It is believed commonly that the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11 are two men from ancient times who will descend from Heaven, or who will be raised from the dead, in order to bear witness of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. We find it more reasonable to believe that the anointed ones are a symbolic way of representing the power of the Holy Spirit to bear witness.

If we are correct in our interpretation, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation is describing a double portion of God's witnessing power that will enable the saints of the last days to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom for a testimony to every nation on the earth.

We saints are one witness, and the Lord Jesus who works with us and confirms the Word with signs following is the second Witness.

The understanding that the "two witnesses" are two men from ancient times who will descend from Heaven, or who will be raised from the dead, in order to bear witness of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth is based in part on the resemblance of the deeds of the two witnesses to the deeds of former witnesses of God, such as Elijah and Moses.

There are some problems with this interpretation.

First, the text of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation does not speak of two witnesses coming down from Heaven or being raised from the dead. The assumption in the passage is that they have been present but now are empowered to prophesy.

Second, Jesus declared that he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than any of the prophets. Also, the Book of Hebrews points out the superiority of the new covenant to the old covenant.

Why would the Lord Jesus, at this most critical period of earth's history, resort to persons from an inferior covenant to bear the end-time witness of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth? The responsibility for bearing witness of the coming of the Kingdom of God belongs to the Christian Church.

Although the message of the two witnesses is not described, it no doubt will be as follows: "Christ will return soon in the power and glory of His Kingdom to judge all men. Repent and be baptized so you may be saved in the Day of the Lord!" This was the message of the apostles and prophets of the early Church.

If Christ were to recall two men to bear this witness they probably would be Paul and Peter, or perhaps James and John. A possible combination might be Paul and Elijah. However, Jesus informed us that many who are last in time will be first in rank in the Kingdom of God. Therefore we feel certain there will be saints in the last days whom Christ will use to proclaim the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

A third reason for not accepting the common understanding is that nowhere in the Scriptures, Old Testament or New Testament, is the statement made that two prophets from former times will return to the earth and bear what well may be the most important witness of all history. There is no scriptural basis for the current teaching. It is conjecture.

Are the members of the Body of Christ so spiritually weak they cannot be trusted with such a tremendous work? Or are they so "precious" in God's sight that God cannot bear to have them perform a dangerous task?

To be continued.