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Fulfilling the Mystery
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
The fact that God’s two witnesses were clothed in sackcloth probably speaks of their humility.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.
These two are identified as lampstands, olive trees, prophets (Revelation 11:10), and witnesses. The term “witness” reveals an important concept in God’s word. His standard for deciding legal issues required every fact to be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses. At minimum there had to be two.
When Jesus ministered on earth He said that if He alone bore witness of Himself, His witness would not be true – i.e., not legally acceptable before a court (John 5:31). Since God intended to fulfill the Law perfectly, He had not only two or three witnesses; He had four. When speaking with the religious leadership of Israel, Jesus said:
You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. (John 5:33)
But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do - bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. (John 5:36)
And the Father that sent me, he hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. (John 5:37 ASV)
Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me. (John 5:39 ASV)
Why did Jesus list 4 specific witnesses (more than double the minimum required) confirming His identity and ministry in first century Israel? It was so that all of history and eternity would declare that God was perfectly just in judging the nation for rejecting His Son. Certainly, neither the Messiah nor the kingdom He offered fit their expectations. They thought their Deliverer would ride in on a white horse and kill Romans. Instead, He rode in on a donkey and died for the sins of the world. This was not what they expected. But God had 4 witnesses that bore testimony to the truth. Thus, they were without excuse.
Throughout Church history even from its early years, God’s city has been trampled with the world’s ways (2Timothy 1:15; 4:3 - 4). But He has consistently responded by raising up two witnesses to testify to His truth. Surely His plan is on track. In the midst of the confusion due to man’s ways and agendas being brought into God’s house, yet faithful witnesses continue to articulate His truth and priorities so that His people may find their way into the holy realms.
So, exactly what or who are the 2 witnesses? John says they are 2 olive trees. Zechariah also spoke of 2 olive trees (Zechariah 4). In his day, Zerubbabel oversaw the project to rebuild God’s house while Joshua the high priest ministered in God’s house. Yet sin and discouragement hindered the work. In the midst of the spiritual conflict, the prophet Zechariah received a vision. Two olive trees were pouring oil into a lampstand. And the angel asked Zechariah if he understood what he saw. What the prophet had seen was the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. God’s Spirit would accomplish the project; it would not be fulfilled by human might or power. Today, the Lord says to His Church that His kingdom is not extended nor His house built by our education, our strength, or our good intentions. He will only establish His purpose by His Spirit. Then the angel told Zerubbabel that the mountain in front of him would cease to be an obstacle and would be leveled to the ground. As a result, he would bring the capstone, the finishing touches of God’s house with shouts of “Grace, Grace to it!”
So who were the two olive trees? It seems clears to me that in Zechariah’s day, they were Zerubbabel and Joshua. Through the lives of these men, these trees, oil would flow into God’s lampstand – the place of God’s illumination (i.e., His house) and His light would shine forth on the earth. God’s purpose would be established and men would gain insight into His ways.
One main difference though between the two prophets’ visions is that Zechariah saw two trees pouring oil into one lampstand while John saw two trees and they were two lampstands (Revelation 11:4). Since, in the Book of Revelation, a lampstand speaks of corporate light, local churches in cities and regions are God’s lampstands in those areas (Revelation 1:20). So God’s two witnesses are both prophetic and corporate and their calling is to bear witness to what God is doing on earth. God’s holy oil pours out of them (as in Zechariah’s vision) and yet they also receive the oil and shine forth corporately in the earth (as in John’s vision).
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.
Clearly, this is not a picture of people with blowtorches in their mouths. Rather it pictures for us the prophetic ministry of speaking God’s words of judgment. For example, the Lord said to Jeremiah,
Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them
Because God’s people were rebelling against His spoken words, those very words became like fire to consume the dross, the impurities in their lives. But if the people decided they loved their sin more than God’s holiness, then they themselves would be destroyed. This pictures in some measure, the function of prophetic ministry in a time when the nations are trampling on God’s holy city. He raises up a clear prophetic voice announcing, “This is the way; walk ye in it”. At the same time, rebellious people will oppose His word. It is never wise to do so.
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.
These two witnesses remind us of Elijah and Moses. Like Elijah they could shut the heavens so that there would be no rainfall for 3 ½ years (James 5:17). God also used them to turn water into blood and to strike the earth with plagues, prompting us to think of Moses.
For as long as the nations have been trampling God’s city, He has responded with these two corporate and prophetic ministries. Indeed, they have been with us since the beginning.
First there is the “Moses anointing”. God releases the prophetic burden to call His people out of bondage and into what they have never before experienced. In Moses’ day, God’s people were enslaved and lacked national identity. They had gone down into Egypt in a time of famine when they had been but a mere extended family, and over time multiplied into a host of slaves. But when their groaning reached the Lord, He sent Moses to call them out of their bondage. In one sense, they were to leave what they had grown used to, what they had come to think of as normal existence, and come into a life they had never known before.
Today, the Lord is leading us where we have never been before. And like Abraham, we follow Him not knowing where we are going (Hebrews 11:8).
God’s house is not something we are going to organize by human ingenuity into divine order. Rather, we are to recognize His work among us and follow Him where He takes us. Often, it is as we arrive at some strategic place in God’s purpose, that we then understand why He previously led us as He did.
One problem is that we sometimes enjoy our bondage. But the Lord is calling us out of our various experiences of slavery e.g., to the fear of man, to being consumed with career, sports or prestige, etc. He is beckoning us because there are places in Him we have never been before, and the nations need the Church to come into all that God has called us. In our present condition we cannot realize His desire for the earth. While I appreciate where the Lord has brought us in Him, I believe He is saying there is much more ground to take. In some small measure, we are beginning to understand the Mosaic burden.
Then there is Elijah. What was his priority? He came to a nation totally backslidden and following the pagan queen Jezebel into Baal worship. The prophet confronted the false religion and called God’s spiritually drifting people back to the Lord and to their true identity.
God bears two distinct prophetic emphases on His heart when His city is being trampled. First He issues the call for His people to come out of bondage and follow Him into new territory. Second, He woos them back to Himself from where they have drifted so that they might know him accurately as well as gain insight into their own true identity.
Just speaking personally, I have heard these two distinct prophetic messages trumpeted in the Church for as long as I can remember. I would dare say that the reason is because God’s city has been consistently trampled with the plans, programs, and agendas of man. I believe the Lord is saying, “It is in beholding Me that you will find your true identity and calling. Spend time with Me so that you don’t drift from it. There are places I want to take you in insight and service that you have never been before. I want to bring you to the fulfillment of the Church’s calling and then manifest My glory before the eyes of the nations.” Amen.
In our final chapter, we will look at God’s use of death and resurrection as His strategy to defeat the enemy. Though many may rejoice at the crushing of God’s prophetic men and women, Satan simply has no defense against the resurrection power of God.
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