May 5, 2018
In Revelation 11:1-14, John is introduced to the two witnesses. These two unnamed individuals will appear on the scene during the waning days of the tribulation. They are revealed to John in a vision and he describes them as two olive trees or lampstands. They are sent by God and assigned the duty to prophesy for a period of 1,260 days or 3-1/2 years. We are not given the content of the prophecy, but like all prophets of God, they will encounter strong resistance from all those on earth. Their words will fall on deaf ears and when the Antichrist finally murders them, the world will rejoice over their deaths, exchanging gifts with one another in a macabre sort of holiday celebration. All of the events found in this chapter are fantastic in nature and have caused many to question their reality and even their validity. It is tempting to take what we see here and simply make it allegorical in nature. Men with the capacity to pour fire from their mouths us just too much for our human reason to accept. And then, to read that God somehow resurrects these two men, restoring them to life and then transporting them to heaven, is not only out of the ordinary, but out of the question. Or is it? We have to remember that we are dealing with the God of the universe. Nothing is too difficult for Him. And while we may find ourselves unable to explain what we read on the pages of Revelation, that doesn’t mean that what we read is not only possible, but highly probable, because our God is all-powerful.