Revelation 11:3

And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

My two witnesses ... The identity of these two witnesses appears to this writer to be definitely and undeniably, God's word, and God's church, those two witnesses indeed being the only two witnesses of God throughout the whole Christian age, since the ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord. One of these was featured in the preceding chapter under the imagery of the "little book open" in the hand of the Rainbow Angel; and the introduction of the two witnesses here without any preliminary suggests that they have both already appeared. Indeed, John, after eating the little book is the symbol of both the Word and the Church. Many other "explanations" of these two witnesses are fanciful but unconvincing.

Many scholars have recognized the positive connection between these two witnesses and "the people of Christ,"[26] "the church bearing testimony through its ministers, etc.,"[27] "the elect church of God,"[28] etc.; but such identifications fall short of explaining how there are "two" of these witnesses. In order to come up with two, such pairs as the following have been proposed:

The Old and the New Testaments[29]

Moses and Elijah.[30]

Elijah and Elisha.[31]

Elijah and Enoch[32]

Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.[33]

The blameless churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia.[34]

Missionaries sent out "two by two."[35]

Preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles[36]

The apostles Paul and Peter.

Zerubbabel and Joshua.[37]

The extreme importance of identifying these two witnesses as God's Word and God's Church, here personified, will be apparent later in this chapter.

They shall prophesy, clothed in sackcloth ... This symbolizes the general rejection of these witnesses by the world and the apostate church. Their true testimony is given in mourning throughout the whole Christian dispensation. The true church is persecuted, and the Word is denied, contradicted, blasphemed, perverted, mistranslated, and opposed by every class of evil men continually.

And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days ... Note the duration of the witnessing. It lasts throughout the entire period of the gospel from the First to the Second Advent of Christ. Particularly, let it be noted that neither Moses, Elijah, nor any other of the alleged "witnesses" tabulated above has either been seen or heard of during this whole time! But the Word and the Church have never ceased to bear their testimony.

[26] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 1081.

[27] William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 155.

[28] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 289.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Leon Morris, op. cit., p. 147.

[31] Ibid.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Vernard Eller, The Most Revealing Book in the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), p. 116.

[34] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 134.

[35] Frank L. Cox, op. cit., p. 74.

[36] Albertus Pieters, op. cit., p. 148.

[37] James D. Strauss, The Seer, the Saviour, and the Saved (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1972), p. 154.