THE TWO WITNESSES by Editor

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 25, 1858

THE TWO WITNESSES.

By Editor

WHILE this is confessedly a difficult subject, there are specifications enough given, we think, to guard us against adopting views which are either very extravagant or ultra concerning it. We acknowledge the validity of that rule which forbids our pulling down a man's house over his head, without giving him a better one in its stead; but when we see persons erecting an unwieldy superstructure upon no foundation but the sand, have we not a right by all means to induce them if possible to "leave off to build," before the work shall have progressed so far as to involve them in the ruin of its "fall." "The issue of a false theory" says Nelson, "can but be disastrous."

We shall therefore be permitted to reason negatively on this question—to endeavor to refute a theory without establishing another in its stead. Perhaps this is all we need to do until some good reasons shall be given for departing from the view already adopted by the majority of expositors. And in order that our remarks may be understood, it will be necessary to state the views with which we are at issue. They are in brief as follows:

That Christ and the Church are the two witnesses of Rev. xi.
That the time for them to finish their testimony is yet future.
That then they are to be slain, literally; that is, that the saints are all to be put to death.
That their dead bodies are to be three days and a half, literal time, unburied, during which men will rejoice over them, making merry and sending gifts one to another.

That at the end of three days and a half, they are to be resurrected, and immediately thereafter "ascend up to heaven;" which takes place when the Lord comes, and the saints are changed and caught up to meet him in the air.
That the earthquake which then occurs is identical with that which helps swell the unprecedented woe of the seventh and last plague. Rev. xvi, 18.

The reasons urged for these positions may be also briefly summed up as follows:

The term, witness, is often applied to Christ and the church.
The witnesses are said to be the two olive trees; [Rev. xi, 4;] and the church is called an olive tree, and so is Christ.
The wonders wrought by Moses in Egypt and by Elijah in Canaan, are referred to as fulfilling the specifications of verse 6, viz., "These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will."
It is claimed that the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, and makes war upon the witnesses and overcomes them, is the Two-horned beast. In support of his putting the saints to death, appeal is made to Rev. xiii, 15, which says that the image should cause that as many as would not worship it should be killed.
Christ is slain in his people, or in other words is "spiritually crucified" in Sodom and Egypt. Verse 8.
The three days and a half during which the witnesses lie dead are literal days.
They have no connection with the second woe.

With every single position above taken, and with every single reason urged in their defense, we join issue.

1. It is generally admitted by Advent believers, that the Revelation, is a revelation of Jesus Christ; that he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, and is himself in many places, the speaker. A reference to chap. xxii, 15, will illustrate: "Blessed are they that do his commandments." Christ speaks, and refers to his Father's commandments. So it is all through. It is the same "great voice as of a trumpet," saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." "I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things." "Behold I (Jesus) come quickly," &c. So in chap. xi, 3: "And I (Jesus) will give power unto my two witnesses." The witnesses therefore are those that testify concerning Jesus Christ; but he himself affirms that he bears not testimony concerning himself; therefore he is not one of them. God is never represented as the speaker in the book of Revelation.

2. The argument that is based on the application of the term, witness, to Christ and his people, falls to the ground in view of the fact that the same term is applied to other objects besides them. For instance, God is often called a witness. Jno. v, 37; Mal. iii, 5. Good works are a witness. Jno. v, 37; x, 25. The conscience is a witness. Rom. ii, 15. The Holy Spirit is a witness. Jno. xv, 25; Heb. x, 15; 1 Jno. v, 6. The Scriptures are a witness. Jno. v, 39. The simple fact therefore that the term, witness, is applied to Christ and his people proves nothing, since if it proves anything it proves too much. This point then resolves itself into this one question: What are preeminently pointed out by

the Scriptures as the witnesses of Jesus? The only Scriptures existing in the days of our Saviour, were the books of the Old Testament; yet Jesus told his disciples to search the Scriptures, for they testified of him: the word rendered, testify, being the same as in many other places is rendered, to bear witness. John v, 37. And again, Jesus told his apostles that he would send the Comforter, who would testify of him, and they should also bear witness of him. Why? The reason follows: because they had been with him from the beginning. They were therefore qualified to bear witness of him. John xv, 26, 27. Aided by the Holy Ghost they have left their witness on record, as embodied in the New Testament. But there is no man now who can bear witness of Jesus in the sense of John xv, 27, for the reason that no one has seen him and been present with him.

3. The witnesses are called the two olive trees; but we find no testimony that Christ is ever called an olive tree. The church is indeed so called in Jer. xi, 16, and Rom. xi, 17; but the connection of these passages with Zech. iv, is yet to be shown. Paul calls the Gentiles, an olive tree [Rom. xi, 17,] but no one would think from this of calling them one of the witnesses.

4. The witnesses have power to shut heaven that it rain not, to turn water into blood, and smite the earth with all plagues, &c. When do they have power to do this? The Testimony is that it is during the days of their prophecy. What are the days of their prophecy? They must be the 1260 days of verse 3; for no others are brought to view. A reference therefore to the days of Moses and Elijah as a fulfillment of these specifications, is about as foreign to the subject as could well be made.

5. The beast that makes war upon the witnesses and overcomes them is the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit. What beast is this? The same as is brought to view in chap. xvii, 8: "The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit." By the previous verse we learn that it is the beast that carries the woman—the blasphemous beast with seven heads and ten horns. Is this the Two-horned beast? No Sabbath-keeper in his right mind can believe it. Then it is not the Two-horned beast that wars upon the witnesses.

6. The "days" of verse 3 are acknowledged to be prophetic, meaning 1260 years. How is it then that the same word, days, in verse 9 comes to mean literal days of 24 hours each? A reason must be given for so abrupt and sudden a turn of the language. It is evident that the same kind of time is referred to in both instances. The witnesses prophecy 1260 days, and then lie dead three and a half days. If one period is prophetic so also is the other. But the fact that the three days and a half are prophetic, is fatal to the theory under review; as no one can claim that the dead bodies of the saints will lie about the country unburied three years and a half; for the Scriptures allow but one year after the close of mercy's last message, for the execution of the plagues. Isa. lxiii, 4; Rev. xviii, 8.

7. The earthquake of verse 13, cannot be the same as brought to view in Rev. xvi, 18, 19; for in the former only a tenth part of the city falls, there are slain of men only seven thousand, and the remnant give glory to God. In the latter, the city is divided into three parts the islands flee away, men blaspheme God, and the remnant are slain by the sword of him that sits upon the horse. Chap. xix, 21.

8. From the prophetic style of the chapter [Rev. xi] it is evident that all that is said concerning the witnesses takes place before the second woe ends. The second woe ended in 1840. Subsequent to that date then we cannot look for a fulfillment of what is said of the two witnesses.

But it is urged that the saints will all be put to death from the testimony of Rev. xiii, 15 which reads as follows: "And he (the Two-horned beast) had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." But we read right on in verse 16, "And he causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark," &c. Now are we all expecting to receive the mark of the beast? By no means; yet it says that he causeth all to receive the mark. Hence we see that the verb, cause, may be limited. And when therefore we read in verse 15, that he should cause some to be killed, which Wakefield renders, "Give orders that they should be killed," &c., we think the decree may be limited in its effects; and that the saints are to be delivered from it will appear from the following positive particulars:

1. They are to get the victory over the beast and his image. But, says one, it is not getting the victory over the beast to be passively delivered out of his hands! Admitted. But is it getting the victory over him to fall beneath his power? By no means; no more than we get the victory over death when we die. But let us suppose that when the beast attempts to enforce his decrees against us, when our enemies come against us in a transport of fury, to utterly exterminate us from the earth; suppose then that we can exercise so much faith and are clothed with so much of the power of God, that their arms palsy before us, and their weapons fall from their hands, that they cannot stand in our presence, and that one saint can chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, [Deut. xxxii, 30.] would not that be getting the victory over them? Verily. And that such will be the case with us we have no reason to doubt, but much to believe. See Experience and Views p. 17.

2. Paul says plainly that we shall not all sleep. His words are, "Behold I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." 1 Cor. xv, 51. Testimony so plain and positive as this can neither be set aside nor evaded. To say that it means that we shall not all be asleep is an evasion of the most glaring kind. The text does not say that, but, we shall not all sleep, fall asleep; the verb being in the same construction as the following one, we shall be changed. Now if we are actually reduced to a state of death, if it is for no more than five minutes, we sleep as really as though it was for five thousand years; and Paul's declaration proves a failure. But we do not believe his word will fail; we do not believe that we shall all sleep.

3. Paul declares that some will be alive and remain. "Then we," says he, "which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them, (the resurrected righteous dead.)

We close the testimony here, not because there is nothing more that might be said, or because there are not many more absurdities which necessarily attach themselves to the theory under consideration, but because we think enough has been offered. Eleven objections have been noticed each one of which is fatal to its existence. With one more consideration we leave the subject.

It is claimed by various persons who are just now originating and endeavoring to promulgate new views, that this is the way to get the "gold;" that the gold is some new truth to be developed, which we are to obtain by receiving it and acting upon it. But let us candidly answer for ourselves one question. Is the gold which we are commanded to obtain, a theory of the truth, or has it any connection with truth? We are now represented as poor and destitute, without the gold; we do not possess it. If then the gold is truth, it follows that we are yet destitute of truth—a summary way truly of throwing the Third Angel's Message and its kindred subjects into impenetrable shade. But again, if the gold is some new truth to be developed, it follows that there is truth yet to be brought out, which compared with the truth we now possess, is as gold compared with nothing. For, mark, we are without the gold yet, but we are to obtain it by the reception of new truth. This is the theory. But do any of our readers believe that there is truth yet to be developed, of such vitality and importance, that, compared with the great truths of the Third Angel's Message, the Sanctuary, the Sabbath, the Coming of the Lord, &c., it is as gold compared with nothing? The thought is unworthy of any believer in the Third Message. We do not say that there is no new truth to be brought out from time to time; but when the time comes for its development, it will appear in such force and beauty, that the church will be ready to yield to the one and acknowledge the other.

We apprehend that our poverty consists of a lack of spiritual graces rather than a theory of truth; and we think therefore, that, if there were more strenuous efforts after vital godliness, and less speculation upon doubtful and uncertain points, we should find ourselves more rapidly obtaining the true riches which will enable us to stand before our Lord with confidence at his appearing and kingdom.—Ed.