Full transcript of “The Two Witnesses: God’s Supernatural "Subpoena" to the World”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 Who are the mysterious figures that will one day stand in Jerusalem with the power to call down fire, stop the rain, and turn water to blood? What's their mission? And what does their appearance tell us about God's plan for the end times? The Bible describes them in fascinating detail, yet intentionally leaves their identities a mystery. >> [music] >> What prompted me to teach on this topic was watching a street preacher being violently attacked in Seattle simply for sharing the gospel. This wasn't in some
0:46 remote corner of the world. This was America. The mob that assaulted him was ironically protesting against violence. But when confronted with biblical truth, they couldn't bear to hear it. This incident shows us something critical. Our world is rapidly reaching the point where it will [music] absolutely refuse to hear anything from anyone regarding the [music] gospel. And as Revelation shows us, the world will eventually take [music] pleasure in killing anyone preaching the gospel. This isn't speculation. It's biblical prophecy. God isn't hiding his plans from his
1:32 children. In Isaiah 46:es 9 to10, he says, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done." God wants us to understand the times. This is why the book of Revelation [music] is such a precious gift. When we look around at global chaos, pandemic, violence, [music] natural disasters, and think it can't get worse than this, God's word tells us, "I'm going to take you out of here soon because it will get way worse than what you see right now." John describes these mysterious witnesses in Revelation 11. But first we
2:21 need context. In the first three chapters of Revelation, the church is mentioned 19 times. Then suddenly from chapter 4 through chapter 20, the church vanishes from earth. Why? Because in chapter 4, John is caught up to heaven. A beautiful picture of the rapture. Now let's dive into Revelation 11. With a church safely in heaven, God resumes his redemptive focus on Israel. This is when these two witnesses appear. Revelation 11:3 tells us, "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth."
3:08 These witnesses [music] will minister for 1260 days, exactly 3 and 12 years of the 7-year tribulation period that begins with a peace treaty allowing Israel to rebuild [music] their temple. The scene is remarkable. After 2,000 years, the Jewish people will have rebuilt their temple in [music] Jerusalem. They'll be offering sacrifices again, thinking they've restored their relationship with God. It will seem like the fulfillment of their national dream. But then these two witnesses appear clothed in sackcloth, a sign of mourning and calling for repentance. Their message will be powerful but unwelcome. This temple and
3:56 these sacrifices cannot save you. Without repentance and faith in Messiah, these rituals are empty. Why does God send two? Throughout scripture, God established the principle that truth must be confirmed by multiple [music] witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15 states, "By the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established." These witnesses are serving divine subpoenas to Israel and the nations, calling them to God's courtroom. In Revelation 11:es 4-6, we learn more about them. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing
4:43 before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. And they have power over waters to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire. These witnesses have extraordinary supernatural powers. They've called olive trees and lampstands connecting directly to Zechariah 4 where the prophet saw a golden lampstand supplied with oil from two olive trees. This symbolism reveals something profound. The olive trees
5:30 continuously supply oil to the lamps representing the Holy Spirit's power. As Zechariah 4:6 declares, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts." But who might these witnesses be? God chose not to tell us their names explicitly. And I believe that when God doesn't identify someone, it's because their identity isn't the most important detail for us to focus on. What matters most is their message and mission, not who they are personally. That said, the Bible does give us some interesting clues that many scholars
6:16 have examined. Their miraculous powers share similarities with figures from the Old Testament. They turn water to blood and bring plagues reminiscent of what Moses did in Egypt in Exodus 7 to10. They stopped rain from falling for three and a half years, similar to what Elijah did in First Kings 17. They called down fire to consume their enemies, comparable to Elijah's action in 2 Kings chapter 1. Some suggest these might be Moses and Elijah because of these parallels. Others point at Enoch and Elijah since neither experience physical death according to scripture. But we must be careful not to be dogmatic about
7:03 their identities. If God wanted us to know exactly who they are, he would have clearly revealed it. The ambiguity is likely intentional, directing our focus to their message rather than their identities. After 1260 days of powerful ministry, something shocking happens. The antichrist will kill these witnesses and their bodies will lie in Jerusalem streets for three and a half days. Modern technology will allow the whole world to witness this spectacle. Can you imagine the CNN headline, the troublemakers are dead, global holiday declared. I know it's hard to imagine CNN will
7:51 still exist in a few years, but whatever global media exists then will broadcast these images worldwide. People will celebrate their deaths like a global holiday, even sending gifts to one another. This tells us how much these prophets message and judgments will have tormented a world in rebellion against God. But then at the exact moment the world thinks it's won, something extraordinary happens. Revelation 11 11-13 continues. Now after the 3 and 1/2 days, the breath of life from God entered them. And they stood on
8:36 their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here, and they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake, 7,000 people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven." God resurrects them right before the eyes of a watching world. They stand to their feet and then like Elijah before them they ascend to heaven in a cloud.
9:23 This miracle triggers something unprecedented. People in Jerusalem give glory to the God of heaven. For the first time during the tribulation, we see a genuine spiritual awakening. Some people think it's difficult to [music] reach people with a gospel in times of judgment. But here's the divine solution. Just have God resurrect two witnesses from the dead and suddenly you have revival. I'm not suggesting we wait for this method, though. This turning point begins Israel's journey back to their Messiah. After the two witnesses, God will raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists, Revelation 7, who will
10:10 continue this gospel mission during the second half of the tribulation. This reveals God's heart even during the judgment. As Ezekiel 33:1 [music] states, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Now, what lessons can we take from this extraordinary prophecy? First, recognize that after the rapture, the focus of God's redemptive work shifts back to Israel. Romans 11 26 [music] tells us, "And so all Israel will be saved." Second, be God's witnesses. Now in Acts
10:55 1:8, Jesus [music] commissioned us, "You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." The Greek word for witnesses is martyrus where we get martyrs. True witnesses are [music] willing to die for the truth they proclaim. Third, recognize that today is the day of [music] salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 declares, "Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation." Don't wait until the tribulation to decide. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:21 [music] that the tribulation will be great tribulation, such as has not been
11:43 since the beginning of the world. as Romans 13 11 urges us. And do this knowing the time that now it is high time [music] to awake out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. This is truly being woke according to scripture. Not embracing the world's confused [music] ideologies, but awakening to spiritual reality and [music] God's coming judgment. Do you want to be truly woke? Awake out of spiritual sleep and share the gospel. Be a prophetic witness for Jesus today. The stage is being set. Israel has
12:29 returned to their land. Jerusalem is in Jewish hands. The Temple Mount tensions continue. Nations are aligning exactly as prophecy foretold. The spirit of antichrist is already at work in our world.
