The Two Witnesses (part 3)
“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 dwelt 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 upon them which saw them” (Revelation 11:8-11).
The United States has a long history of burying the dead, from its intimate, family-led home burials in churchyards and family plots to the modern funeral industry, which includes embalming services at funeral homes and public cemeteries. During and after the black slavery era, it was a well-documented practice in the United States to leave the bodies of executed or lynched Black people hanging in public for extended periods, sometimes for days, to instill fear in the Black community and deter those who would dare fight against the injustices of that time.
The act of suspending a body in chains (known as gibbeting) or simply leaving it hanging was a common postmortem punishment, especially for enslaved individuals accused of serious crimes or rebellion. In some cases of public spectacle lynchings, crowds would mutilate the bodies, taking pieces as souvenirs, and professional photographers would take pictures to be circulated as postcards. While there were formal, legal public executions that took place, there were many instances of bodies being left hanging because of extrajudicial lynch mobs, where local authorities often did nothing to bring the guilty to justice but looked the other way.
In John’s vision, the two witnesses are killed, and their bodies are left for public display in the great city. In Moses’ day, God had given instructions for burying individuals guilty of committing a capital offense. The Bible says: “If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). This was one of the reasons Jesus was buried right away, because of the charges that had been brought against him, with him having been condemned to death for a capital offense. Yet, we know that Jesus had never committed a crime, nor will the two witnesses, but they will be put to death due to hatred of the truth, with their bodies being denied burial.
What is this great city that was in John’s vision? It is none other than Jerusalem. The Bible says: “This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain” (Zechariah 8:3). The city of Jerusalem has always been special to God, but was described by John as representing Sodom and Egypt as well as where Jesus was crucified. During King David’s reign, he captured Jerusalem, a well-fortified Canaanite city inhabited by the Jebusites, around 1000 BC, making it the capital of his unified kingdom and establishing it as Israel's pivotal political and spiritual center. The Bible says: “The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David” (2 Samuel 5:6-7).
John refers to Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt. Sodom was wicked in God’s eyes due to the homosexuality and other sins that took place in the city. Therefore, God destroyed Sodom and the surrounding cities with fire and brimstone. The Bible says: “Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). This lets us know that there will be a lot of wickedness taking place during the time of the two witnesses’ arrival, as we see already happening in today’s times. John also compared Jerusalem to Egypt. The Bible tells of how Pharaoh and the Egyptians were also punished due to the sins that they committed against the Children of Israel during their enslavement and pursued them after the Israelites left Egypt. The Bible says: “Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea” (Exodus 15:4). Pharaoh was given the opportunity to obey God and let the Children of Israel go. Unfortunately, he decided to try to recapture and reclaim them as his slaves. Therefore, with no fear of God in him, he pursued the Israelites, which led to his own demise. The same will take place with the wicked. Those who refuse to turn their hearts to God will meet a similar fate, as this is why Jerusalem is paralleled to Sodom and Egypt.
John said that people on earth celebrated the fact that the witnesses were dead. They were so happy that they were giving each other gifts as if it were a holiday. Can you imagine celebrating that someone has been killed who had done nothing but speak the truth? Yet, many people witnessed this with the death of Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, entrepreneur, and media personality, who co-founded the conservative student organization Turning Point USA. Never had the evilness that the Bible foretells of what’s to come to the two witnesses been so evident as was shown with Charlie Kirk’s assassination. People celebrated and defended the actions of a murderer just because they hated the opinions, ideas, and beliefs of one man. Similarly, the wickedness in men’s hearts did not even allow them to feel for the two witnesses’ deaths, and no one cared or empathized that they lay dead in the streets and weren’t buried. Now, one may ask how it is that all the earth could see this take place. Due to satellites, TV, cell phones, and other devices, it is quite possible that news stations will be broadcasting live while all of this is happening. The main thing is that there is obviously a coldness in the hearts of men during this time. The Bible says: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). Yet, the two witnesses will not stay dead.
After the 3 ½ days, God will breathe into them the breath of life, and they will live again. Remember, God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living being. The Bible says: “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Similarly, the Lord will place breath back into the bodies of the two witnesses, and they will live again. The devil may think that he will have victory, but just as he couldn’t keep Jesus in the grave, God is the one with the power over death. This should encourage every believer that God can restore any dead situation in one’s life.
The Two Witnesses (part 4)
“Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come” (Revelation 11:12-14).
After God brought the witnesses back to life, He called them back up to Heaven as their enemies looked on. The witnesses had done their commission, and now it was time for them to return to Heaven. The psalmist, David, wrote of having his enemies as his footstool, so God will do the same for the witnesses. The Bible says: “For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” ’ (Acts 2:34-35). Therefore, as the witnesses are lifted up to Heaven, their enemies will be under their feet as they are taken away in a cloud. One day, all of God’s children will leave this world and go to meet the Lord.
During that hour, there was an earthquake, and 1/10 of the city collapsed, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. Those who survived were fearful of what they saw and worshiped God. Sometimes it takes tragedy to bring people to their knees. God will send warning after warning, but then the judgment will come, and those who are not ready will be lost. The Bible says: “But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you” (Job 36:17).
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