August 7, 2018
AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 2
October 21, 2009
Revelation 11:3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
The following things were established in Part 1: (1) John the Baptist was a transitional prophet between the Old and New Testaments, (2) He is connected with, but not a part of, the New Testament church, in that he baptized its head, and the first 12 members the head called out to begin it, (3) He was sent by God for this purpose, (4) He was not Elijah reincarnated, but he spoke in the spirit of Elijah, who proclaimed by God’s Spirit the message of repentance, as did John, (5) He is the Elijah of all who believe his message of the Messiah, as did 11 of the first 12 members of the first church, (6) He is not the Elijah of those who failed to believe John’s message concerning the Messiah, a category into which the Pharisees placed themselves, and (7) Israel is still waiting for its Messiah, and the Elijah of Malachi 4:5.
Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
It is interesting that Malachi should list Moses in verse 4.
Malachi 4:4
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Moses immediately pops into the Israeli mind whenever the “Law” is mentioned. Elijah’s wine glass is waiting for him at every Passover. Elijah immediately enters their minds when the word “Prophet” is heard. The two primary ways that God used to transmit his word into the minds of Israel were: (1) The Law – the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses, and (2) The Words God spoke through the prophets. I do not think it by chance these two great men represented the Law and the Prophets that carried the testimony of God. And I am convinced this is one of the reasons they appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Messiah of both Jew and Gentile.
Matthew 17:1-3
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, [2] And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. [3] And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
I do not believe the two witnesses to be Elijah and Moses reincarnated, but I do believe they preach in the spirit of Moses and Elijah. Just as John witnessed in the spirit of Elijah, who witnessed by the Spirit of God, so will both of the two witnesses proclaim in the spirits of Moses and Elijah. And their message will also be one of repentance to Israel. Israel is currently more distant from God than at any time in its history
While I do believe the two witnesses are flesh and blood men, as were Elijah and Moses, I am persuaded they also represent two institutions given the responsibility to give God’s witness to the world and, Lord willing, I will deal with this in Part 3.