The Two Witnesses.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 44, No. 6, June 1905.Brother E. B. Rees, of Connersville, Ind., asks for our views on the two witnesses spoken of in the eleventh chapter of Revelations. We call attention to the third and fourth verses of this chapter. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth." The two witnesses, the two olive-trees and the two candlesticks, according to this passage, signify the same things. Moses was ordered to make a candlestick of pure gold, to be set in the tabernacle, in the holy place. This candlestick was typical of the church, which shines as a light in the world. John saw seven golden candlesticks in his vision (Rev. i. 12), which was interpreted as representing the seven churches (Rev. i. 20). We are thus authorized to say that candlestick, as a scriptural symbol, represents the church. Since candlestick is a symbol of the church, and the two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, it follows that the two witnesses represent the church.
Dr. Gill says, "These witnesses intend the ministers of the gospel and churches of Christ, who have borne testimony for Christ, and against antichrist, ever since he appeared in the world; and particularly the churches and ministers of Piedmont bid fair for this character, who were upon the spot when antichrist arose, always bore their protest against him, and were independent of the church at Rome, and subsisted in the midst of the darkness of the apostasy, and suffered much, and very great persecutions from the Papists, and have stood their ground and continue to this day, and have been olive-trees and candlesticks imparting light and oil to others." He says further, "These are called two, both on account of the fewness of them, and because the testimony of two is sufficient to confirm any matter."
Scott says, "Two witnesses' were mentioned, because one was insufficient for the legal proof of any fact. For these witnesses' would be as few as could be sufficient to attest the true gospel, and to enter a public protest against the antichristian perversion of it; perhaps Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, and the apostles and seventy disciples, sent out two and two,' might be alluded to. All real Christians, who boldly profess their religion may be considered as uniting in this testimony; yet ministers, and bold and zealous men, who attempted reformation, were the witnesses' primarily intended.'"
It is evident that the witnesses were those who prophesied during the dark ages of Roman persecutions, represented as being a thousand, two hundred and threescore days. A day represents a year in prophesy. So the time here spoken of was 1260 years. The three days and a half mentioned in the ninth and eleventh verses of this chapter represent the same period, being three and one half years or 1260 days. This is spoken of in the 14th verse of the twelfth chapter as "A time (year), and times (two years), and half a time (half a year)." This period of 1260 years doubtless represents the long period of Roman persecution from the rise of that beast in the third century to the sixteenth century, when her power was broken by the "reformation" and the true saints of God came out from the dark recesses of seclusion and enjoyed a freedom unknown under Papal rule.
The wonders to be worked by the power given these two witnesses are to be interpreted in a spiritual and not a literal sense. While they were prophesying in sackcloth (representing great suffering and humility), they were represented as lying dead in the streets of the great city, which may signify their state under the severe afflictions imposed upon them by the Roman Catholics. At the end of this period it is said that the "Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet." They thus came out and worshiped God in a public way, no longer being compelled to secret themselves in the caves and fastnesses of the mountains.
During those dark years of persecution, when the blood of martyrs flowed, God did not leave himself without witnesses. The two candlesticks shone on, the two olive-trees yielded their oil, in the midst of the darkness and dearth of the world. The two witnesses continued to testify of the grace of God, though all the hosts of satan tried to put them down. Jesus had said that the gates of hell should not prevail against his church, and all the powers of hell could not destroy it. Thus there was given a positive demonstration of his will and power to keep his word in sustaining his church in the darkest and most perilous ages the world has ever known.
Let it be remembered that what we now give as an interpretation of this portion of scripture is only our opinion. Gill and Scott did not think that the period indicated by the 1260 days were the same as that indicated by the "three years and a half" and the "time, times and half a time." Even those learned and gifted writers express their opinions with a great degree of diffidence. It would ill become us to set our opinion up as a standard on such difficult passages. We only give our views, desiring ever to be a learner at the great fountain of wisdom.
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