INTRODUCING THE TWO WITNESSES (2)

PMW 2024-067 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I am continuing my introduction to the mysterious “two witnesses” of Revelation 11. This article should be read in conjunction with the preceding, which it continues. After noting first that the overall drift of Revelation expects their appearance, we must now note:

Second, John records their ministry immediately after Christ prohibits him from measuring the temple, directs him to cast it out, and explains that its host city will be “tread underfoot” (11:2). And once again I would note that their ministry covers the same time period as the temple’s treading (11:2, 3). Their witness is so strongly linked with the period of God’s judgment on Jerusalem and the temple that it must be dealing with that event.

Third, as noted above, Jesus specifically calls these two prophets in Jerusalem (11:8) “my two witnesses” (11:3). This strongly suggests that they preach the same message as Christ in this book which is, in fact, “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). Due to their redemptive-historical significance, I will spend more time on this point than that of the preceding two and the following five.

Christ’s original ministerial introduction to Israel anticipates her judgment. We see this in John the Baptist who is the first “witness” to Christ as the Lord’s ministry begins (Jn 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34). As he introduces Jesus (Mt 3:11, 13–14; Jn 1:15–37) the Baptist himself warns of approaching divine wrath upon Israel (Mt 3:7, 10–12), warning regarding Christ’s coming that “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Mt 3:12). He even calls the Jewish people out of Jerusalem into the wilderness to repent (Mt 3:1–5), thereby effecting a reverse exodus — as if Jerusalem is a new Egypt from which they must flee (cp. Rev. 11:8; 18:4). And he turns down Israel’s religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, demanding that they “bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance” instead of basking in their pride supposing “that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’” (Mt 3:7–9; cp. the significance of 2:9; 3:9). We may even surmise that the two prophets preach the same sort of message as John Baptist (Mt 3:3, 7, 12 ) in that both he and they are modeled on Elijah (Mt 11:14; Rev. 11:6). In fact, in a later conflict with the chief priests regarding the temple, Jesus mentions John Baptist’s ministry (Mt 21:24–25).

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More significantly even, Christ himself frequently speaks of Israel’s judgment, starting at the very opening (Jn 2:11) of his own ministry (Jn 2:19), continuing throughout it (Mt 8:11–12; 10:15; 11:22, 24), and as he concludes it (Mt 21:18–22, 33–46; 22:1–14; 23:31–24:34). The Lord prepares his newly-ordained apostles (Mt 10:1–2) for witnessing against Israel, then sends them to function as prophets: “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”. . . . Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city’” (Mt 10:5–7, 14–15; cp. Ac 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39; 13:31; 22:20).

In fact, Jesus warns them: “Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts [sunedria, Jewish courts], and scourge you in their synagogues [involving judicial process, e.g., Jn 16:2; Ac 9:2; 22:19; 26:11] and you shall even be brought before governors and kings [Roman judicial authorities overseeing Israel] for My sake, as a testimony [marturion] to them and to the Gentiles” (Mt 10:17–18; cp. Mk 6:11). In warning them that Israel will resist their witness, he promises that he will come in judgment against her before they finish their ministry (i.e., in AD 70): “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes” (Mt 10:23). This is surely why he sends out his disciples “in pairs”: to serve as legal witnesses (Mk 6:7; Lk 10:1).

Israel will fill up the measure of her sins (Mt 23:32; 1Th 2:16) in that she is known for killing her prophets. And she will kill again after Christ (Acts passim; 1Th 2:14–16; Heb 10:32–36). Not long before Israel finally rejects him, Jesus chastises Jerusalem with these words: “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” (Mt 23:34–35; cp. Ac 5:40; 22:19; 26:11). Significantly, in Mt 27:40 the Jerusalem crowds taunt him as he hangs on the cross: “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself!” This jeer employs present participles: ho kataluōn = “the one destroying [the temple]” and oikodomōn = “building [it again].” This grammatical form may suggest that he repeatedly declares the temple’s destruction. Such is clearly charged against Stephen when they claim that he “incessantly speaks against this holy place” (Ac 6:13–14).

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In his Gospel, John repeatedly (45x) uses the mart- word group (which means “witness/testify”), and often against Israel (see his opening, Jn 1:7–11, 15, 19–27, 32–34). He even moves toward his closing with these words: “This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true” (Jn 21:24; cp. Rev. 22:6–8). John emphasizes (uniquely in the Gospels) that Christ personally confronts Israel with a two-fold witness: “If I alone bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which He bears of Me is true” (Jn 5:31– 32). “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me” (Jn 8:16–18).

To be continued!