CHAPTER NINE –THE FINAL PROPHETS
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Could there be any more fascinating topic to speculate upon than the coming work of the final prophets during the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord? Hardly!
But at the same time, there is hardly a subject related to prophecy that is more badly mangled and misunderstood than that of the Two Witnesses.
Let’s clear this up, once and for all.
Various questions arise about the Two Witnesses, including how are they able to report to a living apostle. Let’s understand. In Revelation 11:10, Christ does refer to these two servants as “these two prophets.” The Greek word there is prophetes (pronounced pro-fay-tace), and it plainly means prophets. Hence, the question, “Where is the apostle to whom the Two Witnesses report?”
This question did not arise prior to 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 there seems to be no other apostle to whom the Two Witnesses can report, this question arises: “How can these men correctly carry out their duties?”
Much of the rest of the chapter will serve as a kind of inset to the rest of the book. When discussing the subject of the Two Witnesses, certain basic questions arise collectively. It is not really possible to address even the most basic ones without some background—some additional, helpful information. This allows us to answer several questions at the same time.
The subject of the Two Witnesses is one of seemingly endless speculation. Let’s state again. Almost everyone enjoys talking about these two final servants, but few seem to understand exactly how they will appear, let alone how and where they will receive their office. This should not be.
Let’s understand—exactly!
First some basic review from earlier: Recall that the office of prophet is the second highest New Testament office—IN THE BODY OF CHRIST! It must be understood that Christ’s Body is not divided. If this is not firmly in place within the reader’s mind, the Bible’s picture cannot come clear. This Body is still found today as one, unified, organized, uncompromising Church. And again, if this is not understood, the reader will never be able to understand the identity and function of the Two Witnesses. What follows will elude your comprehension. (To learn more, read our book on The True Church – One Organization, or Many?)
Many seem to have the idea that the Two Witnesses will suddenly appear “out of nowhere.” It is as though they will explode on the scene one day having grown up like mushrooms “overnight”—or they will fly in like astronauts from outer space—or they will have been hiding in a cave waiting to be revealed—or they will be Bible figures from the past suddenly reincarnated! Obviously, no one articulates their arrival in exactly these ways, but references carry this net effect. But then, no one believes that they will come from among today’s modern Protestant or Evangelical television evangelists. The result is much unnecessary mystery about a subject that should be understood as clearly as it was when Mr. Armstrong was alive.
This said, because God’s people are now scattered into many organizations, there is the question of whether the Two Witnesses will come from one (or possibly two) of the splinters—in other words, from Laodicea.
If the reader is not yet convicted about the identity of Laodicea, and that it is the splinters collectively, it will not be possible to understand what follows. Reading “ANOINT YOUR EYES” will eliminate all confusion regarding the identity of Laodicea. The Two Witnesses coming from an organization within the now dominant Laodicea is absolutely impossible for two central reasons.
Let’s learn them:
(1) Christ describes Laodicea as “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked,” and “lukewarm,” without zeal and puffed up with too many “goods” and “riches.” He would NEVER put two men in the second highest office in His Church who were in this kind of DEPLORABLE SPIRITUAL CONDITION! He would also NEVER select people who were doctrinally unsound to be given such enormous miraculous power and authority as the Two Witnesses will have. Remember, Laodicea is the place where the “people rule, judge and decide,” because they have rejected Christ’s government. This has put them outside the Body of Christ.
(2) The Two Witnesses must arise from within the Body of Christ. They will have been men who understood where Christ was the “Head” (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)—where He is leading, meaning where His GOVERNMENT is present. They will be men who have submitted to that government, and who will have been doing this for some considerable time! In other words, the Two Witnesses will be men that Christ has been ruling. These men will have to be doctrinally sound in all points long before they can begin their commission. Also, such high offices would never be given to men who are untrained or inexperienced. God never works this way, particularly with the highest offices in the Church. The Two Witnesses will, no doubt, have been faithfully serving in God’s Church for some time before they are ready to be given the very high office of prophet. They will be tried and proven, and made ready for difficulty probably beyond imagination.
(You are probably aware by now of the importance of the two-part sermon in our Splinter Explanation Packettitled “The Body of Christ: Why Most Are No Longer In It—But Assume They Are!” If you have not yet heard this message, you will be unable to really grasp the magnitude of this point. Take the time to listen to it as soon as possible after reading this section. Again, you may also wish to read THE TRUE CHURCH book.)
Let’s bring this question to conclusion. The “mystique” shrouding the identity of these two final servants need not be. 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, and to do so would work against the entirety of I Corinthians 12 ALL, among many other scriptures.
Let me repeat for emphasis: I state without apology that both of the Two Witnesses will be members of The Restored Church of God. (The popular theory that one will be Philadelphian and one will be Laodicean is silly at best, ludicrous at worst.) No one knows whether these men are here yet, but if not, they will have to come here, and do so well before the Tribulation, and well before they know their final identity. I Corinthians 12:27-28makes absolutely clear that they will not—actually cannot, according to Scripture!—be given their offices when they are OUTSIDE the Body of Christ.
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. No one thought for a second that they would come from anyother place outside where Christ was leading. No one ever speculated that they would come from Sardis, an era outside Philadelphia, let alone come from any of the WCG’s many little earlier offshoots that had developed over time.
Yet, as we have seen, these two final prophets must report to an apostle to be consistent with what Mr. Armstrong understood. This means that there must be another apostle at the end of the age, and that he must be in The Restored Church of God.
This is now the case!
This is a very bold statement. Is it true? Understand. It is for the reader to examine and determine the truth of this statement—to see whether Christ has GIVEN me the office of apostle, based on the fruits, or I have TAKENthis office and authority to myself. What are the facts, the evidence, the proofs of such an appointment?
(The reader is again encouraged to carefully examine the extensive sermon in this packet titled “21st-Century Apostle” as well as the almost equally extensive sermon explaining both the Watchman and Messenger roles of today. Too much is at stake to take my word or anyone else’s on this matter.)
A final thought may be helpful here: Circumstances have forced me to research and come to more fully understand the office of prophet than anyone else today—and there is no doubt of this. The result has been that this long process has allowed me to teach you the truth of that office—from what Mr. Armstrong taught and from what God’s Word teaches. The result has also been the book I Will Send Elijah to Restore All Things, as well as the one you are now reading. All of this has helped prepare me to understand how my office will someday interact with the two final prophets whom Christ will select and train in this Church.
The reader has some careful studying to do after reading this chapter.
We may ask: Who do the Two Witnesses work with once the Tribulation begins, and the Philadelphian remnant is at the Place of Safety? Remember, the Great Tribulation is when these men receive extraordinary power in order to represent God, visiting, addressing and warning nations around the world. Who do these men report to during the Tribulation? In all likelihood, although we cannot know for sure, the Two Witnesses will probably notinteract much, if at all, with the human apostle during the Tribulation. Let’s examine this to see why.
We must recognize that John 9:4 describes the end of the Work of Philadelphia—the “night…when no man can work.” Conditions in the secular world will become so bad that the Work of God simply cannot continue, and the Church will have to be taken to a place of safety for its own survival and protection at that point. The “baton” of the Work, so to speak, must then be handed to the Two Witnesses, to men who must be given extraordinary supernatural power to enable them to carry out their task unharmed.
A related question arises. What about Old Testament prophets? Who was the apostle to whom they reported?
Again, Mr. Armstrong taught that all true prophets report to an apostle. Possibly the two greatest prophets ever would hardly be exceptions. We have also seen why he taught this. How does this teaching harmonize with these questions? There is a simple answer!
Consider! How did God always work with prophets (and all of His greatest servants) throughout the Old Testament? The God of the Old Testament (long understood to be Jesus Christ of the New Testament) generally spoke face-to-face—communicated directly!—with those He was using. With few exceptions, there is a pattern throughout the Major and Minor Prophets. Each of these books starts with a phrase to the effect of “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…,” etc. You may wish to turn and read several of them.
The One who became Christ worked directly with all of these prophets. Sometimes He also appeared as Melchizedek when He spoke to the Patriarchs, and others, face-to-face. Most of us would have at least in the past been somewhat familiar with how Christ dealt directly with His greatest Old Testament servants.
Recall that Hebrews 3:1 states, “Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” We know that God’s Old Testament servants looked forward to Christ’s sacrifice as their Savior. They also looked forwardto Him as their High Priest—as well as their Wonderful Counselor, King of Kings and Prince of Peace, among other offices (Isa. 9:6). The Church has long recognized this. Would these prophets have not also looked forward to Christ as God’s New Testament Apostle? He has probably always been God’s Apostle, since the Father had been “sending Him” (the meaning of apostle is “one sent” or “messenger”) to earth with messages for thousands of years prior to the New Testament period.
Whether Christ has always been an Apostle or became one at the birth of the New Testament Church may not be absolutely clear, but we do know that Christ “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8) and that He “changes not” (Mal. 3:6). Here is the point! 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 He is ours. And this is fully consistent with what Mr. Armstrong taught.
Now we can ask again: To whom do the Two Witnesses report all through the Tribulation? In Revelation, Christ calls these prophets “MY two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3). Combine this with Zechariah 4:14. This chapter refers to the Two Witnesses several times and culminates with Revelation 11:14 “These are the two anointed ones that stand BY the Lord of the whole earth.” (Revelation 11:4 confirms of whom Zechariah 4:14 speaks.)
This verse reveals that these two servants 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 the role that they play, it should be even clearer why they have to report to Him in fulfilling it. Their circumstances are unique in all history. Consider: Fire comes out of their mouths to devour their adversaries. The power that Christ gives them is so great that they cannot be killed by anyone or anything for 3½ years. This alone makes them unique. But consider further.
Their role also differs from all previous prophets in several additional ways. No other prophets lay unburied for 3½ days. No other prophets were resurrected, or were perceived by the entire world to “torment them.” These points alone demonstrate that these are not ordinary prophets, where the usual “rules” governing prophets 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. This is something as yet unknown.
I recognize some people believe that one of the Two Witnesses may be an apostle. The idea is that this would solve the problem of who the other one can report to. When Mr. Armstrong was alive, we thought that this was a possibility because we could not imagine that he would not be one of them. I certainly once thought this would be the case, and did so for a long time. But I confess to not really having thought through what it meant if he, carrying the office of apostle, would have been one of the two final prophets.
Again, an apostle is “one sent” or “a messenger.” I felt that men God would call “MY Two Witnesses” are certainly HIS “messengers”—and they certainly are directly SENT BY God. This was a reason that it did not seem to be a stretch to believe that 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, they were both prophets. Therefore, it is correct to say that all prophets were directly sent by God. However, they were never sent to the world as a whole with the gospel of the kingdom of God, nor were they permitted to hold administrative office in the New Testament, as were apostles.
This becomes another reason why I do not believe that the Two Witnesses could be apostles. If they were, why would the Bible specifically reference them with use of what would be their lower office of “prophet”? If they held the higher office of apostle, it seems obvious that God would reference it, and leave any supposed loweroffice out of the picture.
Our book THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD has an entire chapter of some size covering additional points about the Two Witnesses. As mentioned, it also has an extensive chapter about prophets in general, and the serious reader will encounter this material.
We have now come to the point where any who are following either a “prophet” or “That Prophet” must take action. But what should they do?
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