Who are the two witnesses in Revelation 11?
There are a lot of assumptions and skepticism about this topic.
In this article, we’ll see the two witnesses explained in a simple way, outlining everything you need to know.
I’ve been studying the end times and the Book of Revelation for years now and have even written about them in my book.
You’ll be shocked at what I’m about to show you.
Before we jump in: If you’re interested, get these 20 free Bible Study Cheat Sheets! Included is one that explains the Four Common Views of the end times!
Let’s jump in!
Getting Beginning Context: Scripture for The Two Witnesses in Revelation
Who are the two witnesses in the bible? They’re important figures revealed in Revelation 11.
Most Christians believe that the book of Revelation describes events that will happen in the future with the end of the world.
But many are surprised to learn that there is an alternative view: That most or all of the things in Revelation already happened around AD 70.
Here’s what I think: Most people have sporadic questions about Revelation.
“Who are the two witnesses in the book of Revelation?”
“Who is the beast?”
“When does the rapture start?”
“Who are the 24 elders?”
But most people ask these questions with preconceived ideas that all this is in the future.
The best thing to do (if you’re REALLY interested in actually learning the end times) is to have a starting point.
Don’t start with a question about a random topic within the end times. Instead, ask, “Where should I start to really grasp this stuff?”
Otherwise, it’s like trying to unravel a giant, tangled ball of yarn by first starting and looking at a piece somewhere in the midst of the huge ball.
No, start with the beginning so you don’t go into this thing with a false premise.
Not to burst any bubbles, but it’s a false premise to ask the question, “What are the 2 witnesses in revelation,” yet already believe they’re subjects in the future.
Because you will probably be actively only looking for answers that will place them in the future.
I will present the view that the two witnesses are things of the past. They came and went around AD 70.
But if you just want to get on with things, at least just be open to this alternative view.
Here are the beginning scriptures:
Revelation 11:3-6 ESV
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
Notice some amazing facts about the two witnesses that help us identify them:
Who does this sound like?
Revelation is written against the backdrop of the Old Testament, which uses much of the same language.
For example, prophets in those times prophesied with sackcloth.
They would declare the judgment and woes against Israel for their sins.
Some used fire and plagues to destroy their enemies, such as…
Elijah and Moses!
Moses and Elijah used fire against their enemies (Numbers 16:35 and 1 Kings 1:9-12).
And, of course, we know the story of Elijah shutting off the rain, so there was great famine on the land.
Moses is associated with the great plagues of Egypt, of which one was turning the water into blood.
Last, the olive trees and lampstands are taken from Zechariah 4:11-14:
Zechariah 4:11-14
11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Rather than speculate about who the two witnesses could be in the future, we’re just learning from the Old Testament.
A preliminary conclusion of the two witnesses is that they represent the Old Covenant prophets, or both the prophets and the law.
This means that the two witnesses are symbolic figures representing the prophets who Jerusalem constantly killed throughout the centuries.
What About the “1260” Days?
This part is a bit tricky, and thoughts on it are a bit divided. But I suppose the number trying to get across here is “3 ½.” I’ll explain why.
There is a chiastic representation of this amount of time throughout Revelation 11-13:
Lots of writing in the Bible has a chiastic nature like this.
“Forty-two months” is 3 ½ years. That’s half of seven.
Many scholars believe that “7” is the number of spiritual perfection.
So, I think that the “forty-two-ness” or “3 ½ nature” of the two witnesses represents either one of two things:
Their spiritual imperfection, in that the law and the prophets cannot make a believer spiritually perfect or were not perfect themselves.
Their temporality. They only preached for 3 ½ years or 1260 days, which means that they only preached for a temporary time.
I feel that the second one is more correct.
The time on earth for the law and prophets was only temporal.
“Whereas seven is used to represent wholeness and completion, three and a half appears to be a broken seven: sadness, death, and destruction (cf. Dan. 9:24; 12:7, Rev. 12:6, 14; 13:5).”
-David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Dallas, GA: Dominion Press, 2011), 274.
Chilton believes the “broken seven” (3 ½) also refers to destruction and famine. When Elijah stopped the rain, it was for 3 ½ years (James 5:17).
In other words, the “1260 days,” “42 months,” and “3 ½ days” seem to be symbolic numbers referring to imperfection, temporalness, destruction, and/or despair.
Proof That the Two Witnesses Were Symbolic of the Prophets
The following two verses say:
Revelation 11:7-8
7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
1. The bodies of the two witnesses were in Jerusalem
Their bodies were lying in the street of Jerusalem.
QUICK NOTE: Notice that John says that “Sodom and Egypt” are “symbolically” referring to Jerusalem.
This shows us that MANY things in Revelation are symbolic—pictures of something else.
Again, Revelation is highly symbolic, typical of Jewish apocalyptic literature.
Further proof that these two witnesses represent the prophets was when Jesus told them this:
Matthew 23:34-39
34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Jesus told the Jews that since they and their fathers killed the prophets in the past, all of that blood would come back to that present generation he was speaking to.
This did happen in their generation (about 40 years later) when the temple was destroyed in AD 70, and millions of Jews were killed.
All of this culminated with John the Baptist, the last and greatest prophet sent to them.
But what happened? They killed him, too.
2. Jesus spoke to Elijah and Moses
During the transfiguration of Jesus, Matthew 17 says that Moses and Elijah appeared before him.
Remember, the two witnesses (the law and the prophets) had the same characteristics as these.
God spoke to the disciples during transfiguration, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Hear him!”
And when they lifted their eyes, they saw only Jesus.
Here’s what this means…
Jesus ended the Old Covenant and was the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah).
The only thing that people should be adhering to (“hearing”) today is Jesus, who represents grace and truth. The law and the prophets don’t save us—Jesus does.
There was always a succession in the Old Testament.
Joshua (whose name means “Jesus”) succeeded Moses, and Elisha succeeded Elijah and had a greater anointing (2 Kings 2:9).
Jesus = grace and truth
Moses = law
Elijah = prophets
The law and the prophets testified about Jesus, but the Jews wouldn’t hear it. Instead, they killed the prophets.
What is the Purpose of the Two Witnesses in Revelation?
Since we’ve been explaining that these two witnesses were symbolic of the prophets, we know their purpose.
Their job in the Old Covenant was to bring correction to Israel through prophecy.
This was their purpose in Revelation. However, when the verses say they were killed, this means that, as per usual, they were murdered for their words against the people of the land.
Revelation 11:9-12
9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
What happens to the two witnesses in Revelation?
The Jews rejoiced at the deaths of these prophets.
However, God did not let the prophets of the Old Covenant simply lie in the street.
God raised them, and they went to heaven to witness the destruction that would fall on the land because of these murders.
When it says that God resurrected them, it probably just refers to them going to heaven for their faithfulness.
Conclusion
The two witnesses in Revelation were symbolic representations of the Old Testament prophets.
They are not actual two people who will rise up in the Great Tribulation in the future.
Revelation 11 is about the murders of the Old Covenant prophets, one of the events that led up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Remember, it’s best to start at the beginning of the tangled ball of yarn.
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