The two witnesses have been identified by various
theologians as real individuals, two groups of people, or as two concepts.
DispensationalistChristians believe that the events described in the Book of Revelation will occur before and during the
Second Coming of Christ and attempt to associate references in the Book of Revelation with historical or current happenings and people.
Biblical narrative[edit]
John is told that the court of God's temple would be trampled on by the nations for 42 months. During that period for 1,260 days (or 42 months, or 3½ years), two witnesses would be granted authority to prophesy. They are described as
two olive trees and
two lampstands who stand before the Lord of the earth. Both are able to devour their enemies with fire that flows out of their mouths. Also, they have power over the sky and waters and are able to strike the earth with plague. After their testimony,
the Beast overcomes the two witnesses and kills them. For three and a half days, the people of the earth celebrate the death of the two witnesses who have tormented them for three and a half years. Then God
resurrects the two witnesses. This strikes fear on everyone witnessing their revival and the two witnesses ascend to
heaven. In the next hour, a great earthquake occurs and kills 7000 people, destroying a tenth of the city.
[1]
Enoch, Moses or Elijah[edit]
Modern theologians, such as
John Walvoord, have furthered the point of indivisualism by comparing the "two lampstands" and the "two olive trees" of
Revelation 11 to the
two golden pipes and
two olive trees/branches of
Zechariah 4. By the identification of the
two olive branches as "two anointed ones" or "two sons of the oil", in Zechariah, this reinforces the
literalist interpretation that the two witnesses are two people.
[6] The
personification of the
two witnesses in
Revelation, is so prevalent that according to theologian
William Barclay, the passage seems to refer to definite persons.
[7]
Walvoord pointed out that because the
Revelation passage does not specifically identify who the
two witnesses are, it would be safer to conclude that they are not related to any previous historical character. The literalist typically has a
dispensationalist or
futurist interpretation that the
two witnesses will appear in the
Last days.
[8][9]
