The Two Witnesses

I understand the Christian world regards the two witnesses of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation as being two patriarchs or prophets from the Old Testament. I think this is an incorrect interpretation.

To begin with, our charge as a Christian Church is to bear witness of Christ in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In order to accomplish this we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it does not make sense that the Lord would go back before the new covenant, before Christ's death and resurrection, to obtain witnesses of the coming Kingdom of God.

Jesus said he who is least in the Kingdom is greater than any of the Prophets. I do not understand why scholars believe the Christians are so spiritually weak God has to go back in time and bring up someone from the dead to bear witness of the return of Christ. Do you?

In the eleventh chapter of Revelation, we find the two witnesses are symbolized as two lampstands and two olive trees. The reference is to the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah. The interpretation is that the Temple of God will be completed "not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God."

The lampstand of the Bible, being pure gold, always represents Deity. Bible scholars understand the Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation symbolizes Christ. Gold speaks of Deity, never of humanity.

The other use of the figure of the lampstand involves the seven churches of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation. The seven churches are shown as golden lampstands because they are the churches of Christ, who is Deity.

In the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah we notice not two lampstands, but one. That Lampstand is Jesus Christ. The two olive trees pouring olive oil directly into the seven cups of the lampstand symbolize the double portion of God's Spirit, such as rested on Elisha.

Where then did the second lampstand come from? It is my point of view that the second lampstand is the Body of Christ that has been formed during the Christian Era.

If I am correct, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation is referring to Christ and the members of His Body who are on the earth, ministering under the power of a double portion of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness to every nation of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

This testimony of unprecedented power will continue for the first half of Daniel's seventieth week. In the middle of the week God will withdraw the tremendous anointing and permit the witness to be overcome so Antichrist can be revealed in his fullness.

When the second half of the week, the time of Antichrist and the great tribulation, has been concluded, the Holy Spirit once more will come upon God's remnant and the light of the Glory of God will be seen on them. At the same time, the Glory of the slain Lamb will appear in the sky and Christ will send down the deceased saints to regain their bodies from the place of interment. Then the living remnant will be transformed and all the saints will be caught up together to meet the returning Lord in the air.

It is my opinion that the anointing that will rest on God's end-time witnesses will be part of the great harvest-rain outpouring promised in Joel, Hosea, Zechariah, and James.

Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. (Exodus 25:31—NIV)

He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights." (Zechariah 4:2—NIV)

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20—NIV)

To be continued.