Who Are the Two Witnesses of Revelation? – Behind Blood Falls → CMADDICT.com

Who Are the Two Men in Sackcloth?

The Revelation account of the two witnesses does not identify them. Many think they are Moses and Elijah, since Elijah didn’t suffer physical death and Moses died under suspicious circumstances, his body buried by God Himself. The signs that accompany their ministry resemble those of the two ancient prophets. And Jesus appeared upon the Mount of Transfiguration talking with Moses and Elijah. (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36)

Others believe Enoch may be one of the prophets since he was also taken to heaven without experiencing death. Since his life and mysterious disappearance from Earth is a foreshadowing of the church and her “snatching away” in the Rapture, this seems unlikely.

The Rapture will signal the end of the church age and the beginning of God’s restoration of His beloved Israel. It makes perfect sense God would revive the Old Testament prophetic ministry for this work. God is now even preparing the hearts of Jews for Elijah’s return, as He promised in Malachi, the last book of the old covenant:

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

– Malachi 4:5-6

Wasn’t John the Baptist really Elijah?

In Jesus’ day, some wondered if his cousin, John the Baptist, was Elijah. John denied this when asked.

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.”

– John 1:19-21

Jesus later addressed the subject of his cousin after the Transfiguration. Knowing the promise of Malachi and yet seeing Jesus as the Messiah, the disciples were confused about the vision of Elijah and Moses on the mount. Elijah, after all, was supposed to arrive first.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

– Matthew 17:9-13

John’s dad knew who he was.

John’s father was no small figure in Israel. Zacharias served as priest of the family, or “course,” of Alba. Priests performed temple service in rotation twice a year, for one week at a time. During a priest’s week of service, his home acted as one of the chambers on the temple grounds.

The most holy part of the temple worship involved the daily offering of incense. Lots were drawn to choose which priest would perform this duty. No priest could receive the honor of the incense offering more than once in his lifetime.

Zacharias chose the lot one particular day and was ministering at the altar of incense in the holy place when the angel Gabriel appeared to him.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

– Luke 1:11-17

The poor old priest was literally dumbfounded by the event, refusing to believe the angel’s announcement and suffering the loss of his voice as a result until the baby’s birth. When Zachariah obeyed God and wrote the name “John” on a tablet to bestow a name upon the child, God opened his mouth and filled it with praise.

Yet another is coming before the great day of the Lord.

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare God’s people for the first appearance of the Messiah. He knew, however, that he was not Elijah. Elijah is coming to prepare the hearts of the Jewish people to receive their Messiah at His glorious appearance in the Second Coming. He will be one of the two witnesses in the seven-year Tribulation who will evangelize Israel and a great number of Gentiles during the awful last years before Christ’s return in glory. Their ministry will begin with the evangelization and discipleship of the 144,000 God will seal from every tribe in Israel (Rev. 7:4-8).

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

…Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

– Revelation 7:9, 10, 13,14

A growing number of Jews today look for the coming of Elijah to restore all things and usher in the return of their Messiah. His coming is anticipated as heralding the final redemption of God’s people. To this day, the conclusion of the traditional Passover meal, or Seder, includes a symbolic invitation for Elijah to join the family, should it be the year of his return. The door is opened, he is “invited” in, and several Psalms are recited. A fifth cup of wine, called “Elijah’s Cup,” is poured for him, and no one drinks from this cup.

https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/zacharias.html