Who decided that they were finished? Revelation 11: 7,8

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. (Revelation 11:7, NIV)

Who decides that they are finished? Only God!

Just speculating here:

• Their finish could coincide with the last Saint being brought in the kingdom.
• There is a problem with the previous theory if you are going to hang with a tight chronological view of the Revelation. Chapter 13:7 of the Revelation has the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit making war with the saints and killing them, and the chronological viewpoint then places the Saints after the two witnesses. So that really doesn't work.
• Or, it could be that time has merely come to an end, finishing the time of tribulation. There again, if you are attempting to hold to a strict chronological read of the Revelation this theory does not work either.
• From the point of their arrival, until the end of the their days was prescribed. 1260 days. That's three and a half years. An odd number, and short considering how fast time flies, but that is the entire prescription and end of their purpose. Ironic and yet poignant how it matches several other incidents such as: Jesus in death; Jonah in the fish

“the beast coming up out of the Abyss will fight against them, overcome them and kill them”

No one has been able to do that for 42 months (3 ½ years). As I write this I think back on Elijah and recall that a certain king demanded his presence. (Read about this in 1Kings chapter one starting at verse six.) In fairly rapid succession several (Based on modern warfare terminology.) platoons were turned into toast. (This is one of the aspects that encourages a hard look at Elijah as one of the two witnesses.)

Why would God have any problem with the army ( I assume) that this beast will amass to kill them. He shouldn't, unless their mission is over. 

For precisely 1260 days they have stood in the streets, declaring that there is a God in heaven and causing havoc on the the earth. Think about that! From the moment they arrive the rain is shut off over geographical regions of their choice. I have a strong feeling that this will primarily be those areas that have the loudest voices against God. They sad aspect is that everyone will be affected. It may well be that saints are still coming to the Lord (at the cost of their lives) but then that would mean that God's mercy is still being poured out through the course of the tribulation, if the two show up at the mid-point.

“ left lying in the streets”

“and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.” (Revelation 11:8 ESV)

Killed by the beast. Again, I implore you to think rationally. This is not a vicious yeti or some imaginary creature, but a man. Islam calls him Jesus the son of Mary (not God.ⁱ) Empowered by Satan himself he will work the same wondrous miracles that the two witnesses have done, and, as Jesus stated, “he will deceive even the elect.” Did you ever wonder who that would be and how that might happen? 

 

I think we are all aware of people we deem uneducated that have fallen for deception, but what have we been seeing over the last couple of years. Schemers that have bilked the well-to-do out of their money and used that money for their own personal gain. Several have been caught. The name Bernie Madoff comes to mind, along with the corporation Enron. You do not have to be stupid to be deceived, you merely have to be convinced that what they are pushing on you is the real and better thing. 

 

Having just witnessed the two representatives of God make the world even more vulnerable, and then be killed by this “beast”, he might just be a very believable person. The deception comes when he declares that the God we understand is false, and that Allah is true. Because Jesus said it would happen this way, you can go to the bank on it, if they still exist.

“their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city”

Do not get confused, there is only one great city at this point, and it is Jerusalem. Sure, I understand that the battle is raging and that the UN gave the Palestinians some form of statehood, but do not be deceived, this is still God's heart and he is not giving it up.

Of all the places that could be considered a town square in Israel, there is only one, in my mind, that always gets photographed, video taped, or have interviews conducted from, and that is the square at the Western Wall, in clear view of the temple mount.

What is it that would make this a great city, outside of history? The rebuilt temple. The mere fact that it may be standing at this point will hugely significant, and a source of pride and arrogance for the Jews. To be able to slaughter the two witnesses in front of it, would be a major coup, and add tremendous fuel to the deception.

I rehash a major theme of mine:

What is prophecy to the Jewish mind? - Pattern.

Who else died and left us a pattern of three and a half days?

• Jesus
• Jonah

The idea of three days spread all through out the law and Moses (The Torah and Pentateuch). I suspect that this will all take place on the same day that Jesus rose. Just as Jesus rose, so will these two. God will not be mocked or destroyed.

Ask him to make himself real to you and watch what happens. His name is Jesus Christ and he is the son of the living God. I strongly suggest that you come to him quickly.

(i)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam

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