Please read Revelation 11:1-12 first to better understand this prophecy...

KEY VERSE / DESCRIBING THESE TWO WITNESSES

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

Before going further understand that "...the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." -2 Peter 1:21

The Word of the Almighty is the only tool we have to define prophetic symbolism. One must understand that the book of Revelation is almost entirely written in prophetic symbolism. And the only way to define those symbols is to study the entire Bible. Fact is, there are 404 verses in the book of Revelation. 278 of those verses can be found almost word for word in all the other books of the Bible. The simple truth here is, if you want to understand prophecy, you must first allow the Bible define the symbols first. For those of you that would like a jump start on learning what many of the symbols mean, I have a large collection of them already listed and defined on the "Prophetic Symbols" page of the web site. However, if you happen to run across a symbol in prophecy that you are unaware of that is not listed on that page, feel free to contact me via the "contact us" page on the site and I will promptly email you the Biblical definition of that symbol. There are so many of them that I have not yet been able to find the time to list all of them. However, the list on that page is rather huge, so odds are you will find what your looking for.

Getting back, we just learned that the two witnesses were described as "two olive trees" as well as "two candlesticks" in Revelation 11:4. Before going further I always like to check and see if any aspect of a prophecy is repeated elsewhere in the Word. In Zechariah 4:2-4 we read this, "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: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?"

This is what I truly find fascinating about prophecy and the Scriptures. There are actually times in the Word of God that the symbols are directly defined after a prophet sees them in vision. That is a good thing because it allows us a quick and precise definition. So... what are these symbols defined as?

Zechariah 4:5-6, "Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 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."

As we see in this passage, the definition of the two olive trees which hold the oil and the lampstands which bear light are actually defined as something resulting from the work of the Spirit of God and NOT the power of man. So almost immediately we discover that the two witnesses cannot possibly be "men." However, it doesn't end there by any means. There are numerous aspects to this prophecy that further confirm this fact. And please remember that, "...no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." -2Peter 1:20-21

Christian have always known that the Word of God is most definitely defined as a righteous source of light, for it is written...

•  2 Corinthians 4:6, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
• Psalms 119:105, "...Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
• 2 Peter 1:19, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"
• Psalms 119:130, "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
• "Proverbs 6:23, "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:"

And if the meat of Scripture dwells within the heart of His child, they also see that the olive tree in prophecy is defined as "RIGHTEOUSNESS" for it is written...

• Psalms 52:8, "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever."
• Hosea 14:6, "His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon."

To summerize...
Candlesticks = Lampstand = "light unto path"
Olive tree = Oil = "but by my Spirit" (also see Rev 4:5)

"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"

Both the Old and New Testament bear witness unto the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of salvation for all mankind. The Old Testament ANNOUNCED HIS COMING and the New Testament CONFIRMED HIS ARRIVAL. Jesus Himself declared that, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."-John 5:39 His two witnesses have done this all along. Fact is,

THE VISION IN Revelation 11:1-12 WAS DESCRIBING THE "OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS"

It was thought many years ago that the two witnesses were Moses and Elijah because of what is penned in... Revelation 22:18-19, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Moses and his connection with the Plagues of Pharoah and Elijah and his connection with stopping the rain. But as you will soon see, Moses and Elijah could not have been these two. First off, in order to grasp the prophetic truths of the two witnesses you have to realize just how time is calculated in the Word of God. For example, notice the 1260 years and how often they appear in prophecy...

To understand the forty and two months that the beast will reign, we must first find the method of time the Bible declares for prophecy. God says in Ezekiel 4:6 "I have appointed thee each day for a year" And we also find the Bible acknowledges a month to be 30 days long. Because in, Genesis 7:11 we see the rain started on the 17 day of the 2nd month and in Genesis 8:3,4 we find the water receded at the end of 150 days, then it says the ark rested on the 17th day of the 7th month. That's exactly 5 months. If we divide the 150 days by the 5 months you get 30 days per month. So 42 months multiplied by 30 equals 1260. According to Ezekiel 4:6, that's 1260 years. Daniel as well as Revelation speaks of a "time, times, and half a time" which is also 3 and a half years which is also 42 months which is also 1260 days, which prophetically speaking is 1260 years.

So, how does this connect with the two witnesses?

Revelation 11:2,3 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. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Do you notice the 2 witnesses are testifying IN SACKCLOTH? What theme runs throughout Scripture in regards to the wearing of sackcloth? It always represents mourning of some sort. As Christians do we not mourn when we are inhibited and or persecuted for spreading the love of the Gospel? In this case, the mourning that warrants the wearing of sackcloth is in direct response to the suppression of the Roman Catholic power persecuting anyone that would speak the Oracles of God.

Revelation 11:7,8 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. 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. 

1260 YEARS after they started, it says here a beast will rise up that will make war and eventually KILL the 2 witnesses. Fact is, when the Reformation of Luther hit France it was accepted with open arms. However, the Roman Catholic Papacy was very angered by this open acceptance of the Truth by the masses mainly because it exposed them and their evil agenda. So...the French Revolution was initiated by agents of Rome.

Historic fact is, the Revolution was a movement that was TOTALLY AGAINST any form of Religion. Anyone found embracing the Truth in Scripture were destroyed openly and completely. The historic "MASSACRE OF BARTHOLOMEW" is open evidence of that fact! The historic facts and figures can be researched in the book, "AGE OF REASON" by Thomas Paine. This book was sweeping the Nation declaring a belief in self over and above the Lord as the "smart" thing to do. So, to understand the prophecy, we need to ask, did France make war on the Bible during this Revolution as the prophecy hints to? 

On November 10, 1793, the French National Assembly decreed in Paris that the Christian religion should be abolished, and the Bible suppressed. With that declaration the Old and New Testaments of the Bible were prophetically KILLED. In fact the Bibles were burned in public to demonstrate their complete rejection of the Almighty and His will. The "goddess of reason" was declared the truth during this time by the leaders of the movement. The people actually rejoiced over the fact they got the Bible out of their lives. They celebrated, they sent gifts to one another, they rejoiced in great multitudes. And yes, prophecy even saw this before its time. In Revelation 11:10 it stated plainly that, "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." And by the way, did you notice in verse 8 of Revelation 11 that the 2 witnesses bodies were in the street that, "spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt?" The key word is SPIRITUALLY called Sodom and Egypt. But why? 

Using Biblical jurisprudence one can see...

• Egypt = "Atheism "because in Exodus 5:2 it states this, "And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." Historic fact is, FRANCE did indeed declare "God dead" in their Revolution openly in the streets, the media of the day, and numerous publications as well. 
• Sodom = "Ignorance" because in Ezekiel 16:49-50 it says, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom ...her and in her daughters, ...committed abomination before me"

Revelation also declares that this "great city" is also the place "where our Lord was crucified." How does that match up in prophecy?

• The Great City = " Babylon" for it is written in, Isaiah 14:4,13 "...against the king of Babylon, ...thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:"

The depiction of Sodom is defined and confirmed in the rampant immorality that resulted in France after the Bible was removed from it's lifestyle. The depiction of Egypt in prophecy fits this time in history as well. With the declaration that "GOD IS DEAD" in Egypt, the claim of Pharoah echoed over time with uncanny accuracy. Take note of the following quote that confirms this defiance...

	With blasphemous boldness almost beyond belief, one of the priests of the new order said: "God, if You exist, avenge Your injured name. I bid You defiance! You remain silent; You dare not launch Your thunders. Who after this will believe in Your existence?"--Lacretelle, History, vol. 11, p. 309; in Sir Archibald Alison, History of Europe, vol. 1, ch. 10.

This is what History calls the "Age of terror in France." But what of the statement made in this prophecy in regards to, "...here also our Lord was crucified" Was not Jerusalem under the control of Rome when it crucified our Lord, as France was in this day? Anyone found preaching the Truth in France was Guillotined immediately! The blood actually ran through the gutters of the streets of men, woman, and even children that did "certain crimes" that offended the general public. And Jesus DID SAY in Matthew 25:40, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." So, as they killed our Lord in the same decadence driven society under Roman Rule, they did to His followers in France making it all an uncanny repeat in perfect clarity that you could actually picture their dead bodies lying, "...in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified"

The KEY POINT here however is the THREE AND A HALF DAYS that this occurred. Here is the clincher of the whole ball of wax! As you read earlier in Revelation 11:11 it stated that "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."

On November 11, 1793 the French government VOTED RELIGION OUT AND THE BIBLE WAS ABOLISHED IN FRANCE! And after some time the people started to realize the Nation of France was about to crumble to nothing because of the stupidity of the Laws put in place. Their decadent behaviour was reeking havoc on all they held dear. So they decided to VOTE RELIGION BACK IN shortly thereafter. How many years passed you ask?

• 11-17-1793 FRANCE VOTES RELIGION AND BIBLE OUT!
• 06-10-1797 FRANCE VOTES RELIGION AND BIBLE BACK IN!

According to Ezekiel 4:6, "...I have appointed thee each day for a year." Time is actually declared to be a "DAY FOR A YEAR" in prophecy. And here we see that in EXACTLY 3 AND A HALF YEARS the Bible came back into the lives of the people in a very graphic manner. How graphic you ask?

Revelation 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. 

The Word of God was to ascend to Heaven in front of the Lord's enemies. This symbolic language of Revelation 11:12, is declaring that the Two Witnesses will becoem great and well known. In fact, Daniel 4:22 confirms it when it says, "It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth."

Directly after the Bible "came back to life" we see it becoming GREAT all over the world.

• BRITISH BIBLE SOCIETY ESTABLISHED 1804
• AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY ESTABLISHED 1816
• FOREIGN MISSIONS PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL EXPLODE TO ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE
• PRINTING PRESS MASSIVELY PRODUCES THE WORD

The Bible has been the number one best seller the world over since this time! ALL this time, the wicked of the world have watched how this mere book has glorified the God of Heaven!  This is a fact that any one with an ounce of sense can realize. There is one more thing I would like to add to this study however. In Revelation 11:13 we read,  "And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell..."

Revelation 17:12,16 declares, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings... And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."

In "that same hour" at the very end of those 1260 years, a "tenth of the city" (Babylon) FELL! Historic fact is, France, which is actually one of the ten kings that originally supported the apostate Roman Catholic church (Babylon) and it's desire to cast our God and His Word, decided in 1798ad to put an END to the political reign of the Pope.

•  "In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one." -Encyclopedia Britannica 1941 edition
• -"Half Europe thought... that with the Pope the Papacy was dead." -Joseph Rickaby "The Modern Papacy" Lectures on the History of Religion, Lecture 24, (London Catholic Truth Society, 1910), p.1 
  

Still, another prophetic fact lurches forward from this prophecy into our day. WHO was this Beast out of the bottomless pit that arises at the end of the 1260 years that attacks the Truth, and is it still active today? 

Historic fact is, Atheism was actually initiated in the French Revolution thanks to the writings of Thomas Paine. But who else I ask was affected by this man's writings that would cause a Global rush of hatred for the Truth depicted in the week of CREATION? And does it still effect us in modern time?

One major historic literary fact  is GEORGE HEIGEL 1770-1831 was the Father of Modern Athiesm in Philosphy and Thelogy. And he is responsible for affecting the thoughts and words of a certain man that has infected the Biblical Creationist reality.  CHARLES DARWIN 1809-1882 Studied the works of George Heigel. And we ALL know that EVOLUTION is being taught on a Global basis thanks to this man. But did you also know that Charles Darwin had a friend who studied with him? His name was CARL MARX 1818-1883 he is the actual Father of Athiestic Communisiom. Prophetic Biblical fact is THAT in a nutshell is the SIXTH BEAST of Revelation 17. 

• COMMUNISIOM 1798-1991

Revelation 17:10, "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."

 John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."