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The Two Witnesses So what about the two witnesses: If this is a book of symbols, then obviously whatever this means, it does not mean two witnesses. Two witnesses are a symbol, an idea, and the Bible makes it very plain. Look at these two witnesses who prophecy, they are dressed in sackcloth, fire comes from their mouth, they have the power to turn water to blood, and to strike the earth with plagues. And they are called the two olive trees, two lamps that stand before the Lord of all the earth. Now the symbolism there is so simple, in Deuteronomy it begins to talk about that, it says that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established. So two witnesses is a shorthand symbol, for saying a perfect and complete testimony to truth. The Church is not only a worshipping community; the Church also is the perfect witness of God to truth. You can’t touch the worshipping community, but you can touch its public witness, that is why the two witnesses are killed. The Holy of Holies in any persecuted country, is as strong today as it has ever been. But the two witnesses, the public testimony of the Church, are silenced. The scripture goes on and says they are dressed in sackcloth. The Old Testament will tell you quickly, that whenever a person repented, they always wore sackcloth. So here is a repentant Church that stands before an unrepentant world that has heard the trumpets of God. It says fire came out of their mouth. The word of God is like fire, which consumes the enemy. That is an idea, which runs through the Old Testament. You will also find that they were able to shut the sky. Who shut the sky in the Old Testament? Elijah did. Does that mean that one of them was Elijah? No! This is a picture, that tells us that as Elijah stood in a world that had rebelled against God, and that world refused to repent ‒ as Elijah stood in the midst of that world, he was a man who was the very incarnation of repentance, and he spoke forth on behalf of God, and he was able to prove his words by works, so the Church stands in a similar world with similar power, and can prove what they say. The Church, the whole Church is an Elijah in the middle of the world. It also tells us that they are able to turn water into blood. Who did that? Moses did. That doesn’t mean to say that the other one is Moses, it means that another way of looking at this Church, is that as Moses stood with a congregation, which only half believed him, he stood against a world government, and a world system that hated him and his God, and Moses stood there. The testimony to truth in the middle of lies, even so the Church stands, the perfect testimony to truth, in the middle of a world that is set against God. And it says these are the two olive trees that stand before God in all the earth. That comes from Zechariah Chapter 4. It says behold a seven-branched lamp stand. Also there were two olive trees by it, one on the right side and the other on the left side. We have already talked about that seven-branched lamp stand, and that is the Church, and standing beside it is another symbol, two olive trees which stand before the Lord in all the earth. The Church in all its power and witness. The beast is world power. And this world power puts the two witnesses to death. It describes the city where they were put to death as Sodom, What was Sodom? Sodom was all manner of sexual perversion. What was Egypt? Egypt was the great power, the government. Elijah thought he was the only remaining public witness, God said, not at all, not at all, I still have 7000 who have not bowed the knees to Baal. No one has touched the Holy of holies and no one can. That 7,000 is another symbolic Old Testament picture 7x10x10x10. The Old Testament is full of picture numbers. Jesus also spoke in picture numbers that his listeners understood. Do you remember in Matthew chapter eighteen Peter said to Jesus, ‘If my brother sins against me shall I forgive him up to seven times.’? Jesus replied, ‘No! Not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.’ You look across the world, in persecuted countries and ask where is the Church we can’t see it? The Church is doing very well, its voice may be silenced, and the two witnesses are laying in the street. The greatest judgment that can ever come upon a country, is when the only speaking voice of God on earth has been silenced. However, God treats the Church the same way as He treated Jesus. And it says that they were raised up. malcolm smith |
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how have you been?...Long time
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12/3/2007 5:57 am |
I believe you have to pair the two witnesses you've identified with the transfiguration. Moses represents the fullness of the Law. Elijah likewise represents the Prophets. Thus the entire 'witness' of the Old Testament (Law and Prophets) back up the revelation given in the Revelation, just as they both backed up the superiority of Christ in the transfiguration. The images are more difficult to pin down as I think they shift or involve more than one idea at times. Interesting.
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