Revelation 11:3; I Will Give Power Unto My Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 

These 2 witnesses will be energized by the Spirit of God to preach the gospel to the people on earth, the only hope in a time of great rebellion and oppression. And they were given special powers to defend themselves against persecutors. They have powers to destroy advancing enemies with fire. Whereas the preachers in our time do not resort to physical aggression, it seemed the age of grace has passed [Paul Lee Tan]. They were also endowed with the power to control the weather to stop the rain during the time of their ministry. And to cause water to turn to blood like the miracle that Moses did and to cause plagues to come upon the earth. When their work is done, they shall be killed by the antichrist.

3 ½ days after their death, they rose from the dead just as Christ died and they were taken up physically to heaven as Elijah and Enoch did.

We are reminded that John the Baptizer’s fiery ministry.

Matthew 3:1-6 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 

The rough clothing of the two witnesses brings to mind John the Baptizer as a heralder for the Lord Jesus in His first coming. These two witnesses will be heralders of Christ’s Second Coming.

Sackcloth was rough, heavy, coarse cloth worn in ancient times as a symbol of mourning, distress, grief, and humility. Jacob put on sackcloth when he thought Joseph had been killed (Gen. 37:34). David ordered the people to wear sackcloth after the murder of Abner (2 Sam. 3:31) and wore it himself during the plague God sent in response to his sin of numbering the people (1 Chron. 21:16). King Jehoram wore sackcloth during the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6:30), as did King Hezekiah when Jerusalem was attacked (2 Kings 19:1). Job (Job 16:15), Isaiah (Isa. 20:2), and Daniel (Dan. 9:3) also wore sackcloth.

The two witnesses will put on sackcloth as an object lesson to express their great sorrow for the wretched and unbelieving world, racked by God’s judgments, overrun by demon hordes, and populated by wicked, sinful people who refuse to repent. They will also mourn because of the desecration of the temple, the oppression of Jerusalem, and the ascendancy of Antichrist.

 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1999). Revelation 1–11 (p. 299). Chicago: Moody Press.

Indeed, the urgent message for our time is still “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. May God be merciful to save. Amen.