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Continuing our discussion from part three, now if the Two Sackcloth Witnesses prophesy for one thousand, two hundred and sixty days -- or three and a half Jewish years -- and if they lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem for an additional three and a half days before being summoned to Heaven during the First Resurrection, or Rapture, this seems to indicate that they reveal themselves to Israel exactly in the middle of the Last Seven Years, when the vile Beast breaks the Holy Covenant, invades Jerusalem, removes the Oblation -- or the Daily Sacrifice -- and lastly, sets up the Abomination of Desolation. These events of course, commence the period of suffering and persecution against the Saints in Jerusalem -- and throughout Israel -- known as the Great Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble.

Just as the day the Holy Covenant is signed seems to mark the beginning of the Last Seven Years, the arrival of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses likewise serves as a marker to indicate that the middle of the same time period has been reached. Thus, the minute that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses appear, the Believers in Jerusalem and Israel are able to count off the remaining days, one by one, until the return of the Lord, and the First Resurrection of the Dead. But in contrast, the unbelieving Jews who are not led by God's Spirit, and who are thus ignorant of the Holy Scriptures, walk in darkness, and scoff at the Two Sackcloth Witnesses, and those who believe in their message. At least that is what they do right up until the very day in which they are destroyed by the Lord. Consider the following verses:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."


"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."


As I promised earlier in this series, at this point in our discussion, allow me to directly address the issue regarding the actually identity of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses. As I have mentioned several times now, when some Christians say that they believe that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses may be Moses and Elijah, it is my understanding that they actually mean that Moses and the Prophet Elijah return to the Earth in human form. In other words, they are somehow born again in the flesh as two regular human beings.

So the question is this: Is this really possible, and is it a Scripturally-sound doctrine? According to one school of thought, the reason why Moses and Elijah were able to appear with Jesus on the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration, is because, as I explain in a few of my articles, in the Spirit Realm where the great I AM exists, it seems that time as we know it may not exist at all. In other words, it is possible that the past, present and future are all blended into one. Trust me when I say that I don't fully understand it myself. However, please carefully consider the following very interesting verses:

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past."


"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"


So the thought is, that Moses and Elijah were able to appear to Jesus on the top of the Mount of Transfiguration, because their resurrection at the end of the Great Tribulation as the Two Sackcloth Witnesses had already occurred. In other words, although in the physical realm the Lord had not yet become the Firstfruits of the Resurrection following His own Death and Resurrection, in the Realm of the Spirit, it had already occurred, as had all of the other events leading up to our present time, as well as those yet to come. Now this might be a bit difficult for some of you to understand, but it does make sense to me. Nevertheless, I believe that this theory is flawed in certain regards. Thus, for this reason, I cannot accept that Moses and Elijah actually return to the Earth, and are born once again in human form as the Two Sackcloth Witnesses.

As I already pointed out in part three of this series, upon performing a careful study of the Scriptures, I concluded that the Prophets Moses and Elijah are not born again in the flesh as the Two Witnesses, as some Christians erroneously believe. If the Two Sackcloth Witnesses were to actually be Moses and Elijah born again in human form, and if they were to declare themselves to be such, and were to prove it by many powerful signs and wonders, so that all of the Jews are fully aware of this fact, it seems to me that all of Israel would be saved without a moment's hesitation. Their stiff obstinance would disappear in a flash. However, according to the Scriptures, this is definitely not what happens.

As I point out in the three-part series called "The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000", all of Israel is not saved. It is my current belief that the only Jews who are saved, are those who are predestinated by God to be saved. In short, I believe that this is the remnant, who are represented in the Book of Revelation by the sealed 144,000 biological Jews of the tribes of Israel. Furthermore, I believe that these are the same Jews who take heed to Jesus' warning to flee to the mountains, as noted in the Gospels. Allow me to again remind you of the words of the Apostle Paul:

"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:"


"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."


As I explain in the series called "The Chosen People: Is God a Racist?", not everyone who claims to be a Jew is really a true Jew in God's eyes. The only true Jews are those who are Jews after the Spirit, and in truth. That is to say, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As to all of the others, Jesus makes it very clear in both the Gospels, as well as in the Book of Revelation, that they are the children of the Devil, and the synagogue of Satan, as we can determine by the following sample verses:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it . . . He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."


"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."


"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."


"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."


Please stop and consider this point for a moment. Moses and Elijah are probably the two most revered Prophets of the Old Testament. Orthodox Judaism is built around the Mosaic Law, as well as upon the controversial rabbinic teachings which are found in the Babylonian Talmud. Despite these two facts, we are told that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are scoffed at, and left to lay in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days. I honestly cannot imagine the Jews doing this to two of their most revered Prophets. Can you?

Even if the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are Moses and Elijah in some other way, if we follow the Biblical pattern, it does not appear likely that they declare themselves to be such. While Jesus plainly told His Disciples that John the Baptist was the Elias which was to come, as I mention in the series "Elijah: Where Are the True Prophets of God?", John denied this very thing. I can only conclude that John's remarks were due to either a lack of faith, or perhaps due to a true attitude of humility, or maybe due to his fear of the Jewish religious elders. Of course, it might have also been due to the fact that he knew that they would not be able to receive the truth anyway. Remember; even Jesus said that He had some truths to share with His Disciples which He knew they were not yet ready to bear. It is for this very same reason that the Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual milk, and spiritual meat. Consider the following verses:

"And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No."


"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."


"Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."


Personally, I can very easily envision the hard-hearted and unbelieving Jews laughing to scorn, anyone who arrives in Jerusalem claiming to be the Prophets Moses and Elijah. I recall reading quite some time ago, about a certain small group from the United States who, under the inspiration of their leaders, went to Israel, claiming that they were in fact the Two Sackcloth Witnesses. Unbelievable! Sadly, I doubt don't that based on the great deception which even now exists in the world -- including in the Organized Church -- there will continue to be many such deceived imposters who claim to be Jesus, or a prophet, or some other nonsense. As I have mentioned multiple times before, they are all over the Internet, particularly on the social networks.

Another reason why I have a rather difficult time accepting that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation eleven are actually Moses and Elijah somehow born again in human flesh, is because of something which the Apostle Paul wrote in his very profound Epistle to the Hebrews. In fact, as a former Pharisee, Paul was merely echoing something which was very obviously believed by all of the Pharisees, including by Nicodemus. Consider the following verses:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"


"Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"


These verses makes it very clear that we all experience only one life in the flesh, and that is it. Contrary to what is promoted by some of the false Eastern religions, there is no such thing as reincarnation. When we die in the flesh, that is it. There is no coming back in another body of flesh as a human or as an animal, and we certainly don't come back as flowers, rocks, trees, or any of that other nonsense that is foisted upon the Biblically-ignorant masses by deceptive gurus of Eastern thought and meditation.

As a Bible-believer, I am convinced that once we Christians acquire our new, transformed bodies after we have made our transition from this current existence in the flesh, that's it. As I explain in articles such as "What Really Happens to Us When We Die?", "The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?" and "Death: Final Battle, Final Victory!", we are permanently out of the flesh, and there is no going back to it. In fact, why would we even want to come back to it, given all the aches and pains that we must endure while we are in it? Those of you who are elderly will perfectly understand what I mean.

At this point in time, I am not of the belief that we ever become someone else. We remain the very same people as we are now in this life; although, of course, we will possess immortal bodies once our graduation day arrives. I believe that once we pass over into the Spirit Realm, we retain the memory of our current lives in the flesh. What would be the purpose of learning so much in this life, which has greatly contributed to our maturation in the Spirit, only to forget everything in the next life? Realistically speaking, for the Christian, the life to come is really a continuation of the current one; albeit it will be much better in many ways. For as the Apostle Paul wrote:

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."


In an attempt to validate their belief that Moses and Elijah return in the flesh as Revelation's Two Sackcloth Witnesses, there are certain Christians who will point to the different miracles of resurrection we see happening in the Bible. This includes, for example, Elijah bringing back to life the son of the widow of Zarephath in the first Book of the Kings chapter seventeen. It also includes the various miracles of resurrection which Jesus performed in the four Gospels, such as that of Lazarus in the eleventh chapter of the Book of John. Then there is the young man named Eutychus who fell from a loft, and who was apparently brought back to life by the Apostle Paul in the twentieth chapter of Acts.

I beg to differ with those people who make such claims. In every single one of those cases, those people were brought back to life in their very SAME bodies, with the very SAME personality, and with the SAME identity. They knew who they were, as did everyone else. They merely had a brief pause in their lives, in order that the Glory and Power of God might be revealed. Lazarus returned as Lazarus. The damsel to whom Jesus said "Talitha cumi" returned as the same young maiden. Eutychus also returned as himself. God simply reunited their body and soul, as I amply explain in "What Really Happens To Us When We Die?", and in "Great Cloud of Witnesses: God's Holy Ghosts?".

In my view, to even suggest that John the Baptist was really the Prophet Elijah who had returned from Heaven in order to have a second earthly ministry by being born again in the flesh, does NOT fit the Biblical pattern. It certainly goes against Hebrews 9:27. While discussing the manifestations and operations of the Spirit, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul clearly informs his readers that God is not the author of confusion. I believe that this truth applies to everything that God does. Paul wrote as follows:

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."


In other words, I don't believe that God is going to send the Prophet Elijah back to Earth in a new body of flesh, and then send the Angel Gabriel to inform his father, Zacharias, that his son is to be called John, as we see happening in this verse:

"But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."


In light of all of these things, it is my belief that while the Two Sackcloth Witnesses may be able to perform the same types of miracles, or plagues, as Moses and Elijah, it does not mean that Moses and Elijah are actually born again in the bodies of the Two Witnesses, any more that John the Baptist was the Prophet Elijah born again in human flesh. However, as I amply explain in "Great Cloud of Witnesses: God's Holy Ghosts?", I have found Scriptural evidence that suggests that there may possibly be some hidden process by which one can be anointed with the same spirit and power of an earlier Prophet, so that as occurred in the case of John the Baptist, he was specifically called by that name -- meaning Elijah -- in Old Testament prophecies.

In other words, based upon my Scriptural discoveries, I will venture to say that there is a possibility, that if the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are that similar to the Prophets Moses and Elijah, as the Book of Revelation seems to indicate, it might be because they receive the assistance of Moses and Elijah from behind the scenes in the Spirit World. Before you outright reject such a possibility, consider again that Moses and Elijah very visibly communed with Jesus on top of the Mount of Transfiguration, so that even Peter, James and John were able to see them and recognize them as such.

Taking this a step further, and if you are able to receive it, perhaps both Moses and Elijah are able to prophesy and inflict the plagues through the mouths and the flesh of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses. In other words, the Two Sackcloth Witnesses somehow serve as their conduits, just like any other Prophet of God who receives and delivers a message from one of the Lord's Ministering Spirits. If you want to gain a more complete understanding regarding why I'm saying these things, please consider reading the aforementioned series.

At the very least, I'm currently convinced that just as John the Baptist was given the very same spiritual anointing as the Prophet Elijah of old, in a very similar fashion, the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation eleven are also given the very same spiritual anointing which rested upon Moses and Elijah. As to the actual identity of this pair, we don't really know, because neither the Prophet Zechariah, nor John in the Book of Revelation tell us. So the best that I can tell you is that they are two Jewish prophets of unknown origin, upon whom I believe rests the anointing of Moses and Elijah. Let me briefly mention again why I believe this may be so:

1. Moses, Elijah and the Two Sackcloth Witnesses perform very similar miracles and plagues, and likewise prophesy.

2. Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, a point which is repeatedly made throughout the New Testament. They in fact represent the entirety of the Old Testament. They are the spirit of prophecy, and the law.

3. Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus on the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration to discuss His coming Crucifixion.

4. Just as John the Baptist was anointed with the same Spirit as Elijah and then later martyred, likewise, we see in the Book of Revelation that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses have a special anointing from God -- which I believe is that of Moses and Elijah -- and are eventually martyred as well.

My friends, these similarities simply cannot be ignored, in my view. But, I recognize that it is entirely up to you to arrive at your own conclusions, based on the evidence which I have presented in this series.

Let me also add, that even if the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are receiving assistance from Moses and Elijah, it does not seem likely that they are recognized by the Jews as being these two Prophets of old. Remember, even the Lord's own Disciples did not understand that John the Baptist was the Elijah which was for to come as prophesied by Malachi. One thing we have now seen is that the Two Sackcloth Witnesses are rejected by the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Why does this occur? For the very same reason that God's true Messengers have always been rejected by those people to whom they were sent to warn and save. People simply don't want to hear the truth. They want to remain comfortable living in their sins.

As I explain in the article "The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000", as well as in other articles, the false Jewish messiah known as Moshiach ben David sits in the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. He claims to be "God", and possibly even tells the Jews that he is going to miraculously deliver them from the invading forces who have surrounded their city. Please remember the following verses which were written by the Apostle Paul in his second Epistle to the Church at Thessalonika:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."


While this vile usurper is acting out his deceptive charade, the Two Sackcloth Witnesses expose this liar and deceiver for who he really is. That is to say, the Son of Perdition. The very Son of Satan! Their message is obviously unpopular, which is why they eventually pay with their lives. However, it is not before they have delivered their souls to the Jews of Israel, and convinced as many people as possible of the need to accept Jesus as their one true Savior.

Likewise, I imagine that they warn the Jews to flee from Jerusalem before its final destruction at the hands of the Beast, just as the Lord sent two Angels to get Lot and his family out of evil Sodom, before He rained down fire and brimstone on those wicked cities of the plain. At the same time, if we consider the fact that the Vials of Wrath -- also known as the Last Seven Plagues -- are also occurring during this very same period, it seems quite possible that these plagues are blamed on the Two Sackcloth Witnesses, which is why they are hated all the more, and eventually killed.

Aside from the fact that the Lord wants to save as many of the flesh Jews as He possibly can, warn them of the dangers to come, and punish those who reject the Divine Message by fighting against His two Olive Trees, might there be another reason for the ministry of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses? If we stop to consider the primary purpose of a witness in an earthly court of law, it is easy to understand that there is another obvious reason for their presence during the three and a half years of Great Tribulation.

As I point out in some of my other articles, the Heavenly Realm doesn't consist of Angels lazily playing their golden harps on billowy white clouds for eternity. The Kingdom of Heaven is a very busy place. By all indications, it has a genuine Celestial Government composed of various levels and positions of authority and responsibility. The Judgment Seat of Christ is a part of this Government, as is born out by the following verses:

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."


"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."


"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."


"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."


"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"


In God's Celestial Courtroom, trials are held, and cases are decided. As in any case on Earth, in order for the trial to be fair, witnesses must be presented who will submit verbal evidence which will assist the Judge in making the right decision regarding the case. Only after hearing all of the evidence, can the Supreme Judge make His decision, and pass His Verdict. If you consider the events of the Bible from this perspective of a Celestial Courtroom, you will see how true this really is. The Apostle John apparently had a very clear understanding of this matter, being as out of the ten times the phrase "bear witness" is mentioned in the four Gospels, nine times it is found in the Gospel of John, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."


"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true . . . But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."


"I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."


"Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me."


"And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning."


"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."


As we saw earlier in this series, Moses and the Prophets of old were faithful witnesses of events yet to come in the far future. And in the New Testament, John the Baptist also bore witness of this very same truth, followed by Jesus Himself, followed by His Apostles and Disciples, followed by all of the other of the Lord's faithful witnesses, including up to this current time. This is precisely what the Lord meant when He said such things as the following:

". . . Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."


"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


". . . Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome."


Please go to part five for the conclusion of this series.

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