The Two Witnesses

Someone suggested that the vision of "the two witnesses" in Revelation could represent the collective witnessing-Church.

John had first seen measuring of a temple going on; worshipers accounted for; and an outer-arena, left out of the measuring, trampled by Gentiles. Then he saw two witnesses. 

And he stated that these two witnesses are the two olive trees. Not 'were', or 'will be' - but 'are'. So they represent a timeless reality. 

That also seems like a deliberate reference to the Book of Zechariah. Zechariah, like John, saw a vision of an angel going out to measure; and he heard that the city and sanctuary would be rebuilt; mention was made of the Gentiles; and of two people who were named as the two Olive trees. 

So the theme in Zechariah was that despite what Israel's enemies were doing, God also was doing something: He was about the rebuilding of the city and sanctuary - with two individuals in particular having a central role in that.

John of course would have known that there had already been a fulfilment of sorts, to some extent at least, of Zechariah's prophecy - on the ground in Israel, after the return from captivity. But like nearly all first-century Jews, he would have grown-up with a sense that there was still more - a still greater hope. 

So, what if John, in the light of Gospel-fulfilment, was now seeing in a vision, something that had to do with the real fulfilment of those same themes seen by Zechariah prefigured by the Old Covenant activities.

John, like Zechariah, saw a building project going on - but a heavenly one - an eternal one - the heavenly city and temple - New Jerusalem - the bride of the Lamb - the people of God. It is heavenly; spiritual; eternal - an advance new creation - enjoying the foretaste of the new creation to come. That was one reality which John saw...

...And meanwhile, in another arena - in the same arena where their Lord was crucified, that is: on the earth, in the here and now - another related-reality was being played-out simultaneously: witnesses - persecuted witnesses - martyred witnesses - but ultimately vindicated and victorious witnesses - vindicated and made victorious by nothing less than resurrection, then inheriting the earth, the new earth. 

Like two sides of the same coin. So, yes, John's readers were undergoing suffering as they bore witness, in this present world - but the reality behind it all is that Christ is building His Church, His bride - and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The suffering, witnessing Church, in the here-and-now, are like the olive trees standing-by the Lord's new-creation project. 

The fact John saw two witnsses, some say likely just represents that the church's witness is valid. ('In the mouth of two or three witnesses...'). Others try to distinguish between the two, and try to identify each - but still see them as representative not as two physical individuals.

The vision mentioned 42 months. Some wonder whether that is representative of the fact that our present sufferings are relatively short and light compared to the eternal glory which shall be ours. Others wonder whether the 42 months was a detail specific to John's original readers (the seven churches). Some who think Revelation was written pre-AD70, think it was specific to the Jewish-Roman war. (I wonder whether, or how, it might fit with a similar but different timespan mentioned in Daniel 12.)

(And of course there are futurists and historicists who see it all differently again.)

Whichever take on it all is correct, there's always a takeaway truth in it for us:

Christ is making all things new. He is gathering His people. We are part of that. For now, our part might involve suffering. But ultimately we'll be vindicated through nothing less than resurrection, and found eternally victorious with Him!