The Two Witnesses: Who are they?

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

Who are the two witnesses in the book of revelation?

There is definitely no shortage of clips, especially on you-tube, sermons and books sharing various ideas and publishing a vast amount of vivid fantasies about the identity of the two witnesses in the bible.

One can spend his time doing researches and reading the bible for no other purpose as to find out who they really are; or for the sake of having confirmed what he believes already about them.

I’d like to show briefly the uselessness of such a task and the fruitlessness of such a question to ask.

Is there a god?, many people ask. Has such a question ever been debated in the bible? Was the bible written for this very purpose, that is, to make clear whether there is a god or not? The writings of the bible express God’s intension of making known his character and his ways to a depraved mankind which is entirely lost without him – and not primarily his existence. The only reference made to an atheist states simply, ‘The fool says in his heart that there is no God.’

Everyone has a god – an idol so to speak – if it is not the true God of Israel. Therefore God’s concern is not to point out his mere existence but to tear down idols and false ideas about him by revealing his true character and ways in the scriptures of the Bible.

In order to receive correct answers we must ask the right questions. To inquire therefore the identity of the two witnesses in terms of what their names are, whether they ascend from heaven, or if they are born like everybody else, is a very useless thing to do. Had God intended to do this, chapter 11 of the book of revelation should consist of only two, perhaps three verses saying, ‘And I send my two witnesses Moses and Elijah (or Elijah and Enoch) who will prophecy 1260 days. They will die and after three and a half days they rise again.’ (or something similar).

My question is this: Have you ever seen Moses or Elijah? Do you have any idea how Enoch looks like? If Jeremiah knocks at your door tomorrow would you recognize him as the one who foretold the destruction of the first temple?

There is no benefit or help we can draw from such answers, for it is simply the wrong question that has been asked. The mere knowledge that it is Moses and Elijah – perhaps Enoch and/or another old-testament prophet – offers little help; for nobody has ever seen them.

Many will come in my name, Jesus said. Many came already and others are at work today. Jesus doesn’t give us three steps how to find out whether somebody is false by outward appearance. He rather tells us to watch out for their fruits.

In the case of the two witnesses we are given by God a clear description of the types of miracles they will do, the kind of authority they exercise and even the kind of clothes they would wear. Everything  they do is divinely orchestrated by God and happens in a particular time frame. Through chapter 11 in the book of revelation we are given a clear guidance in discernment of what to expect from people who will claim to be the two witnesses – or if you will, a group of people who claim such a thing.

I don’t want to go into great detail about the question if they are two individuals or rather symbolically stand for a group or churches. I believe the chapter leaves no doubt that we should expect two individuals with the described authority given by the LORD and that the events mentioned are therefore future and still to come.