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. Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Parenthetical Flashback
First, notice the last verse we just read. Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. We’ve pointed out that there are three woes in the book of Revelation: the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpet judgments.
That seventh woe is a kicker. It’s massive.
We learned from Rev. 10:7 that the seventh trumpet will likely be blown throughout the last half of the Tribulation, encompassing the final seven vial judgments, and that seventh trumpet will continue to be blown until Christ returns.
So vs. 14 here is telling us is that the fifth and sixth trumpets have blown and before we get to the seventh trumpet, something else major happens – the death of the Two Witnesses.
But this chapter does more than tell us about the death of the Two Witnesses. We are presented with their full history, their presence on the Earth going all the way back to the beginning of the Tribulation. Their purpose and ministry leads to their deaths right before the Abomination of Desolation at the midway point.
It’s amazing what God does with this chapter. He stops the narrative at the end of chapter 10 when the seventh trumpet is beginning to be sounded. He inserts this parenthetical flashback talking about the presence of the Two Witnesses since the beginning of the Tribulation. Then He moves the narrative ahead just a little bit to talk about the next event that happens, the Death of these Two Witnesses.
This parenthetical flashback in chapter 11 doesn’t simply exist to explain to us about the Two Witnesses but it also exists to remind us that a ton of evangelism is taking place while all these judgments are being carried out and then it moves the narrative ahead just a little to reveal a major event before the Abomination of Desolation. And that major event is – The Death of the Two Witnesses, Moses and Ellijah.
A Recap of Everything That Has Taken Place Up Until Now
When you consider everything we’ve covered so far, it’s staggering to think about all the moving pieces, everything that’s happening at the same time all throughout the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. From day one multiple things are happening at once.
The first and obvious trigger that kickstarts the Tribulation is the appearing of the Antichrist himself. Gabriel told Daniel in Dan 9:27 that the Antichrist shall confirm the covenant with many for one week… I’d again suggest that verse is saying is that the antichrist from the beginning is claiming to be the Messiah. That verse doesn’t say he creates a peace agreement or starts a new covenant. He’s merely confirming the covenant that already exists. He’s saying, “I am the Messiah, and the Abrahamic Covenant is still in force.” And from the moment the antichrist makes his first appearance on the global stage, there is immediate, intense persecution of the Jewish believing remnant, which is why, after the horsemen of the apocalypse, we already have in the fifth seal judgment, souls under the altar demanding justice for their own murders, and the Lord is telling them to wait because more will be murdered as a fulfillment of prophecy. As soon as the antichrist appears, persecution and death of Jewish believers immediately starts.
We also have the appearance of the false prophet. He is called a false prophet because he falsely proclaims to speak the words of God on behalf of God. He’s described as having two horns like a lamb, which speak of testimony, in this case, a false testimony. He’s the great cheerleader of the antichrist whose purpose is to get everyone to worship him, and by extension, Satan himself. He willspeak as the dragon. He will speak the words of the dragon in the same manner as the dragon speaks. Whereas the antichrist will speak blasphemy boldly and loudly, the false prophet will speak subtly, craftily, and deceitfully. He exists because he’s a crucial element in the antichrist kingdom to deceive the world.
Since people know instinctively that God is a trinity, Satan offers the world his own fake trinity of evil. Satan is anti-God. The beast is anti-Christ. And the false prophet is the anti-Holy Spirit. We also learned that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. Why? He has to pretend he’s Elijah in order to make it appear he’s a fulfillment of the prophecy of Mal. 4:5 to help convince Israel that the antichrist is the Messiah.
The second event that also happens at the beginning of the Tribulation is the epic throne room scene in Heaven, and the implementation of the first set of seven judgments, the Seven Seal judgments, which begins with the horsemen of the apocalypse.
This is the beginning of sorrows.
The third event that also happens at the beginning of the Tribulation is the marking and sealing of the 144,000, the young, Jewish male virgins. They form the nucleus of the new nation of Israel forged out of the fires of the Tribulation. The Lord said in Mat 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” The good news that was only presented to Israel during the Lord’s earthly ministry will now go global, preached in all the world, He said, for a witness unto all nations.
Who is it that’s going to be preaching the gospel of the kingdom in all the world and unto all nations? I’d suggest it’s the 144,000 along with the Two Witnesses. Despite all the persecution, despite all the judgments, the gospel will be preached. The gospel will be heard. People will get saved, and I would suggest also that in Rev. 7, we have cause and effect in that one chapter. In the first half of that chapter, we have the cause, the revealing of the existence of the 144,000 and in the second half of that chapter, we have the effect, the fruit of their ministry, the millions and millions of people who got saved and came out of “great tribulation” whose robes have been cleansed by the blood of the lamb, all of which was designed to answer the question at the end of chapter 6. Who shall be able to stand? The 144,000 will be able to stand along with the millions of people who got saved.
And, of course, the fourth event that also happens at the beginning of the Tribulation is the appearance of the Two Witnesses. We know they will appear at the beginning of the Tribulation because Rev 11:3 tells us that they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, which is 3 ½ years. The two witnesses will make their appearance on the earth day one of the Tribulation, and they will be here all the way until the midway point.
They’re clothed in sackcloth, which signifies a state of mourning (Gen. 37:34). I don’t think this is mourning for Israel only but for all the people of the Earth, because God’s judgment is upon all the unbelievers of the Earth. They are the two olive trees… the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. They are the light of God on the Earth, the agents of the Holy Spirit, God’s witnesses giving testimony to the world (v.7) of the truth of God. They will not only testify of God’s existence and the truth that Christ is the only begotten Son of God, but they’ll testify to the truth of everything that’s befalling the Earth over the course of the Tribulation. And they’re not simply explaining THAT these judgments will be happening, but they will also be explaining WHY these judgments will be happening. They’ll be exposing sin and corruption like we’ve never seen before, which will make them a threat to every power structure, every leader, and every false religion.
This is why the world will hate them and send armies to take them out. We’re told these two men will have the power to smite the earth (the whole earth) with all plagues, as often as they will. Why are they empowered to smite the whole earth with plagues? Because any nation that tries to stop them or shut them up or take them out just might find themselves dealing with a plague. Their ministry is global. Their message is global. What they say effects all inhabitants of the Earth. Just as God’s judgments are global, so too, the ministry of the two witnesses explaining WHY God’s judgments are coming will be global.
This is why the entire world will celebrate their deaths. They’ll be hated for exposing the wickedness, and the entire world will do everything they can to take them out. But the two witnesses will put the world on notice about their state of condemnation before God because of their seemingly bottomless wickedness, and the world will respond by trying to kill them.
This is why they’re empowered to control the weather, turn water to blood, send plagues, and kill everyone who tries to hurt them. And anyone who tries to hurt Moses and Elijah will be killed in the same manner that they tried to hurt them. Somebody tries to shoot them with a rocket-powered launcher, that rocket is going to turn right back around and kill the one who pulled the trigger. They’ll be invincible until the appointed time of their deaths.
I get the impression sometimes that the distinction between the Two Witnesses and the 144,000 is that Moses and Elijah’s role is to do the convicting and the 144,000 will do the converting. Regardless, together, they will have a mighty impact on the world.
And you remember all the verses we covered about what a big mouth the antichrist has. Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. He blasphemes God, blasphemes His name, and he blasphemes his tabernacle by entering the tabernacle posing as God and by causing the sacrifices and oblations to cease. John also said the antichrist blasphemes them that dwell in heaven. The antichrist will be talking smack about God, angels, and all of us, too!
The big picture point is that there will be this global war of words between Moses and Elijah and the antichrist and the false prophet. For every truth Moses and Elijah proclaim, the antichrist and the false prophet will counter that truth with a lie. For every miracle of God performed by Moses and Elijah, the antichrist and false prophet will perform a demonic miracle. So then, how can anyone figure out who the real antichrist is? 666. The believers will figure out through gematria the true antichrist, because his name equals the value of 666. Only believers will see through his lies. And this war of words will escalate until there’s finally a showdown at the very spot where Christ Himself was crucified.
While all of this is happening, we also have taking place at the same time, 13 judgments of God in the Seal and Trumpet Judgments. There are earthquakes. Part of the oceans turns to blood. Part of the rivers and lakes turn to poison. Hail that’s on fire mingled with blood rains down causing all grass to burn up as well as a third of the trees. There’s five straight months of those freaky locusts with stingers tormenting all unbelievers who can’t even die if they want to. And that is followed by 200 million fiery horses from Heaven shooting fire, smoke, and brimstone, out of their mouths killing a third of the global population.
Despite the fact that all of that is happening, the antichrist remains steadfastly undeterred in his goal of achieving global dominion and also kill off all the Jews and believers. He kicks of the Tribulation as we mentioned, when Dan 9:27 that he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. He is pretending to be the Messiah from the beginning and he’s pretending to confirm with Israel that the old Abrahamic covenant is still in force.
We also have the rise of the ten horns, which are ten kings. Because of Psa. 83, I suspect the ten horns are ten kings of nations that surround Israel. And over the course of the first 3 ½ years the antichrist becomes a dominant figure on the global stage rising to prominence because of his alliance with those 10 nations.
He’s the little horn at first, the horn of small beginnings, but he slowly rises by building alliances with the ten other rulers. He squashes a rebellion of three of those kings and takes over their nations. Then, after the 200 million fiery horses from Heaven incinerate 1/3 of the global population, the world watches as the antichrist takes on the Two Witnesses and kills them but not before he himself receives a deadly wound, which he heals himself.
And the world marvels at the antichrist and celebrates his victory while also fearing him.
I find jaw-dropping the megalomaniacal hubris of the antichrist. In the face of all these judgments from God Himself, he is still charging forward. He is still working toward his one world system and the annihilation of the Jews and believers. Why? Because he already knows he’ll get it. Because God Himself said he’ll get it in His book of Revelation. Do you think Satan knows the book of Revelation backwards and forwards? You know he does. This is God’s revelation of His wartime strategy. Satan’s got this book memorized. Satan knows he’ll get his kingdom. The antichrist will be encouraged by Satan and the demonic realm to keep pressing onward to getting his kingdom. They all know he’s going to get it, because God said it.
The Showdown
All of this leads us to the great showdown between the antichrist and Moses and Elijah.
Look at Rev_11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
First, we’re told here that this showdown will take place when they have finished their testimony, when the appointed time has arrived, when they have said everything they were appointed to say. Their appointed time on the Earth is 3 ½ years just as the Lord’s appointed ministry was 3 ½ years. The Two Witnesses will also minster in great power with signs and wonders just like the Lord Jesus Christ. The location of their deaths will be the very spot where Christ was crucified. Just as Christ’s death was caused by the son of perdition (John 17:12), so too, the Two Witnesses, will be killed by the antichrist who is also called the son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3). Just as the Lord had His enemies rejoicing at His death, so too, the entire unbelieving world will party hard when the Two Witnesses are killed. The Two Witnesses will be resurrected after three days and three nights just like the Lord Jesus Christ. They will ascend to Heaven in a cloud just like the Lord Jesus Christ. And just as there were earthquakes when the Lord died, so too, there will be a major earthquake when Moses and Elijah ascend up to Heaven, and this earthquake is so massive 7,000 people will die in Israel.
We’re also told here in vs. 7 that the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit… We talked about this a couple weeks ago. the argument would go that the antichrist died. He went to the bottomless pit, and he ascended in a false resurrection, as a way of imitating the resurrection of Christ. I would be inclined to accept that view except for the fact that John writes “ascendeth.” If John had said that he ascended, past tense, then I’d be inclined to agree that he died and rose again as a false resurrection, but he says that the antichrist is ascending the bottomless pit.
What does that mean? I think this means he’s living on borrowed time. His future destination is the bottomless pit, but at this stage of the Tribulation, he is continually rising above the bottomless pit. He’s continually rising here on the Earth, rising above the people, rising in power, rising in authority and influence, over that bottomless pit, which is where he will wind up when this is over. Then after the 1,000-year reign, he will ascend the bottomless pit only once – to go into perdition, into the Lake of Fire. We pointed out Rev. 17:8, The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition… He shall ascend. That verse takes place after at the midway point of the Tribulation. His Babylonian empire now in operation, and the angel tells John that his ascension out of the bottomless pit is a future event. He didn’t speak of his ascension in the past. He didn’t die and ascend from the bottomless pit when he fought the Two Witnesses. His ascension out of the bottomless pit is in the future to go into perdition.
Let’s look at vs. 7 again. Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Just imagine. Moses and Elijah are standing on the very spot where Christ was crucified! The antichrist is now facing them also standing on the very spot where Christ was crucified!
The two great representatives of Christ up against the great representative of Satan, just as Christ faced the devil himself while He was on the cross on Calvary.
You remember how David wrote in Psa. 22:21 that the Lord begged in His mind to His Father in Heaven, “Save me from the lion’s mouth...” We know that was a reference to the devil because 1 Pet. 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The devil was there at Calvary in the spiritual realm at the cross tormenting His soul, along with the entire demonic realm, and the Lord begged in His mind to His Father to be saved from the roaring lion’s mouth.
The Lord faced the devil himself at Calvary just as now the two great representatives of Christ up are going up against the great representative of Satan.
And the eyes of the world are watching this.
A war of words between these global figures for 3 ½ years has led to this moment, the great showdown, a great battle to the death on Calvary’s hill.
Everyone knows someone’s going to win and someone’s going to die. And the people are hoping this showdown will end all the massive calamities that have been taking place, and they can get back to living as they had been.
I don’t think this showdown will play out as some might imagine, like a third act climax of a superhero comic book movie with all kinds of fireworks and special effects. No, I think Moses and Elijah will simply give themselves up to die willingly, just as Christ gave Himself up to die willingly at the cross at Calvary, because THAT is their appointed time to die.
And their deaths will serve a greater purpose of God. Christ’s death brought about salvation to the world, but the death of the Two Witnesses will bring about the Abomination of Desolation and Satan’s new Babylonian empire over the entire world because those are God’s determined desolations, judgments upon an unbelieving world that God determined would take place.
So the death of Christ brought life whereas the death of the Two Witnesses will bring more death through judgment.
BUT before Moses and Elijah die, or perhaps AS they die, they will inflict a deadly wound on the antichrist, which is mentioned a couple of times in Rev. 13. I can imagine when that happens, the world will gasp in horror. “Is he really going to die, too?”
But then the antichrist will regroup, heal his own wound, as mentioned in Rev. 13:12, and I suspect that in that moment, the world witnessing him heal himself will have a deep psychological impact on everyone on Earth. The unbelieving Jews will look at him and declare him to be the Messiah. The unbelieving Gentiles will look at him and view him as some kind of savior from all these calamities, the one who will bring everything back to normal again.
In that moment, he becomes king of the world.
Rev. 13 doesn’t tell us when the antichrist will receive that deadly wound, but I think it’s when he has this showdown with the Two Witnesses that he’s wounded because receiving that deadly wound is also similar to what happened with Christ in his showdown with Satan at the cross. You remember, going all the way back to Gen. 3:15, after the fall in the Garden, the Lord said, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. His death bruised the head of the serpent because His victory over sin and death robbed Satan of power and authority but Satan killing Christ was only a bruising of His heel, only a light affliction compared to the glory of what He accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection.
But even after that defeat of the cross, Satan regrouped and got back to work deceiving the nations just as the antichrist regrouped and healed himself and got back to work taking over the nations and killing all Jews and believers. Christ bruised his head just as the Two Witnesses will inflict a deadly wound on the antichrist.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Here we know that the bodies of Moses and Elijah will lie on the very spot where the Lord was crucified. Where is this exactly? There was not too long ago over at Biblical Archeology that asked the question where exactly is Golgotha where Christ was crucified? That location is greatly disputed today.
Does Moses and Elijah know where that location is? You know they do.
Does Satan remember where that location is? You know he does.
I suspect the debate as to where exactly Golgotha is located will be settled when the Two Witnesses face off against the antichrist. It’s mind-blowing to me that this showdown takes place on the same spot where Christ was crucified.
John would write here that their bodies lie in the street of the great city, which I suspect means that they’ll be lying specifically on the end of the Via Dolorosa, which is also disputed, but that is the street that led up to Calvary’s Hill, also known as Goglotha, “the place of the skull.”
Then John says that the great city… is spiritually… called Sodom and Egypt. Notice the word spiritually. The city is spiritually… called Sodom and Egypt. Those are spiritual identifiers for Jerusalem, which has become spiritually like Sodom and Egypt. Jerusalem’s now the city of outright rebellion against God, a city of moral degeneracy and debauchery. This isn’t the first time God identified Israel as “Sodom.” In the days of Isaiah, He addressed the rulers of Jerusalem as the rulers of “Sodom” (Isa. 1:8-10). Jerusalem was also called “Egypt,” which is frequently used to mean rampant polytheism in Israel, belief in many gods.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Every single soul on this planet will see their dead bodies over the course of those three days. I suspect this means that most on the planet will be watching the showdown when it happens and when the Two Witnesses die, they’ll tell their friends, and everyone will want to see their dead bodies, and celebrate, because they think their deaths will bring an end to all the plagues and calamities that have been taking place.
So how will they see their dead bodies?
Supernaturally, probably projected in the sky, as we covered in this article. Make no mistake. All technology will be dead by the halfway point of the Tribulation.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
What a jaw-dropping moment this will be. The people of the Earth trembling in fear when Moses and Elijah come back to life. Even the believers tremble in fear at the sight of their resurrection, but they were smart enough to give glory to God for what happened.
And the people of the world will hear the voice of God Himself calling out to Moses and Elijah to Come up hither. And this reference to a cloud probably means a group of angels, and the world watches angels carry Moses and Elijah up to Heaven. Then the earthquake. A tenth of Jerusalem falls. 7,000 people die. You can’t help but think of all the videos and images we’ve seen coming out of Turkey. It will be just like that.
What happens next? The Abomination of Desolation.
SUPPLY OF GRACE 