And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:3-4). Here in the opening verses of the eleventh chapter of the book of Revelation are we introduced to the Two Witnesses. Over the years many have speculated over their identity. Some say that the Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah, while others hold to the belief that the Two Witnesses are Enoch and Elijah. It is the opinion of this author that the Two Witnesses of Revelation chapter eleven are indeed Enoch and Elijah, and not Moses and Elijah. That being said let us now look at these claims a little deeper.
First off, when paring the two suggestions for the identification of the Two Witnesses, Elijah is always a candidate, while Moses and Enoch are interchangeable as possible partners with Elijah. Now we know from scripture that Elijah will return prior to the coming of the Lord. For as it is written in Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” So here we see scripture confirming scripture as identifying one of the Two Witnesses. It is also interesting to note that after the time of their prophecy the Two Witnesses will be killed by the Antichrist, and since Elijah has not yet died, but will be one of those being martyred during the great Tribulation, then the other witness must be a prophet who also has not yet died. For as we read in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
The Bible goes on to state that the Two Witnesses, “…have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Revelation 11:6). The power to shut heaven that it not rain is reminiscent of the days of Elijah when he caused it not to rain for a period of three and a half years by the word of the Lord. (1 Kings 17:1). The power to turn water to blood, and to smite the earth with plagues is likened to the works that the prophet Moses performed as recorded in the book of Exodus. But in the book of Deuteronomy it is written that, “…Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 34:5). So the fact that Moses died would eliminate him as one of the Two Witnesses, especially due to the fact that the Two Witnesses will be killed and then resurrected three days after their deaths. If Moses is one of the Two Witnesses, then that would mean that God would have to raise him from the dead only for Moses to die again and be resurrected again, as we see the Two Witnesses being resurrected in Revelation 11:11. Remember, it is appointed unto men once to die, not twice.
Now that we can eliminate Moses as one of the Two Witnesses, the only man left to fill this office is the prophet Enoch. Being the seventh from Adam, Enoch is also believed to be the first prophet after Adam. The Bible Illustrates that, “…Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch did not die, but was translated that he might not see death (Hebrews 11:5), and since it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment then there will come a day when Enoch too must die. Just as Elijah is still alive, and so Enoch too still lives then the prophets Enoch and Elijah fit perfectly into the role of the persons known as the Two Witnesses.
A very strange and amazing supernatural ability of the Two Witnesses is that if any man will attempt to hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. (Revelation 11:5). At first glance this would almost seem impossible and nothing like what any prophet has ever done including Jesus Christ. However, if we look at this as an allegory then we can better understand this difficult verse of scripture. The prophets of the Old Testament were known to be fiery, Elijah himself was very acquainted with fire. But the most fiery thing about all the prophets were the words that proceeded out of their mouths. They had the power to convict people of sin, which I can assume burned the conscience of the sinners they addressed. Jesus too spoke many things which burned into the very core of His enemies. So the fact that the Two Witnesses are given enough of the fire of the Holy Spirit to defend themselves from people that want to hurt them is truly a miracle. For this fire that comes out of the mouths of the Two Witnesses and destroys their enemies is none other than the pure and unadulterated Word of God.
Though protected from evil people who try to hurt them, the Two Witnesses will indeed be killed. The Bible states that when they have finished their testimony, the beast from the bottomless pit shall overcome them and kill them. (Revelation 11:7). This will happen during the midpoint of the seven year period known as the Tribulation. On top of their martyrdom no one will bury their bodies, and they shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8). Now we know that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem outside the city walls, so to compare the holy city to Sodom and Egypt must mean that during the reign of the Antichrist, Jerusalem will be totally wrapped up in the worship of the beast and his image. Going further the people of the earth will rejoice and send each other gifts in celebration of the deaths of the Two Witnesses who tormented them who dwelt upon the earth. However, after three and a half days the Spirit of life from God entered them, and they stood up, and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:9-12).
This resurrection of the Two Witnesses is like that of Christ’s resurrection, for now the Two Witnesses have incorruptible bodies allowing flesh to enter heaven. For since there is not a man who lives and does not sin, then even though the Two Witnesses are holy men, before their resurrection there is still sin in their bodies preventing their flesh from entering heaven. Once they have died, and are judged, then will they be resurrected and given an incorruptible body. Just as Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the dead, at the Second Coming of Christ all the faithful will also be granted incorruptible bodies. For as it is written in 1 John 3:2, “…when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Thus with the deaths the Two Witnesses Enoch and Elijah the scriptures are fulfilled which point out that human flesh is mortal.
In conclusion, the Two Witnesses of Revelation are indeed the the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth, and who will one day give the witness of Jesus Christ before an apostate mankind during the era of the Antichrist. Though some may say that the Two Witnesses are really two angels or that they represent both the Old and New Testaments, I believe it is safe to say that the Two Witnesses are indeed two men given from the outline of what has been previously stated. Though Moses and Elijah appeared at the transfiguration of Christ, I believe it was the spirit of Moses that appeared, unlike Elijah who must have appeared physically. Together, Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets, which Christ fulfilled during His ministry. Now you may be wondering as to where Enoch and Elijah could be. If they cannot be in heaven does that mean they are still walking the earth? Now this is only a theory, but since the Fathers of the Church relate that the Garden of Eden is in a state between corruptibility and incorruptibility, then this would be a more suitable place for men made up of body and soul to enter into and dwell in before the resurrection. Though we may not be able to interpret with certainty the myriads of mysteries contained in the book of Revelation, it is still a blessing to read this book as is pondering upon the story of the Two Witnesses: Enoch and Elijah.