Revelation Chapter 11 says:
“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”
Rev 11
Who are these two witnesses? The Bible has clues as to their identity.
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.”
Isaiah 43:10 NIV
“The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.”
Jeremiah 11:16 NIV
Here, Jeremiah is describing the people of Israel. They are the olive tree that is beautiful. But Jeremiah’s prophecy also describes how that tree will be punished for transgressing God’s laws.
“And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!”
Romans 11:23-24 NIV
A different olive tree is described here. This one has lost some branches (representing unbelieving Jews who abandoned their faith), and has new branches that were grafted in from “wild” olive trees (the wild olive trees are Gentiles.)
Here, Paul is describing God’s people, both Hebrew and Christian (gentile), as being branches of an olive tree.
So what are the two olive trees, the two witnesses in Revelation 11?
One of the trees represents the Hebrew people, descended from Abraham’s son Isaac, the other represents the Christian church as a whole. Verse 3 indicates they will prophesy for a period of 3.5 years, or 1260 days.
Back to Revelation Chapter 11:
“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.”
Translation: This verse references the prophet Elijah, who used this exact power to kill those who came to harm him. Fire literally came out of his mouth and burned up 50 soldiers.
“Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.”
2 Kings 1:10 NIV
Powerful, huh? So thus far, we have learned that there are two witnesses representing the Christian and Jewish faiths, and they will have the power to make fire come out of their mouths and devour their enemies.
Now, I don’t know if this means literally that believers will have the power to make fire come out of their mouths, or figuratively they will be proclaiming the mighty Word of God with their mouths.
“They have power to shut up the heavens 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.”
Rev 11
Translation: This verse references the power Elijah had to stop it from raining while he was prophesying. It also references the power of Moses, which he displayed when he was convincing Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Remember the river turned to blood and all the plagues he unleashed on the Egyptians? This verse says that believers will have the power to do the same.
Anybody want to try and turn some rivers to blood?
“Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.”
Rev 11
Translation: Here things take a turn for the worse. The beast that comes up from the Abyss is also seen in Rev 13 — the beast who comes up out of the earth. This beast will be the second antichrist.
This antichrist will attack (and kill?) God’s people, Christian and/or Jew. This implies serious persecution in some form.
“Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.”
Rev 11
Translation: These people of God or something representing the people of God (church buildings, synagogues perhaps) will be on display in city squares around the westernized world. For 3.5 years, people will gloat over their defeat, feeling vindicated that God’s people can no longer preach the condemnation of the wicked.
“But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.”
Rev 11
Translation: This is describing the Rapture. After a period of 3.5 years, God will bring his people back to life, then bring them up to heaven in a cloud, while unbelievers look on in shock.
“At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
Rev 11
Translation: Immediately after the rapture, there will be a huge earthquake. The survivors will now start to call on the name of God to save them.
So what did we learn?
In the seven years leading up to the rapture/Jesus’s second coming, there will be 3.5 years where God’s people have the powers of Moses and Elijah, and preach God’s message with power. Then the antichrist will start to persecute them, and defeat them temporarily. For a period of 3.5 years, the people of God will live in a state of defeat or hiding, but then they will be raptured up to heaven. Then there will be devastating earthquakes on earth and the people left behind will be terrified.
Another verse in the Bible describes the final “seven” (read: 7 years) leading up to the return of Jesus.
“The people of the ruler who will come [the antichrist] will destroy the city and the sanctuary [Jerusalem]. The end will come like a flood [quickly and out of nowhere]: War will continue until the end, and desolations [complete destruction] have been decreed.
He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ [read: 3.5 years] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering [the traditional rituals at the temple/church will cease].
And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation [a blasphemous display at the temple/church], until the end that is decreed is poured out on him [the death of the antichrist].”
Daniel 9:26-27 NIV
This prophecy in Daniel matches up with the final seven years described in Revelation 11 (3.5 + 3.5 years = 7 years.) From this prophecy we get confirmation that the antichrist will do abominable things to Jerusalem and the people of God in the final seven years before Jesus returns.
He will persecute God’s people, he will desecrate the temple and/or church in Jerusalem, and he will create some sort of blasphemous display, perhaps exalting himself as equal to God.
What will this look like?
[Speculation alert – take the following prophecy with a grain of salt]
I believe Donald Trump will bring about the persecution of God’s people. He will claim to be just as important as God, if not claiming to be God or like God, and will put some sort of anti-God image or display in the temple in Jerusalem. Or possibly, it will be some sort of pro-Trump imagery, and he will set it up on a real altar of some sort, thereby declaring himself as deserving of worship as God (blasphemy!)
The final “seven” has not yet begun.
(As of this writing, anyway!)
I believe it will begin as soon as Trump is re-elected to office. I believe he will be our last president, and will refuse to allow free elections for the following election cycle.
But again, I am only guessing, take my predictions with a grain of salt. I am human, after all.
Stay humble all!