When These Things Happen

November 13

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. (5) And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.

(6) These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

(7) When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (9) Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

(10) And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

(11) Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. (12) And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them,” Revelation 11:3-12.

There is much speculation as to exactly who these two witnesses might be. Some are sure they are prophets of old, such as Moses, Elijah, or Enoch, returning from the grave to fulfill the Lord’s bidding before His return to earth. The details of the deaths of these servants of God are sketchy and the speculation that they will return to do the Lord’s will one more time are predicated upon this ambiguity.

Other students of end-time prophecy are equally sure that the witnesses described in Revelation, Chapter 11 will be contemporaries of the events of the last days and that they will rise to the task before them as it unfolds. Without excluding the former possibility, the later seems more reasonable because the Bible states clearly that “it is appointed to men once to die and after that the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.

Jesus has arisen from the grave and we are told that upon His return to earth the Rapture shall occur: “...the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall arise and meet Him in the air and be forever with the Lord,” I Thessalonians 4:14-17.

This is the ‘blessed hope’ as described in I Peter 1:3 and in Titus 2:13 where we are admonished to “Look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

As we continue to see evidence in the heavens and on the earth and in the evil machinations of men, we cannot help but believe that, as the Lord assures us in His unfailing Word, " When you see these things come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near,” Luke 21:28.