2 Where Will the Two Witnesses Come From?
Back to Where Will the Two Witnesses Come From?
Global Event
In the modern age of globalization, people worldwide will witness this via television, cellphones and computers. Many will feel vindicated at what they perceive as just punishment due to drought, fire and terrible plagues these “evil men brought.” All nations will enjoy their death, excited that such “intolerant judges” against man’s way of life—man’s massive sin!—are finally gone. Life can now return to normal.
Instead of worldwide repentance at their testimony, proving nothing has changed for thousands of years with God’s prophets, the world relishes their death: “They that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, andmake merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (Rev. 11:10). The next three verses show these martyrs are resurrected to physical life, while an earthquake kills 7,000 people in Jerusalem to emphasize who these extraordinary servants represented.
Now Revelation 11:12-13: “They [the nations] heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them [the Witnesses], Come up here. And they ascended…in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city [Jerusalem] fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to…God.”
This earthquake is God punctuating the world’s failure to permanently destroy these extraordinary servants. Obviously mainly in Jerusalem, it could still be worldwide in scope. This earthquake precedes and begins to announce the most pivotal event in human history—Jesus Christ’s Return!
My book "http://rcg.org/books/tbgpu.html The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked! – A Voice Cries Out' explains in detail all that you have learned, but also so much more.
Revelation 11 ALL reveals other details: “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” (Revelation 11:4). What does this mean? Who are the “two olive trees”—and “two candlesticks”? Let’s watch the Bible interpret itself.
Christ the Revelator is referencing a passage in the book of Zechariah, which calls the Witnesses “two olive branches,” which “empty…golden oil out of themselves” (Zechariah 4:12). Two verses later Zechariah states that “these are the two anointed ones” (Zechariah 4:14). But what is this “golden oil” and its connection to the two “anointed ones”? The answer is tied to their AWESOME POWER.
Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins helps bring understanding. The five foolish virgins are seen to lack “oil” for their lamps. Having lost God’s Holy Spirit—symbolized by oil—they are “shut out” of the kingdom of God (Matt. 25:10)! I John 2:27 shows that all true Christians are “anointed” with God’s Spirit, and anointing would normally occur with oil. II Timothy 1:7 refers to the Holy Spirit as the spirit of “power, love, and a sound mind.” And Paul admonished every Christian to “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10), as well as, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). These two deeply converted men obviously must be anointed with a much-more-than-usual measure of God’s Spirit—the SOURCE of theirEXTRAORDINARY POWER!
Because God’s people of the seventh era are scattered into many organizations, there has arisen the question of whether the Two Witnesses will come from the last two Church eras—Laodicea and Philadelphia. This would be utterly impossible. (If the reader is not yet convicted about the identity of Laodicea, and that it is the splinters and slivers collectively, what follows will not be understood.)
The Two Witnesses coming from Laodicea is completely out of the question—I repeat, IMPOSSIBLE!—and there are a host of reasons. And this includes any possibility that one comes from Laodicea to join the other who is Philadelphian in condition so that the two of them represent two eras, as this silly theory suggests.
This idea comes from a sloppy reading of Zechariah 4 ALL, causing many to believe the Two Witnesses represent two of the candlesticks of Revelation 2 and 3 ALL, and thus the two final church eras. First notice Revelation 1 ALL: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle…the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels [messengers] of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which you saw ARE the seven churches” (Revelation 1:13, 20).
But does this mean the Two Witnesses will each come from one of the last two Church eras? In addition to how Christ only gives offices in His one unified organization and Body, here is what else is often missed. A closer examination of Zechariah 4 All brings the truth: “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What see you? And I said, I have looked, and behold acandlestick [menorah] all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon [on the candlestick not the bowl], 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” (Zechariah 4:1-3). The olive trees, which we will see picture the Two Witnesses, are by the lamps. They are not two of the seven lamps—candlesticks—supposedly representing Philadelphia and Laodicea.
Let’s see this proven further: “Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these TWO OLIVE TREES upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? [Notice again the Two Witnesses are not the candlesticks, but are on the sides of the menorah.] And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these TWO OLIVE BRANCHES which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Know you not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the TWO ANOINTED ONES [some Bible margins render this “the two sons of oil”], that stand by the LORD of the whole earth (Zech. 4:11-14).
Understand. The Two Witnesses are typed by olive trees (or branches, these are interchangeable terms). These branches drip golden olive oil through two pipes attached to the bowl on top of the menorah. This oil then runs down through seven pipes into each of the seven candlesticks. This provides the oil—the power—to light them.
Be sure to get this! The Two Witnesses are called olive trees, olive branches, anointed ones and sons of oil, but they are NOT pictured as candlesticks, and thus could NOT represent the final two Church eras.
Let’s pile on proof. Christ describes Laodicea as “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked,” and “lukewarm,” without “zeal” and puffed up with too many “goods” and “riches” (Rev. 3:16-17). He would NEVER put anyone (the witness that is supposedly Laodicean) in this kind of DEPLORABLE SPIRITUAL CONDITION into the second highest office in His Church—and send him off to such an incredibly important task!
With such enormous control over world conditions, these must be men of tremendous spiritual depth and understanding! This should be clear, in fact again virtually impossible to misunderstand.
The living Jesus Christ would never select one to receive such power and authority if he were not humble, obedient to God, faithful in all matters, and doctrinally sound—strong in the TRUTH! When understood, this alone means that these prophets must come from the only Church on the face of the earth that understands ALL THE DOCTRINES OF GOD! They will be men who speak the truth of God—and the TRUTH ALONE!—and who will have built the courage to do this under extreme pressure during prior training. They will be men of great strength and conviction, able to stand completely alone in a hostile world that wants them DEAD!
Politicians, weaklings, menpleasers and the self-appointed would NEVER work! Neither would the “best” Laodicean.
Besides, men of compromised doctrinal understanding—any who did not understand the “all things” that had been restored to the Church under Mr. Armstrong—would no doubt issue the wrong message to both the nations and leaders whom they must confront. They must know to issue the right message in different situations to different audiences.
These two servants will be men of great judgment, wisdom and understanding—who know exactly when and when not to use their awesome power. Of course, they will have to fully understand the scope and magnitudeof their own office. And they must comprehend that their role involves submission to the authority of the one higher human office above them. We cannot be describing men who would be anything less than crystal clear about the nature of the GOVERNMENT OF GOD in His Church—and in all its exactness, precision and detail?
A point of emphasis. All of this is another central reason the Two Witnesses must arise from within the Body of Christ. They will be men who understand where Christ is the “Head” (recall Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18)—where He is leading, meaning where His GOVERNMENT is present—because they will need to constantly tap Christ’s own power on a daily basis. They will be men who have submitted to His government, and who will have been doing this for a long time! In other words, the Two Witnesses will be men that Christ has been ruling. These men will have had to return to doctrinal soundness in all points long before they begin their commission!
Remember once more that Laodicea is where “the people rule,” because they have rejected Christ’s government. This has put them outside the Body of Christ. Would Christ use men who have themselves rejectedHis government over them? These men have to tell the whole world that they should have submitted to the government of God 6,000 years ago—and that this government is coming very, very soon to smash all of theirgovernments—and that this is because those governments have FAILED! How many would fit this “job opening”?
These will be men who recognize that “to walk among lions, one must BE a lion.”
Offices in Christ’s ministry are never given to untrained or inexperienced men. God has never worked this way, especially with the highest offices in His Church. The God of the Bible does not hand out great power and authority willy-nilly. The Two Witnesses will have been faithfully serving in God’s Church, almost certainly first in one or more lower offices, before they are ready to be given the higher office of prophet—one that history records has not been assigned by Christ for almost 2,000 years. And realize these men would not receive officejust before their ministry begins. There will be prior evidence they have been given to be prophets, no doubt including an obvious ability to perform great miracles, meaning almost certainly not for the first time at the point they are facing the nations of the world from Jerusalem.
(The book in our Splinter Explanation Packet titled "http://rcg.org/sep/books/ttc.html">The True Church – One Organization, or Many? is of tremendous importance. If you have not yet read this book, you will be unable to comprehend the magnitude of many of these points made. Read it as soon as possible.)
Again, since prophets hold the second highest office in the Church, this re-introduces, “Where is the apostle with whom the Two Witnesses interact?”
This question never arose before 1986, because the entire Church had thought for many years that Mr. Armstrong would be alive when the Two Witnesses appeared. Since he is gone, and almost all have assumed there will be no other apostle to whom the Two Witnesses can report, this question arises: “How can these men carry out this duty?”
While the Two Witnesses have not appeared as yet, they must report to, and work under—at least until their commission begins—a human apostle. Prophets certainly could not report to an evangelist or to any otherlower office and, because they hold offices only given by Christ within His Body, they must come from inside HisONE Church. (Incidentally, this interaction becomes one more reason there would have to come another apostle after Mr. Armstrong.)
No one ever wondered if the Two Witnesses would come from outside the WCG when it was on track, and none should doubt that they will come from the one unified true Church and Body today.
A question arises. What about the Old Testament prophets? Who was the apostle with whom they interacted?
Since the Bible reveals that all true prophets report to an apostle, two of the greatest prophets ever would hardly be exceptions, or Christ would break His pattern. How does this teaching harmonize with the above questions? Apart from the fact that the office of apostle had not yet appeared, because the New Testament Church of God had not yet appeared, there is another simple answer!
Consider! God always worked directly with Old Testament prophets. The God of the Old Testament (long understood to be Jesus Christ), often worked face-to-face with those whom He was using. Sometimes He appeared as Melchizedek, as when He was speaking to the patriarchs.
You will notice a pattern throughout the books of the prophets. Each starts with phrases like, “The Word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel…” or “The words of Jeremiah…to whom the Word of the Lord came…” or “The Word of the Lord that came to Micah…” and so forth.
Notice Hebrews 3:1: “Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” We know God’s Old Testament servants looked forward to Christ’s sacrifice as their Savior. They also looked forward to Him as their High Priest—as well as their Wonderful Counselor, King of kings and Prince of Peace, among other titles He will hold (Isa. 9:6). The Church has long known this. Would these prophets have not also looked forward to Jesus Christ as God’s New Testament Apostle? He has probably always held the role of Apostle, since the Father had been “sending Him” (remember, an apostle is “one sent”) to Earth with messages for thousands of years prior to His First Coming.
Whether Christ has always been an Apostle or became one at the birth of the New Testament age may not be absolutely clear, but we do know that He “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8) and He “changes not” (Mal. 3:6). Here is the point! All Old Testament prophets reported directly to an Apostle—Jesus Christ!—who would one day be just as much their Savior, High Priest, Apostle, etc., as ours. This is consistent with what the Bible teaches and Mr. Armstrong taught.
Some believe one of the Two Witnesses may be an apostle. The idea is that this would solve the problem of to whom the other can report. When Mr. Armstrong was alive, we thought this was a possibility because most could not imagine he would not be one of the Witnesses. I certainly thought this, and for a long time. But I had not really thought through what it meant in this regard that Mr. Armstrong was an apostle, not a prophet.
Again, an apostle is “one sent” or “a messenger.” I felt that men God calls “MY Two Witnesses” are certainly HIS“messengers”—and they certainly are directly SENT by God. This was a reason it did not seem a stretch to believe at least one Witness could be an apostle. But Jeremiah, in his commission “to the nations,” and Ezekiel, in his commission to “the house of Israel,” were both specifically described as “sent” by God. Of course, these men were not apostles. But it is correct to say all prophets were directly sent by God. However, prophets were never sent to the world as a whole with the gospel as Christ’s designated ambassador, nor were they permitted to hold administrative office in the New Testament.
This becomes another reason it is evident neither of the Witnesses will be apostles. Think. If they, one or both, were, why does God specifically reference them with use of what would be their lower office of “Prophet”? If they were apostles, God would surely say this. Besides, when has God ever given a man two offices at one time? NEVER!
Let’s bring this to conclusion. The speculation and confusion about “origin” of the Two Witnesses ought never be. The mystery shrouding the identity of these two final servants can be removed.
Let’s strip it away! Let’s speak plainly.
Christ is not divided—and The Restored Church of God IS the ONE, UNIFIED, organized, uncompromising true Church and Body of Christ on Earth today! This Church is the only place Christ’s government can be found. This means that the Two Witnesses will be given (Eph. 4:11) their office by Christ from WITHIN THIS CHURCH! He simply would not do it any other way—to do so would work against Himself, including the entirety of I Corinthians 12 ALL, among many other scriptures. It would also work against everything the Church understood from Mr. Armstrong about the government of God.
Let me repeat: I state without apology and with God’s authority that both of the Two Witnesses will be members of The Restored Church of God! There is no doubt! (Again, the popular theory that one will be Philadelphian and one will be Laodicean is silly at best, ludicrous at worst. Amos 3:3 declares this much!) It cannot be known whether these men are in The Restored Church of God yet, but if not, they will have to come here, and must do this well before the Tribulation, and well before learning they have been selected by Christ for great responsibility. We saw that I Corinthians 12:27-28 makes absolutely clear that they will not—actuallycannot!—be given their offices when they are OUTSIDE the Body of Christ!
Everyone within Christ’s Body—God’s one undivided Church—will have no doubt about their arrival. All others will be in confusion. I repeat for emphasis, without understanding this point, the reader will never be able to correctly discern the only possible origin of the Two Witnesses—that these are two men given the office of prophet WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST. Simple recognition of what is Christ’s Church and what is His Body makes understanding their origin easy. To those who know the location of God’s Church, no discernment will be involved—or needed. It becomes vital then to identify the true Church. This is where "http://rcg.org/sep/books/ttc.html">The True Church – One Organization, or Many? is crucial. You may also wish to read my book to those learning the truth for the first time "http://rcg.org/books/thogtc.html">Where Is the True Church? – and Its Incredible History! It carefully explains how to find the only Church Christ built.
Think for a moment. During the period when the Worldwide Church of God was on track, none ever doubted that the Two Witnesses would come from inside it. No one thought for a second that they would come fromany place outside where Christ was leading. No one ever speculated that they would come from Sardis, an era outside Philadelphia, let alone from any of the WCG’s many earlier little rebellious offshoots that had developed over time. Laodicea is in at least as bad and possibly worse shape than was Sardis when Mr. Armstrong left it. All of its groups are also in worse shape than the little offshoots of the liberal 1970s.
Yet, as we have seen, these two final prophets must also report to an apostle to be consistent with what the Bible reveals and Mr. Armstrong understood. This means that there must have been another apostle trained and sent at the end of the age, and that he must be in The Restored Church of God.
That is the case! This is a bold statement. Is it true? Make absolutely no mistake in this, regarding your personalresponsibility to get the facts in this matter. It is for the reader to examine and determine the TRUTH of this—to see whether Christ has given the office of apostle, based on the FRUITS, or if I have TAKEN this office and authority to myself. What are the facts, the evidence, the proofs of such an office? You should demand such. Scores of thousands of God’s people once professed to know an apostle when they saw one. What, if anything, has changed your thinking? (You are encouraged to examine the sermon series in the Splinter Explanation Packet titled “21st-Century Apostle,” as well as those explaining the Watchman and Messenger roles.)
A final thought: Circumstances forced me to research and come to much more fully understand the office of prophet than anyone else today. This extensive process has allowed me to teach you the truth of that office—from the Bible and from what Mr. Armstrong taught. The result in part became the books "http://rcg.org/sep/books/iwse.html"I Will Send Elijah to Restore All Things and "http://rcg.org/sep/books/itpat.html" Is “That Prophet” Alive Today? – The Rise of False Prophets, as well as portions of '"http://rcg.org/sep/books/tgog.html"The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties. Mr. Armstrong spoke often of how Christ had carefully trained him. All of this has helped prepare—train—me to understand how my office will someday interact with the two final prophets Christ will select and train within this Church!
The reader now has studying to do.
We may ask: To whom do the Two Witnesses report during the Tribulation, when the Philadelphian remnant is at the Place of Safety? Remember, by the time the Great Tribulation arrives these men will have already received extraordinary power in order to represent God—visiting, addressing and warning nations of the world. In all likelihood, although we cannot know for sure, the Two Witnesses will probably not after a point interact much, if at all, with the human apostle during the Tribulation. Let’s examine this to see why.
In Revelation 11 ALL, Christ calls these prophets “MY two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3). Combine this with Zechariah 4:14. This chapter refers to these men several times and culminates with Rev 11:14: “These are the two anointed ones, thatstand BY the LORD of the whole earth.” (We saw Revelation 11:4 confirms of whom Zechariah 4:14 speaks.)
This passage reveals that these two men have a special, direct relationship and proximity to Christ. All three stand together. It is obvious that the Two Witnesses report directly to Christ in carrying out their duty. If you consider this role, it should be even clearer why they must report to Christ, and why they work so closely with Him. Their circumstances are unique in all history. Consider: Fire comes from their mouths to devour their adversaries. The power Christ gives them is so great they cannot be killed by anyone or anything for 3½ years. This alone makes them unique.
Their role also differs from all previous prophets in several additional ways. No other prophets lay unburied for 3½ days. No others were resurrected, or perceived by the entire world to “torment them” (again, Elijah is a possible exception). These points alone demonstrate these are not ordinary prophets, for which the usual “rules” of function apply. Still, they do work directly—face-to-face—with a living Apostle—Christ! And they may still, in some way, report to the human apostle at the Place of Safety.
The Two Witnesses have not yet appeared. Neither will they arrive in the way popular opinion suggests. Christendom thinks it will embrace these men. How wrong is this view! I repeat, many people today claim to be the Two Witnesses. Now think. More—and very powerful—demon-sent and inspired counterfeits will arise. Remember, the Witnesses are foretold to perform powerful miracles. But Jesus warned of false prophets just before His Return, who would in some cases perform false miracles. Surely one or more well-known, higher profile counterfeits of the Two Witnesses—who would of course claim to be prophets—will appear, and probably soon.
It is easy to see how today’s disagreement and confusion in the world is paving the way to their acceptance. Think how easy it will be to fool the masses whom we have seen are so ignorant of the who, what, from whereand when regarding these final great prophets. Sadly, disagreement and confusion in the splinters of the seventh era about the Two Witnesses are also setting up many of God’s people to be no less fooled.
The Bible indicates most will likely believe the Two Witnesses are the Beast and miracle-working False Prophet, whom an adoring world will worship. And the Beast and False Prophet may in fact be received by millions as the Two Witnesses! Such will be the power of the devil’s final deceit. Springing from today’s confusion over the Two Witnesses’ origin, II Thessalonians 2:10-11 shows the entire Christian world—and in fact the whole world—is being set up for mass delusion!
But you have been warned, and now know the TRUTH. Jesus warned, “Watch and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to ESCAPE all these things” (Luke 21:36). You now know better what to watch for!
What will you do with this knowledge?