair, walking staffs, literally breathing fire! But today, if I were to present a picture of the Two who have witnessed God, it would be the Sons of Israel who do testify of the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the Gentiles who do testify of the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, both having bore witness of God, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit; two sons of fresh oil.

At both sides of the bowl of oil, we have a covenant people, a brotherhood in the covenant God made to the children of Abraham, seen in heaven as two olive trees, one on the right of the seven lamps, one on the left of the seven lamps, grafted together in Holy union, contributors of fresh oil that flows through angels into the churches, into the general assembly of the children of God, Jew and Gentile, who are born as children of Abraham through Christ the Lord.

Both having power of miracles and prophecy, preaching in Jerusalem for 3 1/2 years, being killed in Jerusalem, rising up from the dead, and living again with God, becoming as priests of God and Christ, in heaven, receiving salvation from God, the strong arm of God.

Which takes you, in Zechariah's words, in Jesus' words, and in Revelation, directly to - the siege of Jerusalem , and - the judgment of the harlot.

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REVELATION CHAPTER ELEVEN IN FULL

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Rev 11:1 And a reed like a staff was given to me, and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those worshiping in it.
Rev 11:2 And cast aside the outside court of the temple, and do not measure it. For it was given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city forty two months.
Rev 11:3 And I will give to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands, standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if anyone desires to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone desires to harm them, so it is right for him to be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have the authority to shut up the heaven, that no rain may rain in the days of their prophecy. And they have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
Rev 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.
Rev 11:8 And their bodies will be on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9 And some from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three days and a half; and they do not allow their dead bodies to be put in tombs.
Rev 11:10 And those living on the earth will rejoice over them, and will make merry. And they will send one another gifts, because these two prophets tormented those living on the earth.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and a half, a spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. And great fear fell on the ones beholding them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice out of Heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up into the heaven in the cloud. And their enemies saw them.
Rev 11:13 And in that hour a great earthquake occurred, and the tenth part of the city fell. And there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand names of men. And the rest became terrified, and gave glory to the God of Heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe departed. And, behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel trumpeted. And there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world became our Lord's, even of His Christ; and He shall reign to the ages of the ages.
Rev 11:16 And the twenty four elders sitting before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Rev 11:17 saying, We thank You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is, and who was, and who is coming, because You took Your great power and reigned.
Rev 11:18 And the nations were full of wrath; and Your wrath came, and the time of the judging of the dead, and to give the reward to Your slaves, to the prophets, and to the saints, and to the ones fearing Your name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those destroying the earth.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God in Heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple, and lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and a great hail occurred.

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