Prophecy 9 – The Two Witnesses

{1} I was standing on Earth when I saw a mighty angel^[13] descend from Heaven. He came alone. This was not the Second Coming. Jesus was robed with a dark cloud and no one on Earth could see Him but me.^[14] He had a rainbow above His head^[15] and the brilliance of His face was like the Sun. His legs glowed like fiery pillars of molten metal.
{2} He held a little book in His hand that was open. As I watched, Jesus planted His right foot on the sea and His left foot on the land. His posture and position indicated sovereign authority over land and sea. There was a bold confidence about Him, like that of a military general. It appeared that Jesus had come to Earth to conduct specific business.
{3} He gave a loud command, like the roar of a lion and seven thunderous voices spoke.
{4} I clearly heard and understood the seven thunders and I was about to write down their testimony, but a voice from Heaven said, “John, do not write down the words that you have heard.”

It may seem strange that John was forbidden to write down the testimony that he heard, but there is a simple reason for this. John, as one of the 144,000, heard Jesus speak seven times. During the Great Tribulation those who have been sealed along with the 144,000 will hear and understand Jesus’ words as they roll like thunder throughout the Earth. Jesus will speak seven times and those who understand His words will know for themselves that they have been sealed! The saints will be greatly encouraged by each thunder to patiently endure. To the rest of the world, these seven events will be frightening, sounding like a deep rumbling in the Earth or peals of rolling thunder,^[16] but they will not hear Jesus’ voice.

{5} Then Jesus raised His right hand toward Heaven.
{6} With a loud voice He swore an oath in His own name,^[17] as the Creator of Heaven and everything that is in it, the Earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,^[18] He said, “There will be no more delay!^[19]
{7} But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be completed, just as he announced to His servants the prophets, the 144,000.”

This scene will occur shortly before the censer in Revelation 8:5 is cast down. When this event occurs, Jesus will declare the end of God’s patience with mankind. Then, the fourth seal will be broken and the censer at the Altar of Incense will be cast down. The four angels who have been waiting (since 1994) will be released to hurt the Earth. God’s redemptive wrath will begin.^[20] Wicked places all over the world will be punished for degenerate and decadent behavior.^[21] The 144,000 will begin proclaiming the eternal gospel on Day One of the Great Tribulation and all who repent of their sins and embrace Jesus as their Creator and Savior will be tested, sealed, and saved.^[22]

The “mystery of God” that will be completed just before the seventh trumpet sounds is the sealing (removal of the carnal nature). Prior to the Great Tribulation, all born-again believers received the Holy Spirit as “a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”^[23] In other words, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to God’s children ever since sin began. During the Great Tribulation, the righteousness of Christ will be imparted to God’s children. “The seal of the living God” described in Revelation 7:2,3 is the outpouring of the fullness of the Holy Spirit given to everyone who faithfully worships Jesus, the Creator.

This seal of God will be given first to the 144,000. The seal of God will not be a visible stamp. This seal is like a lock that keeps the sinless nature in and the carnal nature out. Remember how the tomb of Jesus was securely sealed so that His disciples could not steal His body.^[24] The seal of God is similar. When the curse of sin is removed from each saint, the door will be sealed. The seal of God can be compared to a king putting a wax seal on an important scroll. Once the scroll is written and sealed, the document cannot be changed. Similarly, during the Great Tribulation, God will test each living person to see who loves Him with all their heart, mind and soul, and his neighbor as himself. After the sinner is tested and found faithful, God will perform a miracle. He will remove the carnal nature from that sinner and put a seal on his forehead. This action indicates that sin will have no further influence on that person.

The sealing described in Revelation is the final step in sanctification. When Jesus removes the carnal nature and applies the seal of God to a sinner, this indicates a complete transformation^[25] has occurred. The 144,000 will be the first to experience this final step. Consider how this process works: Step one begins when a sinner surrenders his will to Jesus (to go-be-do as the Holy Spirit directs) and receives Christ as his Savior. Jesus immediately covers the sinner with His righteousness (this process is called “justification through faith”). Step two quickly follows. God requires that we turn from wickedness and walk in righteousness with Him! If a sinner is willing to undergo the sanctifying process, fights the good fight of faith and is an overcomer, Jesus keeps the sinner covered with His righteousness so that in God’s sight, the sinner appears to be a saint. (This process is called “sanctification through faith” – see Appendix A.) God’s willingness to cover sinners with Christ’s righteousness is called “imputed righteousness.” Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, God has been imputing righteousness to sinners.^[26]

The judgment of the living will occur during the first 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation. Since the 144,000 are the firstfruits of the harvest, they will be the first people to be judged, purified, and sealed. Currently, when we surrender our will to Jesus and receive Christ as our Savior, our surrender is less than perfect because the carnal nature is present. Paul, after being a Christian for about thirty years, reminds us in Romans 7 that it is impossible for anyone having a carnal nature to perfectly keep it subdued. The power of sin is greater than our best intentions and efforts. Even worse, it is possible to sin and not even know it! This explains why sanctification on Earth is an endless process. As we learn and overcome, we grow in Christ. We are cursed by the power of sin from within and the minute that we overcome one sin, another one pops up! God understands the problem and He has a profound remedy.

When a person dies, there is nothing further to worry about because a dead person cannot sin again. When the dead in Christ are resurrected to enjoy eternal life, they will receive a nature that has no proclivity toward sin. I highlight this point because the judgment of the living (which takes place during the Great Tribulation) poses a problem. Everyone having a carnal nature will sin if given enough time. God’s solution to this problem is unbelievably generous and dramatic. During the Great Tribulation, God will test each of us to see if we love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul and if we love our neighbors as ourselves. If we pass the test, Jesus will remove our carnal nature (that pesky attraction for sin that lives inside us) so that we can be set free of sin’s power and attraction. The righteousness of Christ will be imparted (actually put within us). Then, Jesus will put His seal on us so that His righteousness within us does not change. I am sure one of the favorite songs of the saints during the sealing will be that old gospel song written by Fanny Crosby, “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am!” The sealing is “the mystery of God” that He will accomplish just prior to the seventh trumpet.

When their sinful natures are removed, the 144,000 will be a perfect reflection of Christ’s character and so will everyone else who receives the seal of God. God’s saints will be free of sin’s power. They will be living examples of what God will do for any sinner, no matter how degenerate or evil a person may be or may have been. He will give righteousness to those who pass the test of faith and will completely transform him or her into a new person! Addicts, prostitutes, liars, thieves, murderers, and sinners of all kinds will see a living example of what they too can become through Christ. The really-really-really good news during the Great Tribulation is that God is willing to give the gift of sanctification to anyone putting their faith in Christ!

Prior to the 1,260 days allotted to the Two Witnesses, God’s gift to mankind has been described as “justification.” When the judgment of the living begins, God increases His gift to the faithful by imparting the righteousness of Jesus to each sinner. This is the gift of “sanctification.” Words cannot describe the joy that “eleventh hour” sinners will experience when they receive the riches of God’s grace and are set free from sin’s power. The seal of God will keep every sanctified sinner safe from falling back into the clutches of sin. Revelation 7:1-4 indicates that the first people to receive the seal of God will be the 144,000. Revelation 14:4 reveals that the 144,000 will be the firstfruits of the end time harvest. Therefore, people who choose Christ as their Savior throughout the Great Tribulation will be sealed like the 144,000 because the harvest and its firstfruits are always identical. (For example, if the harvest is barley, the firstfruits are also barley.) The sealing process will remain operational until the 1,260th day ends. Five days later, the seventh trumpet will sound.

A person who has a sinful nature cannot enter Heaven. Many Christians have just assumed that the redeemed will receive sinless natures at the Second Coming and this assumption is true, but only for the righteous dead. However, for the living, their carnal nature has to be removed prior to the seven last plagues because the intercession of Jesus will end on the 1,260th day of the Great Tribulation (see Prophecy 12) and the Second Coming occurs on the 1,335th day. Ever since the day that sin began, there has been an intercessor in Heaven for sinners!^[27] For six thousand years the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to everyone who lives by faith^[28] and when the righteous dead are resurrected at the Second Coming, each will be given a sinless nature and a new body. However, a day is coming when the offer of redemption will end and there will be no further intercession in Heaven, because an intercessor will no longer be needed. All of God’s saints will be sealed!

{8} While I was thinking about the mystery of God, I heard a voice from Heaven speak to me. It said, “John, take the little book from Jesus’ hand.”
{9} I went over to where Jesus was standing and asked for the little book. He said, “Take it and eat it. It will taste as sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn your stomach sour.” I asked Jesus what was written in the little book. He said, “This little book contains my words. You will speak my words during the Great Tribulation.”^[29]

{10} So, I ate the little book. There came a rush, a heightened experience unlike anything I had ever known. There was an explosion of truth and knowledge in my mind. It was as though I saw and understood many new things. Words cannot describe the elation and joy that I felt. God’s love, character, ways, and plans were as sweet as honey in my mouth, but I soon discovered that proclaiming the words of Jesus produced great bitterness.^[30] Few people wanted to hear them. In fact, almost everyone seemed hostile toward me. I felt like wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes, my grief became so great.^[31]
{11} Jesus spoke to me as though I was one of the 144,000,^[32] “You must prophesy again before^[33] many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

The phrase, “must prophesy again” indicates the gospel of Jesus – in its present form – has become contaminated. Therefore, a purified gospel^[34] must be proclaimed again to the whole world. The little book Jesus gave John contains the words which the 144,000 will speak. God’s servants will not dilute or deviate from these words.^[35] They will clearly present the truth about Jesus and His salvation with no ambiguity. The unvarnished truth will be told and sin will be called by its right name. The gospel of Jesus is powerful, like a double edged sword. It separates people from each other (it separates honest-in-heart sheep from darkness-loving goats). The kingdom of God is like a great magnet. The pure in heart are attracted to it, but people with hearts of stone are unaffected. God’s children are people who love and exalt righteousness and truth as He does.^[36]

Each member of the 144,000 will eat the same little book that John ate. Even though they will not know each other, the 144,000 will proclaim the same gospel; a gospel that is pure and undefiled by men’s opinions. The Holy Spirit will anoint their lips with coals of fire, just as the Lord anointed the prophet Isaiah’s lips.^[37] The 144,000 will speak with power and penetrating clarity to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people as the first four trumpets devastate the Earth. The effects of the trumpets will traumatize and overwhelm the remaining inhabitants of the world. People will truly fear God for a short time. This fear will silence nations and people so that everyone can hear and consider a gospel that is unlike anything they have heard before. During the Great Tribulation, a numberless multitude of honest-hearted people will abandon their religious heritage and do whatever He asks once they know that God is truly speaking. God’s Two Witnesses will validate the testimony of the 144,000 and a numberless multitude will be sealed. God’s love for sinners is beyond understanding. He really loves us!

{11:1} My first experience as one of the 144,000 was painful and difficult. Jesus handed a measuring stick to me and said, “Go measure my temple. Go into the inner court and see who ‘measures up’ to the terms and conditions of the eternal gospel because I want to know who loves me. Billions of people attend religious services each week, but in truth, I do not know them.^[38] Present the gospel to the inner court and if they refuse to measure up, drive them out.
{2} Exclude the outer court because it will be used to collect the Gentiles. They will trample on my holy people^[39] for forty-two months.”
{3} Jesus spoke again to John. “To validate your testimony, I will give power to my Two Witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Before Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D.70, the temple in Jerusalem had two courts. Gentile converts to Judaism worshiped in the outer court.^[40] The inner court was reserved for Jews and those converts who had achieved a “purified” ancestry. Using this imagery, John was sent to measure the inner court because it contains worshipers who say they know God. Before the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the outer court contained people who God loved, but they did not have the same privileges and opportunities given to those in the inner court. God designed this separation to give Gentile converts time to assimilate into His ways before He gave them full rights as members of Israel.

The two courts in this prophecy represent Christianity (the inner court – sheep) and all non-Christians (the outer court – goats). Currently, Jesus has sheep in both courts and the devil has goats in both courts. During the Great Tribulation, Jesus will purify the inner court through the testimony presented by the 144,000. Those people who accept the testimony of the 144,000 will be persecuted. Persecution will cause the goats to run out of the inner court. Meanwhile, the gospel will attract God’s sheep who live in the outer court. At the end of the 1,260 days, all of the Lord’s sheep will be found in the inner court and all of the goats will be found in the outer court.

The book that John ate contains the gospel of Christ, words that must be spoken throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. John was given a measuring stick and sent to the inner court to measure the temple and count the worshipers. The measuring stick indicates judgment. The 144,000 will prophesy (preach the gospel) and the honest in heart will embrace it and “measure up.” Honest-hearted people will also hear the gospel and join with the worshipers in the inner court.^[41] This migration between the two courts is an important concept to understand. At the end of the Great Tribulation, all of the saints will be gathered in the inner court and all of the wicked will be gathered in the outer court. This separation process will produce much sorrow and bitterness. Families will be broken apart and many close relationships will end because of the sword of Christ’s gospel. Those in the outer court will hate those in the inner court and will persecute them.^[42] The outer court occupants will trample on God’s holy people for forty-two months, thinking that they are doing God a service.^[43] This painful process made John’s stomach turn sour during the vision.

The phrase, “clothed in sackcloth” means the 1,260 days will be a time of anguish, mourning, and discouragement.^[44] Please study this text: “The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.’ ”^[45] When we examine Prophecy 11 we will discover that 1,260 days equals “a time, time and half a time.” We will also discover that there are two separate and distinct time periods of 1,260 days. One period occurred between 538 and 1798 and the other is in the future. Because of Rule Four, one time period is translated a day for a year and the other is not. When these two time periods are added together, God’s people are persecuted for a total of seven times (periods of time). According to Daniel 12:7, the 1,260 days granted to the Two Witnesses will end “when the power of the holy people (the 144,000) has been finally broken.”

God’s Two Witnesses are eternal and omnipresent. They have always been and they will always be. They serve several purposes. One purpose is to detect sin and rebellion. The Two Witnesses report to the Father everything they see and this is why they are called “witnesses.” God’s first witness is two perfect laws; represented by the two lampstands. The highest laws in the universe are: You shall “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[46]

The following concept may surprise you, but a law is a witness.^[47] A law defines the will of the lawmaker and using personification; the law measures the actions of those who live under its obligation. If a person fulfills the intent of the law, he measures up to the law. The law also testifies to the lawmaker whether a person is with or without fault. If a person fails to fulfill the intent of the law, the law testifies the person does not measure up to its requirements. He falls short because he has done evil.^[48] The Bible is clear on this point, God’s laws are His witnesses.^[49]

The two laws of love are not hard to understand, but they are impossible to obey consistently because our carnal nature stands in opposition to them. Our thoughts and actions naturally spring from love for self. If we try to obey the law because it is the law, compliance will not necessarily fulfill the intent of the law. Paul wrote, “If I give all that I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”^[50] It is possible to show piety and generosity without having love. Everyone is capable of deception and history teaches that religious leaders are among the worst. Because everyone has a carnal nature, we do not naturally love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. Further, it is not natural to love our neighbors as ourselves. Those in power usually love power more than they love others. To fulfill the two laws of love that God has imposed on mankind, we must receive a new heart and a new mind each day. This daily transformation is compared to being “born again” and our need of this transformation brings us to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God’s second witness. The Holy Spirit reads our minds. He knows our thoughts, affections, and motives. Nothing is hidden from the Holy Spirit. (Remember, the four living creatures in Revelation 4 and 5 are covered with eyes!) The Holy Spirit faithfully reports to God everything that He hears and sees. He is a living witness! If a person hears the gospel of Jesus and sincerely wants a new heart and mind, the Holy Spirit makes it happen. Through the transforming ministry of the Spirit, things the sinner used to hate, he will love and things he used to love, he will hate!^[51] Each time a sinner petitions the Lord for a pure heart, the Lord sends the Holy Spirit with another dose of transforming power. The Bible describes the daily process as crucifying the carnal nature so that God’s love can reign supreme in the “born again” life.^[52]

The only act which God cannot forgive is blaspheming (insulting) the Holy Spirit.^[53] When a person knows to do right, but does not do it, the law testifies without prejudice or deviation that the rebel is a sinner. If a person refuses to obey the Holy Spirit’s “prompting from within,” or if a person refuses to do what the Holy Spirit says is holy and right, the Holy Spirit testifies to Jesus that the sinner is defiant. The Spirit knows a defiant rebel when He sees him because He reads each sinner’s heart!^[54] So, a defiant rebel is condemned by the testimony of two witnesses.^[55] If a person knowingly and persistently defies the laws of God, eventually the Holy Spirit will abandon that person because the Holy Spirit is not permitted to overrule defiance. When the Holy Spirit abandons a person because of defiance, the sinner has committed the unpardonable sin.^[56] When the Holy Spirit finally abandons a defiant rebel, that person will have no further interest in doing what is right. That person may think that he is free to do whatever he wants, but instead he has been given over to destruction. His carnal nature will lead him deeper into sin and his degenerate behavior will eventually lead to demonic bondage.^[57] A person abandoned by the Holy Spirit is selfish, cruel, narcissistic, and a predator. Such a person has no feelings or compassion for others. He has no peace or happiness. When the heart of a rebel becomes hard as stone, it cannot be transformed, even by Almighty God, unless the rebel repents. Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, repentance is impossible!

To appreciate the eternal role of God’s Two Witnesses throughout His universe, we must understand that in God’s economy, no one is condemned on the testimony of one witness. In other words, God’s laws of love and the testimony of the Holy Spirit must be in perfect agreement. God’s two laws of love measure behavior, defining righteousness and unrighteousness, and the Spirit reads our hearts and knows our motives. God requires the law and the Holy Spirit to perfectly agree about a person before a defiant rebel can be condemned to death. If a person does something wrong (violates God’s law), but the Spirit (who reads the heart) testifies that the deed was done in ignorance, that person is not condemned in God’s sight!^[58] God is so good! His generosity never ends! God does not condemn anyone who is ignorant of sin; however, God will condemn a person if he refuses to do the good that he knows he should do.^[59]

During the time of Moses, two or more witnesses were required to condemn a person to death.^[60] During the Great Tribulation, the same holds true. Here is the process: God will ensure that everyone hears His demands. The 144,000, through their ministry, will proclaim God’s two laws of love. The Holy Spirit will deeply impress every person that obeying these two laws is God’s will. The 144,000 will perform signs and wonders to affirm that God’s two laws are holy and true. After the clearest evidences of God’s will have been set before the people, and after the Holy Spirit has done everything possible to convict people that God’s laws are righteous and true, God’s Two Witnesses will condemn everyone rejecting the gospel of Jesus. Ultimately, defiant rebels will be put to death. They must die because of rebellion.

Once God’s Two Witnesses agree that a person should be condemned, there is no higher court for further appeal. Down through the centuries, various judicial systems on Earth have offered defendants the right to appeal their case to a higher court. A defendant might hope for a better outcome if he can show that the first trial was not conducted properly or perhaps he can bring new or better facts to a second trial. However, in God’s judicial system, there is no higher court. There are no appeals because God’s Two Witnesses never make a mistake. They cannot be fooled with lies or clever arguments. If a person is clearly informed about God’s will and he chooses to rebel against it, that is his privilege. However, the law will testify that his actions were evil and the Holy Spirit will testify that his heart was defiant. When a person rebels against the Holy Spirit’s inner push to obey God’s will, the Holy Spirit detects the resistance. If a person insists on defiance day after day, a time will come when the Holy Spirit will report to Jesus that there is nothing further that can be done. Defiance produces a sin that is unpardonable. During the Great Tribulation, God’s Ten Commandments will measure our actions. The Holy Spirit will see our motives. Together, they will report to Jesus and He will pass judgment on each person. Everyone who surrenders to the will and love of God will be given the gift of sanctification and sealed. The sinful nature will be removed. Everyone else will end up hopelessly selfish and totally defiant. All of the wicked will end up at the same place – committing the unpardonable sin. All rebels will be destroyed at the Second Coming.^[61]

{4} Jesus said to me, “To help you better understand the role and purpose of my Two Witnesses, they are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before my throne.”

To understand these symbols (the two olive trees and the two lampstands), we need first to examine a vision given to Zechariah.^[62] Zechariah was a Levite who received a vision from God shortly after Israel’s Babylonian captivity ended. In his vision, Zechariah saw a golden lampstand located in Heaven. He saw a bowl sitting on top of the lampstand and seven lamps were located around the edge of this fixture. He also saw seven golden pipes coming from two olive trees that were located on each side of the lampstand. The seven pipes carried fresh olive oil to each lamp so that the seven lights never went out. As a priest, Zechariah should have had some understanding of what he saw, but he could not figure out the meaning. Finally, an angel explained the vision to Zechariah.

The lampstand represented the nation of Israel. God had chosen the descendants of Abraham to be a nation of priests, a light to the Gentiles. Israel had been set apart from the other nations to be trustees of His gospel, but over the years, Israel became unfaithful to God and the Benefactor sent His trustees into Babylonian captivity for seventy years. Now that Israel’s captivity was nearly over, a new beginning was underway for Israel. God wanted Zechariah to understand why Israel had previously failed. He also wanted to make sure that Israel understood His purpose for choosing it as a nation of trustees/priests.^[63]

In the vision, Zechariah saw two olive trees on each side of a golden lampstand. The olive trees were alive and they produced an endless supply of fuel oil. (The two olive trees represent the never ending energy and power of the Holy Spirit.) As long as the candlestick remained connected to the two olive trees, the lamps would burn forever. The seven lights on the lampstand represented God’s love. God wanted Israel to radiate His two laws of love throughout the world and He wanted Israel to teach others about the Lord’s perfect ways and laws.^[64] The candlestick with its seven lamps and the two olive trees beautifully portrayed God’s connection and purposes for Israel.^[65] This imagery also contained a warning. If Israel did not remain connected to the two olive trees (the Holy Spirit), Israel could not be a light to the Gentiles and Israel’s trusteeship would end.

About 500 years later after Zechariah’s vision, Israel rejected the Son of God when He came to Earth as the Messiah. God responded by abandoning the nation of Israel. Using a new covenant, God redefined the offspring of Abraham because He had made several promises to Abraham. All believers in Christ are now the heirs of Abraham.^[66] God gave the trusteeship of His gospel to Christians. The transition from one lampstand in Zechariah’s vision to seven lampstands in John’s vision reveals that the seven churches replaced Israel as the trustees of the gospel.^[67]

Unfortunately, church history confirms that the seven churches in Revelation mirrored Israel’s behavior. Like Israel, Christianity has gone through endless cycles of apostasy and revival and God will soon turn the trusteeship of His gospel over to 144,000 servants. Just before the Great Tribulation begins, God will raise up a diverse group of honest-hearted people from every language, religion, and culture. These people will be the final trustees of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Gideon’s tiny army of three hundred soldiers,^[68] this tiny group of diverse people will accomplish all that God wants done. Not by might or human power, but by God’s Spirit the gospel will go quickly throughout the world. Jesus will give the 144,000 the words to speak and Jesus will validate their testimony through His Two Witnesses.

The Holy Spirit (represented by the two olive trees) will bear witness that the 144,000 speak for God by enabling the 144,000 to speak about subjects which they could not otherwise know. I believe the 144,000 will be able, as needed, to read people’s thoughts, just as Jesus read the thoughts of the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 12:25-37. They will also work signs and wonders just like Jesus.^[69] The 144,000 will proclaim God’s will; specifically the demands of His two laws of love (represented by the two lampstands). The demands of the Ten Commandments will test the heart and faith of each person.^[70] Currently, few people will listen to the gospel of Jesus, but God will shake up the world with an overwhelming display of wrath. He will bring the world to a standstill so that everyone can hear His servants, the 144,000. God’s Two Witnesses will validate the testimony of the 144,000.^[71] The Ten Commandments will declare their gospel is true. The Holy Spirit will impress every sinner’s heart with their need of a Savior. Persecution will intensify and everyone will be tested.

The two olive trees represent the two functions of the Holy Spirit. These functions are sometimes described in the Bible as two rains such as the early rain and the latter rain.^[72] To appreciate the importance and function of these two rains, please consider the setting. In Bible times, Israel’s economy was based on agriculture. Farmers planted crops in the autumn and in the spring. The autumn crop matured in early spring and the spring crop matured in the autumn. Both crops were nourished by two rains, the early and the latter rain. The early rain softened the soil to receive the seeds and weeks later, the latter rain brought the crops to maturity. So it is with the work of the Holy Spirit. His first work is to soften the soil of the human heart so that seeds of truth might take root and grow. His second work is to bring people to spiritual maturity in preparation for the harvest.^[73] For 1,260 days, during a period of great distress (sackcloth and ashes), the Holy Spirit will “rain” on everyone.^[74] Millions of people will hear and thoughtfully consider the gospel of Jesus for the first time in their lives (the early rain experience) and a numberless multitude will embrace the gospel of Jesus. They will be tested and after passing the test of faith, given a sinless nature. Jesus will impart His righteousness to the sinner and place a seal on his forehead; indicating that he will not fall back into sin.

Remember, two lampstands plus two olive trees equals Two Witnesses. Together, the Ten Commandments (two tablets defining the two laws of love) and the ministry of the Holy Spirit make up the Two Witnesses. As you know, God’s two laws are very simple to understand, but they are exceedingly difficult to fulfill because of our sinful natures. The carnal nature inherently loves self above everything else and it will do whatever it takes to honor, exalt, defend, and fulfill itself. The carnal nature is self seeking, selfish, arrogant, competitive, and subtle. The carnal nature is naturally hostile toward God’s two laws of love. Paul wrote, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”^[75] Man’s biggest problem is his carnal nature and the removal of the carnal nature (the sealing process) is the most wonderful gift that God can bestow upon those who live during the judgment of the living! When the carnal nature is removed, ex-sinners will have no further conflict with God’s two laws of love! “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”^[76]

{5} If anyone tries to harm my Two Witnesses, fire comes from their mouths and devours them. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.

The Two Witnesses are described as fire-breathing witnesses because in John’s day, fire-breathing dragons were the most invincible objects that John knew about. For example, in the fifth trumpet John saw an angel come down from Heaven with the key to the Abyss and after the Abyss was opened, he saw a great swarm of locusts come out. God used language and concepts which John understood, using mythical objects to describe spiritual concepts. Of course, we know there is no literal key to the Abyss because the Abyss that John saw does not exist physically. The devil’s angels are not an actual swarm of locusts and fire-breathing lampstands and olive trees do not exist. Metaphors and personification are literary tools that can be used to describe things when language is insufficient.

Jesus used a metaphor to describe the Two Witnesses when he told John they will be fire-breathing witnesses. I believe John understood that no one can thwart their mission and everyone who rejects their testimony will be destroyed by fire – eventually. Jesus frequently silenced the arguments and sophistry of the Pharisees and Sadducees with a few well chosen words^[77] and the same will hold true for the 144,000. Their testimony will be invincible. The leaders of the world will not be able to trap the 144,000 with clever arguments because Jesus Himself will be speaking through the lips of His servants. Thus, the whole world will hear “the testimony of Jesus” because the Holy Spirit will take words from Jesus and put them in the mouths of the 144,000.^[78]

{6} These men [witnesses] have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

The word “men” is not found in the Greek text. It has been supplied by well-meaning translators. The antecedent of the pronoun “These” refers to “the Two Witnesses” mentioned in the previous verse. The KJV correctly translates this phrase saying, “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. . .”

We learned in Prophecy 7 that the 144,000 will be ordinary people like Moses and Peter. When Moses was filled with Holy Spirit power, he could call down plagues on Egypt at will. Peter healed the lame man at will because Holy Spirit power had been given to him. Remember, the 144,000 will be sealed and empowered before the Great Tribulation begins. Once empowered, God will work signs and miracles through them. This power will be safe in the hands of the 144,000 because their carnal natures have been removed. Like Elijah, they will ask God to withhold the rain^[79] so that multitudes of disbelieving people will witness that they truly speak for Almighty God. Months and months without rain can be a powerful validation! This end time display of divine power parallels the showdown that took place on Mount Carmel long ago when Elijah triumphed over Jezebel’s 450 prophets of Baal.

{7} When the Two Witnesses have finished their testimony (at the end of their 1,260 days of empowerment), the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, overpower them, and kill them.

Three passages of Scripture are required to identify the beast that comes up from the Abyss. First, we know that an angel king is released from the Abyss in Revelation 9:1-11. Second, we know that a beast will come up out of the Earth in Revelation 13:11-18. Third, Revelation 17:8 says the wicked will be astonished when they actually see the beast that comes up from the Abyss (comes up out of the Earth) because he once was visible, he is not visible today, but he will come out of the Abyss and be visible! When these specifications are aligned, it is obvious that Lucifer, the angel king of the Abyss, is “the lamblike-dragon-speaking” beast that will kill the influence and testimony of God’s Two Witnesses at the end of their 1,260 days.

The story of Lucifer is described in different places and different ways in the Bible^[80] because God wants His people to be prepared for the physical appearing of this incredible enemy. The world has never seen anything that can compare with the appearing of Lucifer. It is ironic that millions of Christians anticipate a coming Antichrist, but their expectations are far too low for the Antichrist who is coming. What man on Earth can descend from the sky with millions of angels in attendance? What man on Earth can call down fire from Heaven at will? What man on Earth can abolish the religions and governments of the world? Earth has never seen an equivalent to the appearing of Lucifer. To make this matter clear, God uses repetition and enlargement to give mankind an encompassing view of Lucifer and his purposes, ambition, and ultimate destruction. There is so much more to Lucifer’s physical appearing than one prophecy can convey. The devil’s signs and wonders will be so deceptive that if possible, the very elect (the 144,000) would be deceived.^[81]

The Bible declares the beast from the Abyss will kill God’s Two Witnesses. This one specification has misled millions of people into believing the Two Witnesses have to be two people. When people hear me say that the Two Witnesses are not two people, they often ask: “If the Two Witnesses are the Ten Commandments and the Holy Spirit, how can Lucifer kill them?” Actually, this question has to be restated. “If the Two Witnesses are two lampstands and two olive trees, how can Lucifer kill them?” The solution is found in personification.

To understand God’s use of personification, we need to review some basic facts. We know that the influence of the Holy Spirit is terminated in a person’s heart when that person commits the unpardonable sin. When God’s Spirit cannot live in a person’s heart, it becomes impossible for that sinner to submit to God’s two laws of love. Of course, no one can kill the Holy Spirit, but a sinner can kill the influence of the Holy Spirit through defiance. In Zechariah 4, Zechariah saw a lampstand and two olive trees that were in Heaven. In Revelation 1, John also saw seven lampstands that were in Heaven. Obviously, the devil cannot touch these objects and neither can mankind, but Lucifer can kill the influence of the Ten Commandments and the Holy Spirit by leading people into defiance against the eternal gospel. (See Prophecy 12.)

When Lucifer sets life and death choices before everyone on Earth during the sixth trumpet, millions of people will attempt to save themselves from death. People will acquiesce to the devil’s demands – knowing that what they are doing is evil. Everyone who rushes to be among the first to receive the mark of the beast willingly and willfully “kills” whatever influence the Two Witnesses may have had in his heart.^[82] When a person commits the unpardonable sin, there is no motive to repent! The following passage describes the actions of those people who grieved away the Holy Spirit: “And the rest of mankind that were not killed [during the sixth trumpet] still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”^[83]

{8} The bodies of the Two Witnesses will lie in the street of the great city, figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
{9} For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language, and nation will look at their bodies and refuse to bury them.

Remember, God is using personification to describe the experience of the 144,000 and His Two Witnesses. John’s experience in this prophecy represents the experience of the 144,000. The Two Witnesses are personified as two prophets because they testify – they confirm the testimony of the 144,000. The death of the Two Witnesses personifies the death of the 144,000 (who serve as the arms and legs of the Two Witnesses). One-third of mankind will be killed during the sixth trumpet.^[110] Many of God’s people, and most, if not all of the 144,000, will be killed. These are the martyrs described in the fifth seal.^[111] Because of their contempt and hatred for the saints, Satan’s forces will refuse to bury God’s saints and prophets when they are slaughtered. Throughout history, armies have left their enemies to rot in the street as a display of utter contempt for their foes. Scenes of dead people rotting in the street; providing food for vultures and vermin sent a repulsive message to anyone who might want to rebel.^[112]

It is interesting to notice that the language used in verses 8 and 9 parallels the language used in Revelation 19:19-21. When Jesus destroys His enemies at the Second Coming, He too, will not bury His defiant foes. They will be left to rot in the street and vultures will gorge themselves on their flesh!^[113]

The phrase “the great city that is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” is symbolic and the Bible defines this symbol with a relevant text. The Bible says “the woman is the great city that rules over the kings of the Earth.”^[114] The book of Revelation contrasts two women. One is pure and gives birth to the Savior of the world.^[115] The other woman is a wealthy whore.^[116] The pure woman represents the people of God (His holy city). The whore represents the wicked (a great city containing people who worship Lucifer). The pure woman is called “the bride of Christ.” The corrupt woman is called “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.” The whore has no conscience. She sits on a beast having seven heads and ten horns (Babylon), drinking the blood of God’s prophets and saints.^[117] Corporately speaking, the wicked who join Lucifer’s theocracy will make up “the great city.” When the Bible says the bodies of the Two Witnesses will lie in the street of the great city (the whore), the Bible is not talking about a geographical location. It is talking about a worldwide group of defiant people described as Sodom (sexual perverts), Egypt (hard hearts) and Jerusalem (people who rejected the clearest evidences of truth).

God uses repetition and enlargement in the book of Revelation to help us understand the counterfeit theocracy that Lucifer will establish. Lucifer’s whore (Lucifer’s theocracy) is given another name in Revelation 13. She is also called “an image to the beast.”^[118] Lucifer’s theocracy will be a mirror image of the crisis government that man created during the first four trumpets. The essential difference between the formation of the crisis government (Babylon – Phase I) and the formation of the whore/image (Babylon – Phase II) is consolidation. When the seven trumpets begin, world leaders will create Babylon (a crisis government – Phase I) and the governments of the world will obey the instructions of the seven heads (the seven religious systems on Earth). When the sixth trumpet sounds, Lucifer will assert his authority and abolish the religions and governments of the world so that he can set up a counterfeit theocracy (Babylon – Phase II). He will rule over the world as king of kings and lord of lords. The devil will create a one-world-church-state religion and ten puppet kings (the ten horns on the composite beast) will report to him. During the time of the whore/image, (Babylon – Phase II), Lucifer will do his best to kill the opposition. He will kill a third of mankind. Babylon – Phase II, is described as a prostitute because everyone participating in Lucifer’s theocracy knowingly does wrong. The wicked will prostitute themselves to do whatever Lucifer demands in exchange for survival.

Now that we have identified the prostitute (the great city, Lucifer’s theocracy) which will be established during the sixth trumpet, let us return to the phrase in verse 8 that says, “their bodies will lie in the street of the great city.” Lucifer’s theocracy (his great city) will encompass the whole world. Therefore, the street of the great city cannot be a geographical spot or street. When the 144,000 [the arms and legs of the two witnesses] are slain, their dead bodies will be found all over the world. The wicked, because of defiance and hatred of God’s servants, will refuse to bury them. Later on, however, the table will turn and Jesus will resurrect the 144,000, vindicate them in the presence of their enemies and take them to Heaven. During the seven bowls, Jesus will prove to the wicked that Lucifer and his great whore have nothing to do with the God of Heaven. The ten kings will discover Lucifer’s deception during the fifth bowl and they will turn on him and burn his prostitute (theocracy) with fire.^[119]

Lucifer’s whore is described as “a great city” because in Bible times certain cities were fortified as cities of refuge.^[120] No one dared to live very far from a city in Bible times because there was no other means of protection. Marauding tribal kings looted and plundered everything they could steal and they made slaves of everyone who could be captured. It is interesting that Cain feared for his life after killing Abel and he was the first person to build a city.^[121] During the Great Tribulation, the saints will put their faith in Jesus. They will obey the gospel of Jesus and depend upon the Lord as their city of refuge.^[122] On the other hand, the wicked will trust in Lucifer and they will depend on him as their great city of refuge.^[123]

Revelation’s story personifies the people of Earth as a tale of two women and two cities. During the Great Tribulation, the inhabitants of Earth will be required to make an informed choice between two different forms of government. Choice will determine citizenship. One government, directed by Jesus, will be based on God’s two laws of love. The other government will have an arbitrary dictator. Those willing to put their faith in Christ will be eagerly accepted into the city of God (personified). Those defying God’s demands will be “herded” out of fear of death or persecution into a great city (personified) that offers temporary refuge, but there is no safety in the arms of a whore. She cannot be trusted. She is immoral. She always sells out to the highest bidder.

{10} The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over the death of the Two Witnesses. They will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

At the close of the 1,260th day most, if not all, of the 144,000 will be dead – their testimony silenced. Many of God’s saints will also be dead. At the 1,260th day, the population of the world will be half of what it was when the Great Tribulation began. The whole world will be in shambles, but instead of shuddering with fear for what is about to happen (the third woe), the wicked will be elated! They will rejoice and be jubilant because the Holy Spirit no longer torments them.^[135] The annoying prophets (the 144,000) who continually stirred up controversy and condemned their evil ways will be gone. At last, the conflict for souls between Christ and Satan will be over. God’s Two Witnesses have reported everything to Jesus and each person has been judged. To celebrate their Pyrrhic* victory over truth and righteousness, Lucifer will declare a great global holiday. Four days will be dedicated to rejoicing and celebration. The wicked will interpret the slaughter of one-third of mankind and the establishment of Lucifer’s counterfeit theocracy as a glorious development because there will be no more opposition. Other than small numbers of saints hiding in caves and remote places around the world, only those having the tattoo on their right hand will be alive at this time in Earth’s history. Resources (food, energy, and the necessities of life) will last longer now that the population of Earth has been greatly reduced. During the celebration, Lucifer’s grandest lie will be presented to cheering crowds. The devil will triumphantly announce the beginning of a thousand years of peace and happiness. The wicked will rejoice and “God’s” millennial reign will be declared. The crowds will roar with approval and excitement.

*Note: The phrase “Pyrrhic victory” is named after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 B.C. and Asculum in 279 B.C. After these wars, Plutarch quotes King Pyrrhus as saying, “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” Even though King Pyrrhus won two battles against the Romans, he did not make a dent in the number of soldiers that belonged to Rome’s army. Ultimately, he lost his kingdom because the price of victory robbed him of the soldiers necessary to defend his territory. Hence the ironic term, “Pyrrhic victory.”

Verse 10 describes the Two Witnesses as “two prophets” and if it were not for the larger context of personification (the two lampstands and two olive trees), the context in verse 10 could indicate the Two Witnesses are two human beings. This oversight has lead many Bible students to erroneously conclude that the Two Witnesses are two people. There are two reasons why this conclusion cannot be true!

First, let us suppose that at the 1,260th day, the Two Witnesses are two people living in Washington D.C. What impact would the deaths of these two people have in Russia, Australia, and Germany given the fact that Lucifer and his forces just killed 1.75 billion people for refusing to receive the mark of the beast? (Remember, the infrastructures of travel and communication will be practically non-existent at the time. How long will it take for news of their death to travel around the entire world?) We know that the wicked will celebrate for 3.5 days when the 1,260 days end, but why should the wicked rejoice over the death of two prophets when there are 144,000 prophets? Actually, the wicked will not celebrate the death of two prophets, they will celebrate their freedom from the Holy Spirit’s torment! This is a key point that many Christians do not understand.

Do you remember the note that Pilate’s wife sent to her husband when he was about to condemn Jesus to death? She wrote, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”^[136] The Holy Spirit tormented Pilate’s wife by revealing the identity of Jesus to her and I am sure that her unsolicited note haunted Pilate for the rest of his life. During the Great Tribulation, the Holy Spirit will torment the wicked as He tormented Pilate’s wife. The Bible says, “There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”^[137] During the sixth trumpet, the Holy Spirit will cause every wicked person to suffer enormous guilt. The torment will be awful. The Holy Spirit will do everything short of violating a person’s will to save that person from the penalty of sin. While this torment is occurring, the 144,000 will proclaim a fourth and final message from Jesus, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes”^[138] and in spite of these divine endeavors, millions of people will rush forward to be among the first to receive the tattoo on their right hand (the mark of the beast). When a person receives the tattoo, the Holy Spirit gives up and departs. There is nothing further that He can do to save that soul. As the Holy Spirit withdraws from the wicked, any desire or conviction within them to do right also leaves. Lucifer will seize this opportunity and beginning on the 1,261st day of the Great Tribulation, he will lead the wicked into a victory festival! This uninhibited celebration will parallel, in a perverse way, the exuberance which the Jews experienced after destroying their enemies in the days of Queen Esther. In fact, many Jews still celebrate Purim by giving gifts to each other to mark their nation’s victory over their enemies!^[139]

Second, the Bible calls the Two Witnesses “two prophets.” We need to consider the Greek word prophetes. The word is usually translated “prophets,” but the word includes a broader meaning, such as “an inspired speaker” or “one who speaks for God.” Abraham is the first man in the Bible to be called a prophet,^[140] but Noah could also be called a prophet because he was an inspired speaker.^[141] The Two Witnesses are called two prophetes because they will be inspired speakers. They will speak for God. When ordinary men and women are enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak words they could not say on their own, these people are called prophetes.^[142] In fact, the 144,000 are called prophetes in Revelation 10:7 and they are separately identified from the saints in the book of Revelation^[143] in several places. We have already learned in this study that God wrote His two laws of love on two tablets of stone. These two stones are called “the Testimony” and they reside in “the Ark of the Testimony” because the Ten Commandments testify. They declare what pure love will do and will not do. The Ten Commandments have a divine origin and they speak for God, therefore the Ten Commandments (the two lampstands) are one witness and this witness can be called a prophete.

The two olive trees represent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a prophete because it speaks for God. The Holy Spirit will impress God’s two laws on the hearts of people. Their common objective is conviction – a moment of truth which requires a pivotal decision. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the 144,000 will speak with authority as did Jesus and John the Baptist.^[144] God’s Two Witnesses will work through 144,000 prophetes and Jesus will pass judgment on the living according to their response. Even if the Two Witnesses were two people sent from Heaven, their deaths at the end of the 1,260 days would have no more impact on the whole world than did Jesus’ death. When we consider the population of the whole world in A.D. 30, very, very few people rejoiced at the death of Jesus.

{11} But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, they stood on their feet, and the people celebrating their death were struck with terror.

The Two Witnesses will remain dead for 3.5 days. Jesus will resurrect them in the presence of their enemies and He will take them to Heaven. There is evidence indicating the 144,000 could be taken to Heaven on a Sunday because first fruits were presented to God on the first day of the week.^[145] For example, in Numbers 28:26, a presentation of firstfruits took place at the feast of Pentecost which always fell on a Sunday.^[146] We know that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, and He ascended to the Father that morning as the first fruits of the dead.^[147] If the 144,000 are resurrected, taken to Heaven, and presented to God and the Lamb on a Sunday, this is consistent with first fruits being offered on a Sunday. The Bible does declare the 144,000 will be the first fruits of the coming harvest.^[148]

The three and a half days can be easily demonstrated using an example with actual dates. Suppose, for sake of discussion, that the 1,260th day of the Great Tribulation ends on Wednesday, sundown, February 4, 2015, in New York City. Remember, that with God, a day begins and ends at sundown – local time.^[149] Suppose the wicked in New York City gaze upon the dead bodies of God’s prophets for three full days – Thursday, Friday, and Sabbath. Also, suppose the 144,000 are resurrected at dawn on Sunday morning, February 8, 2015. The elapsed time would be three and a half days. Although the actual date of their resurrection is unknown at this time, we do know that the 144,000 are the firstfruits of the coming harvest and it is possible they could be taken to Heaven and presented to God and the Lamb on a Sunday, the first day of the week.

Imagine the anxiety that will overwhelm murderous revelers when they actually see the resurrection of God’s prophets. Words cannot possibly describe their terror when they see the dead awaken and stand up. The 144,000 will shine with the same glory that radiated from Moses when He descended Mt. Sinai. The courage and bravado of the wicked will melt. Fearing for their lives, the wicked will run for cover like cockroaches when exposed to light.

{12} Then, a loud voice spoke from Heaven to the 144,000: “Come up here.” And immediately, the 144,000 ascended to Heaven in a cloud while their enemies looked on.^[150]
{13} At that very hour, there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the great city (that is, a tenth of Lucifer’s government) was destroyed by the earthquake. The ground swallowed up the highest ranking administrators within Lucifer’s government (all seven thousand of them).^[151]

This text may indicate that Lucifer’s government will consist of 70,000 officials. If so, each king (there will be ten kings) may rule over 7,000 officials. When the 144,000 are resurrected and taken to Heaven, 7,000 of Lucifer’s highest officials will perish. I believe this divine event declares, “Game Over.” Maybe Jesus will destroy 7,000 demon possessed officials who were known and feared for their inhumane cruelty. Regardless,Lucifer and his officials used their power to destroy God’s people and now Jesus will use higher power to destroy them. The earthquake will terrify the surviving saints, but they will rejoice and give glory to Jesus because they know He is about to end their misery and suffering! Lucifer’s government will be badly damaged by the loss of this leadership, but Lucifer will not care. The celebration will end abruptly and a cloud of heavy worry will fall on the wicked.

{14} Then a loud thunder came from Heaven. A voice said: “The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.”

Prior to the seventh trumpet, the gospel of Jesus Christ will reach every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. When the 1,260th day arrives, everyone on Earth either has the seal of God or the mark of the beast. The saints will have their carnal natures removed and the wicked will have committed the unpardonable sin. What a contrast! After 3.5 days of celebration, the seventh trumpet will sound on the 1,265th day, perhaps a Sunday. Jesus will resurrect the 144,000 and take them to Heaven. The seventh trumpet will sound in Heaven shortly after the 144,000 arrive in Heaven and an earthquake will swallow up 7,000 of Lucifer’s officials. The seventh trumpet marks a very important transition in Earth’s history. All that remains is the execution of justice. Remember, during the Great Tribulation there will be no justice for God’s people. Therefore, Jesus avenges their suffering and death. Over a period of seventy days, the wicked and ultimately, planet Earth itself, will be totally destroyed.

Jesus has several purposes for the seven bowls and we will examine them when we study Prophecy 14:

1. Jesus will use the first five bowls to incrementally undo Lucifer’s deception. Jesus will unmask the devil because He wants every wicked person to recognize and acknowledge that the glorious being masquerading as Almighty God is the devil himself. As you can imagine, forcing defiant people into this position will take a great deal of pain.

2. Jesus will use the seven last plagues to punish the wicked for defiance. No sovereign can tolerate open and defiant contempt within his kingdom. The wicked must be punished because they deliberately insulted and willfully defied the commandments of the Creator of the Universe who is King of kings and Lord of lords. For 1,260 days the clearest evidences of God’s will and truth were set before all mankind, but the wicked refused to hear God’s servants and they blasphemed the Holy Spirit. They willingly and knowingly refused to obey Almighty God. Not only this, they tortured and killed God’s saints knowing that what they were doing was wrong! Now, the table turns. Almighty God will deal with these rebels. For seventy days, they will suffer in the extreme and there will be NO mercy! The defiant cannot escape drinking the bitter dregs of God’s wrath.^[152]

3. Finally, Jesus will repay the wicked for the suffering which they heaped upon His people. Justice demands that the golden rule be applied. This rule declares: “As you did unto others, the same will be done unto you.”^[153] The pain and suffering, sorrow and death imposed upon God’s saints during the Great Tribulation will be the equivalent of war crimes in God’s sight. Therefore, Jesus will punish the wicked for crimes against humanity. Remember that the punishment inflicted on the wicked during the seven bowls does not affect or eliminate the restitution which will be extracted from the wicked at the end of the 1,000 years.

The second thing that must be discussed before considering the horrors of the third woe is that God’s anger with the wicked is limited by His two laws of love. God does not extract revenge beyond the demands of justice.^[154] God faithfully adheres to His two laws of love. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.^[155] Restitution is a cornerstone of God’s government of love. This is why God said in the Old Testament, “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”^[156] By closely studying God’s actions, we see what pure love is and what pure love does and how pure love behaves – under all circumstances. God is righteous and pure; He demands the highest standards of conduct for Himself and from His creation.

{15} I heard the seventh trumpet sound and I heard loud voices in Heaven say, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Some Christians believe that Jesus received the kingdom of this world when He ascended to the Father after His resurrection. There is some confusion on this topic, so please consider the following:

In the beginning, Jesus created everything in the universe for the Father.^[157] Jesus is the creative agent of the Godhead, but everything He created belonged to the Father. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were to be immediately executed because the Father has “a sudden death law.”^[158] The wages of sin is death by execution, but Jesus went to the Father and offered to be executed in man’s place. The Father told Jesus that His plan for man’s redemption required a perfect substitute. In other words, if Jesus perfectly carried out the Father’s will, sinners could be saved if they put their faith in Christ’s atonement and did their best to carry out the teachings of Jesus. (see Appendix C.) The Father also promised to give the world to Jesus if He successfully carried out His plans.

On the day that Adam and Eve sinned, Jesus relinquished His rights and privileges as a co-eternal member of the Godhead to the Father. Jesus subjected Himself to the Father’s will and Jesus became known as the Son [the subject] of God.^[159] The title, “Son of God” does not mean that the Father created Jesus or that Jesus is not equal to the Father. Jesus is fully God just like the Father. The Hebrew word ben (son) means subject – as a child is subject to the will of his parents or a citizen is subject to his nation’s constitution or the will of His king. Jesus humiliated Himself [subjected Himself] to the Father’s will for man’s redemption and this is why the title, ‘the Son of God’ means, ‘the Subject of God.’ Four thousand years after sin began, Jesus came to Earth to carry out the will of the Father in His flesh^[160] and just before going to the cross, Jesus prayed these words:

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. . . . I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. . . . For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. . . . All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.”^[161]

When Jesus ascended to Heaven on Resurrection Sunday, the Father did not give the kingdom of the world to Jesus as many people think. Instead, He made Jesus the head of the church. Paul wrote, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.”^[162] During the first century following the ascension of Jesus, the disciples believed that Jesus had been given sovereign power over everything and they also believed that Jesus would shortly return to Earth. This understanding was not harmful, but it was not fact. Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He spoke to His disciples: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”^[163] The disciples heard these words, but they did not understand that the authority given to Jesus was limited to His church. The apostle Paul also thought that Jesus had received all authority after returning to Heaven. Paul did not understand the timing of apocalyptic prophecy when He wrote, “And he [the Father] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment– to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”^[164] (See commentary on Prophecy 2 for further discussion of the time when Christ is given sovereign power.)

These and other Bible texts have given many people the idea that Jesus received the kingdom of this world when He ascended, but apocalyptic prophecy indicates this is not the case. The book of Daniel teaches that Jesus was found worthy to receive sovereign power in 1798.^[165] Because the book of Daniel was sealed up until the time of the end,^[166] the disciples and the apostle Paul could not possibly know certain things about the future. However, the disciples did understand that Jesus would be given all authority and the kingdom of this world, but no one could know the truth on this matter until the book of Daniel was unsealed.

All Bible writers have one flaw in common. They try to put everything shown to them in vision within the context of their knowledge or life span. Of course, an infinite God is not limited by time or our knowledge. So, the limitations of Bible writers are not a problem once we understand the four rules that govern the interpretation of apocalyptic prophecy. For example, Peter, John, Paul, and James had no idea that 2,000 years would pass before Jesus returned to Earth. Look at their thoughts: Paul wrote, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none.”^[167] John wrote, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”^[168] Peter wrote, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”^[169] James wrote, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”^[170] Obviously, these godly men would not have written such things if they had known that Jesus’ return would be 2,000 years in the future.

Earlier in this book, we examined Revelation 5. We found that Jesus was found worthy to receive the book sealed with seven seals in 1798 for several reasons. Jesus also began breaking the seven seals on The Book of Life in 1798. We have examined the alignment of the third seal with 1844, the alignment of the fourth seal and the commencement of the seven trumpets, and the alignment of the fifth seal with the sixth trumpet. After the Two Witnesses complete their work, the 144,000 will be taken to Heaven and then the seventh trumpet will sound. What a privilege and honor for the 144,000 to be there and see Jesus receive the kingdom which the Father will give Him. This is why the angels and the elders rejoice! “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”^[171]

{16} The twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped Him,
{17} saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have exercised your great authority and have now begun to reign [as King of kings and Lord of lords].
{18} I also heard the elders sing a passage from Isaiah: “Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the Earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their blood. All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom [my enemies], the people I have totally destroyed.”^[172]

The elders continued, “Oh Lord God, we give thanks to you, the time has come for avenging the sacrificial blood of your martyrs. The number permitted to die during the fifth seal has been completed. The time has come to reward your servants, the 144,000, who stand before your throne. The time has come to reward your waiting saints on Earth and all who reverence your holy name; both small and great. Mercy has ended and justice has come. Destroy the whore and all who belong to her, destroy those who ruined the Earth with violence, hostility, murder, sexual immorality and every evil known to mankind.”

{19} When the elders finished, I looked up into the sky and saw a marvelous sight. I was not alone as everyone on Earth could see God’s temple in Heaven. Words cannot describe the dazzling glory that radiated from His temple. Inside the temple, in full view of everyone, was a golden box. Our eyes were drawn to that box because brilliant beams of light flashed from it. A loud voice said to the inhabitants of Earth, “Look at the Ark of God’s covenant!”

There has been considerable debate through the centuries on the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant. The Bible indicates the temple veil in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified,^[173] but the Ark of the Covenant was not found in the Most Holy Place in Jerusalem’s temple! God evidently took the Ark of the Covenant to Heaven for safe keeping after Israel rejected Messiah. For reasons why I believe that the Ark of Moses has been taken to Heaven for everyone to see at the seventh trumpet see this reference.^[174]

The Ark of the Covenant was a small box overlaid with gold. God had it built shortly after Israel was delivered from Egypt. God had this special box made so that Israel would have a resting place for the two tablets of His Testimony, His covenant with mankind. When the Ark of the Covenant was on Earth, no one saw it other than Israel’s high priests – and only then, once a year on the Day of Atonement. God prevented Israel from seeing the Ark of the Covenant because He did not want Israel worshiping a golden box or the two tablets of stone. Because the Ten Commandments are based on two laws of love, God’s law is not effective unless it is written in the hearts of His subjects.^[175]

Jesus will reveal the Ark of the Covenant to everyone on Earth at the seventh trumpet (1,265th day of the Great Tribulation). God’s two laws of love are called a covenant (a promise) because they declare what pure love will do and will not do. When God’s two laws are written in a person’s heart, that person naturally lives in harmony with everything the law declares!^[176] The first four commandments reveal what pure love for God will produce and the last six reveal what pure love for your neighbor will produce. In other words, at Mount Sinai, God wrote a promise on two tablets of stone. He declared what pure love will produce within man if man will follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Many people claim to love God, but who determines what pure love will do? Love for God is not pure unless it produces results that conform to the first four commandments. Love for our neighbor is not pure unless it produces results that conform to the last six commandments. This is why the Ten Commandments are called a covenant. God promises that pure love will produce everything that is written in the Ten Commandments. When the carnal nature is removed, God’s children will naturally do what is written in the Ten Commandments! This is why Paul wrote, “Love is the fulfillment of the law!”^[177] Until the carnal nature is removed, God’s children cannot consistently do what is written in the Ten Commandments, even though it is their greatest desire. This is why the sealing process is so important. During the Great Tribulation, everyone will be tested. Jesus wants to see who loves God and his neighbor with a pure heart. God will generously reward everyone who passes the two tests of love. Their carnal nature will be removed. God will then put a seal on that person and he will be free from falling back into the power of sin!

Consider this: A person can obey the Ten Commandments without fulfilling the Ten Commandments. For example, a person may not commit murder because the law says that murder is forbidden. Of course, avoiding murder (even if the action is not out of love) is beneficial for society, but avoiding murder is not the full intent of the law. The promise in God’s covenant is this: If you love your neighbor as God loves you, you will never have a desire to commit murder. You would rather die for your neighbor than take his life. Thus, pure love fulfills the intent of the law and as a covenant, the Ten Commandments predict how pure love will be expressed in the human heart!

According to God, love is not a loosely defined sentiment that everyone defines to his own satisfaction. God governs the universe according to two eternal rules of love that are clearly defined. The world has all kinds of ideas about love, but God’s definition of love is all that matters. God is love. This means that the actions of the Godhead are a demonstration of what love is and is not. Three co-eternal members of the Godhead live within these two laws and on the basis of their combined powers, they guarantee these two laws will never be amended and they will never cease to exist. The Father’s goal is to bring fallen man back into harmony with these two laws so that our union and communion with the Godhead might be perfect!

God’s two laws of love are so important that Jesus Himself descended to Mount Sinai to speak the Ten Commandments. To keep “the Testimony” from being altered by fallen man, Jesus wrote the two laws of love on two tablets of stone with His own finger. Moses knew the Ten Commandments were a covenant. Moses understood that if Israel surrendered to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He would fill them with God’s love and the outcome would be a nation reflecting God’s two great commandments. When pure love is present, the obligation of law goes unnoticed! Think about this: Adam and Eve did not have a single conflict with God’s laws of love before they fell, because God’s laws were written in their hearts and minds. After Adam and Eve fell, they immediately came into conflict with God’s laws of love at every turn because the carnal nature is hostile toward pure love. “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”^[178]

 God Shows the Ark of the Covenant to the World

Revelation 11:19 says, “Then God’s temple in Heaven was opened and within His temple was seen the Ark of His Covenant. . . .” When we consider the timing and setting of this event, we have to ask what is the purpose and significance of showing the Ark of His covenant to the world? Before we proceed into this explanation, please review the sequence of events surrounding this amazing revelation:

1. The Two Witnesses are killed on the 1,260th day.
2. The wicked will celebrate for 3.5 days.
3. All of the wicked will be wearing the mark of the beast.
4. The 144,000 will be resurrected and taken to Heaven.
5. Seven thousand of Lucifer’s officials will be killed by an earthquake.
6. The Ark of the Covenant will be seen and. . . .
7. The seven bowls will begin immediately.

Jesus will show the Ark of the Covenant to the world at the appointed time because it contains His two laws of love, the Ten Commandments, written on two stone tablets with His own finger. In other words, Jesus will show the wicked “the Testimony” that condemned them. God wants the wicked to see “the two highest laws of the universe,” the laws they rejected, despised and defied. Like King Belshazzar, the wicked will clearly understand that their actions have been examined and they did not measure up.^[179] The seventh trumpet marks the end of the judgment of the living. It also marks the commencement of the third and final woe: The seven last plagues.

To put this event in a better perspective, we need to examine the origin and God’s purpose for the Ark of the Covenant. Notice what Moses said to the Israelites before entering Canaan, “The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.”^[180]

When Moses came down from the mountain, “He [Moses] took the Testimony [the Ten Commandments] and placed it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the Testimony [from view], as the Lord commanded him.”^[181] The Ark of the Covenant was “holy” because “God’s presence” protected the Ark. Whenever the Israelite priests carried the ark from one location to another, the rest of the camp had to keep a distance of a thousand yards between themselves and the Ark of the Covenant.^[182]

Millions of Christians have been led to believe the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross with Jesus. They believe the Ten Commandments were part of “the old covenant” which was abolished when Jesus died. But ironically, most Christians believe that nine of the Ten Commandments should be obeyed! So here is the question: If the Ten Commandments were abolished at the cross, why does God show the golden box containing the Ten Commandments to the world at the seventh trumpet?

The answer is simple. There will be a great controversy during the Great Tribulation over the topic of worship. The Holy Spirit will demand (through the preaching of the 144,000) that everyone must obey God’s two laws of love and this includes observing God’s seventh-day rest (the fourth commandment). Of course, obeying the Ten Commandments cannot produce salvation. However, when persecution and/or death is promised to everyone obeying God’s Ten Commandments, faith and love for God will be tested and we know that it is through faith that we are saved! This is a critical point: When worship requires a sacrifice, when obeying God means the loss of family, friends, and possessions, faith is severely tested and those who pass the test of love and faith will be sealed and saved!

The religious leaders of the world will also demand worship, but the worship which Babylon demands will be contrary to the worship that God demands. This is how the issue of worship will become a hotly debated topic during the Great Tribulation. Revelation 13:5-8 indicates that all who honor and observe God’s Sabbath rest will suffer persecution. When the judgment of the living ends, God will open the temple in Heaven and show the wicked why they are evil in His sight. Wickedness occurs when God’s two laws of love are violated. This is the testimony of His law and its conclusion is beyond impeachment or appeal.

When the surviving saints see the Ark of the Covenant beaming from Heaven’s temple, they will rejoice because they will know that God’s two laws of love are sealed within their hearts. The saints will know from personal experience why the Ten Commandments are called a covenant. They have been transformed, literally, by God’s pure love. Their sinful natures have been removed and they find themselves in perfect harmony with God and His two laws of love. God’s laws of love are noble, wise, honorable, and everlasting. “ ‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ”^[183]

The wicked will not be able to hide themselves from the glory of this event. They will gaze at the Ark of the Covenant. This spectacle in the sky will leave them speechless and dumbfounded. They will be awestruck by the somber reality and importance of God’s eternal laws. Mortals will remember their defiance against Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords and will sense their impending doom. The wicked will realize that they rejected every opportunity to repent and that they rejected every overture made by the Holy Spirit who was prompting them to submit to God’s two laws of love. The tattoos on their right hands (the mark of the beast) confirms they willingly and knowingly chose to worship and obey a demon. This will be a horrible moment of truth for the wicked. During the seventy days of the seven bowls, the wicked will not forget the Ark of the Covenant. God has predetermined that those who rebel against Him will remember the law that testifies against them as they suffer the seven bowls of His wrath.^[184]

{19 – Continued} After everyone on Earth saw the Ark of His Covenant, there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm of burning meteors. Once again, fire from Heaven fell on particularly evil places and they were incinerated like Sodom and Gomorrah. The saints heard a loud voice. (One of the seven thunders?) It was Jesus. He said, “Let him who does wrong, continue to do wrong; let him who is vile, continue to be vile; let him who does right, continue to do right; and let him who is holy, continue to be holy.”^[185]