What is the meaning of Revelation 11:3? And I will empower Revelation 11:3 opens with the Lord’s promise: “And I will empower….” The speaker is Christ, who alone supplies the supernatural strength His servants need. He does the same for believers throughout Scripture: • Luke 24:49—He clothes His disciples “with power from on high.” • Acts 1:8—“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” • Zechariah 4:6—“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of Hosts. What empowerment looks like here: – Miraculous authority to call down plagues (Revelation 11:6). – Divine protection until their task is finished (11:5). – Unwavering boldness to confront a hostile world (Acts 4:31). my two witnesses The phrase is personal—“my.” These individuals belong to the Lord and testify for Him. Scripture consistently requires two witnesses to establish any matter (Deuteronomy 19:15; John 8:17). The pairing also recalls the “two olive trees” and “two lampstands” in Zechariah 4:3, 11-14—prophetic symbols of Spirit-filled servants. Possibilities for their identity (kept literal, future, and personal): • Moses & Elijah—miracles match turning water to blood (Exodus 7) and shutting the sky (1 Kings 17). • Elijah & Enoch—both were taken up without dying (2 Kings 2:11; Genesis 5:24). Regardless of who they are, they serve specific roles: – Bear legal testimony against the Antichrist’s regime. – Call Israel and the nations to repentance (Malachi 4:5-6). – Affirm Christ as the rightful King (Matthew 17:3-5). and they will prophesy Their primary task is to speak forth God’s message. Prophecy in Scripture both foretells and forthtells: • Jeremiah 1:9-10—God puts words in His prophet’s mouth to uproot and to plant. • 1 Corinthians 14:3—Prophecy edifies, encourages, and comforts. Here it also warns, as seen in the judgments they unleash (Revelation 11:6). Content likely includes: – The gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). – A call to repent before the final wrath falls (Revelation 14:6-7). – Specific announcements of coming plagues, paralleling Moses before Pharaoh. for 1,260 days 1,260 literal days equal 42 months, or “time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25; 12:7). Revelation uses the same span for several end-time events: • The woman (Israel) is preserved 1,260 days in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6). • The beast rules 42 months (Revelation 13:5). Key takeaways: – God sets a precise calendar; evil cannot shorten or lengthen it (Daniel 9:27). – This three-and-a-half-year ministry likely occupies the first half of the Tribulation, ending with their death at its midpoint (Revelation 11:7) as the beast rises to full power. clothed in sackcloth Sackcloth is the rough garment of mourning and repentance: • Genesis 37:34—Jacob mourns Joseph. • Jonah 3:5-8—Nineveh repents in sackcloth. • Matthew 11:21—Sackcloth marks genuine contrition. Why it matters here: – Their attire visually preaches repentance. – It contrasts with the world’s luxury under the Antichrist (Revelation 18:7). – It links them to prophets like Elijah (“a hairy garment,” 2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Mark 1:6), underscoring authenticity and separation from worldly trappings. summary Revelation 11:3 presents two literal prophets, personally empowered by Christ to deliver a three-and-a-half-year message of repentance during the Tribulation. Their authority comes from God, their number satisfies His legal standard, their prophecy warns and invites, their timeframe aligns with Daniel’s end-time calendar, and their sackcloth underscores urgent mourning over sin. God’s meticulous plan, steadfast power, and gracious call to repent shine through every phrase. |
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