The Acts of Moses, Elijah and the Two Witnesses

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Your Bible reveals there will be two witnesses in the end time who will turn the world upside down, testifying for Christ against sin and sinners. Some of the miracles they will perform will parallel those of Moses and Elijah. There’s an enlightening lesson in these similarities.

The two witnesses in Revelation 11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
See All... are enigmatic to many. Some view them as a return of Moses and Elijah, while others see them as the Church or martyrs of the Church, or even a return of Peter and Paul or Enoch and Elijah. Some think they are simply two prophets, two groups or two principles ( The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1981, Vol. 12, p. 504).

God describes these two witnesses as representative of two olive trees and two lamps or lampstands that stand before the God of the earth (Revelation 11:3-4 [3] And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
[4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

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Each of God's symbols of them is significant and communicates to the reader characteristics of God and His two representatives. Christ sent His disciples out two by two. Witnessing is giving testimony. Olive trees refer to God's Spirit and, by extension, God's truth (compare John 4:23-24 [23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

See All...). Lamps give light to a dark world. Putting together all of these symbols in the context of Revelation 11, God's two witnesses give testimony of how God's Spirit gives light to and illuminates humanity in a darkened world (Matthew 5:14-16 [14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

See All...; Hebrews 6:4-5 [4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

See All...; John 1:4-9 [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
[5] And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
[6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
[7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
[8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

See All...; Isaiah 9:2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
See All...).

These two witnesses are closely connected to the two olive trees and the two lampstands of Zechariah's vision. There, God indicates a primary allusion to Joshua and Zerubbabel, who are also said to serve the Lord of all the earth (Zechariah 4:1-6 [1] And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
[2] And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
[3] And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
[4] So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
[5] Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
[6] Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

See All..., 10-14). They are, in some ways, types of the two witnesses.

The two witnesses of Revelation 11 warn Babylon the great one last time, as human instruments of God have always done through the ages.

It's all about Babylon

The book of Revelation, in general, addresses the progression of and, in particular, the consummation of mankind's failings brought on by the corruptive influences of Babylon the great. That's a great overall key to Revelation, if one stands back from the various seals, trumpets and plagues and observes its underlying theme and purpose. Revelation shows two great polar opposites: mankind's self-destructive way of life and God's constructive way of life. Knowing this great key helps one to better understand the catastrophes prophesied in this unique book.

Remarkably, in the book of Revelation there is a guarantee that God will stop humanity from destroying itself, through Christ Jesus' intervention and sovereignty (Revelation 11:18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
See All...; 19:11-21).

As God's representatives, the two witnesses will conduct themselves, at least in part, in the ways of Moses and Elijah.

Moses and the two witnesses

Moses is sometimes described as a lawgiver. He was called by God to deliver His laws to Israel (Malachi 4:4Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
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God also used Moses as Israel's physical leader, a type of deliverer and a representative of God (Exodus 4:16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
See All...). God used him to confront the king of Egypt and demand that Pharaoh let His people go. When Pharaoh refused, God performed miraculous deeds through Moses. The 10 plagues are now legendary acts that God conducted to make His point of freeing His people from sin and sinners: "Let my people go" (Exodus 5:1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
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In the New Testament, Jesus was transfigured and appeared in vision along with both Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1-5 [1] 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.
[4] Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
[5] While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

See All...). Here God made the point to show that Jesus was much greater than Moses and Elijah: "Hear Him!" (verse 5).

The prophet Malachi addressed both Moses' and Elijah's service. "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:4-5 [4] Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
[5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

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The two witnesses of Revelation 11 perform miraculous acts similar to those Moses did, especially by bringing plagues on those who would not heed God's demands. "And they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire" (Revelation 11:6These 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.
See All...; compare this with Moses in Exodus 7:17-21 [17] Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
[18] And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
[19] And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
[20] And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
[21] And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

See All...). God is consistent.

Elijah and the two witnesses

Elijah is often considered the most important prophet of the Old Testament, and with good reason (Malachi 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
See All...). He was a no-nonsense, direct-to-the-point prophet who simply laid it all on the line. His antagonists could not kill him (2 Kings 2:11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
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Elijah prayed and God shut up the heavens for 3 1/2 years (1 Kings 17:1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
See All...; James 5:17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
See All...). God also devoured with fire those who commanded Elijah to appear before King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:10And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
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The two witnesses of Revelation 11 replicate Elijah's miracles against those who refuse God's will. They will also have the power to stop any rainfall for 3 1/2 years (Revelation 11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
See All..., 5-6). Whenever they are threatened, fire will proceed from their mouths to devour their enemies, a symbol of God's judgment (Hebrews 12:29For our God is a consuming fire.
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Two witnesses act as did Moses and Elijah

For 3 1/2 years God will warn all mankind, especially the warring nations and their tyrannical leaders, of their evil ways through His representatives, the two witnesses. God loves all human beings because He created them to one day have the opportunity to repent, be converted and become children of God (2 Peter 3:9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
See All...; 2 Corinthians 6:18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
See All...). Yet He will judge the recalcitrant with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
See All...). Sometimes this is the only way mankind will be receptive enough to listen to and learn from God (Malachi 3:5-6 [5] And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
[6] For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

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The book of Revelation reveals how God will both warn and punish Babylon (Revelation 17), the False Prophet and the Beast (Revelation 19). The False Prophet and the Beast will set themselves to kill the two witnesses, which they will do at the end of the two witnesses' testimony (Revelation 11:7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
See All...). After 3 1/2 days they will be resurrected to life (Revelation 11:11-12 [11] And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
[12] 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.

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There are undeniable similarities between the two witnesses and Moses and Elijah:

"'And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.' These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 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. 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" (Revelation 11:3-6 [3] And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
[4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
[5] And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
[6] These 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.

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God's punishment of sinners is timeless

God's testimonies and judgments against sinners never change. This is a significant lesson and loving instruction from God.

When God delivered a captive Israel from Egypt through Moses, God used Moses to demand that Pharaoh release Israel. With each demand came a consequence. Ultimately, God leveled Egypt with 10 great plagues in order to convince Pharaoh to let His people go.

God used the great and dedicated prophet Elijah to warn Israel to mend its sinning ways against God. When the king did not comply, Elijah was given the power to prophesy that Israel would have no rain (1 Kings 17:1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
See All...). When Elijah was challenged by the king's demand that he come down from a hill to answer to his army, Elijah responded that if he were indeed a man of God, then let fire come down and devour the squad of 50 men. After the first two squads were burned up, the third officer was much more respectful (2 Kings 1:12-14 [12] And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
[13] And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
[14] Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

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God is indeed patient. He waits for Babylon's "golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication" (Revelation 17:4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
See All...) to fill all the way to the top. Then He steps in, for if He didn't, humankind would destroy itself (Matthew 24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
See All...). Christ will "destroy those who [attempt to] destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
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Plagues, drought and fire get attention

The two end-time witnesses will have the power to provide plagues, drought and fire as testimonies and judgments against all sinners who would try to destroy them and mankind. These will help open the eyes and ears of the spiritually blind and deaf.

The acts of the two witnesses are as the acts of Moses and Elijah. They show that God remains the same when acting against sin and sinners, to show Himself strong and loving in reconciling mankind to God. Christ is our Savior, not our destroyer; destroying people is what Satan does.

God will not allow humanity to self-destruct; He will save and deliver us, giving all human beings their one opportunity to know God and live His way of peace and prosperity (Hebrews 8:10-12 [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
[11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
[12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

See All...; Isaiah 11:1-10 [1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
[2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
[3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
[4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
[5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
[6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
[7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
[8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
[9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
[10] And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

See All...). WNP