Witnesses Before the World
Revelations Chapter 11
Now we return to the chronological narrative of what the Lord has in store for our generation. We detoured in chapter 9, after the invasion of Iraq. Of the events that follow, some are current and others are yet to be. Using the framework of our new understanding of these scriptures, we will try to make sense of future events prophesied by the Seer. Up to this point, all of the interpretations of symbols and events have been defined using historical and existing conditions. We have seen that the “glove” fits quite snugly, and we are wearing it. There are those who may have qualms about some of the stitches; nonetheless, John has symbolically defined our time.
Who are they?
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
God is defining boundaries; those who worship the Lord, those sealed on their foreheads, those who have covenanted and sought to honor their covenants are secured. All others are in the domain of the gentiles, for virtue and vice (42 months). Even the holy city, Jerusalem will be exposed.
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
These witnesses are called to prophesy for virtue and vice (1260 days), and they are humbled, clothed in sackcloth. They are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. The olive trees symbolize a source of nurture; the candlesticks symbolize a source of enlightenment. The scripture does not indicate what they are saying, or who they are, or where they are, yet God has specifically given them power. It is possible that they are already in existence, considering that six trumpets have blasted and the feared beasts have humanity in their spell.
Let us turn to the scriptures to find clues for their identity. Doctrine and Covenants 77: 15 states, “They are two prophets that are to be raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of Jerusalem in the land of their fathers.” This verse has a hint of two individuals, brought forth after the restoration to remind the Jews of God’s promise to gather them in the last days. The Jews “gathering” in Jerusalem began after 1948.
Speaking to the house of Israel, Isaiah declares, “These two sons are come unto thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword—and by whom shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, save these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God” (2 Nephi 8:19,20 / Isa. 51:19,20). There were twelve sons in Israel, only two retain Godly strength and identity.
Another scripture is found in Zechariah,”Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth”. (Zech. 4:11-14) Once again, they are symbolized as candlesticks and olive trees, anointed to stand before the whole earth.
The best account on the nature and symbolism of olive trees is found in Jacob 5. They represent the house of Israel, scattered throughout his vineyard. In this allegory there are but two branches that are identifiable: one is the mother tree, where Judah remains, and the other is planted “in a good spot of ground” (Jacob 5:25), the house of Joseph, through the family of Lehi.
There are many scriptures which prophesy of the work that Judah and Joseph are to perform in the last days. Father Israel promised that Judah would be the lawgiver (Gen. 49:10), and Joseph would be the fruitful bough that would run over the wall. He would retain God given strength (Gen. 49:22-26). It was foretold that their writings would come from the branch (stick) of Judah and the branch (stick) of Joseph, and would be for the children of Israel and prophesy of their gathering in the last days (Ezek. 37:15-23). The power of God’s word would come from Joseph and Judah through the medium of the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible. The two witnesses are closely connected to Judah and Joseph.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
At first glance, these verses seem to attribute tremendous retaliatory power to these witnesses. They seem to have the destructive powers of the armies of the first and second woe. Yet these witnesses stand on behalf of the Gospel of Christ to the world, after all they are God’s witnesses. It would seem more fitting if these were spiritual powers, the power of the words of Joseph and Judah, exercised by these servants of God. It is the power to cleanse man with the blood of the Lamb or to deny the blessings of heaven. It is the power of the word to confound evil with the word or to kill the influence of the evil one. These awesome powers are powers that reside in the hearts of men, not the powers of nations and armies.
These witnesses have spiritual power; they have influence over the nations of the earth (v. 10). The wicked despise them because they are God’s witnesses. If we assume that they are in existence, we may speculate who has been raised up by God before the world as a witness of Christ. The first thing that comes to mind are the 60,000 missionaries sent throughout the world by the restored church to witness of Christ and his gospel. They are certainly armed with the words of Joseph and of Judah. They humbly give of their time and resources to exercise the power of the word of God unto the salvation of mankind. Their focus is to bring men unto Christ through the teachings of Joseph, the Book of Mormon. There is another group that largely has a similar mission and that is the evangelical movement. It is a vast, scattered ministry that covers the globe, also calling mankind to “come unto Christ.” They have been “raised up” through the words of Judah, the Bible. The evangelical movement despises the work of the LDS Church and Mormons generally have an envy of the vast success of the evangelicals, yet they are brothers in Christ. They are the sons who have come to lift a fallen house of Israel (Isa. 51:17-18).
Remember that these two groups were described in chapter 7 where John saw a group of 144,000 doing the work of sealing and another vast group praising the Lamb for his bounteous grace. The scriptures identify them as two nations raised through the teachings of Judah and through the teachings of Joseph (Ezek. 37:22). The day will come when they will come together. “Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (Isa. 11:13) The scriptures allude to them as the “body and soul” of Israel (Isa. 10:18); the one has substance and the other has life’s essence. We will explore other scriptures as we develop their mission.
Both Judah and Joseph sprung from the same location, the earth which protected the woman as it fled from the beast, America. America has been a nurturing protecting servant of the house of Israel since it’s “discovery”. It was “raised up” for that very purpose. “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father…, that the covenant of the father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;” (3 Ne. 21:4).
Do you remember the lamb beast with two horns? We stated that the horns were representative of America’s Judeo/Christian heritage or its connection to Judah and Joseph. The beast had ten horns representing Satan’s servant kings. Christ wore twelve horns as a symbol of God’s servants (JST Rev. 5:6). The lamb beast wore two deceptive horns because they are a part of him! God’s two witnesses reside within this dual creature; America -- God’s servant -- and United States -- Satan’s servant. Now we understand why the witnesses prophesy for 1260 days or 42 months, for virtue and vice.
A Death Prophesied
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The beast from the bottomless pit will cause the “death” of the witnesses. Earlier, this pit and the smoke that ascends from it were identified as radical Islamic terrorism. Satan will motivate his minions to overcome the prophets. How do you kill two “prophets” of God? You destroy the servant that protects them. That is yet to occur. We can only guess how this will occur. Probably the most effective way is to decapitate the servant; terrorists prefer this drama. Possibly they would deprive the servant if his life blood, petroleum. Given sufficient damage to the institutions of government, the U.S. monetary system would collapse because the value of its money is solely dependant on the trust of its citizens and the nations of the world. Severely cripple the government, and trust in its fabricated money system plummets. In the United States, our fabulous wealth is founded primarily upon the fact that the world “worships” the dollar. Destroy the idol of worship, and the pillars that support our way of life collapse. Nearly everything that the nation consumes comes from overseas; we are far from self-sufficient. It is so much cleaner, easier, and cheaper to buy what we need with the magical dollar than it is to produce it ourselves. However, when nations cease to profit from selling to the United States, then they will cease to supply it
The death of the U.S is for good and evil, three and one half days. What is occurring to the dead bodies without their government? The scripture says: “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This symbolism gives us insight to the nature of the “deaths,” not the location. It is three fold. Sodom is representative of corruption and Egypt is symbolic of Israel’s materialistic rebellion as they were led to the Promised Land. “Their bodies lie in Jerusalem as did Christ’s”, is symbolic of a domestic event: Christ was crucified by the corruption and rebellion of his own people. In other words, the “body” of America will be exposed to domestic corruption and materialistic rebellion, for virtue and vice (3 ½ days). When the event occurs, greed and corruption will be the doom of most. The outside world will not interfere.
There is a type of this event in 3 Nephi chapter 7. Just prior to the Christ’s death and resurrection, the Nephite government collapses and the people divide into tribes. The humble followers of Christ are separated and are ministered to through miracles (v. 17).
The nations of the world will only observe and not intervene. They will have their own concerns for survival. This kind catastrophic event will precipitate a worldwide economic imbalance that will require an organized realignment of world currencies to the much touted Euro.
A collapsed monetary system in the United States would be devastating. It would only be fitting, considering that the dichotomous United States is also the lamb beast that created the mighty U.S. dollar for the entire world to pay homage. Regardless of the method of destruction or the depth of it, it will occur. Christ described this very event in 3 Nephi 21.
14 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles[in America] except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses[cars?] out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots[transportation?];
15 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds[military, police?];
16 And I will cut off witchcrafts[drugs, stock market?] out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers[TV, politicians?];
17 Thy graven images[entertainment?] I will also cut off, and thy standing images[material recreations?] out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands[technology?];
18 And I will pluck up thy groves[nature worship?] out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.
19 And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.
How literal or symbolic is this description of the future of America? What is its purpose? What will it accomplish? God despises idol worship. He has given the people of this country so much: the heavens and earth are at our fingertips. Men are the only creatures on earth that can express heart-felt gratitude, yet we worship the idols of our own creation. After the first six trumpet warnings the attitude of humanity was: “…yet [they] repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (Rev 9:20, 21).” This devastation of the revered lamb beast/anointed one is yet another warning to the inebriated world.
The big question is when does all this occur? When will the witnesses “finish their testimony?” We do know that when this witness event is finished, the second woe (the war in Iraq) will end (v. 14). If the terrorists of radical Islam agree to cease their hostilities and the U.S. pulls its troops out of a peaceful Iraq, then this interpretation of end time events has a serious flaw. If world events escalate to the point that churches begin to retract large numbers of missionaries, then Joseph’s and Judah’s testimony could be coming to a close. It is possible that the Lord is the only one who will know when the world has had enough testimony. Joseph and Judah completing their testimony seems plausible, considering volatile world circumstances. We have seen that John’s prophesied events have been occurring swiftly and concurrently in this seventh millennium.
A Resurrection Prophesied
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
This describes a miraculous resurrection that astounds and puts fear into the hearts of those who observe. Joseph and Judah hear the voice from heaven to “Come up hither,” and they comply, even as their enemies look on. The symbolic prophecy of verse 13 will be recognized when it is fulfilled.
The witnesses were dead and finished as far as the world is concerned. Yet, after great internal turmoil and devastation, Joseph and Judah rise again and heed the call of God. They are not raised by the economic miracles of the beast, they are raised by God. Many scriptures refer to this event. Isaiah says Judah and Joseph will not depend on the one who smote them, but they will rely upon the Lord (Isa. 10:20). Ezekiel describes a resurrection of a “dead” Israel that is to be placed in their land (Ezek 37:11-14). Isaiah says that the servant [America] is to be exalted after an astonishing marring of his visage (Isa. 52:13-14) Christ speaks of the event when he explains that the servant [America] will be healed after life-threatening marring (3 Ne. 21:10). After the “death” of America, as described in detail above in 3 Nephi 21:14-19, Christ continues with the description of the “resurrection” of Jacob’s remnant and as many of the house of Israel as will come (3 Nephi 21:20-25).
20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
21 And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
23 And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.
The call for the “prophets” to go to heaven is a call to establish a new heaven or the New Jerusalem: Zion on the American continent (Art. Of Faith 10). The resurrection is the establishment of a new theocratic government upon the land, quickly brought out of the chaos of the dead bodies. The bodies were to lie for 3 ½ days, good and evil. The evil was the devastation of the cities, whose desperate selfish citizens were devoid of their chariots, soothsayers, images, and strongholds. The good is the humbling, strengthening, and organization of the remnant of Jacob.
The restoration of the church in 1830 was the beginning of a long, hard process of preparation for His second coming. The establishment of the New Jerusalem is part of that process. With the dawn of the restoration, came the call to proclaim the gospel to the whole world, even until the dusk of time when Christ would return in glory. Christ indicated this when he stated, “For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” (JS-Matt. 1:26) The next verse hints of the nature of the gathering to the New Jerusalem. “And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth.” (JS-Matt. 1:27) The carcass is the servant of a fallen Joseph and Judah, America.
In the first two verses of this chapter, John is told to “measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” He is setting limits on the devastation of this “witness” event. The temple, altar, and those who worship there are not to be trampled by the Gentiles. The temple, altar, and worshipers are descriptive of God’s Church and his Zion. The holy city, Old Jerusalem, is to be trodden. Those who worship the Lamb from the world over will flock to the New Jerusalem, as they will find peace and continued protection there. There they will be taught. See 3 Nephi 20:16-24.
There are several passages of scripture that strongly support this interpretation of the identity of the two witnesses and their demise. A more detailed analysis of this event is presented in the addendum section.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
With the destruction of America comes the end to the second war, the one in Iraq. The seventh angel sounds his trump, and voices announce that the kingdoms of the world are the kingdoms of Christ, foretelling the events of the next chapter. Gratitude is expressed because finally, the gathering to Zion has commenced.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
This verse foretells what is to come after his covenants are exposed, i.e. when his mystery is completed.
Revelations Chapter 14
Zion’s Calling
We have already examined John’s flashback in history, comprising chapters 12, 13, and 17; thus we continue with the chronological events following the “resurrection” of Joseph and Judah.
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The one hundred forty-four thousand is the superlative symbol for men with the priesthood authority of God. They are standing on mount Zion, sealed of God, virtuous, grateful, worthy, and ready to do as their Lord commands. There are many scriptures which describe the time when Zion is to be established. These are a few: 3 Nephi 22, 2 Nephi 8, Ether 13:4,8, D&C 45:65-69, 57:1-2, 61:14-16, 64:35-36, 64:41-43, 97:18-19, Moses 7:62-64. It will be a time to carry out the work of the Father, “And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.” (3 Nephi 21:26) The work of the Father is a work of gathering and sealing of his family at the altars of his temple. This is the time when God’s covenants with dispersed Israel will be fulfilled; it is when his mystery is finished.
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
The symbolism of an angel flying through heaven is well known: it is the servants of God sent throughout the world as a tremendous missionary force, proclaiming the restored gospel. They will come from Zion clothed with truth and authority. The message to the remaining Babylon will now come with force. There will no longer be doubt or interpretation regarding the meaning of the writings of Joseph and Judah. Of this day, Nephi spoke, “in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.” (2 Nephi 25:7) The scriptures from Judah and Joseph will no longer be a mystery, they will be one in the gathered Zion. The long awaited Zion will be established and the Lord will have an undoubtedly powerful missionary force with which to proclaim his gospel.
Great changes in the political structure of the nations of the earth will have taken place without America in the formula. This may take years, yet the evolution in Zion will be swift because the Lord will “make his people.” (3 Ne. 20:19) The American continent will no longer participate in the false charade of the beast. Zion’s monetary system will be independent of the beasts. No one in Zion will wear the mark of the beast; they will consecrate their hearts and hands firmly to the advancement of Zion.
The goals of the United Nations and the European Union will move forward without the impediment of America. Yet, it appears that the ability of Zion’s citizens to move about the rest of the world will not be curtailed. If Zion trades with other nations, it will only be to meet the needs of its great work. There will be no worshiping of the beast or its mark; this is strictly forbidden of a Zion people. The wounded beast will continue in its rule over the hearts of Babylon’s men.
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
The one with the golden crown may well be symbolizing Christ. His call to thrust in the sickle is the long awaited separation of the wheat from the tares before the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 13). Of this glorious gathering event, Christ describes the conduct of their journeys to Zion, “And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward.” (3 Nephi 21:29)
There are countless prophecies, parables, and types concerning the long awaited fulfillment of God’s covenants. They refer to triumph, comfort, learning, reunion, separation, praise, remorse, embarrassment, life, and redemption. It is a singular event which all believers have prepared for throughout the ages. It is often called “a marvelous work and a wonder.” It is when the “arm of the Lord” is revealed. It is to occur just prior to the destruction of Babylon and the subsequent arrival of our Savior. With the interpretation of the identity of Joseph and Judah we can have greatly improved appreciation of this prophecy. It will not only involve the covenant remnant, but also all who have come to Christ solely through the words of Judah. It will be a vast work of the Father; a work of priesthood covenants for all whose heart belong to Christ. Joseph and Judah will see eye to eye.
“How beautiful upon the mountains [temples] are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigheth!
Thy watchmen [Joseph and Judah] shall lift the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” (Isa. 52:7-8)
“Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (Isa. 11:13)
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
This gathering represents those who will be left in Babylon, those who will be exposed the great winepress of God; they are the tares of the world.