4 "He (the Lord) shall come unto us as the rain."

A third concept has to do with the term prophesy. What will the two witnesses do? They will prophesy. The Body of Christ needs the true Spirit of prophecy. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).

God never called the Christian churches to attempt to bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ by the wisdom, talents, and energies of the members of the churches.

The Church of Christ is the Prophet of God among men. We have no life, no function, no purpose, no wisdom, no power, no ministry, no testimony, apart from the Holy Spirit. We are to be the vessels of the Spirit of God. Through the Spirit we are witnesses of Christ.

When God pours out His Holy Spirit on the Body of Christ the members will speak in tongues and prophesy, proclaiming the wonderful works of God.

Several of the furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation were constructed from acacia wood overlaid within and without with gold. The acacia wood typifies humanity and the gold symbolizes Deity.

The gold upon the wood teaches us that the Kingdom of God is constructed from human beings who are filled with and covered by the Lord Jesus Christ and God in Him.

The Lampstand of the Tabernacle, which portrays the testimony of the Holy Spirit through Christ—Head and Body, contained no wood whatever. The Lampstand was solid gold.

And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. (Exodus 25:31)

The prophetic significance of the fact that the Lampstand was constructed from pure gold, no wood being present, is that the testimony given by the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ is not to be partly of God, partly the efforts of humans.

The Divine testimony is purely Divine, of the Holy Spirit. All any human being can do, in terms of the testimony of Christ, is to present himself to the Holy Spirit so the Spirit can bear witness through him.

This is the reason for tongues, prophecy, and the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the gifts and ministries of the Spirit is to open in the believer a channel through which the Holy Spirit can bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our responsibility is to pray, keep ourselves spiritually clean by the Spirit’s help, meditate in God’s Word, assemble with fervent saints, and serve in a practical way according to the grace of Christ that has been given to us (Romans 12:3).

The Holy Spirit’s responsibility, His charge from the Father, is to bear witness of the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the Christian churches are not groups of people who have banded together to present Christ to the world. Rather, the Christian churches are parts of the Lampstand of God, of Christ Himself who is the Light of the world, when the Holy Spirit is working through them.

Apart from the Holy Spirit the Christian churches can do nothing concerning the testimony of Christ.

Only the Holy Spirit can bear the testimony of Christ, the testimony that overcomes the accuser, Satan.

Another important concept concerning the two witnesses is that of the "thousand two hundred and threescore days" (1260 days, 42 months, 3-1/2 years, a time, times, and a half a time) during which the witnesses will prophesy.

The anointings that come upon the churches or upon individuals are specific. The authority and power of ministry remain under the strict control of Christ. Christ gives that power in order to accomplish a specific purpose, and then He withdraws it. (There will come a time, however, when the fullness of the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and then it will not be withdrawn.)

When the Lord Jesus Christ opens a door of ministry there is no authority or power in Heaven or upon the earth, Antichrist included, that in any manner can harm that ministry until its purpose has been accomplished.

The two witnesses will be empowered to prophesy for three and one-half years. This may be a symbolic expression or an actual period of 1260 days (3-1/2 times 360). When the objective has been accomplished the authority and power will be withdrawn.

Such a withdrawal of authority and power of ministry accounts for the expression in II Thessalonians 2:7: "only he who now letteth [hinders] will let, until he be taken out of the way."

It is the authority and power of Christ abiding on the saints that is hindering the full expression of lawlessness on the earth. Just before Jesus returns, after the period of time when the latter rain of revival power has fallen and has accomplished its work of bringing the wheat and the tares to maturity, the opportunity for worldwide witnessing and ministry will be withdrawn from the saints.

However, there always will be a remnant of God’s elect on the earth who will minister to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32). The days of the tribulation will be shortened for the sake of the elect.

Second Thessalonians 2:7 does not state that the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn into Heaven (as commonly taught) but rather that He will be "taken out of the way." This means the anointing that enables the saints to hinder the full expression of Antichrist in the earth will be lifted by the Lord for a season.

The Lord God never will leave His earth. How could the omnipresent God leave anything of His creation? Will the Lord, who owns all the earth and all the nations of the earth, leave the earth and give it to Satan? That never shall happen. God does, however, give authority to Satan to express his wickedness in order to further God’s work in the earth.

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