Who Are the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11
A textual and prophetic analysis of the olive trees
Who Are the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11?
1. The Primary Text
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
Key Greek Terms
martys – witness, one who testifies
propheteuo – to prophesy
sakkos – sackcloth garment of mourning
elaia – olive tree
lychnia – lampstand
Observations
• They prophesy for 1,260 days
• They wear sackcloth
• They possess miraculous power
• They are killed by the beast
• Their bodies lie in Jerusalem
• They are resurrected and ascend to heaven
2. Who the Two Witnesses Are Not
Not the Church as a Symbol
The text describes two individuals:
• They prophesy
• They have bodies
• They die
• Their bodies lie in the street
• They are resurrected
These are literal personal events.
Not Angels
Angels are never depicted as dying in scripture.
The witnesses are killed by the beast (Revelation 11:7).
Not Abstract Concepts
Some interpret them as:
• Law and Prophets
• Old and New Testaments
However the narrative requires embodied individuals.
3. Zechariah and the Olive Trees
Zechariah 4 introduces two olive trees.
These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Revelation directly echoes this language.
Immediate Context in Zechariah
Joshua the high priest
Zerubbabel the governor
Priestly authority
Royal authority
These offices foreshadow deeper prophetic symbolism.
4. Powers of the Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:5-6 describes their miracles.
They can:
• destroy enemies with fire
• shut the sky so rain does not fall
• turn water to blood
• strike the earth with plagues
Biblical Parallels
Elijah
1 Kings 17:1
shut the heavens so no rain fell
Moses
Exodus plagues
water turned to blood
5. Possible Identity
Elijah
Associated with end-time return.
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
His historical miracles match Revelation 11.
Enoch
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
He did not experience physical death.
Jewish tradition frequently associates Enoch with heavenly witness and judgment.
Why These Two Fit
Both were taken without dying.
It is appointed for man to die once.
Returning as the witnesses allows them to fulfill this pattern.
6. Timeline
Their ministry lasts 1,260 days.
This equals:
3.5 years
Half of Daniel's 70th week.
Events
• prophetic ministry
• global opposition
• death by the beast
• bodies displayed publicly
• resurrection after 3.5 days
• ascension before the world
7. Meaning for the Original Audience
For the early churches:
God will always preserve a witness.
Persecution does not silence the truth.
God vindicates His servants even after death.
8. Logic Tier Conclusion
Confirmed
Two literal witnesses appear during the tribulation period.
Strongly Implied
They function as prophetic figures empowered by God similar to Moses and Elijah.
Inferred
Their identities may be Elijah and Enoch due to their unique biblical histories.
Speculative
Scripture does not explicitly name them.