Revelation chapter ten is part of another insert between trumpet six and seven. The angel had a little OPEN SCROLL in his hand (had to be the one Jesus opened, one seal at a time), and John was told to eat it—revelation knowledge—which John wrote about in Revelation. At that same time, seven thunders uttered some final words about God’s judgment for the last days. John was just about to write those words he heard, but the angel told him not to reveal them. So some things will remain secret until God chooses to make them known. But, enough has been revealed that humanity has no excuse for not obeying what God has chosen to make known. Let us be smart enough to obey!
Revelation 11:1-14 completes that insert. It tells us about God’s two witnesses who will protect Israel from Antichrist-takeover during that last three and one half years of the Tribulation. They are identified as the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before God (yet they will reside in Jerusalem and Judea during that entire time). That same description is found in Zechariah 4:11-14—an obvious prophecy of the two men of Revelation 11:1-14. Both of those men will be killed and then resurrected, so it should be obvious that they have not died and been resurrected before. Therefore, the two men will have to be Enoch and Elijah. Both were transported up to heaven, where they have been preserved for their roles during the last half of the Tribulation. Those two men will have the necessary powers to do their job, for if anybody comes after them, fire issuing out of their mouths will literally burn up the attackers. And the fire itself will be literal, not mere angry words (as some want to believe). Moreover, they will have power to control the weather patterns to bring rain or drought. They will even be able to turn water into blood, and strike the planet with whatever plagues they wish whenever they wish to (Revelation 11:6). Turning water to blood and striking the earth with plagues causes many to believe that Moses will one of the two—Moses and Elijah. But Moses died already. He will not be raised from the dead to die again in Revelation. Enoch and Elijah were the ONLY two men who were taken up to heaven without dying, so they have to be the two olive trees and the two witnesses of Revelation 11:1-14. The fallen angelic spirit which ascends from the abyss, who will under the devil control the Antichrist, will eventually overcome those two witnesses and will kill them. The world will rejoice over their death, and their dead bodies will lie in the open for three and one-half days. Then, they will be resurrected; whereupon those rejoicers will stop rejoicing, and start trembling. Just then there will occur another great earthquake in Jerusalem, which will kill 7,000 people and destroy a tenth of the city. The survivors will be afraid and give glory to God (Whom they will obviously realize is the Judge behind all of those judgments). One more woe to go—of the seven trumpet judgments, that is. Revelation 11:15-19—The seventh trumpeter will announce that the time has come for God to take over all of the kingdoms of the world that have throughout fallen man’s history sought to control God’s creation, and have constantly been used by the devil to harass God’s people—both Jews and Christians. A few times Revelation takes the reader right up to the end of this age (the battle of Armageddon, etc.), then inserts explanatory material, and then gives the Armageddon account from a different perspective—Lots of things happen at that last-days event.
(Ron Craig is pastor, teacher and author of Christian books; and these articles. You may view all the books by logging onto www.livingwayfellowshiponline.org. While logged on the website you can even listen to audio Bible-lesson podcasts. You may also send your questions or comments to ronwritercraig@gmail.com)
