I think they are Moses (who represents the Jewish law) and Elijah (who represents the Old Testament prophets).
Since after the rapture we are back on the Jewish clock (Daniel’s 70th week), I think God will use them to bring Israel to himself (”all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26)) but maybe not too many Gentiles since those Gentiles that would be saved have just been raptured to be with Jesus.
Does he talk about any of that stuff? (I don’t have time now to watch 50 minutes).
BTW, Ignorant Fisherman, your posts are pretty cool.
Part of my theory is that Revelation 11 looks a lot like Daniel 12 in their similar timelines. It's possible that both passages are telling the same thing with each one filling in some of the other's gaps. I also have a theory that the overall Revelation timeline is part historical, part preterist, and part futurist. Finally, there's my theory that the desecration that causes desolation is the Muslim dome of the rock being built on the Temple Mount in 688 AD -- 1,260 years before Israel became a nation in 1948. For most of the 1,260 years it was pretty desolate. And it being on the Judaism holy site (thus Judaism being a witness) complete with it being Christian nations in the world wars that ended the Ottoman Empire's control over Jerusalem and helped the Jews return (thus Christianity being a witness), might be the fire coming out of their mouths to kill those who try to harm them (as the Ottoman Empire had done).
The two witnesses being olive trees and lampstands might be symbolic of Judaism and Christianity worshipping the one true God and also being the ones to keep science alive during the dark ages and medieval period.
I'm not a historicist (believing all of eschatology was in John's past when he wrote Revelation). I'm open to part of it being in his past, part in his near future (preterist), and part in his far future (futurist, which is perhaps our time, or perhaps our future). There's no rule that says the seals and trumpets all occur in the same era -- it's possible that collectively those events are spread out over thousands of years.
Throw in the mark of the beast sounding a lot like most Muslim nations forbidding you from buying or selling unless you adopt the Muslim creed (which may be what the mark represents, not a physical mark but the creed you confess to or abide by, as in Moses telling the Jews to write God's commandments on their heads and forearms). So if my timeline is correct then the witnesses have to fit in that timeline. And I can't think of anything else that better fits these descriptions:
Rev 11:3 -- the witnesses are dressed in sackcloth for 1,260 days (or perhaps years) -- as Judaism and Christian powers were in huge decline during the Ottoman Empire's heyday, particularly in the area of Jerusalem.
Rev 11:5 -- If anyone harms them fire comes out of their mouths. That sounds a lot like what the Christian powers did to the middle east in WW1 and WW2, which resulted in the Jews coming back to Israel.
Rev 11:6 -- The power to shut up the sky sounds an awful lot like the drought conditions in that area when the Ottoman Empire controlled that area, but not really now that the Jews are back in control.
Rev 11:7-10 -- The 3.5 years (perhaps 1,260 days or years) of the witnesses' dead bodies and the non-believers gloating might be in reference to Judaism not longer being in control there, nor the Christians (after the Byzantine Empire was run out by the Ottoman Muslims). With the planting of the flag, if you will, being the Dome of the Rock being built there in 688 AD -- lasting until Israel became a nation again 1,260 years later in 1948.
Rev 11:11-13 -- This might be about the Christians retaking the land in WW1 and WW2 with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, a lot of bloodshed in the middle east from the Ottoman Empire joining the Axis powers in WW1 and being defeated by the Allies, the victory of Beersheva (otherwise known as the Liberation of Jerusalem in 1917), and turning it over to the Jews in 1948.
Yeah, he does, not trying to sell it but.. it is totally worth your time invested, if you get an hour sit at the dinner table with ayour Bible, notebook and pen and enjoy! You seem you get it,
Maranatha!