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Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Introduction

Here is verse three’s description of these two olive trees and two candlesticks.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

So God’s “two witnesses” are also called ” the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” The phrase ” The two olive trees and the two candlesticks” with the article, lets us know that this refers to something with which those who are reading, hearing and keeping the things written in this prophecy are already familiar. This is not the first time these things have been discussed. These two witnesses are ‘ the two olive trees and the two candlesticks; the ones who are standing before the God of the earth’. The fact that it is thus worded also tells us that those for whom this prophecy is intended are the few chosen to whom such words mean much more than what they say. This section of scripture reveals to us that those who know they are to keep the things written in this prophecy also understand that this is a book of symbols and that those to whom it is given will know what “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” and God’s “two witnesses” all symbolize. We are casually informed “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” because the spirit speaks only “in demonstration of the spirit and power of God”, and those who know what that spirit and power are will become familiar with the verses of scriptures which reveal the meaning of all the symbols of the things written in this prophecy.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [ even] the hidden [ wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Before we speak “in the demonstration of the spirit and power of God” by referring to the scriptures which reveal the meaning of the symbols of verse four, we will list the symbols of this verse which we will consider today.
The symbols of this fourth verse are 1) two olive trees, and two candlesticks, 2) standing before the God of the earth.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

1) Two olive trees, and two candlesticks

Remembering the principle revealed to us by Joseph, we know that these two symbols are one:

Gen 41:15  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
Gen 41:16  And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Here is what God gives us to “understand” both dreams and visions, including this vision given to John of the symbols of this book of this revelation of Jesus Christ in us. This is a principle that will help us to understand all prophecy.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
Gen 41:27  And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
Gen 41:28  This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Gen 41:32  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

The dream is one, and it is “doubled… [ and given] twice” because “God will shortly bring it to pass”. Is this only true of the way the Lord dealt with Pharaoh at that time, or is He the same God when telling you and me to keep the things written in this prophecy? The answer is that God does not change. He is always the same, and just as the cows and the corn were one dream, so also the two olive trees and the two candlesticks are one vision which will shortly come to pass in the lives of all to whom it is given to “read, hear and keep the things written in the words of this prophecy.”

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

We saw last week that the never changing God always uses the number ‘two’ as the symbol of witness. We gave the scriptures which establish this truth and will not repeat them here. But we will ask why these “two witnesses” are called ” the two olive trees and the two candlesticks,” as if it is assumed that those reading the sayings of this prophecy would already have heard of ” the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.” Are these phrases used earlier in the scriptures? Are ” the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” mentioned already, and is there anything we can learn about who they are from those earlier verses as we have learned from the story of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams? The answer is, Yes, indeed, we need not speculate about who ” the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” are. Here is where they are first mentioned. The fact that they are mentioned again here in Rev 11 and are doubled twice to us is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring these ‘two witnesses’ to pass in the lives of those who are given to read, hear and keep the things written in this prophecy.”

The two olive trees revealed in Zechariah four

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  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:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  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.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Zec 4:11  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Now let’s compare Zec 4:14 with Rev 11:4.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

As Joseph told Pharaoh, “The dream is one, And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.”
What does this have to do with you and me? This is what that has to do with you and me.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [ Greek – tupos, types of us]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

But are these things not also written for the admonition of the people of whom they are written? The answer in no, not at this time. The day will come when all men, including those by whom these things are written will become those “upon whom the ends of the ages are come”, but today is not that day. These words are only for ‘all men’ as they come to know Christ and His Father. Here is how the spirit explains this through the pen of the apostle Peter.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Now before we go on, let’s glean all we can from what is revealed to us here in Zec 4 about these two olive trees, which are also called two candlesticks in Rev 11:4.
1) The first thing we need to notice is that we have to be awakened from sleep to be shown who these two olive trees are.

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

Once we realize that it is we who “must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4), that knowledge is, in itself, an awakening, and we can now begin to realize that the reason all ten virgins “slumbered and slept” is that we are all first the foolish virgins who do not take enough of God’s spirit, and then we will all, in our own appointed time, become the wise virgins, who tell the foolish virgins to go and buy their own oil (Mat 25:1-13). “All things [ really] are ours, [ and] there [ really] is [ only] one event to the righteous and to the sinner” (1Co 3:21-22, and Ecc 9:2).
2) The next thing we are told is that it is through these two olive trees, also called two candlesticks, that all seven of the candlesticks receive the golden oil to provide the light for the temple of God.

Zec 4:2  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:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

What are these seven candlesticks? This is what they symbolize.

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

So, are we talking about 2 candlesticks, or are we talking about seven candlesticks. The answer is, We are talking about both because we always seek the sum of God’s word, and in that ‘sum’ we must consider both the complete church within us, and we must also be concerned with witnessing to that complete church. So we are both 2 and we are 7, and in the final analysis, we are told that the entire “kingdom of God is within you”.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

3) The direct answer to Zechariah’s question, “What are these [ two olive trees], my lord?” is ” This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord.” Here is that question.

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right [ side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left [ side] thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What [ are] these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  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.

So the two olive trees are those who are faithful with “the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel.” Just a little later we will learn that these two olive trees “empty the golden oil through the two golden pipes out of themselves” and into the seven golden candlesticks.

Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

4) Zerubbabel, who constructed the second temple, the temple to which Christ came, is an Old Testament type of Christ. Here is the Old Testament type and shadow or what Christ is doing in us.

Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

It was Christ who was sent to build the church of God, and He said “I will build my church”. So Christ is both the builder and the foundation of His own house.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

5) It is through the spirit and the Word of the Lord pouring out of these two olive trees and into the seven golden candlesticks, that the mountain, which is this world in us, becomes a plain. This is the very mountain which the “faith of a grain of mustard seed” can destroy and cast into the sea. Christ, in His saints, will finish the building of His temple, “which temple we are”.

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Let’s just believe what we are told and accept the fact that these two olive trees are a type of Christ, including Christ in His body through which He builds His church. That is the very meaning of “This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel…” coming from these two olive trees.
6) This Temple of Zerubbabel seems small and insignificant when compared to the first temple, just as the things of the spirit are always vastly undervalued when compared to the things of this world. But it is the precious few “chosen and faithful”, who will be used to redeem and save the many called. “Who has despised the day of small things?” It is “Those seven, [ the seven golden candlesticks which are the seven churches, and the two olive trees and the two candlesticks] they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” What is the earth? It is God’s own people. It is you and me.

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

“Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little (Isa 28:9-13), we are learning that Christ also has a Christ whom He has sent to do what His Father sent Him to do.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Christ is not being negligent or passing the buck, He is rather, revealing that we, His body, are “Jesus of Nazareth”.

Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

This knowledge requires a rude awakening, and the gift of eyes that see and ears that hear things that cannot be received by carnal babes in Christ. It is not revealed all in one verse or even all in one chapter or in one book of God’s Word. This is “hidden wisdom” given only to those who have been given to understand that they are the man who killed Christ, and took His wife (as David killed Uriah, a type of Christ and took Bathsheba), and it is revealed only to those who know that “the chief of sinners” is the man they see in the mirror every morning.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Isa 28:12  To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Isa 28:13  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

It is Christ in His saints who are “the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth”, and those eyes are “eyes of fire” which are finding and destroying every sin and weight within which so easily besets us, and which see the line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little design of the hidden wisdom of the word of God.

1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [ Greek, being perfected]: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery [ Greek, a secret], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

These are inward eyes, and this is their function:

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin whi ch doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

It is here in Zec 4 that we learn that the seven candlesticks, which are the seven churches, are also “the eyes of the Lord”, and “the seven spirits of God” in the heavens, “which run to and fro through our whole earth”.

Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven [ golden candlesticks]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

What else are these seven candlesticks? They are those who comprise the seven churches.

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Where else do we see “two… olive trees” in scripture? Could these two olive trees also be the symbols of this very same body of Christ?

1Ki 6:23  And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

Who are these cherubims? As we saw in our study of Revelation four, these cherubims are just another symbol of those who have “the word of God to Zerubbabel?” They are the same as the two olive trees that empty the golden oil out of themselves and into the golden pipes that take that golden oil to the seven candlesticks which symbolize the seven churches!
Without completely rehearsing our study of Revelation chapter four, we should remember that these cherubims, like all of the secrets of God’s Word are revealed to us line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. The cherubims are first introduced to us as the cherubims who “guard the way of the tree of life with a flaming sword.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The next time we see them is in the book of Exodus as two cherubims which cover the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant. That is followed by this description here in 1Ki 6 of the two cherubims “within the oracle”, meaning within the holy of holies, at the west end of the temple. It is here that we discover that these two cherubims are “made of olive trees.”
But the revelation of what these cherubims symbolize is still not complete. The next time we read of the cherubims is in Ezekiel 1 and ten, where we are informed that they are actually surrounding the throne of God, and they each have four faces; the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox and the face of an eagle. But the final revelation of who these cherubims symbolize is found here in the book of Revelation, in chapter five, where they themselves tell us who it really is that they symbolize, and who it really is who “keeps the way of the tree of life.”

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So the two cherubims are now four cherubims and instead of having four faces each, they now each have individual faces. But the four individuals have the same four faces that we saw on each cherub in chapters one and ten of Ezekiel. Here in Revelation five one cherub has the face of a man, one cherub has the face of an ox, one has the face of a lion and another has the face of an eagle.
Now we learn that these two cherubs which cover the mercy seat are but an earlier symbol of those who have the word of God. These two cherubs are made of olive trees, and as “covering cherubs”, they also “stand before the God of the earth.”

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

But there is more about to be noted about two olives trees, right here is this same 6th chapter of  1 Kings.  We see that the two doors to the holy of holies are also made of olive trees, and they even have the cherubims carved  upon them, to let us know for certain that “the dream is one.”

1Ki 6:31  And for the entering of the oracle [ the hoy of holies] he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:32  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

This tells us that the only way into the holy of holies is to go through the two doors of olive tree. Do two olive trees have any place in the doors that lead into the holy place which is before the holy of holies? Let’s see what the scriptures teach.

1Ki 6:33  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door [ were] folding.
1Ki 6:35  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [ them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.

“What are these two olive trees?”

For the second time Zechariah asks the angel that has awakened him “What are these two olive trees?”

Zec 4:11  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

The purpose of this entire chapter is to make clear that these two olive trees “are the two anointed ones, that stand by the [ Word of] the Lord of the whole earth.”

Summary

What now have we learned about these two olive trees which are also called two candlesticks here in Rev 11? What we have learned is that the seven horns and seven eye on the slain Lamb are the seven spirits of God which, we are told in this fourth chapter of Zechariah, are the same as the seven golden candlesticks, which candlesticks we are told in Revelation one, are the seven churches. But it is here in this same fourth chapter of Zechariah that we discover that these seven golden candlesticks are also the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth in “the day of small things.”

Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven [ golden candlesticks]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

We have also learned in Zechariah four that these two olive trees and two candlesticks are “the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel”, and the word of the Lord according to Joh 6:63 is spirit.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

So in the final analysis, the “plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel” and the “reed like unto a rod” which is given to John and the seven candlesticks and the seven horns and seven eyes and the seven spirits of God and the seven churches and the two candlesticks and the two olive trees and the two witnesses and the fire that proceeds out of their mouths and the eyes like fire, are all one and the same. They are “the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel” by which we measure and plumb and judge ourselves to see and to know whether Christ really is living His life in us.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

If Christ really is living within our hearts and minds, then the eyes with which we examine and judge ourselves will be “eyes… as a flame of fire” doing what fire does.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

So who are these two olive trees and two candlesticks and two witnesses? They are “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations.” They are all of God’s anointed witnesses who have lived and faithfully witnessed to the Truth which is His word, since the death and resurrection of our Lord. These two olive trees and two candlesticks and two witnesses are Christ living His life in His “few” and His “rejected” and His “small things” Christ. These two olive trees and these two witnesses are all those who are given to “lie dead in the streets of that great city where our Lord was crucified and who are filling up in their own bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ, for His bodies sake which is the church.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of [ Greek, ‘the’] Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what [ is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Next week, Lord willing, we will cover verses five and six, which tell us of the power given to those who are given to be the witnesses of Christ. Here are verses five and six.

Rev 11:5  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.
Rev 11:6  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.

Video Links

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [ and] two months.
Rev 11:3  And I will give [ power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [ and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Introduction

We cannot begin our study of this 11th chapter without reminding ourselves of how chapter ten ends.

Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

So John takes the little book, which we have established to be Christ and His words in us, and He eats the little book which, while sweet in his mouth becomes bitter in his belly. Then He is told that he will yet prophecy before many people, nations and tongues and kings.
It is immediately after this statement that John is told to measure the temple, but leave out the court of the temple because it will be trodden under foot by the Gentiles for 42 months. It is at this juncture that the two witnesses are introduced into our narrative, and we are told they will witness for 1260 days, which just happens to be another way of saying 42 months.
If all we see in all of this is the symbols, then we will never understand the message contained in the symbols. But we know that the angel who hands John the little book is Christ. We know that the little book is Christ’s words. We know that eating those words is the symbol of believing and living those words. We know that John is the symbol for all of God’s elect who do prophesy before this world. We know that his mouth is our mouth if we are His elect. We know that the mouth speaks what comes from the heart. We know that the belly is our old fleshly desires until our desires become Christ’s desires:

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 15:18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Rev 10 ends with John eating the words of the little book. The little book is sweet in his mouth and bitter in his belly. John and the angels of this prophesy symbolize us.

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [ thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

… and he is told that he will now prophesy for Christ, the words of this little book full of lamentations, mourning and woe. “The testimony of Jesus Christ, is the spirit of prophecy… You must prophecy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” demonstrates that it is the words of this little book which will come out from our our mouths and which are “bitter in our bellies” as we experience the “hatred of all men” as they hear these words of “lamentations, mourning and woe” which we ourselves have lived. Yet they are at the same time “rivers of living waters” coming straight from the river of Life, which is Christ, who gave this little book to us. If we are in Him, we are both the books out of which we are judged (Rev 20:12) and rivers of living waters (Joh 7:38).
This eleventh chapter of Revelation gives us a heads up on what we can expect when we “prophecy before many people.”
The symbols of the first verse are 1) a reed like a rod, 2) the temple of God, 3) the altar of God, 4) them that worship in that temple.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The symbols of the second verse are 5) the court without the temple, 6) the Gentiles, 7) the holy city and 8) forty and two months.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [ and] two months.

The symbols of the third verse are 9) My two witnesses, 10) a thousand two hundred and three score days, and 11) clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:3  And I will give [ power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [ and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

1) A reed like a rod

“A reed” is found here in this prophecy twice, and both entries are in reference to a measuring device.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 21:15  And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

“A rod” is used in scripture as connoting discipline, an authority. Here is a typical verse using this same Greek word.

1Co 4:21  What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

Paul is not contrasting a rod with love. As any parent with their children, he simply does not enjoy having to discipline his children when he first gets home from work. Here is how a rod is part of love, just as discipline is a very necessary part of love.

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [ it] from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

This is the word used to describe the rulership of God’s elect during the millennium.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And 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.

So a rod signifies discipline and chastening. But in the verse under consideration, it is mentioned in conjunction with a measuring reed, “a reed like unto a rod”. In other words, Christ and His Words are our measuring reed, and if we do not measure up to those words, we are being measured or disciplined. That is why is is called “a reed like unto a rod”. This “reed like a rod” signifies “chastening with the rod” as contrasted with the reed with which the holy city is measured.

Rev 21:15  And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

Here is the setting for this verse:

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [ is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [ and be] their God.
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The rod and the discipline are now past, and the reed is not “like unto a rod.” Rather it is now “a golden reed to measure the city”.
In the verse here in chapter 11 it is “a reed like unto a rod” because the struggles against our old man and the doctrines of Babylon in this life are in full bloom.

2) The temple of God

John, the symbol of all those to whom it is given to keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book, is given “a reed like unto a rod” and is instructed to “measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein.”
We have been over this symbol many times already and will quote these two verses to remind us what is “the power of the spirit” when using these words ‘the temple of God.”

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

3) The altar of God

Again, the altar is at the temple and in the temple. We have demonstrated many times that the altar is where we lay down our lives in sacrifice to God. The Israelites were to “lay their hands on the head” of the sacrifice to indicate that they identified with the offering of that sacrifice.

Lev 4:15  And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.

So too, we are instructed in the New Testament:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, t hat ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

So the spiritual significance of this symbol is the cross, where we lay our lives down as “a living sacrifice.”

4) Them that worship therein

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Our “worship” is our obedience:

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

It is a reverence for God’s Word which constitutes true worship. Our goal is to seek to know and do all that He wants us to do. In order to “worship therein”, in order to worship God in His temple, we must know “the doctrine of Christ… in spirit” and beyond just its basic principles and beyond just the milk of that doctrine.

Joh 4:23  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.
Joh 4:24  God [ is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [ am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

We are all “carnal babes in Christ… unskilful in the word of righteousness” at first. But it is the “reed like unto a rod” that brings us into the temple and causes us “go on unto perfection” as “them that worship therein” “in spirit and in Truth.”
The “reed like unto a rod and the golden reed to measure the holy city; the book in the hand of the man on the throne and the little book in the hand of the mighty angel” are one and all, Christ and His work in us.

The symbols of the second verse are…

5) The court without the temple

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [ and] two months.

We will not spend a great deal of time on this symbol because again we have demonstrated already that the court without the temple is where the masses of God’s people were permitted to come to make their physical sacrifices. Yet neither the people nor even the Levites themselves were permitted to go beyond the court nor to enter into the temple, nor to handle the holy things unless they were the sons of the high priest, Aaron.

Num 18:1  And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3  And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4  And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5  And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6  And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7  Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Not even the sons of Aaron could do the service of the Temple if they were blemished in any way.

Lev 21:16  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 21:17  Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
Lev 21:18  For whatsoever man [ he be] that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,
Lev 21:19  Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,
Lev 21:20  Or crookback, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
Lev 21:21  No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
Lev 21:22  He shall eat the bread of his God, [ both] of the most holy, and of the holy.
Lev 21:23  Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

So we should always expect to be hated of our brothers, accused of thinking we know God better than they do, and accused of separating ourselves from their company when the reverse is the Truth.

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Rom 9:11  (For [ the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

“I… I… I… I”. It is God who decides upon whom He will be merciful and compassionate, and it is God who also decides “who He will harden”.

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

So it is God who decides who “worships in the temple” and who is “the Gentiles in the court.” So who are

6) The Gentiles?

In scriptural terms there are only two groups of people, and those two groups are Jews and Gentiles. So once we establish who is the one group, we will know automatically who the other group is. From Rev 11:2 and the rest of scripture, we know that no Gentile is ever allowed to enter into the temple of God. So it is essential that we come to know who scripturally is a Jew and who scripturally is a Gentile.
Before we look at the verses which give us our answer to this question, let’s remember what Christ told the Samaritan ‘woman at the well.’

Joh 4:23  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.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

If we can believe Christ, then we can believe Paul when Paul agrees with Christ when he tells us this.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise [ is] not of men, but of God.

It is given to very few to believe that an outward physical Jew “is not a Jew” in the eyes of God. But that is nevertheless, the doctrine of scripture. Here is how Paul presents this same truth in Eph 2.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

“Both are now one” and the fact that “there is neither Jew nor Gentile” does not mean that there are no longer Jews in Christ. What it does mean is that those who were once excluded by virtue of physical birth can now be “called uncircumcision” and are now ‘the true circumcision’ if they are in Christ.

Gal 6:15  Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do– submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!
Gal 6:16  All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God— his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! (MSG)

So those who walk by Christ’s rules are the true Jews, and those who say ‘Lord, Lord’, but do not do the things He says are the true Gentiles.

1Co 10:20  But I [ say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

All false doctrines are “the sacrifice of the Gentiles… to devils.” It is all explained in this same second chapter of Romans quoted earlier, where we are told that “an outward Jew is not a Jew”.

Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Our next question is…

7) What is the holy city?

If the scriptures are true and “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly”, then it is also true that Jerusalem is not Jerusalem which is outward, but the holy city also “is inward, in spirit, and not in the flesh.”
We have already demonstrated that whatever is under one’s feet has been subdued by that person. So our question is:  what is the holy city which is trodden under the foot of the Gentiles for forty and two months?
While the whole world waits for physical Jerusalem to be conquered by the Gentiles, the truth of God’s Word is that “the time was at hand [2,000 years ago for] the holy city” to be “trodden under the foot of the Gentiles”,  and it has always been being trodden under the feet of the Gentiles inwardly, just as surely as “he is a Jew which is one inwardly.”

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

So what is “the holy city” which is at this very moment being trodden under the feet of the Gentiles? It is all those who are true to Christ. The holy city is those who are faithful to Christ and His doctrines. The holy city is the bride of Christ. Here are those who are today being trodden under the foot of the Gentiles.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Christ’s “bride” is the same as God’s “dwelling place”, and that dwelling place is within us.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

The “New Jerusalem” is “the tabernacle of God.” So if you and I are God’s elect, then the tabernacle of God, the New Jerusalem, is within God’s elect, as indeed the whole of “the kingdom of God is within you”.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

It is those who are true to the name and doctrines of Christ, those who are “hated of all men” (Mat 10:22), who are “trodden under the feet of the Gentiles forty and two months.” But exactly…

8) What is forty and two months?

Forty and two months is the same as one thousand two hundred and sixty days. That just happens to be the same length of time God’s “two witnesses” are alloted to do their witnessing. It is not called ‘forty and two months’, but it is the same span of time expressed in days instead of months.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

It is also the same thing as “a time, times, and half a time” or three and one half years. We will discuss those words and that way of wording this span of time when we come to them.
It is most instructive now to notice that the time alloted to the beast to blaspheme the name of God is the exact same span of time alloted to the Gentiles to trod the court of the temple under foot, and it is expressed in the same words.

Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

As Joseph told the Pharaoh, “the dream is one” (Gen 41:25).

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

The time God’s elect are trodden under the feet of the Gentiles and the time the beast blasphemes the name of God are also the same length of time, and just as Joseph and all Egypt lived through both the years of plenty and the years of famine, we also live through the years of blaspheming the name of God and the period of being trodden under the feet of those who blaspheme the name of God.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

So we are first “the children of disobedience” who “tread under foot the court of the temple” and kill God’s elect. Afterward, if God is merciful, we are transformed into those who, as our Lord was, are the temple of God and who are tread upon and spat upon by ‘the Gentiles’.

Mar 14:65  And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

The symbols of the third verse are…

9) My two witnesses

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Christ tells us that we are never to condemn or judge a brother at the word of a single witness. Instead our judgments are to be based on the witness of “two or three.”

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear [ thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
2Co 13:1  This [ is] the third [ time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Peter tells us that this principle is also to be used when reading the Word of God.

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [ Greek – idios, its own] interpretation.

Since the revelation of Jesus Christ is to be read, heard and kept because the time to do so has been “at hand” for the past two thousand years, God’s two witnesses are, and always have been, any and all who remain faithful to the Word of God. This will become especially clear in our consideration of the “two olive trees” in next week’s study.

10) A thousand two hundred and three score days

As mentioned above, it is not a coincidence that the period of time alloted to these two witnesses, is the same period of time alloted to those who trod under foot the court without the temple. The wording is different but the time and the message is the same. Instead of ‘forty and two months’ as the trodding of the temple court and the time of the blaspheming of the beast, the time alloted to God’s two witnesses is expressed as a thousand two hundred and three score days. These are the same words used to express the three and one half years the “woman [ who] brings forth a manchild” is nourished in a place “prepared of God… in the wilderness.

Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [ and] threescore days.

What is the spiritual significance of this period of time? If seven is the Biblical number signifying that which is complete, then 1260 days or forty and two months, or a time, times and half a time, are all symbols of that which is only half completed. But if, as the scriptures declare, Christ’s testimony was cut short “in the midst of the week” of years, then His testimony, as well as His afflictions, are filled up in us as “His body which is the church.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

“The word of God” and “the afflictions of the Christ” are both “fulfilled [ and] filled up in our bodies which are the church.”
Our last symbol in this week’s study of these first three verses of Rev 10 is…

11) Clothed in sackcloth

Why are we told that God’s two witnesses are “clothed in sackcloth”?

In scripture, sackcloth is the attire of those in deep mourning. Here is the first time in scripture this phrase is used, and it makes clear the meaning of “clothed in sackcloth”. It is the story of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery and leading Jacob to believe that Joseph had been killed by a beast. Here is Jacob’s reaction to that terrible lie.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

When Joab maliciously murdered King Saul’s captain, King David forced Joab to mourn for Abner.

2Sa 3:31  And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David [ himself] followed the bier.

But the question remains, why are God’s two witnesses “clothed in sackcloth”? If we can remember, this is all still part of the sixth trumpet, and the reason these symbolic “two witnesses” are “clothed in sackcloth” as the symbol of those who witness to what they have “read, heard, and kept [ in] the things which are written therein” and in that “little book in the hand of the great angel”, is because of what is in that little book.

Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

This is what Christ calls “gold tried in the fire”, but it is not a marketable commodity for the natural man.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [ that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

This 18th verse of Rev 3 is addressed to the church of Laodicea and to “he that hath an ear to hear.” In other words, it is for you and me, if indeed we have been so blessed. The message is that we all think, like the church at Laodicea, that we are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, when in reality we are poor and miserable and naked and blind, before we repent and buy of God gold tried in the fire and eyesalve that we may see.

Summary

We have covered 11 symbols in this study.

The symbols of the first verse are 1) a reed like a rod, which we saw was an implement for measuring, and we saw that Christ is the reed by which those who are in His temple will be measured
2) The temple of God was our second symbol and we reviewed the verses in 1Co 3 which state plainly that we are that temple and that the spirit of God dwells in that temple.
3) The altar of God, our third symbol, we saw again is the cross and is the symbol of our lives being offered to God as a living sacrifice.
4) Them that worship in that temple is our fourth symbol, and is the symbol not just of us, but of all the kingdoms, powers and principalities within us which must all be subdued and placed under the foot of the great angel with His foot on the sea and the earth. “Them that worship therein” are the doctrines within us which must be subject to the doctrine of Christ.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The symbols of the second verse were:

5) The court without the temple, which we saw was that part of our own lives when we are “without the temple” and are not yet the sons of Aaron and are not yet worthy to handle the holy implements of the temple. “The court that is without the temple” symbolizes that part of our life when we are “yet carnal… babes in Christ”, unable to receive anything more than the milk of the word.
6) The Gentiles, were our sixth symbol, and they symbolize the same thing as those who are in the court which is without the temple. Gentiles symbolize all who are incapable of receiving the things of the spirit.
7) The holy city is our seventh symbol, and we saw that it symbolizes the bride of Christ, who is subjected to whoredoms before she becomes Christ’s bride.
8) Forty and two months.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [ and] two months.

We saw that this length of time is the same as three and one half years, and we saw that three and one half  years is half of the complete witness of seven years.
The symbols of the third verse are:
9) My two witnesses, which we saw are simply the Biblical symbol for those who, down through the years, have been the faithful witnesses to the truths of the doctrines of Christ. We saw the scriptures which demonstrated that God requires a second witness to establish the truth of any question which arises, including questions concerning His own Word.

Our tenth symbol was:

10) A thousand two hundred and three score days, and we demonstrated that these words describe the same period of time as forty and two months, but are used in describing the time alloted to the two witnesses and the period in which the woman who brings forth the manchild is nourished of God. We pointed out that the one thousand two hundred and sixty days of God’s witnesses, corresponds to the forty and two months of the time alloted to tread down the court of the temple, and we were reminded that Joseph told the Pharaoh, that the different details of Pharaoh’s dream were really saying the same thing. That being the case we, like Joseph, will live through both the time of the treading down of the court without the temple, as well as the time alloted to the two witnesses, just as Joseph lived through both the good years and the years of famine. “All things are yours” (1Co 3:21-22).

Our last symbol was:

11) Clothed in sackcloth. We demonstrated that this symbol is completely compatible with the “lamentations, mourning and woe” revealed in the writings of the little book with which this sixth trumpet is concerned.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

As even King David mourned the loss of King Saul, we too, will morn the loss of and the destruction of our old man, who is also God’s anointed, the first Adam.
Next week, Lord willing, we will discover the power of the testimony of the two witnesses.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  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.
Rev 11:6  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.

Audio Links

Numbers in Scriptures – The Number Two

Remember, this is a book of signs and symbols:

1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, [natural] Eye hath not seen, nor [natural] ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of [natural] man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

What is said in this first verse is true throughout this and every book in the Bible. The commission of Ezekiel is the same commission of the two witnesses. How can I make this bold statement?

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

“Where does it say that the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil is the law?” one may ask. If the Bible said what it meant, then how could Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, possibly make this statement:

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

What are “the things which are freely given to us of God?”

1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual [things] with spiritual.

They are things which are “not in the words which man’s [context only- every word means what it says- natural] wisdom teacheth, BUT which the Holy Ghost teaches comparing spiritual with spiritual” [The word “things” is not in the original – that is why it has brackets].

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So the word “tree”, be it “tree of life” [or] tree of “knowledge of good and evil” does not mean tree. The word ’serpent’ does not mean serpent. The word ‘naked’ does not mean naked. The word ‘clothes’ does not mean clothes. The word ‘lamb’ does not mean lamb. The word ’sword’ does not mean sword. The word ‘woman’ does not mean woman. Stars, beasts, dragon, four and twenty elders, 144,000, lion, first love, rich and increased with goods, thou are dead, sea, mountains, earth, lake of fire, gold, water, locusts, horses, scorpions, smoke, pit, darkness, sun, light and on and on and on including all of the numbers; five are fallen, seven stars, twelve stars, ten days, eighth is of the seven, and yes, even “two witnesses” are one and all signs and symbols which are each and every one assigned a meaning other than their primary physical meaning. See the section entitled The Spiritual Meanings of Key Words. Every one of these signs are interpreted in scripture.

We are not at liberty to simply guess at what a word means and then simply state repeatedly for a fact, as Paul Crouch has done, that the “flying roll” of Zechariah 5 is symbolic of the satellites which broadcast TBN programs around the world.

Zec 5:1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.
Zec 5:2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof [is] twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

Then again considering the content of verse three and the rest of that chapter, Mr. Crouch is no doubt correct:

Zec 5:3 Then said he unto me, This [flying roll] is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off [as] on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.
Zec 5:4 I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

Paul Crouch, of course, gives this ‘flying roll’ a very positive connotation and never even reads verse three. Either he is so blinded by God that he has never seen verse three, or else he is just that dishonest – God knows. Nevertheless those who “receive him into their [spiritual] house, and bid him God-speed are partakers of his evil [doctrines] deeds.”

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ [the entire “historical orthodox Christian church”], hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

Few of God’s people ever notice or understand these verses of His Word. Even fewer are willing to implement these verses of God’s Word for fear of being labeled unloving and mean spirited. As a result, we have been very much leavened with the “leavening of the Pharisees” multi-fractured church, which men like Dr. D. James Kennedy, John Hagee, Paul Crouch and many others refer to so proudly as “historical orthodox Christianity.” This same church, leavened and corrupted with those who “abide not in the doctrine of Christ”, is referred to in scripture as, “Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots and of The Abomination of The Earth.”

Getting back to the number two and the “two witnesses”; that number, as well as all other numbers mentioned in God’s Word, is defined and interpreted “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual [things] with spiritual.” So what is the spiritual meaning of the number two? Are there really just two men who will witness for God at some time in the future? Such a question belies the fact that the person asking it has never noticed that this is a book of symbols and signs which we are to “do” and “keep” for the time IS at hand” and everything in this book “must shortly [Greek: τάχος, tacos – quickly] come to pass.”

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his [symbolic two witnesses] servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Now where did I get the nerve to bracket in the words “two witnesses” in this verse? Well, it doesn’t take nerve. All it takes is “eyes to see” the “spiritual things [which are] compared with spiritual things” (1Co 2:13). The number “two” in scripture is a symbol for witnessing:

Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

Deu 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

The hypocritical Pharisees certainly understood the meaning of this number:

Mat 26:60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, [yet] found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

2Co 13:1 This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

1Ti 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth

How did Christ apply this principle of the number two?

Mar 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Luk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

What else did Jesus tell these twelve?

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

He also said this:

Luk 24:48 And ye are [”two by two”] witnesses of these things.

Act 5:32 And we are his [”two by two”] witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Do you see that? Christ sent forth the twelve “two by two.” These are spiritual words conveying spiritual Truths. Who are “the twelve?”

Luk 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose [Greek: ἐκλέγομαι, eklegomai – select, choose] twelve, whom also he named apostles;

Here is another verse which bears witness to this principle:

Mat 22:14 For many are called [Greek: κλητός, kletos – invited, called], but few are chosen [Greek: ἐκλεκτός, eklektos – select].

This Greek word ‘eklektos’ is, according to Webster’s dictionary, a contraction of two Greek words:

“ELECT’ v. t. [L. electus, from eligo; e or ex and lego; Greek to choose.]”

The Greek root ‘lego’ is the root for both ‘kletos’ and ‘eklektos.’ And the Greek word ‘ex’ or ‘ek’ means ‘out of’. ‘God’s ‘elect’ are His “two by two” witnesses so that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word can be established.” These “few chosen” are chosen “out of” the “many called.”

Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of [Greek: ἐξ, ek – from, out] Egypt have I called my son.

Conclusion:

These are not fabrications from the fertile mind of someone trying to sell a book about end-time events and who does not know the voice of the true shepherd. These are rather the words of the Shepherd Himself: “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

‘Two’ is the number of witness in scripture. All meat must have cloven hooves to be fit for food under Old Testament clean food laws. That is simply a physical symbol for this ‘two witnesses’ principle. A “cloven hoof ” is two upon the earth, which are required for any meat (deep things of the spirit, things beyond mere milk) to be considered as fit for spiritual food.

Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new [Testament] and old [Testament].

This is why Peter also told us:

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [Greek: its own] interpretation.

In other words, no one verse of scripture is sufficient of itself. Doctrine cannot be established with out the witness of at least one other verse of scripture.

2Co 13:1 (b) In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Yes, the ‘little book’ of Rev 10 is the ‘little book’ of Ezekiel 2. And the “two witnesses” are those of God’s elect who, like Ezekiel, are sent as witnesses to God’s own people (”That great city wherein our Lord was crucified”), not to convert them but to “torment them that dwell upon the earth (the church – Jer 22:29) with fire from their mouths (God’s Word – Jer 5:14)

Jer 22:2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD [fire].

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

What are these “words of the Lord” which “devour” and “torment them that dwell upon the earth?” They are the very words of the “little book” mentioned in the previous chapter. Did you notice what was written in that little book?

Eze 2:10 And he spread it [the “little book of Rev 10] before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Is it becoming any clearer why the little book is “bitter in the belly?” Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the “two witnesses”, God’s elect in any age, will always be hated for the words which must be spoken to God’s people in every age. God’s people have and always will be “that great city wherein our Lord was crucified.” And God’s own people must always be witnessed against and “hated of all men for my name’s sake,” However, “my name’s sake”, contrary to what is commonly taught, is not the mere mouthing of the ten-second sinner’s prayer. It is rather being faithful to the “doctrine of Christ” and being faithful to the “lamentations, mournings and woe” which are all that is in that “little book.”

I hope this helps you to see much better who are the “two witnesses.” It is not two men who will mysteriously appear at the end of this age and spit fire at their enemies. They are rather those who in “the time is at hand” manner in which the “revelation of Jesus Christ was meant to be understood, have been witnessing for Christ against His harlot wife all down through the centuries.

[Part one of this series begins here.]

Hi, Mike,

The blessing of the Lord with you always. We have small sharing with my other brothers when our sharing went to Rev 11. Somebody asked who are the two witnesses mentioned there. The others said Elijah and Enoch. Please advise us who are the two witnesses talked about in Rev 11:11?

Also what is the right explanation about Mat 27:51-53? It mentioned there vs. 52 the tomb was opened and many dead bodies of holy men arose and went to the holy city,

Thanks and God bless you.

M____

Hi M____,

Two is used as the number of witness in scripture:

Deu 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

The ‘two witnesses’ are not two specific men. The book of Revelation has “been at hand” for two thousand years now.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Go to the search engine window on the site and type in Understanding the Book of Revelation. Read the letters concerning the book of Revelation. It will open your eyes. Also take the time to read Rightly Dividing The Word of God (Using a Principle Only The Apostles Understood). You need to know how to understand God’s Word. It is not the way you have been taught. Check it out.

Back to your question. The symbol of ‘two witnesses’ is simply a symbol of all who are faithful to God’s Word. Christ said plainly:

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

We are all Christ’s witnesses. It will be helpful to turn to Zechariah 4 and read what it has to say about the “two olive trees.” That should tell you who the two witnesses are.

Enoch and Elijah are dead. They will know nothing until the resurrection. They are not ‘the two witnesses.’

The people who were raised “after his resurrection” were people who had recently died and were used to witness to the fact that Christ was indeed the Messiah. Like Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, these all died again and are awaiting a resurrection to a “spiritual body.”

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

The “once to die” of Heb 9:27 is speaking of dying in spiritual crucifixion with Christ. That is the only way it can be understood because we are told “after this [death] the judgment.” In scripture judgment follows death. It does not precede death. That is why we are told:

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

I hope this helps your understanding.

Mike