Thursday, September 11, 2003 (73)THE LAW OF A WITNESS. One witness was insufficient to condemn a person for iniquity or sin. At the very least there were to be two witnesses who could verify the act which had been committed. Three, was even better. Deut. 19:15Inasmuch as this was the commandment of the Lord, He would certainly follow it to its full. There are two, whom He calls His two witnesses. A witness is one who has seen, and is an eye witness to the events of which they will testify. They must have been there and clearly observed the events. The witness and testimony of the Old Testament was heralded by the Law represented by Moses and the prophets represented by Elijah. We then look to the scriptures to find a ministry prior to and leading up to the second coming of Christ.
THE TWO WITNESSES OF POWER. These men are to give personal and factual witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are distinguished as being my two witnesses, in other words they must have observed certain events in the life of Christ. Unless they had been present and personally have seen the occurrence, they could not be a witness. We therefore need men who were present in the days of Jesus and who can bear witness in the end of the age, some two thousand years later. The ability to prophecy, to speak forth the will and the purpose of the Lord is found in the Law, Moses and the Prophets, Elijah. The New Testament builds a case for the two witness to have seen Christ at vital parts of His life. To begin with there were at least two, their number is not defined specifically, who came to Him when He was a child. Mt. 2:11 They will be able to witness as to His birth. Jesus was ministered to after His temptation. Mt. 4:11 They were present and are identified as Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Mt. 17:2-3, Mk. 9:2-4 Mary, on coming to the sepulcher saw two angels [or messengers], in white [Gr. leukos, light]. John 20:12 Their garments were comparable to the garment of Jesus. Mt. 17:2White as the LIGHT. In other words shining with the light of the Lord, glistering with the glory of the Lord. They are good witnesses of His resurrection. Again, at a very important moment of His life, they put in an appearance. At His ascension they came to the disciples with a message that this same Jesus would so come in like manner as they had seen Him go. Acts 1:10 The pertinent happenings in the life of the Lord Jesus were observed by two witnesses who were special beings who had served the Lord and were preserved for a special work in the end of the age. Not created angels but men who had been taken from this earth with a specific future and purpose prepared for them by the Lord. Moses and Elijah are perfectly suited to be witnesses to Israel and the world during the great tribulation period. We will see that this period of time is perfectly adaptable to the ministry of these two men of the Lord, who were bold and fearless in their time of ministry past. While they are not identified in the book of Revelation by name as being the two witnesses we shall see that their works certainly give an assurance as to their proper identity.