Who are the two witnesses in Rev. 11?
They are Moses and Elijah.

I know that many people believe that the two witnesses are really Enoch and Elijah because they are the only two who were raptured alive in the Old Testament. However, this belief is primarily supported by Heb. 9:27, which says, "… it is appointed unto men once to die." And since Moses already died once in the Old Testament, he couldn’t come back and die again in the Tribulation. Of course, you realize that Heb. 9:27 is not a doctrinal statement on death. Lazarus, Eutychus, Dorcas, and the widow of Nain’s son, to name a few, all died twice.

The evidence for the two witnesses being Moses and Elijah is compelling. Just look at the cross references.

  1. They were both on the Mt. of Transfiguration with Jesus: Matt. 17:1-5.
  2. They were the last two men mentioned in the Old Testament: Mal. 4:4-5, (the context is the Second Coming).
  3. They were both taken to heaven from the same place: Deut. 34:6; 2 Ki. 2.
  4. They both fasted 40 days just like Christ: Ex. 24:18; 1 Ki. 19:8; Matt. 4:2.
  5. They were both on Mt. Sinai (Horeb), which is probably the same wilderness in which Jesus was tempted:
    Ex. 24:16; 1 Ki. 19:8; Lk. 4:1-13.
  6. They both destroyed men with fire: Rev. 11:5; Num. 16:35; 2 Ki. 1:10.
  7. They both stood by the Lord on the earth: Zech. 4:14; Ex. 33:20-21; 1 Ki. 19:11.
  8. They both stopped the rain: Rev. 11:6; Ex. 9:33; 1 Ki. 17:1; Jas. 5:17.

You can see how substantial the evidence is that Moses and Elijah are the two witnesses. You wouldn’t want to make the second witness Enoch just because he didn’t die. You see, Enoch is a perfect Old Testament type of a Christian who is alive at the rapture and who is taken to heaven without ever having to die (1 Thes. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:51; Jn. 11:26).

Hope this helps,

Pastor Welder

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