06-23-2009, 02:02 PM
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Are the "two witnesses" two literal entities or...two groups of witnesses?
Revelation 11:3-4 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. For some reason I always saw that verse as the olive trees and candlesticks being the same thing. They are not. He explains:
Zechariah 4:2 And said unto me, "What seest thou?" And I said, "I have looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:"
Christ of course is that One golden candlestick and from Him the olive trees and candlesticks receive the Holy Oil which gives His Light to the world. But, what are those olive trees and candlesticks...for they together are the two witnesses.
Revelation 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Christ, The Golden Candlestick was in the midst of seven candlesticks which He explains are "the seven churches." Notice that in the millennium He is with the seven churches but...not before the millennium. Then He is only among two churches.
Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks, The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. So, we see that candlesticks are churches and two of those seven are "standing before the God of the earth." [Revelation 11:4] Those two I believe would be Philadelphia and Smyrna because of what they teach. There are many more folks than two that make up the congregation of those two churches/candlesticks. But, what of the two olive trees? What does that mean?
Zechariah 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? We are told in [Zechariah 4:12-14] that the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth, are the two olive branches. Those branches have many twigs.
Those two anointed ones are two of the seven churches and the two olive trees....both wild and natural.
Psalms 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
10:41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead.
Isaiah 43:10. Ye are My witnesses,” saith the Lord, “and My Servant Whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.
43:12 I have declared and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses,” saith the Lord, “that I am God.
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, The two witnesses, the two prophets, the two anointed ones are made up of two of the seven churches and two olive trees which are Gentile and of Israel. Together they take His message, the oil from Him, to the world.
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