Who are the Two Witnesses of Revelation?

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Two Candlesticks
3. The Two Olive Trees
4. Moses and Elijah
5. Malachi and the Day of the Lord
6. Conclusion

1. Introduction

The Two Witnesses of Revelation seem to be a mystery that has intrigued people throughout the ages. Some say they symbolise the Old and New Covenant, some say they are literal people, individuals such as Moses and Elijah. Some say they are groups of people such as Believers in Christ left to Witness in the turmoil of the Day of the LORD. So which is it and is it possible to determine their identity?

2. The Two Candlesticks

In the first chapter of the Book of Revelation Jesus reveals the secret of the Seven Candlesticks He has just introduced us and says they are the Seven earthly Churches located outside of Israel in present day Western Turkey:

Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Although this verse speaks about seven separate candlesticks with one candle each (a Greek cultural context as in Matt. 5:15), it is presumable that this is a depiction of a seven-branched Menorah candelabrum kept burning in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Further on the Book of Revelation defines the Two Witnesses as:

Rev. 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

This is a reference to the Book of Zechariah where the Two Witnesses are first presented:

4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

...

4:11 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?

...

4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Zech.

So in Zechariah 4 we have one candlestick with seven branches, in the beginning of the Book of Revelation, seven separate candlesticks and candles or lights and then later on, two separate lights as the Two Witnesses. So in the midst of the turmoil of the Revelation we have two out of seven lights left, but even these lights go out before the LORD unleashes His full Wrath on earth: The Two Witnesses are killed, Resurrected and called up to Heaven before the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet (Rev. 11:7-12, 15).

Therefore the two candlesticks are most probably two earthly Churches who get their power or the oil of the Holy Spirit from two separate Olive Trees. They are then blown out or martyred by the  beast of Revelation for their witnessing mission as well as the Greek word for a witness is "martus" (plural: martysin) or a martyr.

3. The Two Olive Trees

What about the two Olive Trees then? The two candlestick and olive trees are said to be "standing before the God of the earth" (Zech. 4:14, Rev. 11:4). This is a reference to the Cherubim or the Four Living Creatures (Rev. 4:6) standing in the midst of and round about God's Throne in Heaven. When God's Glory was present in the Temple of Jerusalem, these four Cherubim were also present there (Ezek. 10:1): They are two pure Golden Ones (Exod. 25:18) protecting with their wings the Seat of Mercy or God's earthly dwelling place on the Ark of the Covenant, and two large gilt ones made out of Olive Tree protecting the whole scene (1 Kings 6:23).

So very possibly the Two Olive Trees are the two Cherubim located at God's Throne in Heaven who are the source of power (or the Holy Spirit) for the two earthly Churches who comprise of individual believers and who also contain and are continuously filled up with the Holy Spirit of God.

4. Moses and Elijah

What about Moses and Elijah? They can also be said to be "standing before the Lord of the whole earth" at Transfiguration of Christ ((Matt. 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) just before His Crucifixion.

Moses and Elijah were present at the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ as witnesses for the Old Covenant (Testament, Testimony or a Witness) and the New Covenant (Testament, Testimony or a Witness): God made the First Covenant through Moses, gave the Law, and promised to raise up for the people of Israel a prophet like him, whom they must listen to, which is Jesus Christ (Acts 3:20, 22).

Elijah, on the other hand, testified about Jesus and the New Covenant in the form of John the Baptist, which is why the Disciples ask Jesus about Elijah immediately after the Transfiguration, to which Jesus replied that Elijah had "already come, but they did not recognize him". The Disciples then knew Jesus was referring to John the Baptist (Matt. 17:12-13).

5. Malachi and the Day of the Lord

What about Malachi's prophecy that God will send Elijah to the Israelites "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Mal. 4:5)?

This is not in contrast with what Jesus said about John the Baptist being Elijah: John the Baptist acted in the Spirit and Power of Elijah and prepared the people of Israel for the First Coming of Christ and "turned the hearts of the fathers to the children" (Luke 1:17, Mal. 4:6), so that the LORD wouldn't "come and smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:6). So it is also possible that the Day of the LORD would have happened already at the First Coming of Jesus unless God wouldn't have sent His Son as a Humble Servant instead of a Conquering King as He will be at His Second Coming smiting the earth with His Wrath (Rev. 6:17).

6. Conclusion

Nevertheless, the presence of Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration of Jesus may also give a hint as to the identity of the Two Witnesses, who will also do the same wonders as they did: they can smite the earth with plagues (Rev. 11:6), as Moses did (Exod. 7:20), or consume their opponents with fire (Rev. 11:5), as Elijah did (2 Kings 1:10).

The Two Witnesses are therefore very likely the Old and New Covenants, and their two earthly counterparts, the churches or believers in Christ comprising of both Israelites and Gentiles, who now together, in the Last Days, testify of the Lord of the earth, Jesus Christ, like the Cherubim over the Ark of the Covenant. They are therefore very likely the Saints of the Most High prophesied by Daniel, against whom the beast of Revelation makes war and ultimately conquers them (Dan. 7:21-22, 25, Rev. 11:7).