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Continuing our discussion from part one, as we read in the Book of Daniel, the return of Jesus Christ results in a very difficult time for the rebellious governments of the world, being as they are broken in pieces like a potter's vessel, and forced to submit themselves to the Divine Authority of the Almighty God. However, at the same time, the Scriptures make it very clear that for the Saints of God, it is a time of great joy. In this first set of verses, we witness the crushing defeat of all worldly governments who would dare to defy the righteous Government of Jesus Christ -- who is the one true Rock and rightful heir -- and His crowned Saints:

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces . . . And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."


"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."


"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? . . . And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them."


"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."


"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."


"This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner."


"Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,"


"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."


"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."


"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."


"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."


"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."


In contrast to the above picture of harsh dictatorial rule under the theocratic reign of Jesus Christ, notice now how the reign of the Saints with the Lord during the Millennium is filled with joy unspeakable. Not only for the Saints, but for all those people who submit themselves to His Will. So truly, the Saints are filled with the oil of gladness, as is made clear by the following group of verses:

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth."


"O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah."


"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof."


"But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."


"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."


Of course, the Holy Scriptures inform us that prior to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ and His Saints, a number of world-shaking, prophetic events occur. This brings us back to the vision of the Prophet Zechariah and our discussion concerning the issue of prophetic pairs. When Zechariah was unable to answer his Celestial Visitor concerning the significance of the two olive trees in his vision, their heavenly dialogue continued in the following manner:

"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."


Exactly who are these "two anointed ones that stand by the Lord"? And what is their purpose? Unlike what some people believe, it seems obvious to me that these "two anointed ones" must represent two actual people, and not two bodies of people, or two churches, or two organizations. Now if we advance in time to just over six hundred years in prophetic history to the end of the First Century, we find an amazing answer to who these "anointed ones" seem to be. One of the many mysteries which forms a part of John's apocalyptic work -- meaning the Book of Revelation -- revolves around the identity of two figures commonly referred to by many people of faith as the Two Sackcloth Witnesses. We are introduced to these two Prophets of the Lord in the following verses which are found in the eleventh chapter of John's amazing prophetic Book:

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."


How amazing! Some six hundred years after the time of the Prophet Zechariah, the Lord very clearly tells John that the olive trees and the candlesticks which had been seen in a vision by Zechariah, are two bold witnesses who are to burn brightly with the power of the oil of God's Spirit. Please notice that these Two Sackcloth Witnesses prophesy in Israel during the full length of the period commonly referred to as the Great Tribulation, which is also called Jacob's Trouble. That is to say, during the final three and half years of the "Last Seven Years", which is the seventieth week of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks" prophecy. I more amply discuss this subject in my article entitled "The Last Seven Years Chart". Exactly what happens to the people who are foolish enough to fight against these two mighty Prophets of God, and who reject the words of their prophecies, is revealed in the following set of verses which are found in the very same chapter:

"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. 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."


Because of the very striking similarities between these two verses and events which are described in the Old Testament, there is a widespread belief within Christian circles, that these two powerful witnesses may be Moses and Elijah. As we learned in part one of this series, the Prophet Elijah was indeed given the power to call fire down from Heaven in order to consume his enemies. At the same time, many of you will be familiar with the fact that Moses, by the power of the Lord, turned the rivers of Egypt into blood when proud Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrew slaves as he had been ordered to do. As you probably also know, Moses brought other plagues upon the Egyptians as well. Consider the following group of verses:

"Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt."


Thus we see that there is indeed strong Scriptural evidence in the Old Testament which suggests that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of the Book of Revelation are associated with the Prophets Moses and Elijah in some way. Please notice that I said "are associated with", and NOT that they actually are Moses and Elijah in the flesh. I will explain this point in a moment. In the New Testament, there is additional evidence which adds weight to this view. The most noteworthy evidence concerns the story of our Lord's Transfiguration, which is found in Matthew chapter seventeen. Please consider the following group of verses where this event is mentioned:

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."


In his second Epistle, shortly before his own martyrdom, in order to encourage the brethren to remember the things he has taught them, the Apostle Peter refers back to the above incident when he writes the following lines:

"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount."


Many people have tried to explain how the miraculous event known as the Transfiguration actually came to pass. If you are interested in reading some of my own personal thoughts regarding this matter, allow me to suggest that you read a few of my other articles such as "Great Cloud of Witnesses: God's Holy Ghosts?", "What Really Happens to Us When We Die?", and "Under the Cloud: UFOs and the Holy Bible". It's possible that some of my ideas may challenge some of your current beliefs as a Christian.

However, for now, the most important point that I wish to make here, is the fact that this incident involved Moses and Elijah. The question then which we need to ask ourselves is this: Why them? Why not somebody else? I offer one possible answer to this question in my article called "The Royal Law: Thou Shalt Love". In short, collectively-speaking, Moses and Elijah represent "the Law and the Prophets". This term holds a lot of importance within Judaism, as well as within our Christian heritage. If you are an avid Bible student, then you will already know that we find it used throughout the New Testament. Consider the following example verses:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."


"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."


"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."


"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."


"And he [Jesus] said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."


"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."


"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"


"And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."


"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."


"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"


"And I [John] fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."


As you can plainly see, the previous set of verses directly tie the Law and the Prophets to the Lord's earthly mission and ministry. In other words, Jesus came to fulfill what had been written concerning Him in the Old Testament. That is to say, in the Books of the Law of Moses -- a.k.a. the Torah -- in the prophetic Books, and also in the Psalms, some of which are quite prophetic in nature, such as Psalm 22 for example.

While Moses was the giver of the Law, we can view the Lord's true Prophets as the preservers of the Law. That is to say, they were the Lord's watchdogs who guarded the Spirit and intent of the Law, and strived to preserve it from becoming corrupted. This became necessary, because many of the Jewish kings, as well as the politically-correct priests and false prophets who catered to them at that time, did not do it. This is why the Lord found it necessary to raise up His true Prophets, such as the Prophet Jeremiah, through whom He spoke, saying such things as the following:

"For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land."


"The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit."


"As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us."


"A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?"


"Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you."


To help you to further understand this idea, consider the primary purpose of a sheepdog. Not only is his job to help the shepherd to herd the sheep, and to keep them in line, but it is also to protect them from predators, such as the ravenous wolves. These ravenous wolves were the false Jewish shepherds of both the Old and the New Testament periods. We find them described in such verses as the following:

". . . Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered . . . As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them."


"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."


"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."


"Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves."


"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."


Of course, sadly, as occurred with all of the Old Testament true Prophets of the Lord, Jeremiah's message was not very well-received by the false political and religious leaders of his day. In fact, they desired to kill Jeremiah because he spoke the truth and exposed their sins. All of the Old Testament Prophets were persecuted and slain for this very same reason, as were John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and His First Century followers. The fact of the matter is that the workers of darkness simply cannot stand having their sins exposed by the blinding, exposing Light of God's holy Word. Please note that in the following set of verses, it is those very deceived people who claimed to be the true spiritual shepherds of Israel, who committed all of these crimes against the Lord's true children:

"Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die . . . Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears."


"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father."


"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."


Please note that in the previous verses from the Gospel of Matthew, the Zacharias who is mentioned by Jesus is NOT the father of John the Baptist, as some wayward Bible teachers have claimed. Jesus is referring to the very same Zechariah in the Old Testament, who had the aforementioned vision of the candle sticks and the two olive trees. Thus, in the New Testament, we are merely seeing the Greek transliteration of his Hebrew name. Here is irrefutable Scriptural proof that this is so. Please notice that the lineage mentioned here matches exactly what Jesus said:

"In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,"


For more details concerning the bloody sins of Jerusalem, allow me to refer you to the article called "Who is Babylon the Great?". The main point I wish to stress here, is that when the children of Israel backslid time and time again from the mandates of the Law, it was the Lord's true Prophets and watchdogs who called them to repentance. In this sense, John the Baptist was the final Prophet sent by God in order to call the people to repentance, just before the Lord revealed Himself to Israel. In addition to the fact that John carried the same spiritual anointing as Elijah, perhaps this is why Jesus called him the greatest of all Prophets. Consider this verse:

"For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

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