In the first 3 chapters of the book of Revelation the Lord Jesus Christ addresses 7 churches. These  churches were 7 literal churches in existence during the time John the Apostle recorded the Lord’s word. These 7 churches have also been found to be prophetically accurate representatives of churches and church dispensations that have existed since the days of the birth of the Church over 1900 years ago. Two of these church types are held in the greatest of disdain by Jesus Christ.

The first is the corrupted church of Thyatira found in Revelation 2:18-29, which He promises will be left behind after the Rapture to endure the Great Tribulation.

Then secondly is the nauseating lukewarm church of the Laodiceans addressed in Revelation 3:14-22. This apostate church is also promised to face judgment as Christ, literally in the original language, “vomits’ them out of His mouth.

Like Thyatira the Lord calls out to individual true believers to repent and respond to His voice so that they do not have to face the corporate punishment He plans to administer to this once upon a time believing church.

Their name, “Laodicians” means “justice of the people,” or “rule of the people.” The Will of God is placed beneath the desires of these apostates. It is revealed that wealth had become their confidence and focus of faith instead of the Word of God.

A recent example of such churches was revealed in an Apr. 30, ‘05 Lost Angeles Times article which headlined, “Divestment will go to vote.” In this article we find where a number of major church congregations are looking to reject the Bible on the matter of the land of Israel that God has bequeathed to the Jews.

We quote, “The 1.4 million-member United Church of Christ will vote this summer on whether to divest from certain U.S. companies doing business with Israel as a protest against the Jewish state’s occupation of Palestinian territories, Church officials said Friday.

The measure would single out as possible divestment targets U.S. corporations “involved with Israel’s illegal occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the construction of the ‘security fence,’ and the continuation of...Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories.”

The church, which holds a $3 billion national investment portfolio, will become the second mainline Protestant denomination to vote on the issue. The Presbyterian Church USA decided last year to begin a process of divestment form U.S. companies it believes benefit from the occupation.

In addition, the Presbyterians and United Methodist Church have supported shareholder actions against Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. to end the use of its bulldozers in razing Palestinian homes. The Methodists and the Episcopal Church have launched studies of the issue.

The divestment activity among Christian churches has drawn widespread protests from the Jewish community...”It’s heavy-handed, blames only one party and won’t achieve the goals supporters claim they’re trying to achieve,” said Mark Pelavin, director of the interreligious affairs commission for Reform Judaism, the Unites Sates largest Jewish denomination with 1.5 million members...The Church of Christ’s divestment resolution was one of three Israel-related measures approved by the church’s executive council for presentation at its biennial national conference, known as a general synod, in July. An alternative measure calls for only an initial study on the divestment issue, while a third urges Israel to dismantle its separation wall.”
The apostate churches that will be cast into the Tribulation Period have systematically trampled the Word of God underfoot over the years in countless blasphemous ways, but this final act will earn them their uniquely evil place with the world during the time of the Great Tribulation when the Lord comes to defend Israel against those who seek her destruction.

Israel is the apple of God’s eye, according to Scripture. The literal meaning is that He is so near to her that it is like if you looked so closely into another person’s eye that you could see a miniature reflection of yourself. Only then would you be as near to another as God is to Israel.

During those days of judgment upon the left behind apostates they will contend in alliance with the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet against two powerful witnesses of God. It is through the witness of these two mighty prophets that not only will Israel be awakened to faith in her once rejected Messiah Jesus Christ, but so also will a vast remnant of the rejected churches also bring forth true faith in the Savior they once only paid lip service to.

Revelation 7:9-17 tells us they will die as martyrs for Christ in “great multitudes which no one could number.”

We have spoken often of Elijah as being one of the two prophets who will be the catalysts of what truly will be one of the greatest revivals ever witnessed, but what might we say about the other prophet?

Quoting verses 3 & 4 from Ch. 11 of the Bible book of Revelation we read, “And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the Earth.”

In this passage of Scripture we are told of two prophets of God who will prophesy for 3½ years during the final 7 years of tribulation which is prophesied of in Daniel 9:27. These two spokesman of God will stand toe to toe against the satanically empowered beast of a man known as the Anti-Christ. After they have finished their testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ they will be murdered and their dead bodies will be looked upon by the world for 3 ½ days as they lay decaying in the streets of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:7-10).

After this, in full view of the modern world, television audiences will witness the ultimate reality programming as the two prophets are resurrected by the Lord of Creation. Quoting from Revelation 11:11-12 we read, “Now after three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”

The question as to who these two prophets of God might be has intrigued students of Bible prophecy since the days the book of Revelation was first delivered to the Church. Their uniquely recognized place of honor in Heaven is prominently spoken of in the Word of God.

In our opening passage of Scripture from Revelation 11:4 we were told that they are, “the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.”

Zechariah Ch. 4 likewise speaks of these same two individuals. Quoting from verses 11 & 14 we read, “...What are these two olive trees, one at the right of the lampstand and the other at its left?...These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”

There is ample evidence found in the holy Scriptures to support the conclusion that one of these two men will be the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Elijah was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind of God before he completed his ministry (2 Kings 2:11). Malachi 4 promises by God’s Word that Elijah will be sent back to the earth during the days of the Great Tribulation at the close of the age.

During Christ’s first coming, John the Baptist fulfilled the required forerunner role of Elijah by ministering in the power and spirit of the prophet. Elijah himself has yet to return. (Luke 1:7 & John 1:19-21).

Our study then focuses on whether the Scriptures give any indication as to who the other witness might be. Numerous names have been considered by Bible students. The three most common suggested are: The Apostle John, Enoch, and Moses. Although there are intriguing facts presented for each of these men, in my opinion, only Moses possesses the preponderance of scriptural evidence to more fully qualify his name.

Since the role of the two prophets is primarily associated with Israel in Revelation 11:3-4 during the Tribulation Period and in  Zechariah 4:11 & 14, I must then minimize Enoch and John as my primary candidates. Enoch was a Gentile who lived before Israel came into existence and the Apostle John was a representative of the Church Age after Israel’s rejection of her Messiah.

Our biblical journey starts in Numbers 20:12 when after Moses disobeyed God’s instructions he was prohibited from entering the promised land. It is interesting to note in this Scripture that the Lord stated that Moses would not be permitted to, “bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” This leaves open the possibility that there would be another congregation Moses might someday be permitted to lead into the promised land.

Isaiah 23:7-8 does in fact speak of another great exodus to Israel in these final days, “Therefore behold the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ ‘but, As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”

If one reads verses 15-18 of Ch. 18 in the book of Deuteronomy, additional support can be found for the consideration in this respect, that Moses will play an important role in these last days. Moses prophesied in this portion of Scripture that another Prophet like himself would be raised up, “according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb.” God finalized this prophecy with His warning for all to obey the future Prophet’s words.

Christians know that this Prophet who was to come is Jesus Christ. The Jews on the other hand expected and still expect another Moses. This is what the Jews were inquiring about in John 1:21 when they asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah or the Prophet?”  In these last days both Elijah and Moses are still expected to arrive at some future Passover by practicing Jews.

This Moses and Elijah association continues to develop throughout the Scriptures. In Ch. 4:4 of Malachi, immediately before God promises to return Elijah in the last days, we find in verse 5 God speaking of His servant Moses.

In Mark 9:2-8 we are then told of how three of the disciples witnessed the appearance of Elijah and Moses upon a high mountaintop with Jesus immediately before He was to be crucified.

This may well be one of the most revealing of all biblical records as to the likelihood that these two mighty prophets are the same two olive trees of the Lord spoken of in Revelation 11 & Zechariah 4.

It was Elijah and Moses that had a special appearance together with the Lord as Jesus stood in His transfigured state before men and prepared to offer Himself as a living sacrifice for the sins of the world. It was these two prophets of God that the Creator of the earth chose to stand by His side during one of the most glorious and trying moments of His incarnation  as a man. This we can see was in like manner as the two olive trees that stand beside the Lord of the earth in Zechariah 4:11 & 14.

In Revelation 11:6 we are shown two examples of God’s great power the two prophets will demonstrate during the Tribulation Period. We are told that they will shut up heaven, so that no rain falls during the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood..” Both of these miracles are recorded in the Bible to have been performed by God’s word through Elijah and Moses (Exodus 7:14-21 & 1 Kings 17:1-7).

We now come to the difficult area of this study. Elijah’s return to the earth during the Tribulation Period can be readily understood since the Scriptures have shown us that Elijah has never died. On the other hand, Deuteronomy 34 plainly tells us that Moses did die and was buried. Our difficulty arises from  Hebrews 9:27 which declares, “...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”

The question we then must answer is, “How can Moses, who had died, make his appearance on the earth during the Tribulation Period?”  There are two scripturally based possibilities.

The first possibility is that just as John the Baptist and Elisha of the Old Testament were not Elijah in the flesh, but went forth in the power and spirit of Elijah, so too could another man go forth in these last days in the power and spirit of Moses.

Enoch, a Gentile, was a man of God that never experienced death and prophesied of the close of this age when Christ would return with all of His saints after they had been Raptured like Himself (Hebrews 11:15 & Jude 14-15).

Could God send back Enoch in the spirit and power of Moses or perhaps some other man raised up upon the earth? This I cannot answer, but by Scripture we know such things are possible, although I personally believe Enoch is a prefigure of the Raptured Church that is never to see death.

The second possibility is that Moses has already been resurrected in the fashion like those who were raised from the dead by Christ during His walk upon the earth or those who were raised after His resurrection (see John 11:39-44 & Matthew 27:52-53 for examples). These all received life extensions. Their premature deaths were just a temporary break in their overall life span planned by God.

There are numerous other, what we might call, temporary resurrections recorded both in the Old and New Testament. Hebrews 9:27 warns that the unbeliever should not trust in a second chance such as in the lie of reincarnation.

Perhaps the Scripture of verse 9 of Jude should be considered relevant to this consideration that Moses may have already been resurrected and is waiting to return in some transitional place with Elijah.

We quote, “Yet Michael the Archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Why we might ask, would the devil care about the body of a man who is supposedly lying in a grave? Could it be that this contentious dispute between two of God’s most powerful beings was over the resurrected body of Moses at some time in history?

We have no way of knowing whether Moses’ appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah was in his actual body or in spirit only. We do know that everyone else present on that mountaintop were there in their bodies, including Elijah.

What a celebrated story of God’s greatness believers can look forward to when Elijah and Moses someday share the details of their celestial adventures during the eternity to come. At that time it will be no less great in many ways then our own stories.

Returning to Ch. 9 of the Gospel of Mark at the Mount of Transfiguration we should carefully ponder one other very important piece of prophetic information relevant to this present generation.

Verses 2 & 4 reads, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before  them...And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.”

We are specifically told that it was after 6 days that Elijah and Moses appeared upon the earth. Considering the Word of God in 2 Peter 3:8 which instructs believers to, “not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” it is exciting to realize we are at the point in time since the start of creation that God recognizes as being after 6 days and would align with the approximate time when Elijah and Moses will once again appear upon the earth.

The close of the age is frightfully near at hand and the catching up to heaven of every believer in Jesus Christ could take place at any moment (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).

If you have never come to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins I pray that the Holy Spirit move upon you this very moment to open your heart to His gift of salvation. This day you can be assured of your eternal place in the kingdom of God by putting your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. It is through the atoning sacrifice He made by His blood on the cross almost 2,000 years ago that all who call on His name receive eternal life.

Don’t put it off - come to God while He is near.

SOURCE: Rapture Watch