Part Eight.

The Two Witnesses.

We have seen that between the end of the period covered by the Second Woe, or Sixth Trumpet, and the sounding of the Last or Seventh Trumpet, or Third Woe, there were two major events to take place. We saw that the first of these was the great Reformation during which Gods Israel people threw aside the yoke of the Church of Rome, thus making the Bible at last publicly available to the common people. This was symbolised by John being instructed to take the little book out of the angels hand and eat it. But as he did this, he was told that there was still something more to be done which would lead up to the second major event which was to follow. That event was to be the period of THE TWO WITNESSES. This lead up is described in Rev. 10:11 to 11:2;

"And he (the angel) said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations, and tongues, and kings.

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod.

And the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles. And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."

Immediately following the above pronouncement is the first statement relating to "The Two Witnesses". As a matter of fact, the account mentions the Two Witnesses without any form of introduction whatsoever, and as an uninterrupted continuation of the verses quoted above. We are left then with the conclusion that the subject, and indeed the identification of the Two Witnesses is intrinsically connected with the command to John to measure the temple. So I would suggest that the first thing we must do is to find out what Jesus meant by His instruction to measure the temple.

We must start by removing from our minds the chapter division, which was not in the original text, and reading the last verse of the tenth chapter and the first verse of the eleventh chapter consecutively. John was informed that he must prophesy again. The word "prophesy" means "to speak forth in declaration, warning, or exhortation". The word "again" carries the meaning not just of doing something a second time, but of continuing to do something. So we find that following the pronouncement regarding the Reformation, John was to continue speaking forth in regard to further developments which were to subsequently occur. His declarations, or warnings, or exhortations were to be in regard to what is figuratively called "the measuring of the temple". Dont forget the basic principle in the study of this wonderful Book of the Revelation. Our Lord Jesus Christ is revealing the course of Israels history from the time of His First Advent up to, and beyond, the time of His Second Advent, and He is revealing it by the use of "signs and symbols", which is the meaning of the word "signified" used in verse 1 of chapter 1. So let us now have a closer look at what John actually had to do.

He was firstly given a "reed like unto a rod". Contrary to what most readers would immediately think, this did not comprise some form of measuring instrument such as an equivalent of our modern tape measure. The word reed refers to a hollow stalk, cut and used for writing. The word rod refers both to a wand or staff used for walking or chastisement, and also to a sceptre of authority and office. He was then told to "measure" the temple of God, the altar, and the people that worshipped therein. The word measure as used here is not restricted in its application to just measuring distances. It implies making a complete and full assessment of the thing to be measured in every aspect. So putting this together, we find that John was told to make a thorough and complete assessment of something, and that he was given the authority to do this, and the means by which he could record his findings.

Our next step then is to study and identify the object of this instruction. What was it that he was to make an assessment of? The main object of his attention was to be the temple of God, including the altar and the people that worshipped therein. Now as the last two are intrinsically associated with the first, we will concentrate on the temple of God.

So let us start by understanding what the temple of God is NOT. Remember, Christ, through John, is speaking here in symbolic terms. Firstly, the temple of God is NOT us, or our bodies. Our bodies are The temple of the Holy Spirit as stated in I Cor. 6:19;

"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is within you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own."

Secondly, John was not referring to a physical building, such as a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem which so many Christians think still has to be constructed prior to the return of Christ. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Ezekiels temple, or that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, in a literal sense. The Bible is expert in explaining itself, and if we went to the Word of God for our answers instead of trying to make up our own, we would not get into all the trouble Christians get into today with all the varieties of speculation that goes on, especially when it comes to understanding this Book of the Revelation. The word "temple" comes from the Greek word "naos", and literally means, "the dwelling place, or habitation of God - the most sacred place where the presence of God is manifested". The equivalent word in the Hebrew Old Testament is found in Leviticus 26:11-12 where we read;

"And I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.

And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people."

The context of this passage shows quite clearly that the temple of God is THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL among whom God intended to tabernacle or dwell. They were to be His temple or habitation, and it was among these people whom He intended to walk. Just think about the enormity of that statement for a moment. It is almost beyond our comprehension, isnt it?

Then if we turn to the New Testament, to II Cor. 6:14-17, we read Gods specific and implicit command for us not to be unequally yoked together. Now whilst this obviously has its personal application which is absolutely necessary for us to obey as individuals, verse 16 obviously gives the full and complete, and in fact the original intent of the passage. We read in verse 16:

"What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, [and here He quotes the very passage we just read from Leviticus], I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "

The very same promise is repeated in Rev. 21:3.

So from the above, it becomes quite apparent that when John was instructed to measure the temple of God, he was actually being told to make a complete assessment of Gods people and nation of Israel, including their mode of worship, as represented by the altar, to-gether with the people themselves who worshipped therein. In other words, he had to assess the nation itself, together with WHAT the people worshipped as well as HOW they worshipped.

It is also completely clear that this assessment was to be restricted to the nation and people of Israel, and was NOT to include the other non-Israel people. And lest we be misunderstood, we are not referring here to the abortive state of Israeli when we refer to Israel. We are referring to Gods true Israel people, the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of the world, found mainly in the white western Christian nations today. The original Tabernacle or Temple had an outer court for the purpose of providing access of worship to the non-Israel people, but this was specifically omitted from this assessment to be made by John. In view of the very next statement in Rev. 11:2, readers might like to read and consider very carefully Christs statement as recorded in Matthew 7:6, and Rev. 22:15, because it is clear that it is from those found within the court outside the temple which were not to be measured or assessed, from whom would come those who would tread under foot the holy city for a period of forty two months, or three and a half years.

It is in this context that we now have the very first mention of "The Two Witnesses". Without any leadup whatsoever, we are simply told:

"And I will give power unto my two wit-nesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score (1,260) days, clothed in sackcloth."

And here we ask the big question.

WHO ARE THESE TWO WITNESSES?

Many and varied have been the answers. Some claim they are Enoch and Elijah. Some claim they are Elijah and Moses. Others say they are the New Testament and the Old Testament. Yet others claim that they are the Bible and the Church. Probably the closest to my own conclusions are those who claim them to be the Church and the State, as we will see later. And so it goes on. Where most of these theories come from completely baffles me, because most of them are not even remotely hinted at in the statement in Revelation chapter II. I would suggest that the multiplicity of ideas stems from the lack of understanding of the basic principle that the Bible explains itself. And this applies especially to the Book of the Revelation, because it is written in symbolic language, as we have already discussed, and the New Testament was not at that time written. So its no use going to the New Testament for the answers, unless the particular passage is a reference from the Old Testament. And as the message was given to be understood, (contrary to so much theological teaching today), and in fact promised a specific blessing for those who understood it, then the only place where we can go for the clues as to what the symbolic terms represent is to the Old Testament.

Verse 4 of chapter 11 gives us the first clue. It reads:

"These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."

This statement takes us straight back to Zechariah 4:2-3, and 12-14, where we read:

"And the angel 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.

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

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, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord.

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

I would suggest that here we have three important entities mentioned. They are 1) the two olive trees; 2) the golden candlestick with the two golden pipes; and 3) the two anointed ones. I believe that a careful examination of Gods Word clearly identifies these for us. In regard to the olive trees, we read in Jer. 11:15-17;

"What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? When thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit. With the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

For the Lord of Hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to pro-voke me to anger in offering in-cense unto Baal."

In his epistle to the Israelites at Rome, Paul leaves us in no doubt as to the identification and relationship of the olive tree as Israel. Although it is a fairly long quote, we will read the appropriate verses of chapter 11 in order to understand what he is saying:

"I say then, hath God cast away His people?

God forbid . . . God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew . . .

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

For if the firstfruits be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root be holy, so are the branches.

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Boast not thyself against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Thou wilt say then, The branches are broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear.

For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God. On them which fell, severity, but towards thee, goodness, if thou coninue in His goodness. Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again.

For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I would not brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the nations be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."

(Rom. 11:1-2, 15-27.)

But John was also instructed to measure, or assess, the altar and the people that worshipped there. This is clearly represented in Zechariah chapter 4 by the candlestick and the two golden pipes carrying the oil. This candlestick was one of the chief ornaments in both the Tabernacle and the Temple associated with the true worship of the Israel people. It is of particular significance that in the very first chapter of Revelation, the very first vision given to John was that of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks. We dealt with this in an earlier study.

Thus we now have two entities identfied as THE TWO WITNESSES. We have the nation of Israel, represented by the Olive Tree, and we have the worship of Israel, represented by the golden candlesticks. Now how do these fit in with the third aspect mentioned, that of "the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth"? It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew, this phrase means literally, "the two sons of oil". As the "oil" is synonymous with "anointing", it is not difficult to see how these two sons represent the two sections of the whole anointed House of Israel, made up of both Israel and Judah, as clearly demonstrated by our Lord in the parable of the Two Sons.

I believe that the secret of this identification lies in Psalm 114:1-2;

"When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

Judah was His SANCTUARY, and Israel His DOMINION"

As pointed out in my book "The Two Witnesses", the key to understanding this subject lies not so much in realising the differentiation between Israel and Judah and their temporary diverging history, but in recognising the two aspects of the whole House of Israel which they each represent. Whilst the House or nation of Israel was split into two sections, the northern house of Israel and the southern house of Judah, and this for a very specific purpose for the outworking of Gods plans and purposes for this earth through His people, the main aspects to which God was referring was THE DOMINION, that is the territorial and geographical countries to be owned and occupied by Israel, and THE SANCTUARY, that is the throne and the worship of Gods people under the control of Judah, from whence would come the line of David, and ultimately the King of Kings Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. These constituted the "two families" spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah in his 33rd chapter. These were the two recipients of the two great unconditional covenants made by God Himself regarding the everlasting continuity of both the NATION and the THRONE of Israel. The terms of these covenants are so unalterable and firm that it is beyond all reason how people, especially our religious leaders, can with such indifference and presumption totally put them aside as of no present importance and substitute the recipients of these great promises with an alternative more acceptable to their own particular brand of theology.

So it would be of great benefit to read these great covenants at this stage in order to confirm their importance in our minds. The first, in respect to the continuity of the NATION or DOMINION is found in Jeremiah 31:35-37;

"Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of Hosts is His name:

If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.

Thus saith the Lord; if heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord."

The second, in respect to the THRONE or SANCTUARY is found in Jeremiah 33:17-26:

"For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; if ye can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

Then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites My priests, My ministers.

As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites that minister unto Me.

Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying, Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, He hath even cast them off? Thus they have despised My people, that they should be no more a nation before Me.

Thus saith the Lord. If My covenant be not with the day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them."

In the face of the above statements by Almighty God, it must surely be obvious to even the most elementary student that God has absolutely no intention of doing away with, or altering in any way whatsoever, the two families or sections of Israel to whom He made such irreversible and unconditional promises. This being the case, it also follows that the purpose for which He chose and appointed them would also be just as definite and uncompromising. This purpose and calling is clearly stated in Isaiah chapter 43:

"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not! For I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by My name, Thou art Mine . .

Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee. Therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life . . .

Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified. Or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

YE (Israel) ARE MY WITNESSES, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.

I, even I, am the Lord, and beside Me there is no saviour.

I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you. Therefore, YE ARE MY WITNESSES saith the Lord, THAT I AM GOD. .

This people have I formed for Myself. They shall show forth My praise."

Let me reiterate. Unless God has changed His mind, and thereby His very nature, (because He says quite clearly in Malachi, "I am the Lord, I change not", then both the Nation-Dominion, and the Throne-Sanctuary, MUST still be in existence, and operating exactly as the Lord appointed for them!

They must still be operating as His witnesses to the very fact HE IS GOD.

From the above, it is my considered conclusion that "The Two Witnesses" are in fact the DOMINION and the SANCTUARY, the two families of combined Israel and Judah. As I mentioned, some use the expression the State and the Church, and there would not seem to be any difference in our conclusion other than the form of expression.

Whichever form or expression we use, it is notable that the very first activity to these "Two Witnesses" (Rev. 11:3) is that they should prophesy, or as the word actually means, speak forth in declaration, warning, and exhortation. Furthermore, it is not without significance that the period of this time of prophesying is exactly the same as that allotted to the non-Israel nations to tread down the holy city as given in verse 2.

We believe that the prophesying of these witnesses are already a part of history, and that their final death and resurrection as outlined later in Revelation chapter 11 and Ezekiel chapter 37 is now about to be fulfilled.

Once we fully appreciate this fact, we can much more readily understand the sequence of the events set forth in The Revelation chapter 11 relating to the Two Witnesses. We read in verses 3 to 13:

"And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

And if any man shall hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

These have power to shut up heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.

And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell on them which saw them.

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them.

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand. And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."

As we see, the first section of this passage refers to the time during which the Two Witnesses prophesied, meaning to speak forth in declaration, warning, and exhortation. This, I firmly believe, was the period during which Gods immutable covenants were being finally fulfilled in His people Israel, as promised to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were prophesying, or declaring the faithfulnewss of God. This reached its climax in 1917 when the British forces under General Allenby captured Jerusalem from the Turks, and the land of Palestine passed again into the hands of Gods true Israel people. By that time the power of the then British Empire and her colonies had reached its zenith. They virtually controlled the world not only in material growth and power, but also, and very importantly, in the spreading of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, a task performed by no other people in the world!

But the time came when, in accordance with the prophetic Word of God, this period was to come to completion, after which there was to be a great reversal and falling away in our national power and strength. We are told that when they had finished their testimony, or in other words had completed their testimony to the fulfilment of Gods covenants and promises of greatness and power, that Satan would wage all out war against Gods people Israel, eventually overcoming them and killing them. But remember that the language used in the Book of the Revelation is symbolic, and the words must be studied as to their actual intent rather than their literal meaning and common usage.

Moses spoke of this very time when the judgment of God would fall upon His people because of their sins. In Deut. 32:35-36 we read:

"To Me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time. For the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

For the Lord shall judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants, when He seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left."

The prophet Daniel was given a similar vision of the final state of Gods Israel people at the very end of this age. In Daniel 12, verse 7, we read:

"And when he (God) shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."

We only have to look at contemporary history to see the fulfilment of these prophecies. Our power is absolutely scattered and gone. So much so that it takes a real act of faith to continue to believe that we are indeed the people of the great promises and covenants that God made with our forefathers. No wonder our Lord lamented as to whether or not He would find "the faith", "the faith once delivered to the saints", on the earth when He returned.

Thus we see that following the period of witnessing to the power and faithfulness of God by means of the fulfilment of His Covenants, there would follow the period of persecution and destruction, culminating in the overcoming of the power of Gods servant people, and the eventual cessation of their witness altogether, as represented by their "death". But we notice that the account in Gods Word associated with this condition of death contains a very interesting feature. We read that the dead bodies of these Two Witnesses were not permitted to be buried, but would be seen for 3.1/2 days by their enemies who would rejoice and make merry over their bodies. Now Ive heard of wakes for the dead, but this is really ridiculous. If this Revelation account is literal, as taught by those who follow the Futurist interpretation of the Bible, are these the bodies of Moses and Elijah or Enoch and Elijah which will lie in full view in the street with people dancing around them in high glee? Or better still, will they be the bodies of the Old Testament and the New Testament? Or may be, the bodies of the Bible and the Church? Please remember that all these variations are taught in the various Futurist churches today, and that Futurism, which was totally formed and originally introduced into the Christian Church by the Roman Catholic church, is believed and taught in virtually every present-day protestant church, with very few exceptions. Forgive my sarcasm, but unless we have the right basis for understanding this wonderful book, we end up with some of the most fanciful ideas that one could imagine in order to sustain our position. And it doesnt seem to matter how many times these discrepancies are pointed out, people insist on retaining their long cherished beliefs, no matter how ridiculous they eventually turn out to be.

It is of special significance to note the meaning of the word "see" in the 9th verse, where it is recorded that "the people and kindred and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves". There are quite a few Greek words that are translated into the same English word see. One of them means to actually see something at which we are looking, like the print on this page. Another means to understand, as in I see what you mean. But this word means; "used of the act of seeing, even though nothing is seen. To observe accurately with desire, hence of mental vision."(Bullingers Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament).

No wonder our Lord enjoins us to "study" the Word, not just read it. We therefore see that the verse is not saying that the Two Witnesses were in fact actually dead. What is plainly stated is that as far as our enemies were concerned, we were dead. In other words, to all intents and purposes, we have had it. We are now totally useless and impotent. We are dead as far as the imagination and thoughts of our enemies are concerned. And whats more, our enemies are not about to let us forget it. They are not going to give us a decent burial. They are going to rub in their apparent victory as much and as often as they can. We are to become doormats for them. They will then say, as Gods Word says they will say, "Now where is your God?" You see, this will not appear to be just a victory over Gods people, but more importantly to our enemies, a victory over God Himself. Gods enemies, the ones who in II Chronicles 19:2 we are specifically told NOT to pray for, those whom our Lord Himself designated as "the synagogue of Satan", calling themselves Judeans or Judahites when in fact they are not, will be having a wonderful time rejoicing over their apparent victory.

I say apparent because God has some real bad news for them. After all this rejoicing has been going on unabated for three and a half days, or prophetic years, amongst all the debauchery and irreverence, just as in the days of Belshazzar, when the enemies of God are feasting and toasting each other at their victory, suddenly a most amazing thing happens. And now we come to the final stage of this entire prophecy.

Suddenly, the Spirit of life from God enters into these people who were thought to be as good as dead, and they stand up on their feet, a mighty army. Here we have the literal fulfilment of the 37th chapter of the prophecy of Ezekiel regarding the Valley of Dry Bones. Ezekiel had been told to look at the bones in this valley, and he records just how dry they were. God then told Ezekiel to prophesy unto these dry bones, whereupon the sinews and flesh came upon them, and new skin covered them. This part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled. The people have come up out of the lands of their captivity to the lands which the Lord promised to them, the appointed place in the isles of the west, together with the other appointed Israel territories throughout the world. But as yet there was no breath, or spirit, within them. The final act was still to come. In verse 9 we read:

"Then said He (God) unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath upon these slain that they may live.

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into

them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Then He said unto me, Son of man, These bones are the whole House of Israel." (emphasis added).

The Revelation then makes one of its delightful understatements. It records in chapter 11 verse 11:

"And great fear fell upon them which saw them."

We can surely imagine something of the magnitude of the scene. Here are Gods sworn enemies revelling in what they think is their success, when suddenly the very people and nations whom they thought they had destroyed throw off the shackles of death and stand up in the power of Almighty God, revealed at last as the people who are to glorify His name. What grander method could God use to show His power and glory than to resurrect his people from the deathwish of their enemies. There will be consternation beyond anything which we can now imagine as they witness the reinstatement of Gods true Israel people to their proper and God-ordained heritage and position as "Princes and Rulers with God". The shock waves will affect every avenue of public life. The entire political and economic structure of the world will collapse in final ruin. The prophecy of our Lord Himself as recorded in Rev. 3:9 will become an accomplished fact:

"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, but are not, but do lie;

Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."

How we long for that day, not as an act of vengeance, but as a time of unspeakable relief and joy and deliverance.

Having said all that, it would not be unreasonable to finally try to apply what is to happen and the timing of these events to our present world position. There is no doubt at all in my mind but that we have entered, or are just about to enter this final stage of the "death of the two witnesses". That we are now in the period which Jeremiah designates as "the time of Jacobs trouble" is fairly self-evident by the very condition of our nation. We are now really scraping the bottom of the barrel. To apply the parable of the prodigal son, we are now eating the husks and the swill with the pigs. We cannot help but wonder if we can really sink any lower into the cesspool of depravity and debauchery in which Gods people now finds herself.

On the 1st September, 1990, we entered into a new agreement with the church of Rome, in which most of the leading denominations accepted Rome on an equal footing. The worship of Baal has now been raised to an even standing with the worship of the God of Israel. In that the occupant of the Throne is the head of the official national church, the SANCTUARY is now certainly seen to be dead in the streets as far as our enemies are concerned. Is this the beginning of the period of the death of the witnesses? If so, then 31/2 prophetic years until our national resurrection to new life in the full Spirit of God will expire just prior to Passover in 1994. But the final death pangs of both of the two families will not be fully reached until we ultimately join in with the E.E.C. in 1992 and surrender our independent nationhood, thus bringing about the death of the DOMINION as well as the SANCTUARY. In this case the end terminal date will be mid-1996, and it is my own considered opinion that this is much closer to the more likely time frame. When we consider that 6,000 years from the fall of Adam in 4,004 B.C., and 2,000 years from the birth of our Lord in 4 B.C. brings us to 1997, ( or 1999 if we accept the date of our Lords birth as 2 B.C.), then we cannot surely be blamed for recognising the awesome potential of the days in which we now live. The possibilities are quite staggering, and whilst we cannot, and do not, try to forecast dates, it is obvious to those who are searching the Word of God that the days are now numbered. The tarrying time is now nearly over. The call to go forth to meet the Bridegroom is about to sound. Let us be ever vigilant and ready to heed the call when it comes. The account of the events associated with the Two Witnesses end with the words:

"The second woe is past; and behold

the third woe cometh quickly.

And the seventh angel sounded;

and there were great voices in heaven,

saying

The kingdoms of this world are become the

Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,

And He shall reign for ever and ever."