In a recent series called “Entering God’s Rest” I show that the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 represent God’s overcomers who throughout history proclaim the theme of God’s Word, mercy and truth.  In the Bible we see God’s mercy described many ways and by various words like righteousness, lovingkindness, grace, and kindness. Likewise we see God’s truth explained and summarized with words like justice, law, faithfulness, and judgment.

I also teach, like many others, that the first time a word is used in Scripture often sets the theme or pattern for understanding or interpreting that word throughout the Bible. This is called the “law of first mention.”  I believe this law proves itself yet again with respect to the first time the words “mercy” and “truth” appear together. This happens to be in Genesis 24:27.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s kinsmen. (Genesis 24:27 KJ2000)

I am drawn again today to dwell upon God’s revelation of truth because truth is the only thing that can sustain us in these dark days we now live in.  Nothing else positive any longer exists, except our loving relationships and the work God has given us to do. We have passed from the church age, an age of abject failure, to the time when God judges the church and the beast (governments) she rides. We have stepped into the Day of the LORD.

The failure of the last age takes many forms, spiritual, moral, economic, environmental, endless wars etc.  We cannot point to any aspect of our earthly existence and say, “Look! We succeeded here!” because we did not succeed. We failed at everything. We can no more turn our white hair to black than we could 2,000 years ago. If it appears that we do so then you need to understand that we only did it by artificial means. And we do pretend a lot don’t we? For our culture en mass “fake is always better.” That’s why we color our hair, drug our senses, implant our breasts, change our faces with plastic surgery, eat margarine instead of butter, genetically modify our food, and on and on. We’re not real people; we’re fakes! Like the Jews of Jesus’ day when we proselytize an unbeliever we make him twice as much a son of hell as we are!

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye go round the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever it may happen–ye make him a son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15 YLT)

Jesus did not tell these corrupt teachers that their followers would spend twice as long in hell as they themselves would spend. He used the word “Gehenna” here which was Jerusalem’s trash dump, her place of continual burning. Jesus was telling these corrupt religious teachers that their doctrine, their religious “truth,” contained such perversions that those they taught would need double the “baptism of fire” to correct their errors. Thus you read these words and cannot understand. They do not match the doctrines you were taught all your life.

But the time is coming when those who did not understand will understand. Until then I say, “Buy the truth and sell it not,” for this is all that can sustain you in the dark coming days. Deception is coming that will fool, if possible, even the elect. Deception is coming and if you have eyes you can even now see it growing.

Deception? What deception? How about holographic images of entire cities?

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24 KJ2000)

Entering God’s Rest (8)

God gives us two witnesses to instruct us concerning entering his rest.  These two are typified by Moses and Elijah who appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.  But what do these two types actually represent?

Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn you from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. (2 Kings 17:13 KJ2000)

God originally gave the Law to Moses. Moses himself was the first prophet who revealed and explained the Law. After that God sent other prophets to help Israel understand and walk in God’s ways. The prophet Hosea gave perhaps the greatest and most succinct summary of God’s plan as follows:

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6 KJ2000)

Jesus himself quoted this verse in Matthew 12:7 when he rebuked the Pharisees for their legalism which perverted the true intent of the Law. This really is amazing. Think about what this comment actually means.  We could, for example, quote Hosea by saying, “I desired mercy instead of the sacrifices required by the Law,” or “I desired that you get to know me and my ways instead of strict obedience to the many sacrifices of my law.” When Jesus thus rebukes the Pharisees he reminds them of David and his men eating the bread of faces, the “showbread.” The Law specifically stated that only priests could eat this bread, yet Jesus justified David even though he “disobeyed” this law. This is because the heart of the Law is mercy and justice, not strict obedience to specific rules. David and his men needed that bread in order to be able to continue in God’s will.

This does not mean that we can sometimes freely disobey moral laws like adultery and fornication, or coveting and idolatry. In fact Jesus taught that the New Covenant rules concerning these issues were even more stringent than Moses’ laws.  He said, for example,

You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28 KJ2000)

You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:21-22 KJ2000)

On the other hand, Jesus implemented new laws which seem to make the Mosaic law less strict when he said,

You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two. (Matthew 5:38-41 KJ2000)

The fact is that Jesus does not implement a new law; he interprets God’s Law as he intended it to be understood and carried out. Most people view Old Testament law in terms of being a judgmental, harsh set of rules. They end up calling Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament,  (who is, in fact, Jesus, the God of the New Testament), a harsh legalistic God. Then they view Jesus as much gentler and loving. No, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus explained the Law in ways hitherto unknown. In Jesus the Scripture is fulfilled,

Mercy and truth are met together; justice and peace have kissed each other. (Psalms 85:10 KJ2000)

When truth and mercy meet they form the intersection of  law and grace, that is, justice and peace. The Law informs our reason as to truth and justice. Grace informs our conscience as to mercy and peace.  These are the two witnesses, then, mercy and truth. And they are explained by the prophet who understands the Law.

Part 1: Entering God’s Rest

Entering God’s Rest (7)

So, now let’s assume that you have received the gift of faith by God’s grace and you have believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and for your spiritual salvation.  Legally, that is, in God’s court room, you have now been justified by faith.  What now? Is that it? No, now you begin your walk with God. Now you can start down the “narrow path.” Now you need to begin to “labor” to enter God’s rest.

For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:10-13 KJ2000)

Now we come to the crux of the matter. So far we have learned that to even have a chance of entering into God’s rest we must have true faith in God.  Faith is God’s gift to us who believe. This faith marks the beginning point for anyone who would follow after God and who would walk in Jesus’ ways. Yet, as soon as we come to faith, which is not of works, God says, “WORK to enter my rest!” And this is the command that has befuddled Christians since the dawn of time because most then proceed to think that they must perform certain spiritual duties or perfectly obey certain Biblical laws before they can really be accepted by God. In theological terms they link this command to work in Hebrews 4:11 to their “justification.”

Justification, though, is a legal term which states that “based upon Christ’s work and his gift to you of faith in that work, you have been declared “righteous” before God.” It is this legal transaction, one that I can’t even begin to understand, that reconciles us to God. Justification establishes our relationship with God and thus allows us to communicate with him and get to know him. Justification, however, does not literally make anyone righteous. It is the laboring to enter God’s rest which actually transforms us. One term the Bible uses for this labor is “practicing righteousness.”

When we first believe in Jesus we usually remain as bound to certain sins as before. Yes, I know that sometimes Jesus casts out demons and delivers people from addictive bondages when they come into “saving” faith, but this is not the norm. It’s usually not that easy. Justification by faith deals with our spirit and its eternal abode. It does not deal with our soul, the place “where we live,” so to speak. Our soul is our mind, our will, and our emotions. Our soul is what we think of as “you” or “me.” I can’t really know your spirit, but I can know your soul.

The problem of understanding justification versus laboring to enter God’s rest (or, practicing righteousness) has been compounded through the centuries because translators have used various words to translate the Greek word psuche, which means “soul.” On the other hand the Greek word pneuma is usually translated “spirit.” In Hebrews 4:12, quoted above, the Greek word translated “soul” is psuche and the word translated “spirit” is pneuma, which is correct.

Sometimes the word psuche is translated as “life.”  For example, when Jesus says, ”whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it,”  (Matthew 16:25) it is the Greek word psuche which is translated “life” here. Jesus is talking about the salvation of the soul, not the spirit in this passage. He is dealing with the spiritual aspect of laboring to enter God’s rest, not justification by initial faith in him.

Because of the various contradictory translations many commentators speak of “saving one’s soul” when they really mean “saving one’s spirit.” Hebrews 4:12 attempts to draw the distinction between soul and spirit as the discussion now moves from mere faith in God to “working out our salvation in fear and trembling.”  (Philippians 2:12) The reason for this is because the salvation of our spirits has been accomplished by the one-time work of Christ by shedding his blood on the cross for our sins. It is a done deal. The salvation of our souls, however, has not yet been accomplished, but is an on-going work which is typified by the exodus wilderness journey.

It is precisely because of this confusion, of not distinguishing between the soul and the spirit, that most people utterly miss the meaning of the book of Hebrews. This book contains at least five stern warnings against losing our salvation. One group of Bible scholars, the Calvinists, say that all of these warnings deal with people who were never really saved (spiritually saved, that is). Another group, the Arminians, believe that these warnings indeed do speak to Christians and that all Christians bear the risk of losing their eternal salvation. Calvinists believe in the doctrine “once saved always saved.” Arminians believe that you can lose your spiritual salvation. Both are right to some extent, and both are wrong to a very great extent.

Men can never lose the salvation of their spirits because Christ’s work has accomplished this for us. They can only lose their souls which means that they will miss out on the first resurrection, even if they actually believe in Jesus. This explains the reason for the many warnings in the Bible which apply to Christians. Christians who fail to save their souls will have their part in the Lake of Fire, along with total unbelievers. The Lake of Fire is that place, thing, or process which many mistakenly call “hell.” The Lake of Fire brings about the destruction of carnal, unbelieving souls so that these ones may ultimately enter into the Kingdom of God. For remember, outside the Kingdom “are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.” (Revelation 22:15)

As we continue in the book of Hebrews we find that only the mature, only those who ultimately learn to discern between good and evil and then actually will (choose) to do the good make up this company of believers who enter into God’s rest. See Hebrews 5:14. This company goes by many names in Scripture, for example, the Bride of Christ, the manchild, the two witnesses, the order of Melchizedek, the remnant, Gideon’s 300, and the overcomers.

Part 8: The Two Witnesses

Part 1: Entering God’s Rest

The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.  Jesus answered and said unto them, “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.” (John 8:13-14 KJV)

Here lies a perfect example of why we cannot simply write a program to interpret the Bible or to answer our spiritual questions. Recall that in my last article I quoted Jesus words, “I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” (John 5:30-31 KJ2000)  So in John 5 he says his witness concerning himself is not true if he bears witness of himself while in John 8 he says exactly the opposite.  In logic an assertion and its negative cannot both be true.  This demonstrates one of the so-called “contradictions” of Scripture. But, it is no contradiction. Jesus means exactly what he says, as he always does.

Jesus reveals profound spiritual truths and mysteries in chapters 5 through 8 of John. These chapters reveal the identity of Jesus, including his body, progressively. First Jesus tells his hearers that belief in his words brings eternal life. He establishes this authority by noting five witnesses which verify his testimony, John the Baptist, his miraculous works, his Father’s testimony (remember that his Father spoke in approval when John baptized Jesus), the Scriptures, and Moses (remember that Moses wrote many of the Scriptures which prophesied of Jesus).

Chapter six then relates the miraculous event of Jesus multiplying the fish and the barley bread. This event means more than it first seems. It is also a parable that prophesies the time soon coming when Jesus will divide his body and send the pieces of his body (his overcomers, the sons of God) to the ends of the earth bearing the same authority he had on earth. This explains why he goes into such detail concerning himself as the bread of life later in the chapter. “My body is real food; my blood is real drink.” “The words that I speak are spiritual.” Like Jesus these overcomers will possess power to feed the masses, both physically and spiritually. The overcomers qualified themselves by learning the lessons of chapter 5. They learned that if they bore witness of themselves, then their testimony was not true. They learned submission to spiritual authority (John the Baptist), learned to walk by the Spirit (good works), heard the confirmation of their walk directly from their Father in heaven, and learned that the Scriptures prophesied concerning them. They ordered their lives according to these witnesses.

Chapter seven continues revealing the Son of God and the sons of God. Here Jesus says, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16 KJV) and “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17 KJV) and “He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (John 7:18 KJV) These precepts mark critical steps on the path to overcoming. The overcomer does not develop his own “systematic theology.” His theology changes as God reveals more of himself to him. Thus he does not remain bound by what he has previously written. If God shows him he was wrong about a certain doctrine, he admits it and goes on. His doctrine thus remains free to change as God teaches him all truth. False teachers hate to change their doctrine. They do not want anyone to think they could ever be wrong! They seek their own glory and will thus find themselves full of guile at the judgment. Toward the end of chapter seven Jesus reveals himself as the source of living water.

Chapter 8 then culminates this teaching by emphatically stating, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” thus equating himself with God the Father. It is at the beginning of this chapter that he says something exactly opposite to his assertion at the beginning of this four-chapter teaching, “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true.” Why can he say this now? Why didn’t he say this at the beginning? Because “I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.”

Chapters 5 through 8 reveal the journey of the overcomers. We begin our walk needing the testimony of many witnesses. We end needing only two, our own and our Fathers. Why? Because then we have become one with our Father and our testimony will always coincide with his. Like Jesus at that time we will simply BE. Then, and only then, will we walk in a perpetual state of all our actions being confirmed by two witnesses. Then, when we bear witness of ourselves, our testimony will be true, for we will be speaking the very WORD of GOD.

Until then, let us always be sure that two or three witnesses confirm our words and our actions!

Jesus said,

I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. (John 5:30-31 KJ2000)

Here is the criteria of the true prophet of God, does he bear witness of himself or not?  If he bears witness of himself, then his testimony is not true.  He is a false prophet.  He may believe he is true, but at his core, he is false.  We who aspire to become sons of God do well to heed this word.  Do we ponder and think and run equations and gematria with preconceived notions in mind?  Do we approach God and his Word to confirm our own agenda or abstract ideas?  Do we write and preach for all the world to hear our unique and inspired commentaries?  If so, then we bear witness of ourselves and our testimony is not true.

I have learned that I cannot out-think God.  I cannot understand him in my own power.  With regard to logic he is not rational.  I cannot explain him, his word, or his ways by trying to logically deduce some outcome.  For many years I tried!  I even contemplated writing a computer program in the early 1980′s called “Oracle.”  I planned to write an algorithm that would answer any question put to it by searching a Bible stored on disk.  “Do you have a question or a problem?” I asked.  “Then type it into your computer and let the Bible and MY program give you the answer!”  Fortunately I saw the foolishness of this before I wasted countless hours.  MY witness, MY testimony, MY program would not have been true.  I would have misled whomever used it and I would be accountable for that.

The overcomers, the sons of God, must learn to do nothing that arises from their flesh.  They must do only as they hear.  When they can do this, then they can judge and their judgment will be just.  No one I know has reached this plateau.  None of us have yet received the fullness of the Spirit as Jesus did.   Some days we get it right; some days we don’t.  I try to only write something when I believe God has shown me something and has inspired me to write it down.  But, sometimes I write in vanity and have to repent when I realize it.

Upon saying this, Jesus then gave the Pharisees four signs that bore witness of him, John the Baptist, his own miraculous works, the testimony of his Father, and the Scriptures.  The Law teaches that two or three witnesses establish truth.  Let us, sons of God in training, be assured that when we speak the truth, then two or three witnesses will also affirm our testimony.  Until then let us not bear witness of ourselves.  Let us not be false witnesses as we come into the Kingdom of God’s Son.

1. Who  Are the Two Witnesses?
2. The First “Two Witnesses”
3. The Coming Two Witnesses
4. Remember the Law of Moses
5. Taking the Land
6. The Third Day
7. Entering God’s Rest
8. 1260 Days
9. The Inerrancy of God’s Word
10. Santification: The Separation and Restoration
11. Sufficient to the Day is the Evil Thereof
12. Come Out of Babylon

Countless interpretations of 1260 days, 42 months, 3 1/2 years, and time, times and half a time exist.  Most assume that the times indicated relate to one catastrophic tribulation at the end of this age.  They may indeed foretell that for the world speeds towards destruction by its own hands.  Nevertheless, I find F.B.’s interpretation to best fit these prophecies.  His commentary on this can be found here and here.  In the first link F.B. says,

These time periods (Time, times and a half of a time; 1260 days; Forty-two months) all end with the same spiritual meaning: That is, Christ’s appearing. Either Christ is formed within us, making us a “Son of God” (1260 is the Gematria for the SONS OF GOD) [or he is not formed in us during this time of testing, this time of overcoming]  When we see Him we will be like Him!

In other words the period of time which Scripture designates as 1260 days, 42 months, etc. all represent the same period of time, the time during which the Gospel is preached before Christ establishes his Kingdom.  This makes sense for several reasons.

First, all generations from the time of Christ’s resurrection have believed that they were the terminal generation.  Even Paul believed this of himself.  Second, the two witnesses represented by Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, have prophesied from that time until now and they have always prophesied “clothed in sackcloth.”  What does this mean?  Sackcloth indicates “mourning.”  No generation of mankind has had true victory in this life.  We have all seen through a glass darkly and we all see truth and prophesy truth only in part.  “Blessed are they who mourn,” says Jesus, “for they shall be comforted.”  They “shall be” comforted sometime in the future, but not now.  Now they must prophesy in sackcloth and, if need be, physically die for their faith.

Finally, after prophesying for 1260 days, or throughout the history of the world, these two witnesses ascend to God in the first resurrection described as follows:

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. 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. (Revelation 11:11-12 KJV)

This Scripture speaks of the first resurrection which Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15.  This indicates that the 3 and 1/2 days also represent the same time period as the 1260 days.  Thus these two witnesses depict God’s overcomers throughout history.  They fill the pages of Hebrews 11 and countless pages of church history since then.  All of them died without receiving their inheritance.  All of them beheld the celestial city from afar and none of them ruled therein during the days of their wilderness sojourning. 

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.  (Hebrews 11:35-40 KJV)

But, there exists a final generation of this age, a generation ”alive and left” when this ”better resurrection” comes.  These transform into immortality directly from mortality.  These become the two witnesses represented by Joshua and Elisha who bring the rest of God’s people into his Kingdom.  These, along with those who died in the streets of Old Jerusalem (Mystery Babylon) preaching God’s truth, will soon rule the world with a rod of iron, God’s Law.

The Two Witnesses (6)

Next in Joshua we see a prophetic signpost concerning “the third day.”  In the first few chapters of Joshua this third day is mentioned no less than five times, in verses 1:11, 2:16, 2:22, 3:2, and 3:4.

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it. (Joshua 1:10-11 KJV)

In reading Scripture one must understand that in God’s prophetic purposes the seventh and the third days represent the same day.  This will become more clear as you read on, but take time now to read the law of the red heifer in Numbers 19 to see the similarities in the day.  Cleansing comes on the third and seventh days.

And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.  (Joshua 3:1-4 KJV) 

This passage is especially interesting because it also indicates the number of years men must wait after the prophetic Joshua, Jesus Christ, first appears in human form.  The particular verse says,

Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.  (Joshua 3:4 KJV)

The word translated “heretofore” here means “triplet,” “trebly,” or “three days” and is the fifth time (five is the number of grace) that God alerts us to the third day in these opening passages of Joshua.  More than that, verse four, I believe, prophesies exactly when the prophetic third day will occur.   The ark of the covenant here represents two distinct ideas in the Scripture.  The first is the perfection of Jesus himself.  The second is the coming perfection of God’s overcomers.  The verse tells us that the overcomers follow behind Jesus’ perfection by two thousand years.  Jesus was born at the end of the fourth day (fourth thousand year period of history) and died at the beginning of the fifth day.  Two thousand years later brings us to the end of the sixth day and beginning of the seventh day.  I and many others believe we have now entered the seventh day (seventh thousand year period after creation).  This means that we have also entered into the third day after Jesus.  And, as Joshua says, we have not passed this way before.  No, God is about to do an entirely new thing in the earth.

This reveals the prophetic implication of the third day in the Scripture and particularly in the first three chapters of Joshua.  Brethren, we now stand at the place prophesied by Joshua, exactly two thousand cubits behind (two thousand years after) Jesus.  The two witnesses (the corporate body of overcomers) are about to be revealed.  Their first job will be to tear down the walls of Jericho (Babylon).  And, this city will never be rebuilt for we build on an entirely different foundation, the Law and the Prophets.  Yet, before they do their work, they will have already come to rest and peace concerning it.  This is our seventh revelation concerning the two witnesses.

THE TWO WITNESSES (5)

The Book of Joshua shows us that Moses’ successor leads and brings God’s people into the promised land. This speaks prophetically of two things. The first “land” the apocalyptic two witnesses take is their own, their glorified bodies. God created man of the dust of the earth. He made man out of the land. God cursed the land just after their sin of eating the forbidden fruit. He also judged the beings he had made from that land by stripping them of their glory and leaving them “naked.” Since then God has taught mankind to retake his personal land by teaching him to recognize and repent of sin. We recently learned that this process is called “practicing rightousness.” God uses this process to make man into His own image. This has always been God’s plan. This shows us that God planned and intended that Adam eat the forbidden fruit.

The overcomers, which include all God’s elect of the first resurrection, will become the first group of people to ever experience the glorification of their bodies, the taking of their land. The Bible calls them the firstfruits of God and the barley harvest. They ripen into God’s image before any others. Some call these the “manifested sons of God.” God gives these ones rods of iron by which they will rule the earth. The peaceful earth they rule becomes the second aspect of “taking the land.” The overcomers, the apocalyptic two witnesses, will lead God’s people into the promised land of God’s Kingdom on earth. Only those who submit to God’s rule as taught by the Law and the Prophet can remain in this kingdom. All others belong to the “dogs” who dwell in the outer darkness beyond the Kingdom walls.

Below are the first few verses of Joshua where we see God personally instruct him in his new mission:

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, [2] “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. [3] Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. [4] From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. [5] No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. [6] Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. [8] This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:1-9 (ESV)

The Jordan represents the river of death. All who pass over must have already died, either physically, or spiritually. When glorified we will rule every place upon which we tread. No man will be able to stand against us. We will have power to “cause this people (God’s people) to inherit the land.” We will be strong, courageous and do all according to God’s Law. The Book of the Law will not depart from our mouths. God will give us success in all things. Such is the promise, the power, and the calling of the two witnesses.

THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 4

The two witnesses described in Revelation 11 are the Law and the Prophets.   A “witness” testifies to the truth.  Both the Law and the Prophets testify to the truth of Jesus Christ.

The very last verses of the Old Testament identify these witnesses and one of their primary functions.

Remember the Law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.  Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the LORD comes.  And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.  (Malachi 4:4-6)

First, know that this last days Elijah will surely remember the Law of Moses.  Lawlessness characterizes our age and especially these last days.  The “Man of Lawlessness” has been revealed and he is us.  We must repent of our lawlessness, especially the prophets.  I still recall speaking with a major Christian leader of the modern prophetic movement exactly twenty years ago.  I asked him why he never spoke on or preached about the Law.  He said, “Because the people are cranky. They won’t hear it.”

My experience of the prophets ever since then has been one of witnessing their utter lawlessness and “grace” to sin.  This, of course, has characterized God’s priests, prophets, and people from almost the beginning of the Old Covenant and has continued throughout the history of the New.

These also reel with wine (spiritual things, they accept the demonic as the move of the Holy Spirit) and stagger with strong drink (food, doctrine, truth); the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink (they cannot handle the truth of God’s doctrine), they are swallowed by wine (buffeted and abused by evil spirits), they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment (they cannot judge according to God’s truth, God’s Law, because they reject it in favor of a lawless “grace”).  For all tables are full of filthy vomit (vomit is undigested food.  These priests and prophets cannot digest God’s food, God’s doctrine, God’s truth; the tables represent their places of fellowship, their places of sharing food, their places which are supposed to be tables of communion of the blood, Spirit, and bread, Word=truth, of Jesus Christ), with no space left (where is there space and a place for truth these days?).  (Isaiah 28:7-8, ESV)

Brothers, this should not be, and it will not be in the prophetic anointing soon coming.  The prophets (and priests) will remember the Law of Moses, they will repent of their sins, and they will teach people to walk according to the foundation of God’s Law and truth.  It will be this re-establishment of God’s truth which restores the foundations of society and makes freedom again possible in the world.    This will also restore family relationships, turning the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers.

People today still rail against God’s Law, considering it harsh and punitive. Many Christians today willingly accept into their churches people who practice the most abominable of sins, even ordaining some of them as priests, pastors, and bishops.  Little do they realize that if God did not bring to remembrance His Law, then He would have to come and strike the earth with a decree of utter destruction as in the day of Noah.  But, this time he promises a different ending, and his two witnesses will help bring this about.