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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Revelation 11:3,4
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:3,4)
Since we have written in previous essays concerning the fact that God always sends two witnesses we will not go into too much detail here.
The basis for the symbolism of the two witnesses is, of course, the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah. Here we find the two olive trees feeding into one Lampstand.
The Lampstand in Bible symbolism always stands for Christ and His churches. Nothing and no one else is the light of the world. Christ is the one Lampstand of Revelation, Chapter Eleven. The second lampstand represents the victorious saints, who at the present time constitute the church within the churches.
We cannot accept the current teaching that the two witnesses are two patriarchs from the Old Testament, for four reasons.
* There is no prophecy in the Old Testament that two patriarchs will be raised from the dead and preach in the last days. All major events of the New Testament are prophesied in the Old, as far as we know.
* Jesus said he who is least in the Kingdom is greater than any of the Prophets of the pre-Christian era. Why would God go back to a lesser covenant to give the greatest witness of the Church Age? We Christians have received the power of the Holy Spirit so we may be able to bear witness!
* The fourth chapter of Zechariah informs us that the symbolism means "not by might nor by power but by My Spirit." Since Zechariah prophesied during the rebuilding of the Temple we interpret the angel's word as meaning that God is going to complete the work of perfecting His Church not by the efforts of men but by the Spirit of God.
* The flow of thought from the tenth chapter of Revelation would be grossly interrupted.
What would Moses preach? The Law? What would Elijah preach? What would Enoch preach? No, this is not sensible. Christ and His Body will bear witness of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God.
Notice that the passage does not state where the witnesses come from, which it certainly would if they came down from Heaven or were raised from the dead. The Book of Revelation tells where Antichrist and the False Prophet come from! Rather the assumption is the two witnesses already are present and now they are given the authority and power to bear witness.
Notice also that they prophesy for a specific time.
Notice also that they are clothed in sackcloth. Throughout the Bible sackcloth represents repentance and humility before God. The authority and power of the last-day revival will rest upon believers who, having been judged, are now free from the abominable self-exalting, money-loving, power-seeking spirit that too often characterizes the ministry of the present day.
Christ and His saints are pictured as two olive trees and two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. Why not the God of Heaven? Because the witness concerns the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.