TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IN BIBLE PROPHECY
Lesson 43: A look at how the prophetic connection between John's two
candlesticks and Zechariah's two olive trees imagery
defines the final mission of the "two sons of fresh oil."
I A recap of the major outcomes of the Sixth Trumpet War.
1 And was given to me a reed like to a staff, saying: Rise
and measure the shrine of God and the altar and the (ones)
worshipping in it.
2 And the outside court of the shrine cast out outside and
thou mayest measure it not, because it was given to the
nations, and the holy city they will trample forty and two
months (Rev. 11:1-2, IGENT).
A The symbolic order to cast the "outside court"--the
visible outward trappings of Christianity such as church
buildings, schools, colleges, etc.,--"out outside,
because it was given to the nations," states that all of
Christendom's financial assets will be given to the
nations after the Sixth Trumpet War.
1 The text teaches that the world's established
religious organizations will willingly hand over the
sum of their assets to the coming new international
religious order.
2 This action will mark the beginning of a globally
organized war against Christians.
B Also, the holy city of Jerusalem will come under the
control of the nations for forty-two months.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they
shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth (Rev. 11:3).
A In response to these gains made by Satan's forces, the
Captain of the Lord's host "will give power unto His two
witnesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand two
hundred and threescore days."
B The use of forty-two months and 1,260 days here
indicates that 42 months, 1,260 days and a time and
times and half a time, all refer to the same three-and-
one-half year period of time--the time when the Fourth
Beast will rule the world.
II The connection between the two olive trees and the two sons
of fresh oil explained.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth (Rev. 11:4).
A In Zechariah's prophecy, the "two olive trees," one on
each side of a candlestick with seven lamps thereon,
represent the two "anointed ones" (literally, "the sons
of fresh oil") teaching God's space-age prophecies to
Christ's earthly Church during the days leading up to
the outbreak of AWWI.
B What does the definite statement "these are the two
olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before
the God of the earth," reveal about the two witnesses'
mission?
1 It declares that the same two "anointed ones" will
not only fulfill the mission symbolically defined in
Zechariah's two olive trees prophecy, but also the
mission defined by the two candlestick's imagery.
2 The two candlesticks symbolize the decidedly
different mission assignment they will be engaged in
during the Fourth Beast's three-and-one-half year
reign of terror.
C What does the Revelation's opening picture of Christ
walking among seven candlesticks reveal about the nature
of the two witnesses second mission assignment?
1 According to that introduction, the seven candle-
sticks represent Christ's entire earthly Church.
2 Substitution of candlesticks for olive trees to
represent the two witnesses, immediately after the
reference to Jerusalem being placed under the control
of the nations for 42 months, provides the following
insight into the witnesses' second mission assignment.
a Since 42 months is the same time period assigned
for the duration of the Fourth Beast (Rev. 13:5),
it follows that once the Fourth Beast succeeds in
snuffing out the light going forth from Christ's
long-established churches, the two witnesses will
assume the leadership role left in the wake of the
Church being driven underground.
b During those violent days, the only visible light
remaining intact from the "seven churches" will be
going out through the Captain's two witnessing
candlesticks.
c Thus, upon the establishment of the world govern-
ment, the two witnesses will spend their remaining
three-and-one-half years leading the Christian
movement to evangelize the world, despite the
Fourth Beast's determined effort to stop them.
d Note further that since the two "anointed ones"
will be preaching during the Fourth Beast's reign
of terror, the space-age will close within the
life-span of these two witnesses.
D Why will the two witnesses wear sackcloth--a coarse
cloth used for making sacks and rough garments in Bible
days, commonly made from camel or goat hair?
1 They may wear these traditional mourning clothes as
an expression of grief over the atomic disaster.
2 More practical reasons might be to keep radioactive
fallout off their skin and for protection against the
dramatic increase in ultraviolet radiation expected
in the wake of a global atomic war.
E What biblical reasons can be given for the assignment of
two witnesses to this prophetic end time mission?
1 According to established Mosaic judicial procedure--
the witness of two is true.
6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses,
shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but
at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to
death (Deut. 17:6).
2 God, being just, does not condemn any man to death on
the word of one witness.
3 During extraordinary times in Israel's past, God sent
men in pairs to warn people of impending judgments.
4 Examples include: Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua,
Ezekiel and Daniel, Zerubbabel and Joshua.
F The two witnesses will carry out their final mission
during the most extraordinary times ever witnessed by
man.
G The two witnesses will exhort all men to repent and turn
to Christ.
H They will use God's explicit space-age prophecies to
prove God's existence and good intentions toward all men.
III The enemies of the two witnesses will be devoured by fire.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of
their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man
will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
(Rev. 11:5).
A Why will the world government be diametrically opposed
to the witnesses' space-age prophetic message?
1 Predictably, those supporting the international
government will find the witnesses' message against
the evils of the capital city inflammatory and
disruptive.
2 The witnesses' general call for men to turn to Christ
and separate themselves from the international
government's religious movement will also be viewed
as an act of treason.
B According to this text and the Fourth Beast's declara-
tion of "war with the saints" (Rev. 13:7), there will be
a determined effort, not only to silence the two
witnesses' testimony, but also to "hurt them."
C The witnesses' response to this offensive against them,
described as "fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and
devoureth their enemies," raises the question as to
whether it should be interpreted in a figurative or
literal sense?
1 Similar language used in Jeremiah's prophecy fore-
telling the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the
Babylonians, provides one possible parallel text.
14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts,
Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my
words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it
shall devour them (Jer. 5:14).
a The prophetic words from Jeremiah's mouth came to
pass when the Babylonians burned Jerusalem to the
ground and carried those remaining alive back to
Babylon as slaves.
b If a symbolic meaning of "fire" is intended in
Rev. 11:5, it would find fulfillment when the
witnesses' enemies eventually meet their death at
the hands of the post-AWWI plagues and Second
Atomic War, both of which are prophetically
spelled out in the rest of the Revelation.
2 On the other hand, if the immediate death of the
witnesses' enemies by literal fire is the intended
meaning of the text, parallel passages exist for this
also.
3 In a confrontation between King Ahaziah of Samaria
and Elijah the prophet, literal fire settled the
matter.
9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with
his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he
sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him,
Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of
fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from
heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there
came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his
fifty (II KIN. 1:9-10).
a Thus, when Elijah was personally threatened in his
day, God literally killed Elijah's enemies with
fire.
b God's intervention not only kept Elijah's enemies
from harming him, but more importantly, it removed
all doubt concerning his commission as a prophet
of God.
4 The two witnesses will be up against the same all-out
opposition that Elijah faced in his day.
5 In fact, according to Rev. 11:7, the Fourth Beast
will finally succeed in killing them, after waging
war against the two witnesses for 1,260 days.
6 What interesting point does this additional
information raise?
a Since "the two candlesticks" represent the two
witnesses openly assuming the leadership role left
after the church has been driven underground,
destruction of the two witnesses' enemies by
"fire" provides a plausible explanation for their
survival.
b Otherwise how could the two openly preach for
1,260 days against the evils of a powerful world
government determined to silence them?
c Note also that the second half of Revelation 11:5
confirms the manner in which their enemies will be
killed.
d That is, "if any man will hurt them, he must in
this manner be killed" repeats what was previously
said and redirects the cause of death back to the
initial description--by "fire."
IV What is wrong with the position held by many of the early
Church, that Enoch and Elijah will appear again as the two
witnesses, and a later alternate opinion that they will be
Moses and Elijah?
A The answer is found in Abraham's reply to the rich man
in hell who asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his
five brothers to repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one
rose from the dead (Luke 16:31).
B This story, told by Christ, clearly teaches that the two
witnesses will not return from some previous time, but
will be members of the Sebat generation.