Enoch and Elijah – When these two men come into view during the beginning of the tribulation, they will be met with the most vile hatred.
They also will be center stage in the home of the new Jewish temple in the capital of Israel—Jerusalem. There will be a lot going on during this time. Events showcasing Satan and his works of power through the Antichrist and False Prophet will be clamoring for the attention and worship of the entire world.
Then you will have these two. They will be impossible to ignore. People will hardly believe their eyes at the spectacle of them both. It won’t be because they are dressed in Armani and have professionally whitened teeth. They will be dressed in sackcloth and performing signs and wonders not seen on this earth for a very long time. They are not here to win a popularity contest or be on the cover of People magazine.
These two men of old who never died have come back to earth to do so: Enoch and Elijah.
But they are here, living in the latter days for another specific purpose—to prophesy. They have important things to say and display on behalf of God for three and a half years – known also as the two witnesses, the two olive trees, or the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth.
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’
“These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire” (Revelation 11:1-6).
Enoch:
Enoch went out walking with God one day, and he was no more. He appeared to be taken to God before the flood that destroyed the earth, before the time of Noah and the ark. Humongous clue of the upcoming rapture!
“And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:23-24).
The New Testament speaks of Enoch as well:
“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him;’ for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).
Enoch prophesied the Second Coming of Christ, seeing the saints of God coming back to earth with Him! How fitting he should be back again—living in this end timeframe.
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15).
Elijah the prophet:
Then there will be Elijah, as he did not die either; he left this world in a flaming chariot, riding on a whirlwind.
“Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).
I really like Elijah, as well as Enoch. Elijah had to put up with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, as well as the prophets of Baal. The combination of those took someone very special to deal with them. He was a real scrapper. He had full confidence that God was always going to show up.
Elijah is also is a prophetic timepiece of the end of days, someone spoken of that we should watch for prior to the “day of the Lord” also known as the tribulation.
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6).
So, the scripture says he will appear before this time, and his purpose is restoration in his message for the Jewish people. This is amazing, because he will be centrally located in their midst for three and a half years, prophesying during the tribulation.
These two men are the only ones recorded in the Bible to not have physically died. And I believe since they have not done so, that God has a special, dual end-times role for them to fulfill, as they satisfy the requirement of death, as well as fulfill their role as the two witnesses.
I have the scriptures to back me in this view, as it says that we live once and die once.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
The only exception is born-again Christians who rapture from mortal life at the end of the church age, who are still living at that point in time.
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
The world will behold Enoch and Elijah one last time in this final time of the end before they are slain. They will be prophesying to the nation of Israel and to the whole earth with signs and wonders of ancient biblical proportions for three and a half years.
It will be impossible to harm them until they have finished their mission within this timeframe God has allotted for them. They will be fearsome creatures, as fire comes out of their mouths, and they can strike down their enemies right on the spot.
“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want” (Revelation 11:5-6).
They begin their assignment at the first part of the tribulation. God has divided the seven-year tribulation in half. The last half is defined as the great tribulation, being the most severe in every way. So, these two are prophesying in the first part when the opportunity to refuse the mark of the beast is still in play, and repentance is taking place. Once a person receives the mark of the beast on their right hand or forehead, their eternal destiny is doom. There is no turning back from that decision.
This halfway mark in the seven years seems to be a turning point for many things happening during the seven-year tribulation. This is when they are both martyred as well. But, as with all of God’s precious possessions of faith, they are given resurrected life and called to come up to Him.
“When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
“Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
“Now, after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly” (Revelation 11:7-14).
We see repentance here, as some gave “glory to God in heaven.” So, their mission does bring forth the fruit God had hoped for, even during this desperate hour—before it is too late.
I think it’s good that the population will have to look upon these two for three and a half days. This verifies they are truly dead. The people of the earth will have to deny their senses when they see Enoch and Elijah rise from the dead.
This resurrection is something that cannot be faked, and I have full confidence it will be on the news when it happens—all of it. This too will be hard to ignore, along with the earthquake and 7,000 people perishing at that point. It will definitely put an end to the celebration of the death of the two witnesses. Nothing breaks up an evil party and gift-giving like an earthquake and mass destruction.
Now, I have heard and read articles that suggest that these two might be Moses and Elijah, not Enoch and Elijah as I have shared today.
Anything is possible here, but scripture is my first authority, and it says everyone dies and appears before God in judgment, so I default there. And since there are two, and only two that did not do so, they are the only candidates for a role of this kind.
Satan did argue with Michael the Archangel about the bones of Moses. (See Jude for the story.) But Moses died and fulfilled his requirement for death, bones or no bones about it. Did I just type that?
Moses was buried somewhere in the land of Moab (modern-day Jordan) according to Deuteronomy 34. The exact location is not known. There is no grave marker for him. I think this is the way God intended it to be. Satan was after his bones for a reason and tangled with Michael in the process. God is more powerful than Satan; so we know who prevailed here in the story, even though it is not stated.
I realize some of the signs and wonders that are described in Revelation 11 pertain to those God performed through Moses, like the plagues and turning the waters into blood. I don’t have to be right here, but I think I have chosen the stronger scripture to base my article. But it’s okay if you have a different opinion.
My thoughts on Moses’ bones are this:
Satan loves to desecrate everything: burial sites, archaeological finds, bodies, the Jewish temples, etc.
The tomb of Jonah in Iraq destroyed by Isis is a good example. But why?
It gives authenticity to the Bible of its history and accuracy. Satan likes to destroy all evidence and discredit God anytime he can.
I think that was the case with Moses and his bones. What better way to discredit something than to destroy all the evidence. Although, evidence must be procured first, then destroyed.
But, if God used the angel Michael to hide Moses’ bones, then only God knows where they are. Apparently, this is a very well-kept secret to this day.
Perhaps Satan is still digging…..
Of course, this is just my humble opinion.
God is and will always be smarter than Satan!
With all that being said, I believe the Two Witnesses will be Enoch and Elijah.
That is all for now. I will continue with articles pertaining to the book of Revelation in the days ahead.
I hope you stay encouraged, dear readers, as we see the day approaching…. lift up your heads as our redemption draws close!
Sally Law