Q: “WHO ARE THE TWO WITNESSES
OF
REVELATION CHAPTER 11”
A: “MOSES
AND ELIJAH”
The false
and opposing argument goes like this:
“These two
preachers at Jerusalem will have
special powers similar to those given to Moses and Elijah. They will
have power
to call for drought, to turn water into blood and to
smite the
earth with all plagues. Because these same powers were given to
Moses
and Elijah, many have thought that they are in fact Moses and Elijah …
but that
is not possible.
As it is not
possible for resurrection
bodies to die a second time, Moses and Elijah, having died a
natural
death, and both, having received a resurrection body … these two
preaching
witnesses are most likely two Jewish witnesses from
among the 144,000,
encouraging the rebuilding of a Jewish temple at Jerusalem
after the
rapture.
Just as Haggai
and Zechariah preached
to the Jews, and encouraged them to rebuild the temple after
they
returned from the Babylonian captivity, so these two prophets will
minister to
the nation. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah are likewise referred to
as ‘two
olive trees’ providing oil for the seven golden candle sticks in the
temple
(See Zechariah 4:1-4,5-6)
Moses died
and God buried him. Elijah was caught up
into the air by angels in a chariot of fire and God concealed his
burial place.
We know
that nobody could enter heaven before Jesus
rose from the dead, so when Christ rose from the grave and ascended
into
heaven, he opened heaven for all believers. The old testament saints
who had
died were raised and paradise was taken to heaven when Jesus ascended
on high.
Nobody could be given a resurrection body before him.
Thus Moses
and Elijah would have risen with Christ.
They would have received a resurrection body at that time. A
resurrection body
cannot perish or be destroyed.”
Quick
Response:
The
questions are:
1. What is
the difference between a resurrected
body and a translated body?
A resurrected
body is simply someone who had
died and been brought back to life on earth eg Lazarus.
A translated
body is someone who has been
taken bodily into heaven … they may have died before hand or not died
at all.
The prime example is Jesus who was taken bodily into heaven having
first died a
physical death.
Elijah had
not died before being translated, and
Moses had died before being resurrected and then translated into heaven.
2. Can
resurrected bodies die twice?
Yes, Lazarus
was resurrected from the dead
(John 11:43-44) only to die later of old age.
3. Can
translated bodies die once?
Yes, as Elijah
was brought physically back
to earth to be killed by the beast.
Explanation:
The first
problem with the assertion that
the two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11 are not Moses and
Elijah, is
based on the decades old lie that resurrected bodies can not
die twice.
As we
clearly see from the Bible there are dozens
of people who, having died once, are resurrected, only to die
again.
The following six are only a few examples …
Lazarus was
resurrected from the dead (John 11:43-44) only to die later of old age;
the son of
the widow of Nain was resurrected
and died later (Luke 7:14-15);
the Shunamite
had a son who was resurrected
and died later 2Kings 4:34-35);
the twelve
daughter of Jairus died, was
resurrected and died later (Luke 8:52-55);
Paul
resurrected Eutychus who died after he
fell from a window and later he died;
Peter
raised Dorcas from the dead and she
died later
(Acts 9:39-41).
Now the
second problem with the denial of Moses and
Elijah as the two witnesses, is the lie that when Moses and Elijah died
their
bodies stayed in the ground.
Moses died
and God buried him (Deuteronomy 34:6),
but his grave was never found. Why? God had other plans for Moses. He
could
have been resurrected or not, but we know he was taken bodily
into
heaven as the result of Michael contending with the devil over Moses’
body
(Jude 1:9).
Why? So
the body of Moses in heaven could be sent
back bodily as one of the witnesses in Revelation chapter
11 … then
to be killed by the beast (Revelation 11:7) … then to be
brought back to
life … to be then taken bodily back into heaven (Revelation 11:12).
Elijah never
died … and that means he never
had a burial place … concealed or otherwise … but was translated
(2
Kings 2:11), not resurrected, bodily into heaven, in
order for
his body to be sent back to die with Moses at the hands of the beast
(Revelation 11:7) … then to be sent back bodily into heaven
(Revelation
11:12)
Hence the
assertion that no believer went to heaven
before Christ rose is false.
Moses and
Elijah were special cases and did not
rise with Christ … they were translated before the cross … indeed, as
was Enoch
who was translated bodily into heaven without seeing death (Hebrews
11:5) … and
that means he had no grave … and he did not rise with Christ.
Furthermore,
that the two witnesses are from the
144,000 is absurd as the two
witnesses are prophets (Revelation 11:6,
10), while none of the 144,000 are mentioned as having this
office
(Revelation 7:4-7,8; 14:1-3,4-5). The 144,000 simply sing a new song … there
are no
prophets from this number.
In
addition, there is no evidnece of the
144,000 encouraging the re-building of the temple. The Jews right now
are
practicing sacrificing the Passover lamb and have the materials, indeed
the red
heifer, ready to go to rebuild the temple … soon after the rapture.
They will
need no ‘Haggai and Zechariah’ encouragement. It will be built in a
‘flash’.
Again, the
job of the 144,000 is to sing a new song
… not tormenting the earth for 3.5 years breathing fire, turning waters
into
blood and smiting the earth with all plagues.
The
ministries of the 144,000, indeed Haggai and
Zechariah, are chalk and cheese to the torment delivered for 3.5 years
by Moses
and Elijah.
For three
and a half years, the two witnesses
torment the earth with prophecy, fire, plagues and blood. Surely this
is not
the encouraging and temple re-building ministry given to Haggai and
Zechariah.
Moses and
Elijah’s ministry was not to help
re-build the temple.
Moses had
the power of plagues (Exodus 10 – 11:1),
indeed, turning the waters to blood (Exodus 7:19-20; Revelation 11:6)
and
Elijah to stop the rain (1 Kings 17:1; Revelation 11:6), and so the two
witnesses are Moses and Elijah.
Adding
further to the denial lie, is that
Haggai and Zechariah are never called olive trees.
Moses and
Elijah are the two olive trees that stand
before the Lord in the earth (Zechariah 4:14)… not Haggai and Zechariah.
And here’s
the big picture … Israel was given the law,
represented by Moses, and the prophets represented by Elijah,
and it is
these two that have tormented Israel throughout the old
testament.
It was the
law and the prophets that
tormented Israel (Revelation 11:2), with the former being a
curse
(Galatians 3:10) and the latter being thorns to be killed
(Matthew
23:34-35).
Moses and
Elijah appearing in the seven year
tribulation, are God’s second attempt to confront Israel, and
indeed,
the whole earth (Revelation 11:9-11).
It is
appropriate then, that Moses and Elijah are
the two that torment both Israel and the whole earth in the seven year
tribulation.
Adding to
this, as the soul was attached to the
body in the old testament and vice versa, it is a lie to say that only
the soul
went to sheol (the place of departed spirits) upon death.
No, both
soul and body burned in the fires of hell.
It is only through redemption that the circumcision of soul was
separated
through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Colossian 2:11).
There was
only Abraham’s bosom and the fires of hell
(Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7) … the former being for the bodies and
attached souls
of the righteous dead and the latter being for the bodies and attached
souls of
the unrighteous dead.
The
context is this … the two that tormented old
testament Israel with the curse of the law (Moses) with the warnings,
threats
and the prophecies of the coming Messiah (Elijah and the prophets), are
indeed
the ones who will again turn up bodily, to not only do the same in
Revelation
chapter 12 … but this time include the whole world.
To deny
that the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah
is Satan’s last and desperate attempt to degrade the inerrant and
inspired King
James scriptures … that is to deny the absolute and central scriptural
pillars
of the Moses and Elijah in God’s scheme of history, and their heralding
of the
second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In these
last days before the rapture, Satan is
having a field day in changing the Christian’s mind into questioning
and not
believing the plain scripture wording, with untrue, indeed spurious,
red
herrings to titivate a dead audience (Acts 17:21).
Summary:
1.
Resurrected bodies can die twice
2.
Translated bodies can die once
3. Moses died
before
being resurrected and then translated into heaven.
4. Elijah had not
died before being translated
5. Moses and
Elijah are the two witnesses.
Harley
Hitchcock
February
2024
This
website’s front page is:
www.
Australian
Bible
Ministries, PO
Box 5058 Mt. Gravatt East 4122 Qld, Australia
www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com
