Considering the Identity of the Two Witnesses

Transcript

GR 2021
11/12/2017
Considering the Identity of the Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:3-6; Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We're studying the book of Revelation in your Bibles, we are in chapter 11 and we meet two interesting men in Revelation 11 called the ‘two witnesses’ who will be prophesying during the 3½ years leading up to the return of Christ to this earth to establish His kingdom. We're going to do something a little different than we normally do. We're not going to be moving through further verses in the book of Revelation, but we are going to pause and look at the identity of these two witnesses. Now I must admit I had some reservations about doing this and I may just confirm my reservations in doing it. The purpose is not to confuse you, but to at least help you understand some of the issues involved.

We are looking at the middle and last half of what is known as the 70th week of Daniel. And in Revelation 11:3 we are told, “I will grant authority to My two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies.” So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. They have the power to shut up the skies so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. They have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire.

Now the prophets had a twofold ministry in Israel's history and these two men are carrying on that prophetic ministry. It was a ministry of judgment, that's why these men are clothed in sackcloth at the end of verse 3. It is a picture of mourning, of judgment, of condemnation. And that's true of all the prophets through Israel's history. They had to come and announce judgment and condemnation on the people for their unbelief and for their rebellion against God. But in that message they also brought a message of mercy and grace. If you will turn from your sin, if you will bow before God, trust Him, allow Him to cleanse you, you will have mercy and forgiveness and escape judgment. It's the two-fold message of the prophets, it's the two-fold message of the Word of God from beginning to end. For our sin and rebellion there is condemnation and judgment. We are going to the eternal hell in Revelation 20, which is the final end of those who persist in their rebellion against God. But through this time God continues to offer His mercy, His grace, His forgiveness. That's true of these two prophets who will have a unique ministry in preparing Israel for the coming of their Messiah.

We're going to pause and not move further along in the study of Revelation 11, but I want to talk with you a little bit about the possible identity of these two witnesses. If you study much in the book of Revelation, you'll find there are differences of opinion. Now I'm only considering those who interpret biblical prophecy literally, normally. For example when it says in Revelation 11:3, “I will grant authority to My two witnesses and they will prophesy,” I understand two as being two—one, two. That seems simple, but there are a lot of commentators who say the two is just referring to a number. None of the numbers in Revelation are to be taken literally. I take all the numbers of Revelation literally, including the 1260 days at the end of verse 3. So I am not dealing with those who come up with all kinds of ideas. The two witnesses just represent the church in its fullness and their ministry in the world today. And you get all kinds of confusion. So I'm just talking about those who take the Bible and particularly prophecy in a normal, what I call a literal way. There are figures of speech, there are illustrations, symbols and so on, but we understand that. You would say somebody is the wind, he runs so fast. Well nobody says take that literally, he's the wind. No. We understand, it is a figure of speech, has a literal significance conveying the literal truth that pictures how fast he is. Things like that.

So these two witnesses. We are going to talk about those who interpret the Bible literally believe there are two witnesses, they will be raised up to minister for half of that seven-year period. What is confusing, and this is why I had some concern, we're going to walk through and look through the possible identity of these two witnesses. But anytime I take people through a list of things I get concerned that I will lose them somewhere in one of the lists and it may not even be the one I am talking about. So it can be a little confusing, so pay attention. If you take notes, you might write it down so you can review it.

What we are looking at is the possible identity of these two witnesses. Whatever their identity it won't change what is going on in Revelation 11. They are witnesses, they are here to testify on behalf of the God of Israel. They prophesy, they will tell of coming judgment, they are prophesying in the midst of judgment but worse judgment is coming, which will culminate with the return of Christ at Armageddon in Revelation 19 and the destruction of His enemies. So they are prophesying, they are witnessing, they are calling the nation Israel, then in a secondary way the world, as we will see, to experience the mercy and grace of God and the forgiveness He offers.

So we talk about the identity of the witnesses. There are two witnesses and we think, two prophets. But in biblical studies there are a couple of views. Why don't you put up the two views on slide one. Two basic views, the first one is these two witnesses are two men from Israel's history who have been brought back to earth by God to represent Him and testify for Him, two Old Testament prophets. The possibilities—Elijah, and everyone who holds that these are two men brought back from Israel's history hold that one of them is Elijah. We'll talk about why in a moment. The possibility for the second is either Moses or Enoch. There are reasons, we will look at those, for picking one of these two men. But basically these are the only two possibilities, three men, but Elijah and either Moses or Enoch, if they are Old Testament men brought back to earth. We'll talk about why some would hold that they are Old Testament men. But there is a second view that we are going to be looking at and that is that they are just two men of the time who have a prophetic ministry. God just raised them up for this occasion. Now whatever of these two views you have, the ministry of these two men will not change in its purpose and its impact and its result. So we are just trying maybe to at least understand why there are differences on their identity. But their identity will not change what their ministry is and their function at this period of time in prophetic history.

Let's look at the first one since he is the most popular, the most often referenced, and that is the evidence for Elijah. What I want to do is walk through each of these and the reasons why people would say Elijah might come back and have a ministry in Israel's future, the Elijah of the Old Testament. So the first reason for evidence offered for Elijah is the Old Testament prophesied that Elijah would come. And that's a pretty good reason. So come back to Malachi 3 and in Malachi's prophecy, verse 1, “I am going to send My messenger and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.” So you see this messenger is coming to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, really, in the context—“the Lord whom you seek will come suddenly to His temple.” So here is God's messenger who will be God's spokesman to come and prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And then he will, verse 2, “who can endure the day of his coming? He is like a refiner's fire, he will sit as a smelter, he will purify.” So you see what is going on and you see when you announce the coming of the Messiah, you prepare the way by telling people when He comes, there will be judgment. So you need to be prepared. And there will also be announcing your preparation is to turn from your sin and place your faith in the God of Israel, in His provision for you.

Come over to Malachi 4, the chapter opened up, “Behold the day is coming, burning like a furnace. All the arrogant and evildoer will be chaff.” Then come down to verse 5, “Behold I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, the hearts of the children to their fathers so I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” So this coming messenger of Malachi 3:1 is said to be Elijah the prophet in Malachi 4:5. And part of his preparing the way is to warn the people of judgment so they will turn to the Lord and He will not have to destroy them. So since it says in Malachi 4:5 “I'm going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord,” well, that's one good reason to say that one of the two witnesses is Elijah, since he is supposed to come.

The second reason why people would say Elijah would be one of them—Elijah did not die. Now that makes him unique, a special person, one of only two in Old Testament history. He did not die. Come back to 2 Kings 2. Elijah's ministry goes back into 1 Kings and then into the opening verses of 2 Kings. And in 2 Kings 2:9, Elijah is traveling with a fellow prophet, a younger prophet, his successor, Elisha. And Elijah knows the Lord is going to take him to heaven, Elisha knows the Lord is going to take him to heaven. And other prophets and so on also have had revealed to them that God is going to take Elijah to heaven. So they cross the Jordan and 2 Kings 2:9, “When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘what shall I do before you before I am taken from you?’ And Elisha said, ‘please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’” Now what he is really asking, he would desire as a prophet to be Elijah's successor and to get a double portion indicated you were the one who was the successor. For example in Israel the eldest son received a double portion in the inheritance, he was the official successor in the line. So here, “give me a double portion of your spirit,” in other words, I want to be your successor. He is not asking to be twice as important as Elijah, he won't be, but he is asking if he could be the official successor, and he will be recognized as such. But what we are looking at, you have asked a hard thing, but Elijah says, “I can't make that decision. But if you are with me when the Lord takes me, that will be an indication the Lord is appointing you my official successor.”

Verse 11, “As they were going along and talking behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” Now in spite of some of our poetry, Elijah was not taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. That's pretty dramatic, but this is dramatic enough. What the chariot of fire did was come between Elijah and Elisha, separated them. Then Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind as it says here. Well, Elijah didn't die, he went straight to heaven. Now some of the other prophets, they are called sons of the prophets, the prophet school, the prophetic school or guild, they realize Elisha comes back alone. And they have the brilliant idea, maybe the Lord picked him up and dropped him someplace. So they ought to put out a search team. Elisha says it is a waste of time, he is not laying someplace. But they go and they come back and Elisha said, “I told you so.” So Elijah was taken to heaven, he didn't die. That's another reason. Why would the Lord keep him from dying? Perhaps He intends to bring him back.

The third evidence for why this might be Elijah. Elijah did similar miracles as these two prophets in Revelation are doing. I have it as these men, referring to the men in Revelation, the two witnesses who will prophesy. He called down fire from heaven, if you are still in Kings, pick this up in 2 Kings 1:9 where when the king sends a contingent of fifty soldiers to bring Elijah back to him, verse 10. we looked at this in a previous study, “Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, if I am a man of God let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” We read in our previous study in Revelation 11, these men have power to have fire come out of their mouth and consume them. That doesn't have to be like a dragon we think of in pictures, literal fire, their word comes out and they can call down fire and consume like Elijah did.

Another way that these two men in Revelation 11 are connected to Elijah, Elijah stopped the rain for 3½ years. Come back to 1 Kings 17:1, “Now Elijah the Tishbite who was of the settlers of Gilead said to Ahab,” this is King Ahab who is married to the infamous Jezebel, but we can't talk about that story. “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word.” He is going to bring a famine, and that famine under Elijah was for 3½ years. In Luke 4:25 Christ said that Elijah withheld the rain for 3½ years. Come over to James 5:17, “Elijah was a man with a stature like ours. He earnestly prayed that it would not rain, it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.” Now remember it was said of the ministry of these two prophets in Revelation 11:6, “they have the power to shut up the skies so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying.” They are prophesying, according to verse 3, for 1260 days, 3½ years. So they are able to bring a drought that will last 3½ years, the same length as Elijah's drought.

Another reason (when I get done with these reasons you will say we don't have to look any further, I'm convinced it is Elijah.) The fourth reason, Elijah appeared at the transfiguration. The transfiguration is when Christ was transformed so something of His innate glory as the Messiah, the Son of God could shine forth.

Come to Matthew 16. You remember when the Bible was written it didn't have chapters and verses. We appreciate that they were added later, it helps us to find our way around. But in Matthew, the end of chapter 16 and the beginning of chapter 17, Matthew 16:27 you see in the context talking about the coming of the Son of Man in glory. “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels. Then I will repay every man according to His deed.” So you see judgment in the context of the coming of the Son of Man. “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Now remember there was not chapter break for chapter 17. Because some people read this and say well, that meant the kingdom must have started when Christ was there and those that were with Him will see the kingdom. Therefore, the kingdom must be a spiritual kingdom, not a literal, earthly kingdom.

Well, it sometimes helps just to read the next verse. “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John his brother.” He didn't say everyone who was standing there in Matthew 16:28, He said some of you standing here. And we are told who that some was—Peter, James and John. He took them up on a mountain by themselves. “He was transfigured,” there is our word, Greek word metamorphosis, where like in a caterpillar turned to a butterfly, something of what is innate in His nature comes out when He undergoes that metamorphosis. So Christ, something of the glory that is His that will be manifest when He comes in glory, as Christ said in Matthew 16:27, is now manifested. “His face shone like the sun, His garments became as white as light. And Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with them.” Now there is the key. Here is a preview of Christ coming in His glory, Elijah is there, perhaps he is here because he is going to be one that comes and helps prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah in His glory. We are not told, we are just told he is here. We'll reference this in another context in a moment.

Those are some of the basic reasons, I'm not saying these are all the reason, but these are the major reasons why people would think that maybe Elijah is the one referred to in Revelation 11, along with another individual.

So let's look for a second possibility, let's look at Moses. And we'll look at the evidence for Moses. We saw the evidence that would indicate that perhaps Elijah is going to come again and be one of the two prophets in Revelation 11. Now this would be the evidence for Moses and why would people think that maybe Moses will come. If you are still on the mount of transfiguration in Matthew 17 we'll just pick up the first reason Moses here because in verse 3, “Behold Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking to Him.” Well, that's pretty good. I mean, who appears with Christ? Elijah and Moses, Moses and Elijah. Well Moses brought the Law to Israel on Mt. Sinai. He is the greatest in that sense of Israel's leaders in those days and he is the instrument through whom God brings the Law which was the constitution for the nation.

And remember this last seven-year period is about the nation. Who is more important in Israel's history? Who is their leader to bring them out of slavery in Egypt and so on? Moses. So Moses here with Elijah and Elijah is considered the preeminent prophet in the Old Testament. We refer to him usually as the greatest of the non-writing prophets because we have no book of Elijah like we have the book of Isaiah or Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel or Malachi or whatever. But he is considered the greatest and perhaps the preeminent among the prophets. But here you have these two individuals. So Moses appeared at the mount of transfiguration, might indicate you have two, why are these two picked. Perhaps because of their significance in future history, Israel's history as one of the two witnesses.

Secondly, Moses did similar miracles as these men. In Revelation 11:6 they have the power to turn water into blood and back in Exodus 7:17-19 Moses, remember, when he brought plagues on Egypt, one of the plagues was he turned the water to blood. So that would give it connection with these two witnesses to Moses.

Thirdly, he brought various plagues on Egypt, there were all kinds of plagues—boils and locusts and all these kinds of plagues. Well, these men say they have the power to bring all kinds of plagues. So some would say that connects them to Moses. A very interesting and engaging possibility is Moses' body was preserved by God and has special significance.

Come back to Deuteronomy 34. In Deuteronomy 34 we are coming to the end of Moses' earthly life. Remember because of his sin in striking the rock twice when God told him once, he is not going to be allowed to lead Israel into the promised land. That's a severe punishment. Forty years of putting up with these grumbling complainers and he doesn't even get to go into the promised land. But God is going to give him the privilege of going up to the mountain, looking across the Jordan and seeing the beauty of that land that God is going to bring Israel into. So that's the setting.

Verse 1 opens up telling you, “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mt. Nebo at the top of Pisgah and opposite Jericho. The Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan,” and all, that's going to be given to the tribes of Israel. And as he looks out there perhaps the Lord gives him enhanced vision to take that all in. Then we are told in verse 4, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I've let you see it with your eyes, you won't go over there. So Moses,” verse 5, “the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab.” And then we are told in verse 6, “No man knows his burial place to this day.”

There wasn't a contingent of Israelites with Moses, assigned to bury his body. It was God's intention that Moses go up there in a relationship with the Lord, he is not taken to heaven without dying like Elijah was. You think maybe the Lord could do that. No, he has to experience physical death, a punishment for his personal sin, not going into the land as well as the sin of being a descendant of Adam. But no one knows his burial place, and Moses didn't die of old age because verse 7 says, “Although Moses was 120 years old when he died, his eye was not dim nor his vigor abated.” Now I'm not near 120, but my eyes have dimmed and my vigor has abated. In fact I went to the eye doctor a week or so ago, he says you get by on one more visit, this visit with me and then you have to go under the knife because the cataracts will be ready. In the old days they just went blind, but Moses hadn't lost a step, so to speak. He was still going, he could have led Israel into the promised land, he hadn't run out of energy. He didn't tell the Lord, I'm 120, I'm too tired to go on. He still had the vigor of a young man and the eyesight of a young man. The point is it was God's time for him.

The point we want to pick up, no man knows his burial place to this day. Come over to the book of Jude and we get some interesting information. Jude 9, and Jude is talking about false teachers and the danger they are to God's people when they infiltrate among God's people and bring their corrupt doctrine and their corrupt practice. And you come down, they don't have any respect, even for the spirit world. Verse 9, “In the same way these men also by dreaming defile the flesh, reject authority, revile angelic majesties.” The angels are majestic creatures, created to serve in the presence of God. We don't worship angels but we do respect them because of the role they have.

But note verse 9, the contrast of the attitude of angels who haven't sinned. “Michael the archangel,” now note this, “when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses did not pronounce a railing accusation but said the Lord rebuke you.” He showed respect to the devil because remember the devil was created with a high position as the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 talk something about that history. What is important for us here, you'll note Michael the chief angel over Israel disputed with Satan about the body of Moses, something we weren't told about in the account in Deuteronomy. We are just told the body was buried and no one knows where, but there was a spiritual battle that went on for Moses' body. For some reason the devil wanted the body of Moses, but Michael, again who is the archangel with authority, particularly in relation to the nation Israel, disputed with him and asserted the authority that God has given him to take possession of Moses' body. So, he's buried there because Michael buried him.

So why was there a dispute over the body of Moses? Well, perhaps the devil, knowing something about the plan of God in bringing Christ to be the Savior, be the King, maybe he knew there will be forerunners, prophets, and Moses would be one of them. I have to keep these things from happening. For some reason there was a dispute over the body of Moses. That's one possibility.

Those are some of the reasons why people would pick Moses as the second of the two witnesses in Revelation 11.

But there is a third possibility. We can only pick two because there are only two in Revelation, two witnesses. So two is not three. So this is going to be, to use a very scriptural analogy, pay your money and take your choice, we'll come up with a fourth possibility. Enoch, and some people feel strongly for Enoch. One of the old commentators I was reading this week, Jacob Augustus Sise, a Lutheran who wrote a very exhaustive, probably 800 pages, I don't remember. But he worked through, a Lutheran, in the 1800s, I think it was published about 1882, pre-millennial, dispensational commentary on Revelation. Good reading. But he thinks it is Enoch…Elijah and Enoch. And there are other more recent men who hold to Enoch.

Why would they hold to Enoch? Well, let's look at the evidence for Enoch. Very strong evidence, Enoch did not die. Name the two people in the Old Testament who did not die. We already looked at one, Elijah. We just looked at Moses but he died. But Enoch did not die. Come back to Genesis 5 and we have had the account of the fall in Genesis 3, the sin of Adam and Eve. Then Cain and Abel in chapter 4 and events there. Chapter 5 gives you the line of Adam and it emphasizes the penalty for sin. It starts out that God made Adam and he was created in the image and likeness of God and then Adam begins the line and his children will partake of his nature and the penalty that goes with a fallen nature, and that is death. So you have the repeated emphasis through chapter 5, then end of verse 5, “and he died;” the end of 8, “and he died;” the end of verse 11, “and he died;” verse 14, “and he died;” verse 17, “and he died;” verse 20, “and he died.” Then we get a break, “Enoch lived 65 years, became the father of Methuselah, then Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah, had other sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch were 365 years,” I take it they are literal years. Before the flood there was extensive lifespan. We'll talk more about that when we get to the end of Revelation. But verse 24, “And Enoch walked with God” and he died? No, “Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him.” So Enoch did not die. Why? What is the purpose of the break? We don't have an explanation here where God says, “let Me explain to you why Enoch did not die.” So a possibility is Enoch did not die because God intends to bring him back to earth with Elijah in Revelation 11 and those two are going to die, as we will look at in our next study. They will be killed on the streets of Jerusalem. So perhaps the two men who didn't experience physical death, and it is appointed unto man once to die and after this comes the judgment, God is preserving them so that they would experience death at a later time.

A second reason for Enoch, come back to the book of Jude. We're going to go to verses 14-15. Again, he is still talking about the character and conduct of these false teachers as they infiltrate among God's people. Verse 14 says “It was also about these men that Enoch,” there is our Enoch, “the seventh from Adam.” So you go back and count the generations there in Genesis 5 and you have Enoch the seventh, so we know we are talking about that Enoch. “He prophesied.” So now we are learning more about Enoch. He walked with God, he was a prophet of God and “he prophesied saying, ‘behold the Lord came with thousands of His holy ones.’” Now you have that past tense, but remember we have what is called the prophetic past in Scripture, particularly the Old Testament prophets. They would give a prophecy in the future but they would give it in the past tense, so we call it a prophetic past. Why? Because it is as good as done when God says it, it is just as sure when they tell you something that is going to happen in a thousand years as if it had happened yesterday. So they use the past tense. So when he says “the Lord came with thousands of His holy ones,” he is prophesying the future because He came “to execute judgment upon all, to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Grumblers complain, etc. etc.

The thing we learn about Enoch here is he was a prophet of God, he prophesied about the coming of the King with thousands of His holy ones. Prophesied about the coming of that King who would bring judgment on all of God's enemies. Well, that seems to fit the ministry of these two witnesses. They are clothed in sackcloth, remember, in Revelation 11. I put verse 3 there for you. They are clothed in sackcloth, that indicates a ministry of condemnation, warning, judgment along with announcing the coming of the Messiah. So two good reasons for Enoch.

So those are the possibilities, remember, if these are two men from the Old Testament talked about in Revelation 11. There are three that at least seem to be reasonable. Probably the two most popular are Elijah for sure, anyone who says that these are two men from the Old Testament picks Elijah. The only question is would your second be Moses or Enoch. The most popular is Moses because of his prominence, he is on the mount of transfiguration, he is a key figure in Israel's history, he is the one God used to lead Israel and give Israel its constitution, the Mosaic Law. That tells you his importance, the Law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But Enoch has some reasons.

The last possibility, the second possibility is that these are not two Old Testament prophets at all, they are just men of the time that God raises up.

Before we do that we better do John the Baptist, almost left him out. Let's look at Elijah and John the Baptist because there is an issue—did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy of Elijah? Well Elijah and John the Baptist, could John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy of Elijah? That tells us whether we should look for a literal, physical return of the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament, or someone that is like Elijah.

Let's go to Luke 1, and this is the angel speaking to the father of John the Baptist, prophesying and telling him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, were going to have a son. This would be unique because they hadn't been able to have children. Now in their advanced age they are going to have a son of great importance. And the angel says, Luke 1:16, verse 15, “he will be great in the sight of the Lord, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.” And then he quotes, “to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children.” Well, that's a quote from Malachi, that's why I put down Malachi 4:5-6. But the angel says that John the Baptist is the one who “will go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” So if that is the case it seems the angel is indicating John will be the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the coming of Elijah. And that would be not an improper way to say Elijah will come, Elijah will be sent when you are talking about one who will come in the spirit and power of Elijah. You are connecting him to Elijah without saying he has to be the actual physical Elijah. He will have the same spirit in the same power. In that sense John becomes the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, Jesus will later say.

That's the first reason why John the Baptist, and that's the John we are talking about, John the Baptist, that's why we put it on there. Don't confuse him with John the Apostle who wrote the book of Revelation and the Gospel of John. John the Baptist will be executed during Christ's earthly ministry.

The second reason, Jesus said John could be the fulfillment regarding Elijah. Come to Matthew 11, and Jesus is talking about John the Baptist. This is a problem for John the Baptist. In Matthew 11 John has been imprisoned by Herod, ruler of the Jews. John is confused—I came to announce and prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah and I said when He would come He would bring judgment on the unbeliever and establish His kingdom. And there has been no judgment on the unbeliever and I am in prison and there is no kingdom. So he sends his followers to ask Jesus, did I make a mistake? I'm confused. And Jesus tells them, He talks about John in verse 9. “What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you one is more than a prophet.”

So he supersedes the other prophets. “This is the one about whom it is written,” and He quotes Malachi 3:1. Remember we talked, Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:5-6 are talking about the same person. There really is no disagreement on that. “This is the one about whom it is written, behold I will send My messenger ahead of you who will prepare Your way before You.” Come down to verse 14. Verse 13 says, “All the prophets and the Law prophesied until John and if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” The problem is your unwillingness to believe. The problem is not I can't be the Messiah because Elijah didn't come, the problem is your unbelief. Elijah came but you won't believe him. It's the one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah. So in that sense Elijah the greatest, the pre-eminent Old Testament prophet, the one in his spirit who is even greater than Elijah—John the Baptist. If you are willing to accept it, if you believe the message of John, John himself is Elijah who was to come. But it's not the problem with Elijah coming that is keeping the kingdom from happening, it is your unwillingness to accept it. That's the connection.

Thirdly, Jesus identifies John with the prophecy of Elijah. Come over to Matthew 17, we will look at verses 10-17. This is after the transfiguration recorded in the first part of Matthew 17 where we were a little bit earlier. Come down to verse 9, “They were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” Then His disciples ask Him, “Why then do the scribes say Elijah must come first?” The scribes of the day said we have to have a literal return of Elijah, as stated in Malachi. Jesus answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things.” So the prophecy of Malachi is true, Elijah is coming and will restore all things. “But I say to you Elijah already came.” So I take it the way you could understand this is the scribes are right, the prophecy that Elijah is coming is true, the problem is he came. And that's what He says in verse 12, “I say to you Elijah already came.” That part of the prophecy is already fulfilled.

What is not revealed in the Old Testament is the prophets prophesy the coming of the Messiah and the ruling and reigning of Messiah, which involves the judgment of His enemies. But they didn't reveal, they didn't know there would be 2000 years between. So Elijah will come. Well John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Jesus said, “I tell you Elijah already came.” So the prophecy, verse 11, Elijah is coming and will restore all things is true. The problem is Elijah already came and they didn't recognize him, they did to him whatever they wished. They killed him. So really verse 11, there is a break of 2000 years. Elijah is coming and will restore all things. The first part of it, Elijah came and he introduced the Messiah who by His death will provide redemption and cleansing and ultimately restore all things. That's why John could be so confused. He died without understanding. I know, he says the Messiah, the evidence is there, I don't understand. He is going to be beheaded, the instructions of a godless woman. His head is going to be carried in on a platter. I thought He was going to restore all things, I came to prepare the way for His coming. He did prepare it but in the plan of God the nation continued in their rebellion and rejected Him.

So Elijah already came. And just like Elijah was rejected, so the Son of Man is going to suffer also. Verse 13, the disciples understand He is talking about John the Baptist, that's the Elijah who came.

Another reason, the fourth, since John could and perhaps did fulfill the prophecy of Elijah, Elijah does not have to return. We are not undermining the literal interpretation but we are allowing later revelation to explain it. When he says Elijah will come, the prophecy is explained in the New Testament as the one who came with the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, which was “a ministry that was greater than Elijah's,” as Jesus said, He is greater than the prior prophets.

So that would be a possibility for how that is fulfilled. In John 1, John the Baptist, when asked said, “no I am not Elijah.” And he wasn't because the Jews at the time thought it was a literal physical Elijah. I am not a literal physical Elijah. But he is the one who would be the fulfillment of that Elijah prophecy. That's at least a possibility there.

The second alternative, if this is not one of two references, if it is not two Old Testament prophets brought back to minister, a second possibility is they are two prophets of the time. So the first point I put here, the similarity of ministries does not mean identity of persons. And we don't have time to go to the references, but in Revelation 11:4 the two witnesses who prophesy are identified as “these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Well that is a reference clearly to Zechariah 4:14, where Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the political leader are identified as the two olive trees and the two lampstands. So there is nothing in the context of Revelation 11 like that. The clearest connection is this statement—“these are those two.” Well, nobody says we really believe Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel are coming back, but they are connected. So similarity of ministry does not mean identity of persons. So because these two witnesses have a ministry similar to Joshua and Zerubbabel, and their two offices as priest and ruler will be combined ultimately in one in Christ, these two witnesses don't have to be those two. Just because they have a ministry like Elijah, like Moses, doesn't have to mean they are Elijah or Moses or so on.

Secondly, Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration looked to His death and glorious kingdom, not the tribulation. You can jot down Luke 9:27-31. And there in Luke, that's on the mount of transfiguration, it says they talked to Him about His coming death and they are in the context of the glory that will be His in the kingdom. So they are not talking about the tribulation. So their connection there is with His death and His kingdom.

Thirdly, as we have talked about, John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. And Jesus said, Elijah has come but you rejected him, so we can't have the rest of that, restoring all things because you rejected Elijah. And that will be the Son of Man will be rejected in the same way. Again we see there is a break that the Old Testament prophets didn't know about.

Fourth, within the context of Revelation 11 we are told “I will grant authority to My two witnesses.” That word grant, to give. It doesn't indicate that I will bring these two that have authority, like Moses and Elijah had authority from their prior ministries, these are two that, I take it, are granted or given authority at this time for their ministry.

Fifth, these two prophets in Jerusalem have a ministry like the prophets in Israel's history. And the similarity again doesn't mean identity. These are prophets, and they are prophets in the context of Israel's prophets, not New Testament church prophets. They are raised up in the 70th week of Daniel, they are prophesying in Jerusalem and will soon die on the streets of Jerusalem. So they are in the line of Old Testaments, it is not unusual that they would be doing similar things as Old Testament prophets. And just a reminder, the prophet's ministry is a combination of grace and judgment. Their presence here is a statement of judgment but it is a call to repentance. Becomes key to what God is doing with Israel during these last 3½ years.

Well, I hope that doesn't confuse you too much. You can go, I had some after my first hour class say maybe next week you will just go through this again and help us understand it. There is a reason. There are good men who hold different positions who hold to the literal interpretation of Scripture. That's why I say it is their ministry that is important, there can be disagreement on the identity. My personal conviction is these are two prophets of the time. But if somebody said I am going to cut off your head if you don't say they are Moses and Elijah, I would say they are Moses and Elijah. So this is not one of those “die for” positions, but we at least wanted you to be aware as you read commentaries why there are differences. And something of God's grace and God's judgment.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for Your revelation. Lord, we would know nothing, we would be in a world of darkness and confusion if You had not in mercy and grace chosen to make Yourself known, blessed us with the record of that revelation. And Lord, we do not have complete, exhaustive knowledge and understanding, but You have given us the Spirit and given us the responsibility to be diligent in handling Your Word, to apply ourselves earnestly to the study of Your Word that we might understand it, the precious truths of this prophetic book, that we might put them into practice and live in light of them. And that is our desire. Bless the day before us, may we give abundant evidence of the grace of salvation, the work of Your Spirit in our lives. We pray in Christ's name, amen.