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Interlude: The Two Witnesses


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Author's Bias | Interpretation: conservative | Inclination: promise | Seminary: none


The Two Witnesses

In contrast to the 144,000 sealed bond servants of God, who were introduced at the beginning of the trumpets, the Two Witnesses are introduced at its end.

Because the ministry of the Two Witnesses takes place when the Temple is preserved while its outer court is being "tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months" by the nations, it appears that they ministered during the first 3-1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week (Rev 11:2-3).

Because the Two Witnesses were slain, their ministry appeared to end when the beast had the authority to make war with the saints.

This is consistent with the earlier observation that after the divine consequences of the sixth trumpet, few, if any, Believers have survived.

When the Two Witnesses were on earth, clothed in sackcloth and prophesying to the world, they had the authority to:

  • Kill any who attempt to harm them by fire that flows from their mouths (Rev 11:5).
  • Stop the rain while they were prophesying (Rev 11:6).
  • Turn water into blood (Rev 11:6)
  • Invoke every plague known to man (i.e. diseases, the plagues of Exodus, etc.) upon the earth as often as they desire (Rev 11:6).

The ministry of the Two Witnesses ends when they are murdered by the Beast from the Abyss (Rev 11:7). Because the abyss (Rev 9:1-2, 11-12) was associated with a place that confined fallen evil angels (Luke 8:26-31; Matt 8:28-32; Jude 1:6-7), it suggests that the Two Witnesses were killed by the fallen evil angel king Abaddon released by the fifth trumpet (Rev 9:1-2).

The bodies of the Two Witnesses will be on a street in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified (Rev 11:8), which would be in the vicinity of the present day Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Their bodies will be left out for public viewing for 3-1/2 days (Rev 11:9-10), in which people worldwide will rejoice and celebrate, because there will be no more prophetic indictments nor harmful spectacular natural events and plagues.

With an audible voice from heaven, the world will see a visible rapture of the Two Witnesses and followed by an earthquake that destroys 1/10 of Jerusalem and kills seven thousand. This produces great fear among the people, and many will praise God (Rev 11:11-13). What is uncertain is how many will come to a genuine faith in God.

It is significant to note that the end of the Two Witnesses is the cause of the second woe / sorrow, which is associated with the end of the sixth trumpet (Rev 11:14; 9:12).


For deeper study:

The Strong Angel's Little Scroll

Fallen Angels: free or confined?



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Series: The Doctrine on Eschatology
The Sixth Trumpet

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The Seventh Trumpet


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