And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
3 sermons cite this verse
… and that is the ministry of the two tribulation witnesses. And that is the focus of this chapter. Look at verse 3. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days. That's 42 months. That's three and a half years in sackcloth. While these terrible judgments of God are coming, there will be two witnesses who will proclaim God's truth. And notice their characteristics in verses four to six. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. A lampstand is something that gave light in the darkness. They were fueled by olive oil that came from olive trees. And so that's the nature of these two witnesses. They're giving light in the darkness. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. And not only that, verse 6, these have the power to shut up the sky so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. And they have powers over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire. …
… And I will grant authority, he says, to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth means that their message is one of repentance. They are commanding people to turn from worship of themselves to worship of Jesus. Verse six tells us that the world hates their message and does all they can to resist them, But these witnesses are endowed with God's power, by which they can do miracles, including even the power, John says, to stop the rain. And secondly, they're supernaturally preserved in the world, so they can't be totally snuffed out. You see in verse three that they prophesy for 1,260 days, which if you're doing quick math in your head, that's three and a half years, or half of the seven-year tribulation. Verse seven tells us that after they have finished their testimony. The beast from the bottomless pit, that is the Antichrist, filled with demonic power is given the ability to destroy them. By the way, interestingly, the word used for finished there in verse seven is the same word Jesus used when he died. Before he gave up his spirit at the cross, he said to telestai, it is finished. That's the same root word for what John says right there. …
… And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. Now, I know just by reading that, you're absolutely clear on what that is all about. I see the worried look on your face, but I'm going to help you to understand it. It's so important. The key to this section is really the two witnesses in verse 3. Their story runs all the way down to verse 13, and we'll be looking at that more in detail next Sunday. Two witnesses. Throughout all of redemptive history, God has faithfully sent His witnesses to declare His message, His truth, His will, and His way. He sent His prophets and His preachers, basically to call sinners to salvation, to repentance and salvation. During the long, dark years of Israel's rebellion, 2 Kings 17, 13 says, the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all the prophets and seers saying, and this was a constant message, turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent you my servants, the prophets." This is the standard operating procedure for God through His prophets and preachers in the Old Testament. …