(3) And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (4) These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (5) And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (6) 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.
We here enter upon one of the most interesting parts of this whole book of prophecy. I venture to call it so, as it concerns the church in the present hour. For upon the presumption that it could be ascertained, respecting those two witnesses of the Lord, and the accomplishment of the events here spoken of in this Chapter, a key would be given with it, to unlock the greater part, if not the whole cabinet of this portion of God's most holy word. I do not mean, however, from what I have now said, to intimate as though any such discoveries will be made to any man, or to any set of men, as shall lead to the accomplishment of such purposes. Indeed, I have already observed in the preface to this very Book, that it appears to me, to be the general will of God, none of his prophecies (except in special cases) shall be so known, before the predictions come to be fulfilled. Nevertheless, I am inclined to believe, that though this be the will and pleasure of God, on the general subject of prophecy, yet, be hath as graciously been pleased, while keeping from his people the knowledge of the precise time, for the accomplishment of his purposes, to give them certain insights, for marking the progress as they go. And under this view I venture to repeat, that the clearer apprehension we can make, in relation to those two witnesses of the Lord through his teaching, the greater apprehension we shall have of those great events, connected with them.
Under these impressions, I request permission from the Reader, to propose an observation or two, before I enter upon the subject, that I may be perfectly understood, while bringing forward what I have to offer oh this point. And I beg to do it in the most humble and unassuming manner. This Poor Man's Commentary is, as the title intimates, for humble Readers. It is intended more for the Poor in spirit, than for the learned in human wisdom. It aims not to impose my opinion, but rather from fair statings, to invite the Reader, under divine teaching, to form his own. Hence it hath been my study all along, in points not immediately connected with vital truths, to propose, rather than to decide. But in the momentous doctrines, in which the very life of the believer depends, I have indeed, and to the latest moment of my being, through grace, I am resolved to do, earnestly contend for the faith, once delivered to the saints.
Here I feel a boldness well warranted of God on those solemn doctrines, such, I mean, as the Godhead of Christ, the Person, Godhead, and Ministry of the Holy Ghost; and the mystery of the Three in One, which bear record in heaven, on those glorious fundamentals of faith, and of all that is dear to the real Christian; here I assume a freedom for an unalterable firmness, which will admit of no accommodation. On this ground I contend, and contend earnestly. In this war, I neither give nor take quarter. With such as deny those doctrines, which are dearer to me than life, will I never knowingly mingle. Very sure I am, notwithstanding the accommodating temper of the present day, in the attempt to amalgamate the different creeds, under the specious pretence of promoting God's glory, his glory cannot be promoted by such dissimulation; neither can persons of such opposite doctrines, be found together, however meeting here, in the world to come. I enter my protest against such things. I should consider it high treason, to the majesty of my God and Savior, to smother my faith in his Godhead; and be found with those who openly deny it. On this ground I compliment no man. Under this banner I take my stand. And here I pray to be found faithful, in life and death: in time and to all eternity.
Having said thus much, I beg permission from the Reader, to offer another observation. I enter with great diffidence on the subject concerning those two witnesses, inasmuch, as some of the greatest men, since the day of our Lord, that ever lived upon the earth, next to the Apostles, have erred, (as is plainly proved, by the event not corresponding to their prediction), in calculating the time of their slaughter. Those errors of theirs, arose from misdating the period, of the thousand, two hundred, and threescore days. And from hence we learn, that it is impossible to form a clear judgment when it will be, unless the Lord had marked the data from whence the reckoning is to be made. One thing appears certain. Their death is to be under the sixth trumpet. So are the events which are to follow, when the witnesses shall again be re-animated. Hence, therefore, we may safely conclude, that the thousand, two hundred, and threescore days, are not yet run out.
From premising these things, I will now beg the Reader to attend with me to what the Lord hath here said, concerning his two witnesses, to whom he hath given power to prophesy for this long period. And, I enter upon the subject the rather, with some little confidence, inasmuch as the advance the Church hath made into the nineteenth century from the opening of the sixth trumpet, favor our observations for more correctness, in forming conclusions from what is past, in humble waitings for what is to come.
The first point, if it were discoverable, would be to ascertain, who these witnesses are? It would form the subject of no small volume, or perhaps of many volumes, even to enumerate the variety of opinions, which have been given, in alleges of the Church, in relation to this one point. But yet, the subject stands just where it did. No man, as yet, hath been able to ascertain the matter; and perhaps will not, until the Lord himself shall explain it, in the accomplishment. I shall just state before the Reader the mere outlines of the different opinions; and leave it with him, under the Lord's grace, to form his own conclusions.
The great difficulty seems to be, in the very opening of the subject, to discover whether those two witnesses are Persons, or Things. They who favor the idea of Persons, have talked of many public characters, from Enoch, and Elijah, down to the very time of the Reformation from Popery. But a great difficulty lies in the way here, of limiting it to any particular persons; as the time of their prophesying, a thousand two hundred and sixty days, which in prophetical language means years, far surpasseth the boundary of human life, to individuals. And, if this be obviated in the supposition of a succession of persons, there doth not seem a reason for confining the number to two.
They who conceive the two witnesses to mean not persons, but things, have concluded, that the Two Testaments of Scripture are intended. And, very certain it is, that a considerable degree of probability is on this side of the argument. For they are the highest, the best, and most unanswerable witnesses, for Christ Jesus himself appealed to the Old Testament, in proof of his Messiahship, when he said to the Jews: Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me, John 5:39. And, with respect to those two witnesses being clothed in sackcloth, there is no objection in this, to the scriptures; for when we consider, that the whole of the prophecy is veiled in figure, it is no distortion of the figure to say, the scriptures are mourning in sackcloth, from the little attention the world pays to them, in their testimony to Christ. And there seems a very strong reason to suppose, that the two witnesses are meant for the scriptures, when it is said, that these are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, standing before the God of the earth. For the Prophet describes the gifts and graces of the Spirit, under the figure of olive trees; Zechariah 4:3 and, in this very scripture, Jesus himself told John, that the candlesticks mean the Churches, Revelation 1:20. So then, under this view, the scriptures are represented by the figure of olive trees; and the Churches which receive the witness of the scriptures, are as candlesticks.
But others have thought, that the two witnesses more probably intend, the two Churches of Christ, the Jew and Gentile; both which are witnesses in themselves, of the power of his salvation; and against whom, both the Impostures of the East and West, are alike inveterate.
I am free to confess, that I am wholly uninformed, with which to say the truth is, or whether either. The Lord, in his own time, which is always the best time will show. In the mean season, it will be well for the Lord's people to be always on the watch-tower, and to be attentive to the Lord's testimonies concerning himself. If it be the scriptures of God which are meant, certain it is, that, as this scripture saith, if any hurt them by blaspheming their testimony, denying their witness, fire doth proceed from their mouth for their destruction: for the word of God is as a fire, and as an hammer, that breaketh the rock in pieces, Jeremiah 23:29. And Jesus saith, the word which I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day, John 12:48. And, in relation to what is said of shutting heaven, and having power over the waters; we only know what we do know of these things, by the word of God.
We shall have occasion hereafter, when we meet with the subject again to consider it somewhat more particularly. In the mean time I shall leave the Reader to his own reflections.